Wireless/battery camera for in loft

[jessica]

Hoping someone can help.

I currently have an issue with some kind of creature running around in my loft between 11.30pm and 2am most days above my bed. The cat is loving it as sits and chirps at my ceiling whilst its moving around but I am not as I rarely have a decent nights sleep at the moment. I have had pest control in but they can't find any evidence of anything, no runways or droppings to identify the animal. The loft has been baited and traps put down but with no success.

 

I am thinking about putting a camera up in the loft to try and catch whatever it is so I have some kind of idea what I'm dealing with. There is no power in the loft so it must be battery powered and will need to have night vision and motion detection.

 

Can anyone recommend a camera that would be good for this? Not looking to spend loads as I probably won't use it after this.

 

Thanks in advance

[Jawloms]

If you're going to be awake, an old phone, a torch and facetime?

[3s-gtech]

Wildlife camera. Operate off their own light source, battery powered, you can use it to watch hedgehogs once you've stopped the interloper.

[hardtailstar]

Wildlife camera. Operate off their own light source, battery powered, you can use it to watch hedgehogs once you've stopped the interloper.

 

Was going to suggest this too. They record to SD card so you can easily get hold of the footage.

 

Wildlife cameras ususally hold value if you want to sell it on after.

[elsiegee40]

Equally a Ring Stick Up security camera is inexpensive, gives live viewing to you mobile device and can be repurposed afterwards for security or wildlife watching purposes. I use them for watching wildlife in my garden.

[jessica]

Thanks everyone, I have been looking at wildlife cameras. Can anyone recommend a decent one?

The ring camera looks like it would do exactly what I need, hadn't spotted that in my quick search this morning. Must be my tiredness!

[Boredguy]

Cheapest on Amazon is https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09BYX4LJZ

[jmak]

Unless you think it's bats or something else protected, just get poison bait stations....

 

Humane traps aren't all that humane if you don't check them every few hours. If it's birds, they won't get at poison in a bait station. Even if you think you don't mind having the odd mammal in the loft, that's not really sustainable - they tend to turn into a whole community of mammals!

[Dos_Box]

Having suffered 'visitors' in the loft in a previous house I can highly recommend your getting a decent ultrasonic rodent scarer as sometimes they simply don't go for bait.

I have one in my loft here and put in a new pair of batteries each year and to date I haven't had them come back in (yup, I got them here too during my first winter). Usually this will happen in the winter when they are looking for somewhere warmer than outside.

Edited January 20, 2022 by Dos_Box

[Koldov]

That's got me thinking... I wonder if there is a bird version of that.

 

Our next door neighbour has solar panels (without any kind of bird proofing mesh) and the pigeons seem to love roosting under them. During the summer we are quite often woken up at 4 or 5 a.m. as they seem to have hobnail boots on clattering across the tiles!

 

Also the gutters are full of... (you know what).

[jessica]

Pest control has tried lots of different types of poisons and bait stations with no success. Whatever it is sounds like a heard of elephants at 2am jumping about above my bed

I'm hoping a camera will help work out what it is so it can be sorted.

 

I'll have a look at getting a ultrasonic scanner if it does turn out to be rats.

 

Thanks

[Danp]

Raspberry Pi, camera and run it off a battery pack. Could use a Pi W wifi and install MotionEyeOS

 

https://www.tomshardware.com/uk/how-to/raspberry-pi-security-camera

[Dos_Box]

Pest control has tried lots of different types of poisons and bait stations with no success. Whatever it is sounds like a heard of elephants at 2am jumping about above my bed

I'm hoping a camera will help work out what it is so it can be sorted.

 

I'll have a look at getting a ultrasonic scanner if it does turn out to be rats.

 

Thanks

 

This is the same one as I got - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003ZIV9Y0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[kennysarmy]

Hope it's not a ghost...

 

Heard they are trickier to get rid of.

[jessica]

Hope it's not a ghost...

Heard they are trickier to get rid of.

 

Haha, I hope not. The pest control guy did ask if I was hearing things though as he is stumped as to what I am hearing. If the cat didn't go crazy when I hear it I would have put it down to me going crazy!

[howartp]

We had a visitor at church during our Panto run; kept nibbling the staff biscuits in the wings.

 

Eventually I set the cameras on IR, put the biscuits on stage and left every door in the building open.

 

Tadaa....

 

She'd been hiding in the loft all week, too scared to come down when there were 200 people in but going for a roam when we all went home at 10.30/11pm

 

Had been missing from up the road for a week.

[jessica]

We had a visitor at church during our Panto run; kept nibbling the staff biscuits in the wings.Eventually I set the cameras on IR, put the biscuits on stage and left every door in the building open.Tadaa....She'd been hiding in the loft all week, too scared to come down when there were 200 people in but going for a roam when we all went home at 10.30/11pmHad been missing from up the road for a week.

 

 

Someone did say could it be a cat getting in. Whatever it is is leaving no trace they have ever been there which is why it's so annoying haha

[southhamster]

We had this! Our trailcam has WiFi so you can view it from around 5m. And should be ok through a ceiling unless it's foil lined. We caught and rehomed 5 wood mice with humane traps!

[Andrew_C]

We're currently dealing with rats. I'd hoped for starlings, but the trail cam caught one. They are moving all along the terrace of 4 houses, between the felt and tiles.

 

Bait and traps in place; not heard anything for a few days.

 

Camera from Nature Spy Shop.

Edited January 20, 2022 by Andrew_C

[jessica]

Thanks all, I've ordered a camera which should arrive today. Hopefully can fit it tomorrow and catch whatever it is so i know what I'm dealing with.

[woodham]

just be aware if its rats you need to kill them , humane traps are great but its against the law to re-release certain types rats into the wild

[southhamster]

We have used these enclosed snap traps to get rid of rats round our bird feeder. Our neighbours have got them too. We just used bird food as bait as they were used to eating it. Not keen on poison as there are owls badgers cats and buzzards round us.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Roshield-External-Snap-Trap-Control/dp/B00XL33EB0/ref=asc_df_B00XL33EB0/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=255870287193&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11249093608000694066&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007383&hvtargid=pla-421756192305&psc=1

[dmj]

Isn't the solution just to put your cat in the loft?

[Andrew_C]

Most cats take a look at a rat... 'Nah, I'll pass'.

 

You need a terrier for ratting.

[3s-gtech]

My cat had a rat this week, but he’s a big unit. Most will hesitate!

 

My brother’s terrier is offended by the existence of any rat and insta-kills them. Even our gentle terrier cross will have them.

 

It’s more likely it’s a mouse in your loft, and they make a lot of noise.