An animal in the attic: not a roofing job yet
Raccoons, squirrels and bats chew wiring and soak insulation, and CDC notes raccoon roundworm eggs in droppings become infectious in 2 to 4 weeks. The animal goes first, then the hole.
What is probably happening
- Something got in through a soffit gap, a rotted fascia board, a roof vent, or a gap at the roof edge. Scratching at dusk and dawn points to raccoons or squirrels; a steady rustle at night can be bats.
- The entry hole is roofing work. The animal is wildlife control, which is a different trade and, in many states, a separately permitted one.
- Sealing the hole with the animal inside makes it chew a new one, and can trap young that die in the wall.
Do this in the next five minutes
- Do not go into the attic. Listen from below and note the time of day you hear it.
- Walk the outside and photograph the roofline, soffits and vents for holes, torn screens or dark smudges at an opening.
- Call a wildlife control company (not a general pest company for insects) for removal and exclusion.
- After the animal is out and the company confirms no young remain, call a roofer to repair the fascia, soffit, vent or shingles it came through.
- If there is a raccoon latrine in the attic, do not clean it yourself. CDC advises careful removal and burning, burying or landfilling of contaminated material.
Do not
- Do not have a roofer seal the opening before the animal is out.
- Do not use poison in an attic. A dead animal in the framing becomes a smell and a fly problem you cannot reach.
- Do not touch bats or handle droppings bare-handed.
Who to call
A wildlife control company first. A roofer second, for the hole
Wildlife removal is not a roofing trade and this site does not cover it. Once the animal is out, the roofer closes and repairs what it came through.
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What it should cost
$198 to $636
Wildlife removal, typical national range, average $402. Attic removal $200 to $1,500. Raccoons $300 to $450, squirrels $250 to $450, bats $230 to $700. Roof repair after is separate.
Source: Angi, wildlife removal cost, updated September 2026. View source
National published range, not a quote for your job. The full cost table for this trade is on the roofing page.
Ask this contractor, on the phone, before anyone comes out
Tap each one as you ask it.
- For the wildlife company: are you permitted for nuisance wildlife in this state, and do you do exclusion as well as removal?
- For the wildlife company: how will you confirm there are no young left before the opening is closed?
- For the roofer: what did the animal come through, and is the fascia or soffit repair included?
- For the roofer: will you check the rest of the roofline for other openings while you are up there?
End the call if
- A roofer who offers to trap the animal.
- A wildlife company that wants to seal the roof with foam and call it done. The roofer does the permanent repair.
- Anyone who proposes poison for an attic.