You rarely see martens, even if they live in the immediate vicinity, because martens are nocturnal. Below you will find out why martens prefer to move at night and how you can still track them down.
Why are martens mainly active at night?
Martens are nocturnal to avoid enemies such as eagles, foxes, wolves and bears and to maintain their fear of people. At night they carry out activities such as foraging, building nests, mating and playing and raising their young.
Why are martens nocturnal?
Although stone martens often stay close to people and make themselves comfortable in stables or attics, the predators are very shy. Although they like the comforts created by humans such as insulation materials or hay, they do not want to meet their innkeeper. But that's just one reason for nocturnal activity. The main reason is probably that there are fewer enemies at night. Yes, martens also have enemies. These include:
- Eagles and other birds of prey
- Foxes
- Wolves
- Bears
What do martens do at night?
Martens do all their activities at dusk or at night. This includes:
- Foraging and intake of food
- Nest building (in March)
- Mating (in summer during mating season)
- Playing and raising boys from June to August
If you have a marten on the roof or in the barn or garage, you will feel their presence, especially in summer. On the one hand, the offspring loudly leaves the nest at this time and begins to become independent; On the other hand, male martens are particularly aggressive during mating season and cause more damage, for example in cars.
Nighttime noises on the roof
You won't see marten, but you'll definitely hear him: scratching and rumbling noises indicate his presence. Scratches on gutters and windows also indicate an intruder. However, it could also be a raccoon or dormouse.
Repel martens
Martens can only be hunted with a hunting license in most federal states - and under no circumstances during the closed season. However, you can get rid of martens using simple means:
- Close all entrances; If there is already a marten in the attic, give it an exit but no entrance.
- Drive him away from enemies with animal urine, which is available from specialist retailers (€16.00 on Amazon).
- Keep him away with used cat litter or better yet a real cat.
Tip
You can find out more tips, tricks and methods for getting rid of martens here.
