Martens in the roof are no joy: they make noise, leave droppings and nibble on cables and insulation material. Find out below how to spot a marten in your attic and how to get rid of it successfully.
How do I get rid of a marten in the roof?
To get rid of a marten in the roof, you should block entrances, treat the attic with unpleasant smells such as citrus oil, toilet stones or animal hair and create annoying noise, for example with a radio. In stubborn cases, a live trap can be used.
Clues for a marten on the roof
Martens are usually first recognized by their noise. If there is rumbling, banging and scratching in the attic at night, most residents suspect that a marten has nested in their home. But that doesn't necessarily have to be the case, because other animals are also nocturnal and make noise in the attic late at night, for example:
- Big Rats
- Raccoon
- Cats
- dormouse
Why does this matter? Depending on who is up to mischief in your attic, you can resort to different means: a rat can be poisoned or caught with a rat trap, but you want to spare your neighbor's cat, and martens too, because they are subject to hunting law; just like the raccoon. Dormouse are even protected, unlike the marten!
Distinguishing martens from other intruders
All of the animals mentioned above sometimes make more noise, sometimes less. So you can't tell them apart by that. But there are two characteristics that you can use to distinguish martens and the like:
- Feces
- Traces
Identifying marten droppings
Leftover food can often be seen in marten droppings
Here is the droppings of the most frequent roof visitors in comparison:
| Marten | Raccoon | dormouse | Rat | Cat | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toilet installation | Yes | Yes | No | No | No, feces are buried |
| Size | 8 to 10cm | 2 to 3cm | 1 to 2cm | 0.5 to 2cm | 2 to 4cm |
| Shape | Banana-shaped, tapering to a point | Bean-shaped, misshapen | Bean-shaped | Curved | curved |
| color | Light brown to dark brown | Brown tones | Dark brown to black | Glossy dark brown to black | Black-brown |
| Leftover food can be seen | Yes | Yes | Rare | Rare | No |
| Stink | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Marten droppings can be distinguished from the droppings of rats, dormice and cats primarily by their length and the presence of food remains. To tell the difference from a raccoon, you can visualize the tracks as explained in the following section. Or you can simply fight the animals as described below, because in this case it really doesn't matter whether it is a raccoon or a marten. The remedies mentioned below also help against both martens and raccoons.
Make marten tracks visible
You can make the intruders' paw prints visible using fine sand, flour or lime. Scatter the material in those places where you suspect a marten has passed through and then examine the result.
Recognizing marten tracks
Marten prints usually show five toes with their claws
Marten tracks, in contrast to cats, usually show five toes, in front of which a fine claw print can be seen. The paw print is approximately 4.5cm long and 3.5cm wide. The footprint of a raccoon is significantly larger at up to 7cm, and raccoons also leave tracks that look very similar to those of a human child.
Excursus
Marten offspring in the attic
It's May/June and you hear noise in your attic at night? Maybe you have the honor of being able to host marten cubs. They are born in early March and stay with their mother for six months. From the age of at least two months, the little ones begin to leave the nest and romp around in the attic. In this case, you don't have much choice but to endure, because March to mid-October is the closed season for martens - precisely because of the offspring.
Damage in the attic
In addition to the obvious noise, martens often cause other damage in the attic:
- They scratch on wood, openings and walls.
- They damage insulation material in order to equip their nest.
- They sometimes nibble on cables and wires.
Repelling martens from the attic
To get rid of martens from your attic, there are a number of home remedies and special devices available that you can also use during the closed season. However, it is unlikely that you can use this to drive away a mother and her children. Of course it's still worth a try.
Home remedies for martens in the attic
There are numerous home remedies for martens, which primarily use their good sense of smell and hearing. There are a number of smells that martens don't like, such as:
- Citrus oils
- Toilet stones
- Mothballs
- Cat or dog poop
- Dog hair
- Urine from enemies such as foxes, cats or dogs
In order to successfully drive away the marten with these “scents”, you should combine several smells and distribute them in different places in your attic. You should replace your scent bombs once a week so that the smell is not lost. You should also maintain this measure in the roof for several weeks to two months to ensure that the marten does not come back.
Noise against martens
Persistent noise robs martens of sleep
Just as the marten prevents you from sleeping at night, you can prevent him from finding rest during the day when he wants to sleep. No marten can endure annoying noise, for example from a radio. However, here too you should make noise persistently over several weeks. An additional sprinkling of scents can't hurt either.
Tip
You can read on the Internet that a pounding on the ceiling sends the marten fleeing. It would be nice! But martens are extremely loyal to their territory and if the marten pauses in shock after the pounding, that doesn't necessarily mean that it will run away. But maybe you can find your way back to sleep during this break.
Remedies from specialist retailers against martens
In specialist shops you will find numerous remedies against martens, which can mainly be summarized in the following four categories:
- Fragrances against martens
- Ultrasound devices
- Electric shocks
- Light
Fragrances against martens
The products offered in specialist retailers have the advantage over home remedies in that they are more concentrated and easy to apply. There are different experiences regarding effectiveness: for some, home remedies help, for others, remedies from specialist retailers, for some, neither.
Ultrasound devices
Ultrasound devices are practical and not annoying because the frequencies cannot be heard by ourselves. However, there are also numerous reports from buyers who were unable to successfully drive away their martens with it. Another big disadvantage is that the devices not only drive martens but also useful bats and even pets crazy.
Electric shocks
High-voltage devices are primarily used in cars
This measure is primarily offered for cars, but can also be used in the attic if it is clear where the marten is getting in. High-voltage systems are considered very promising. When the marten steps on the laid out cables, he receives an unpleasant (but not fatal!) electric shock, which encourages him to avoid the area in the future.
Devices with light
The marten also likes it dark when sleeping. For this reason, specialist retailers offer devices that emit light signals when they move and thus scare the marten. In combination with other means, the device has shown success. Alone it doesn't seem enough.
Tip
A combination of measures makes sense in any case in order to achieve a higher chance of success.
Lock martens out of the attic
Closing entrances is probably the most important measure against martens
No matter what measures you decide to take, you should definitely try to block any entrances at the same time. You can use the tracking method to find out where the marten is getting in or you can run a surveillance camera in the attic to know where the weak spot is. Even without precise knowledge, you should close all entrances:
- Block ventilation and other access points with fine-mesh wire
- Barricade gutters from the outside and inside (!)
- Fix loose roof tiles
Schäden am Haus: So wird man Marder wieder los
Catch martens in the roof
Successfully driving away a marten is difficult, catching one is more difficult. As I said, martens have an extremely good sense of smell and would never walk into a trap that smelled like humans. In addition, a marten may not be killed, but only caught with a live trap.
Nevertheless, the venture can be successful if you pay attention to the following when catching martens:
- Clean the trap thoroughly with odorless products before setting it up.
- Wear gloves.
- Set the trap in a place where the marten will definitely get through.
- Fit the trap with an egg, dried meat or dried fruit in a marten-friendly manner.
- If the marten falls into the trap, release it at least 25km from where it was caught.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get rid of a marten in the roof?
First, you should block all entrances and make the attic an unpleasant place to stay with household remedies such as citrus oil, toilet stones or a radio. You can also keep your marten away with animal hair or urine. In an emergency, you should use a live trap.
What kind of noise does a marten make in the roof?
Rumbling and scratching is a clear sign of a marten in your attic. Martens are solitary creatures and rarely talk to themselves. You will only hear him hissing and screaming loudly if a cat or another marten gets in his way.
Can I get rid of a marten in the attic with home remedies?
You can be successful with home remedies against a marten in the roof if you are persistent and consistent with your measures and combine several home remedies. Animal hair, toilet stones and mothballs combined with a radio and closing possible entrances can encourage a marten to leave.
How does the marten get on the roof?
How does the marten get to a roof on the third floor? This isn't a problem at all for the talented climber: gutters, posts or even nearby trees are used to climb up. To get inside, use small openings or lift roof tiles.
