Fort Wayne houses sit between three rivers, a lot of old trees, and more than a few attics that were never meant to be occupied. When something moves in upstairs, it is usually a raccoon, a squirrel, a bat, or, now and then, a gray ratsnake that followed dinner inside.
The houses are not all the same, and the doors animals use are not either. West Central, Lakeside, and the north side have older roofs, real gable vents, and soffits that have been through a lot of winters. Aboite, Dupont, and the southwest side have newer houses where a builder vent or a gap at the fascia is enough. The maples and oaks do the rest. Squirrels treat them like sidewalks.
You do not have to name the animal. Tell us which part of the house, what time you hear it, and the ZIP. Fort Wayne ZIP codes start with 468. We look, explain what we found in plain words, and talk through getting the animal out and closing the way in.
Houses around Fort Wayne
From downtown brick and wood-frame houses to ranches in Waynedale and two-stories out toward Aboite, the weak spots are usually up high. Vents, soffits, chimneys, and the seam where the roof meets the wall.
What we get called for
Night thumps near the rivers
Homes along the St. Marys, St. Joseph, and Maumee see raccoons treat a loose soffit like a front door.
Dawn on a tree-lined street
Southwood Park, the north side, and any block with mature trees can host squirrels in the gable.
A thin gap and a dusk flutter
Bats use openings that do not look like openings from the sidewalk.