Would you open your loft hatch if you knew you had 'guests' in the loft?

[UnderTheNameOfSanders]

One of the bits of advice to keep a house cool is to open the loft hatch to help heat go up there instead of staying in the main house.

If you knew you almost certainly had rodents ( European edible dormouse - Wikipedia ) up there (because pest control are currently involved in trying to remove them) would you still open the hatch? What's the chance of them falling through the hole or climbing down?

I would keep the loft open the whole time, and consider moving up there with them!
But seriously yes I would. I’d probably consider whether I could pin a pillow case or net curtain across it, to keep everyone where they belong.

I wouldn’t open the loft hatch knowing I would end chasing a glis glis about the house.

That said, the cat would appreciate it…

No! I’d rather sleep in a pool of my own sweat.

Damn that Rothschild fellow! He has a lot to answer for 😛

No because our hatch hangs down just outside the bathroom so not only would we be invaded by whatever lives there we’d knock ourselves up and be prey to them.

no, they might fall down the opening, eek

or rather squeak

I won’t .
I would rather move out.

I think I'm in the keep it closed brigade too, I'm glad I'm not being too over cautious!

I think they would be extremely unlikely to WANT to come into your house! So for dormice... it really wouldn't bother me. Rats, house mice, squirrels, then I would keep it shut!

Definitely keep it closed! Although tbh even with it closed I couldn’t be in the house…

Oh my, the cuteness! Though I can see why you’d not actively want them in your house. Got a bit upset when googling them to discover they’re also known as the Edible Dormouse 🥺.

Probably. If pest control re involved it'll get sorted. Plus if they're in the loft they're probably elsewhere too.

I used to live in a very very old cottage that backed onto a field and was riddled with mice. I became very laid back about it.

I keep it closed regardless of any critters. The one time I opened it two of my DC got up in the night and hit their head on it on the way to the bathroom. TBF I should have closed it after the first incident.

Me too. Arghhh!

Cute? They piss everywhere and stink. Not a chance I’d open my loft hatch. I’d be getting rentokill in too.

Wouldn't bother me, if they're in the loft they can already get into your house if they wanted to.

Nope, I live in an old listed building, the loft hatch has never been opened, it’s a plank of wood and dowels. There is bats up there, there is no way I’m opening it.😂

it's not quite 'if they want to' I'm concerned about, it is accidentally falling through the hole!

My loft is far hotter than the rest of the house, so I’m a bit puzzled. I have roofing felt, and heaps of insulation on the loft floor.

I would already have left.

The theory is that by opening the loft hatch, the hot air in the house can go into the loft and out of living areas. The loft getting hot is better than the main house being hot.

No I wouldn’t.
I thought you might be talking about froggers!

Nooooo. But hopefully you get the issue sorted soon, as the loft hatch open trick really works!

Well, if you were talking of 50 years ago then my DH and his sister would have already removed them from the loft and made them into pets. Along with the odd squirrel or two. So cute. But no I’d probably leave the hatch closed.