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sandwichpepe OP t1_j4vc3u1 wrote

link to the sound it was making

link to og post

heard very intense scratching noises in my kitchen ceiling for a day or two, then suddenly stopped. then … the smell came. i hear faint scratching sounds every now and then and have no issues, so i knew this was something different. apparently raccoons can get stuck inside ceilings. we have no trees around either. now i’m sad to know that this guy was panicking and dying up there … wish i could’ve cut through to take it out but i rent.

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DOUCYIMD1 t1_j4vei3e wrote

I had a similar situation but the little guy scratched his way all the way thru the drywall and fell down out of the ceiling. It wasn't a pleasant experience for either one of us.

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captainmcpigeon t1_j4vgbis wrote

Had a friend living off campus at Penn one summer. She was sitting at her desk working when a raccoon fell through her ceiling and onto her bed. What would have happened if she’d been on the bed?!

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MRichards18 t1_j4vgufi wrote

I have something in my wall that my landlord refuses to acknowledge. Almost positive it’s a raccoon.

Anyone have any idea how to legally fight your landlord for reasonable living conditions?

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ClintBarton616 t1_j4vh2y2 wrote

Who did you call? We've had squirrels coming in and out of roof for ages but all the exterminators have been worthless

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tharussianphil t1_j4vi0rz wrote

There's articles written by people more knowledgeable than me but in general the idea is if you're going to withhold rent due to living conditions you want to set up an escrow account and pay rent into it. That way a judge knows you're serious and this isn't just a way for you to get out of rent.

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SpeedySpooley t1_j4vjgzl wrote

Cat in the wall, eh? Now you're speaking my language.

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calvinistgrindcore t1_j4vkh1r wrote

I had squirrels in my rear 2nd floor ceiling in 2015 when I lived in Kingsessing. I called a place in the northern burbs called A Wildlife Pro -- they found the entry point, put a one-way door on it, and the squirrels were gone in a week with no trapping or poison or inhumane treatment of any kind. Then the contractor came back, collected their trap, and sealed the opening permanently. No further problems.

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sandwichpepe OP t1_j4vm58g wrote

kinda? they texted me every now and then asking if i heard the sound, telling me that they’ll have someone out as soon as they can. once i updated them that i don’t hear it anymore (big mistake) they went quiet. jan 8 or 9th was when i first smelled it. i texted them on jan 10th about the smell, to which they said they will send someone out. they came this morning, the 18th, to get the guy out.

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PenalAffliction t1_j4vmekq wrote

I had a similar issue so I dealt with it myself. Bought a humane trap from Lowes, Put a can of tuna in it and left it outside.
I caught 3 and drove em across the Ben Franklin Bridge.
An option, if you're able!

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PenalAffliction t1_j4vn05d wrote

Around this time last year I had some fighting for territory in my ceiling. 2 or 3 of them SCREECHING and tustling around at 4am right above my head. Was a nightmare. I humanely trapped 3 (by setting a trap on my roof) in total and moved them to New Jersey.

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sandwichpepe OP t1_j4vn6mm wrote

looks like they’re gonna leave the dead raccoon in a bag in my trash can in front of my house … wtf do i do with it???????? it’s another 5 days before trash people come and this shit stinks 😭😭😭

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CaptainSqually t1_j4vn7w7 wrote

Had this in Manayunk. Next Generation Pest Control took care of it for us, they sealed up all possible enty points except one, and then put a one-way door over that last entry point. Once they were gone they patched everything up. Great experience.

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sandwichpepe OP t1_j4vnvzr wrote

zero clue, i’m honestly really lucky that this happened with the current property management im with, they came quicker than what i’m used to! the previous property managements wouldn’t have done shit honestly

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Moose2157 t1_j4vq6aa wrote

I’d die. I might still die. Undecided.

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The-Unmentionable t1_j4vr0l8 wrote

At first I saw this heap of fur as far larger than a raccoon and was terrified over wtf you had living in your ceiling. Sorry for the raccoon but glad it wasn’t a bearcoon

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DOUCYIMD1 t1_j4vrkye wrote

Yep. Literally bouncing off the walls. He was as freaked out as I was! He eventually ran out the propped open front door and darted to freedom surely wondering if it was all a bad dream.

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afdc92 t1_j4vsrrh wrote

Oh I just gagged reading this, I can only imagine the smell. Poor lil dude but man that’s disgusting

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alittlemouth t1_j4vu5kj wrote

The enzymatic sprays designed for animal urine smells (Nature's Miracle, etc.) work wonders for dead animal smell, too. I'd snag a bottle, get on a ladder or chair, and spray the SHIT out of that space the big guy died in!

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ObligatoryGrowlithe t1_j4vv9f6 wrote

Dear lord. And I thought my backyard being a territorial dispute playground for local critters was bad 😭

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kweebeez t1_j4vzhmp wrote

all your replies are killing me lmao. let’s be pals!

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art-man_2018 t1_j4w0hr9 wrote

Ah, racoon. The photo looks like a wild boar. I have had occasional scratching around too. I think they're curious squirrels that scoot back and forth for a while, then just disappear for a few months. Still imagine a squirrel popping through and landing on my face. :D

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CaptainSqually t1_j4w2epe wrote

Oh that’s strange because the experience I had with them was probably the best I’d ever had with a contractor, period. Always on time, communicated clearly and did the job well. Came back multiple times to shore up spots they may have missed.

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svenEsven t1_j4w59by wrote

whats with the recent trend of people tagging things that are completely safe for work as NSFW? It's the same as every video on instagram saying "POV" when it is in fact not their point of view at all. its just them doing something on camera.

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thearctican t1_j4w5dtc wrote

What happened to me when I was living in a 150 year old house in Kansas City.

3:00 AM: I'm sound asleep

3:01 AM: My face somehow makes contact with a live raccoon.

3:02 AM: I notice a giant hole in my ceiling directly above my pillow as I'm spitting out plaster and insulation.

3:05 AM: the raccoon climbed out of the window I opened.

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svenEsven t1_j4w77fv wrote

But it completely ruins the entire intent of NSFW. if people just start equating NSFW to mean something some people may be sensitive to, then people who aren't sensitive to things will then click on things that are actually NSFW in their work environments and get fired from their jobs for looking at explicit content. People's feelings are important, don't get me wrong, but people's livelihoods are a bit more important imo. Your feelings are going to be upset if you lose your job.

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lilmuskrat66 t1_j4waf2i wrote

"Pounded in the butt by a racoon that fell through my ceiling while working off campus at Penn one summer trying to find my way in life while not being pounded in the butt by a racoon that fell through my ceiling" A Chuck Tingle experience

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puddin__ t1_j4waqga wrote

In all seriousness, I had one in my pantry closet in WP. My husband was trying to open the door and thank god he didn’t lol. My slumlord couldn’t find anyone to repair the damage cause they were afraid. But not afraid enough to leave a giant hole in my living room.

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Lorenaelsalulz t1_j4wc6un wrote

Great. Now I’m super paranoid about this happening to me. :/

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embarrassmyself t1_j4wervb wrote

The other night I was high with my girlfriend and thought I heard scratching in the ceiling but she was convinced it sounded like crumbling rocks. No sober observers. I don’t even know which I’d rather it be (we rent). Guess I’ll be waiting for a putrid smell or house collapse?

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markosverdhi t1_j4wjhnv wrote

mf wasn't even paying part of the rent. What a freeloader

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DestroyerOfIphone t1_j4wupjv wrote

Camden is the birthplace of the modern-day raccoon? Unfortunately, when humans built bridges, the trash pandas got confused and moved to Pennsylvania. But don't worry, with a little effort, we can help bring them back to their roots!

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orion3311 t1_j4wxyqh wrote

Surprise! Well at least you dont have the scratching problem any more.

0

UGotDeDopeIGotDePipe t1_j4wz936 wrote

I had 4 squirrels fall through my ceiling while I was laying in bed smoking weed at like 1am. Fucking terrifying. My landlord sucked and wouldnt fix the ceiling so I used joint compound , duct tape and flattened cases of beer to patch the hole

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Von7_3686 t1_j4x0no9 wrote

Had a similar situation a month ago. Ended up being a squirrel. He worked himself all the way to the basement(where it’s unfinished) and we opened a window for him to escape

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collectallfive t1_j4x8ft8 wrote

Damn, crazy to think about how you, as the person who lives in the home, couldn't take measures to prevent this from happening which caused it to be a bigger and more inconvenient problem for both you and your landlord

0

collectallfive t1_j4xdupj wrote

What do you expect them to do? Live in a house with a mysterious scratching noise in their ceiling and then the wretched stink of a dead animal lingering around for weeks because the possibility of handling the problem and the landlord sticking them with the bill bc they couldn't be bothered to deal with it in a timely manner or pay for pest removal?

Or would you rather they pay for the pest removal themselves with money they likely don't have and hope they don't have to take their landlord to court to recoup the costs of a service that's likely covered in their lease?

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collectallfive t1_j4xgnk6 wrote

Sure! But I have also seen wealthier landlords threaten people with court over things tenants are perfectly within their legal rights to do and tenants back down because the protracted stress of navigating the legal system is not worth the otherwise temporary inconvenience of skipping meals or asking friends and family to cover for them. The whole point is people shouldn't have to choose between the two.

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inthegarden5 t1_j4xhua1 wrote

Aerosmith. If you get squirrels in your attic, put a speaker up there and play Aerosmith. Give them a couple of hours to move out and take any babies they might have then block the hole(s) they were coming in. We nailed a cookie sheet over the hole in roof until we could get it fixed for real.

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Do_it_with_care t1_j4xjtsl wrote

That looks like a mess, good luck cleaning up. I found a possum in my Dads yard. We haven’t never seen one in the neighborhood. This thing scaled a ten foot cement wall no problem. Moved the trash and hasn’t been back.

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katecrime t1_j4ykcyk wrote

That looks like a fine Philly possum

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Tetsuos_Arm t1_j4ylsih wrote

Jfc. In that situation you're betting telling the landlord either they take care of it or you'll bill them directly. That lights a fire under their ass even if you have no intention of paying for it then billing the landlord.

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Gear21 t1_j4z2yr1 wrote

So it's not just me. These animals getting crafty first was a squirrel now something else in there.

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LocalOnThe8s t1_j4zyggn wrote

The landlord should have taken care of it the whole next day. Most tenants don't have extension ladders to climb up the roof to seal entrances, or traps. You can cut the ceiling out and then what? Beat the shit out of raccoon with a swiffer?

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intrsurfer6 t1_j50l14t wrote

Wouldn't hurt to make the picture hidden or something; I have like...an irrational fear of dead animals and nearly fainted lol

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collectallfive t1_j524s6s wrote

> The landlord should have taken care of it the whole next day.

Ok, but they clearly didn't do that.

> Most tenants don't have extension ladders to climb up the roof to seal entrances, or traps.

Yes, but if they owned the home they'd be more likely to have those things since it's their responsibility to maintain it.

> You can cut the ceiling out and then what? Beat the shit out of raccoon with a swiffer?

Not sure but considering the going solution is "wait for the landlord" and "let the animal die of starvation and then rot in the ceiling" your suggestions seem more likely to actually solve the problem (though maybe without the animal abuse)

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