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If you are not at high risk of contracting disease and take proper safety precautions, it’s considered generally safe to clean mouse droppings on your own. Before handling any droppings, make sure to put on protective equipment such as plastic gloves and a face mask. Individuals who are immunocompromised, have medical conditions, and children should especially avoid exposure to mouse droppings. 

Identifying the specific animal running on your roof at night can be challenging without direct observation. Common nocturnal roof visitors include raccoons, squirrels, opossums, and rats. Raccoons are bigger and can create heavy thumping sounds. Squirrels are agile and may produce rapid scurrying noises. Opossums tend to move stealthily with less noise. Rats can make scratching or gnawing sounds. To determine the culprit, look for signs like footprints, droppings, or damaged areas near the roof. For accurate identification, consult a pest control professional or set up wildlife cameras near potential entry points.

When woodpeckers start banging on your walls or roof, they are probably looking for insects to eat, storing nuts for winter, drilling a hole to make a nest, or communicating with other birds to establish territory or find a mate.

The size of the hole can help determine the reason for the pecking. Small irregular holes are a result of insect hunts. Acorn holes are more consistently sized and often fitted with a nut in the middle. Nest holes are large and have rounded edges. If the bird is pecking to mark its territory or attract a mate, it may leave dents rather than holes, and the noise will stop when the mating season starts in spring.

Yes, filling gaps can help with pest problems in your home. Sealing baseboard gaps reduces small-insect entry points into your home. Even tiny spaces provide pathways for pests, so addressing all gaps throughout your home creates a more effective barrier than spot treatments in individual rooms.