Squirrel infestation!

[leostar1994]

My boyfriend and I rent a countryside property. Lately I have heard things scurrying around in the loft at bedtime and one of the cupboards in our bedroom (which is below the loft) has had droppings in. Some handbags of mine have been chewed, which is really sad! One of the lights in the house has also stopped working and I think it's possible the wiring has been chewed through.

Neither of us have had to deal with anything like this before! Am I being unreasonable to contact the landlord to deal with this and get pest control to come out or is it our responsibility?

Are you sure it isn't mice? Or rats?

@nocoolnamesleft Where we live there are a lot of squirrels so we have reason to think that it's them. Could obviously be wrong though, but we are 99% sure.

You need to watch this YouTube video. I was amazed, I’d never heard of a squirrel infestation before. Is it definitely squirrels?
But yes, speak to your landlord!

I suppose it's possible you have squirrels, but more likely to be rats. Speak to your landlord pronto; I can tell you from experience that if one of them expires in your loft, the smell of a decaying rat is horrendous

You need to get someone out asap. Squirrels can cause huge amounts of damage. I don't know who is responsible you or the LL.

Contact the landlord so he can investigate and decide what he wants to do.

Definitely contact the landlord as chewed wiring is a big fire risk. In the interim make sure you have functioning smoke detectors in the house

You need to have a safety check of your lights urgently.

I think it is more likely rats too.

We got rid of rats in the past by filling every tiny hole in the house with wire wool.

Check your tenancy agreement - we had an issue a while back when the people who moved in next door caused a rat problem when they moved the drainage in their house and disturbed a nest and the tenancy clearly states that any infestations or pest problems are to be dealt with by the tenants ☹️

We’ve had squirrels in the roof space/attic twice in the time we lived in a country house surrounded by trees — deafeningly noisy, especially at night, and chewed things — so perfectly possible, OP.

I also think it's more likely to be rats or mice however get onto your landlord so they can sort it.