Indoor Pest Control - MICE and a RACCOON in my walls and attic

A pest control company came and did an inspection of my attic. It was very thorough and he told me I have a raccoon and mice in my attic. I knew I had mice and put out traps last year but didn't catch any. I could hear them in the walls all winter but they seemed to go away in the summer. The raccoon is new. But he showed me the droppings which are the size of a small dog. Then he told me it would cost $3,000 to patch up all the holes, clean up the droppings and put some kind of biological treatment in the attic. After I picked myself up off the floor, I said no thanks. Since the weather is turning cooler, I plan to go after the mice more vigorously with lots of traps. And I placed a small animal trap in the attic waiting for the raccoon to return.

Any suggestions on cleaning up the raccoon feces and any mouse droppings? The attic is unfinished with insulation between the boards. And it is hard to walk around up there because there is little headroom. How much cleaning is necessary and how do I go about it.

First of all, start outside the house. Traps and baits before they get into your attic will make it easier on you. A trap for a racoon needs to be a bit larger than you might think. How are you going to get it out of the attic with a mad racoon inside it?
If the pest guy found the holes you can too and need to get busy covering/plugging them. Unless you know exactly where the mice are, trapping them is difficult and slow. If you are randomly setting out traps use many of them. Concentrate on food sources (pet food, bird feeder, garbage areas) and water sources (hose coils, fountains, air conditioner drain, etc).

B :cool:

Those are some very good ideas. I have a handyman coming to close up the holes tomorrow - there are lots of them. The raccoon hasn't been back so hopefully closing his source of entry will keep him out. If I find someone to remove the droppings, is there anything else I should do from a clean up standpoint? Is there any health hazard from either the mice or the raccons? I rarely go in the attic - maybe once a year two to store tomato cages etc.

there is always a health hazard to animal feces. raccoons will destroy your attic with their inquisitive digging and chewing. since raccoons are nocturnal make sure it is out when closing up holes. mice feces can carry the hantavirus so breathing protection is warranted when cleaning up after them. raccoons are notorious for being rabid so be careful when handling a trapped raccoon. bunkyx gave very good info for a beginning position.

Wire Wheel:cleans paint off of old bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned guitar calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, Yeeow..

Infested insulation should be removed. Wiring should be inspected. Mice are notorious for chewing wires. Chewed wires can result in house fire.

CDC link ro mice infestation clean up: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps_stc/stc_clean.htm