Last fall I started hearing noises in the walls. I called Eagle and their tech showed up on time, with a mask. Polite and personable. He climbed into the attic crawl space, fixed a hole under the roof eave with wire mesh, and set some rat traps. I was hesitant to set kill traps but nobody seemed to want to trap rats and humanely release them, and there may be practical and legal difficulties in doing so (e.g. the need to check the traps daily, and city ordinances about releasing). Thankfully, no rats were caught, and no evidence of rats inside the house was found. However, I kept hearing noises - some quite loud, and mostly during the day time, not at night when rats are supposedly more active. I began to suspect squirrels.
After 5 visits and no solution to the sounds in the wall, the office offered a few additional courtesy visits to set traps around the perimeter of the house (outside), but I declined because I was beginning to suspect it was squirrels, not rats and didn't want to be involved in any killing, especially when it wasn't going to solve my problem.
Eventually, I climbed up on my roof (I'm comfortable with heights - not recommended for most people, and many companies refuse to do this). On top of the roof, I found an old masonry chimney that was sealed off at the bottom. I had not known about this, but it was completely open at the top. Squirrels have no problems climbing down this - treating it like a hollowed out tree trunk. They can easily wedge their tiny claws into crevices in the masonry.
First, I attached a go-Pro camera and began to record video footage - after reviewing ~8 hours and not seeing any intruders, I began to notice that I wasn't hearing any sounds in the walls. Warmer weather? Scared off by the camera on the wooden frame around the top of the chimney? It's been a week with no rodent sounds, so I have temporarily sealed the chimney with a double layer of 4 mil plastic cinched down by the wooden frame I built. I waited a week to do this to ensure no rodents would get trapped inside, which could either kill them or make them eat their way out of the walls. I've called a roofer to remove the top of the chimney and seal the roof (better for energy efficiency).
Many pest removal companies employ highly visible activities such as putting out kill traps, which end up being lethal to other creatures just trying to survive, and may not even solve your problem. There are many non-lethal solutions and practices out there, and you need to research your problem carefully, or pay someone willing to do that research.
I paid $500 to Eagle for a service. They get 3 stars because they did help me do some exclusion work and were generally professional. This review is meant to help you do your homework when it comes to rodents, choosing a company, and being clear on strategies and potential outcomes. Please choose a non-lethal strategy if possible. Poisoning rats for example, only ends up poisoning other animals, including pets. And it's probably a horrible death. My longest Yelp review ever...but a complex issue with moral layers. read more