Martens make a hell of a noise, but so do raccoons and large rats. So how can you be sure there is a marten on your roof or in the wall? Also: Is it possible to drive away martens with noise? Find out here what noises martens make at what time of day and how you can use noise against them.
What noises do martens make and when are they active?
Marten noises are most commonly heard at night and include rumbling when playing or jumping, rustling and scurrying when moving, scratching when making entrances or openings, nibbling on insulation, and quiet squeaks, hisses, purrs and squeals in various situations.
When do martens make noises?
Martens are known to be nocturnal, which means they leave their hiding place at dusk at the earliest and go looking for food at night. Therefore, understandably, marten noises can almost always be heard at night, which is why they often rob their “lodgers” of sleep.
When are martens particularly active?
Martens are particularly active during the mating season in summer and it is a special joy to be able to house a female marten with her young in the house, who begin to leave the nest from the beginning of May and with their siblings - unfortunately also at night - playing outside the nest.
What noises do martens make?
Martens make different noises that vary depending on the activity:
- Rumbling: While playing or jumping
- Rustling and tripping: When moving
- Scraping: To make openings and entrances
- Nibble: eat insulation or similar
- Quiet squeaking with chirping noises (almost like a bird): Marten cubs
- Angry, high-pitched hissing: When fighting with rivals or enemies such as cats or in a trap
- Deep purrs and quiet squeals: Mating noises
Uninvited guests and their noises
| Sounds | When active | Troubleshooting the insulation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marten | Loud rumbling, scratching and scraping | night | Yes |
| Cat | Quiet patter | anytime, often at night | More unlikely |
| Raccoon | Loud rumbling, scratching and scraping | mainly nocturnal | Yes |
| Rat | Nibbling, scratching and scraping, whining for communication | at dusk and at night | Yes, but less damage |
| Mouse | Quiet nibbling and scratching | mostly, but not only, nocturnal | Yes, but very minor damage |
Tip
If you are not sure whether the noise is a marten, a cat or a raccoon, you can visualize the intruder's tracks. You can find out how this works and how you can distinguish the tracks of one marten from others in our article on marten tracks.
Repel martens with noises
Martens not only make noise themselves, noise can also be used as a method of combating martens. It is ideal for martens to rest during the day if noise doesn't bother you. Just as the marten robs you of sleep at night, you can now rob him of sleep: revenge is sweet!
Repelling martens with noise: Homemade
Making noise is easy: for example, set up a radio at full volume or let your child play the drums for hours. Any noise will disturb the marten and probably cause it to leave.
Now the downside: Unfortunately, martens are very stubborn and always have several hiding places. In order to really permanently drive him away from a hiding place, you have to stick to the strategy for several weeks, or better yet, months, because martens keep coming back.
Repel martens with ultrasound
A less noticeable, albeit more expensive, measure is to purchase an ultrasound device (€24.00 on Amazon). You don't hear the "noise" that these devices make, but the marten does.
The downside: Unfortunately, useful bats and even pets and birds are also bothered by the high frequencies. Not a good idea for an otherwise pet-friendly household.
Repel martens effectively
If you want to get rid of martens permanently, you should use a combination of different control methods. Noise can be one of them, combined with smells that martens don't like and blocking all access points. Catching with a live trap is also conceivable, but it is anything but easy.
