Or at least I'm pretty sure based on the sounds and that it's a chipmunk. Any tips for eliminating them? I know these are a bit smarter than mice, so my usual strategy of poking my head through the hatch and deploying a few snap traps or glue boards (rat size this time) might not work.
Put some motherberkeleying snakes in the motherberkeleying attic.
Put peanuts, peanut butter and/or sunflower seeds on a glue trap, that should get them. Could be squirrels too, still works for them too.
I am betting on squirrels.
One word...cat. I had all kinds of trouble with various chipmunks, squirrels, mice, etc., but we had a cat take up in our yard and all of our animal troubles are over. Gave it a nice place to live in the garage with it's own door.
She's turned into quite the little serial killer and averages about a kill a day. My house and yard are now critter free. So far, it has been the ONLY thing I have found to accomplish this.
Staggering Stats: Cats Kill Billions of Animals a Year
But the major scourges for wildlife were not those free-ranging, owned-cats, but instead feral and un-owned cats that survive on the streets. Each of those kitties — and the team estimates between 30 million and 80 million of them live in the United States — kills between 23 and 46 birds a year, and between 129 and 338 small mammals, Marra said.
I only mention chipmunk because I occasionally get one in the live trap left set near a questionable part of the foundation. I've never seen a a squirrel around here. This thing is bigger than a mouse based on the sounds of running you get on the ceiling if you thump it where you hear movement, and how I heard it talking yesterday. Will try rat glue traps.
EDIT regarding cats. My sister has an all black killing machine that prowls the yard when it feels like it. I'd throw it up there if the attic wasn't fiberglass insulated. there's also at least one feral that I see occasionally, and yet, here we are.
I get a mouse once in a while in the attic. At 3 in the morning, it sounds like an elephant. If you had squirrels you'd know it, they're like teenage boys. They wake up at 3 or 4am and wrestle, big racket.
I get Chip 'n Dale in my wood pile, then they discovered a break in my 3 ft. thick foundation and made a fortress. I implemented a Chipmunk Relocation Program using a Have a Heart trap with peanut butter in the lure. I bring them a few miles away ensuring a creek is between us.
So far so good.
Dan
I thought y'all ate those little critters.
Not sure if this is your case, but I had it last winter...
As it got really cold, I was hearing what I thought was scurrying animals in the attic. I went to work the next day and mentioned it. Others in my office said "weird, I had the same thing in my house last night".
We went to google and did some searching only to find that its pretty common to have this when it gets really cold following rain. Its actually ice cracking on the roof. It can also happen on the ground and is much louder (like thunder).
Not sure if that is what you've got, but thought I'd mention it since we had rain Thursday here and subzero temps last night. In other news, my driveway has about 2" of ice on it.
I've seen Eastern Gray Squirrels eat a Honey Bunches of Oats from a guy's hand. Spend some time in your attic. Take a supply of peanuts, cereal, and other tasty treats. Feed them. Gain their trust. Then bash their heads in with a club and cook you up some nice Squirrel Souffle!
I had lunch with a squirrel in battery park a few days a week when I worked down there. He would sit on the bench next to me and take food out of my hands. When I got bumped out for the next pick he would go to my replacement looking for snacks.
I've got something doing the same in my attic occasionally. So far the traps haven't caught anything and I've got 18" of blown in insulation, so I can't go around hunting. I think it's a squirrel just because it sounds really,really big as it runs around at 3:00 AM.
just remember, chipmunks are not to so easy to subdue
I had a chipmunk head in my garage this morning...she likes to share...rabbit heads are freaky however...not sure why the difference but the chipmunk head doesn't bother me as much....
My dad can tell you that outdoor cats and a cat door can lead to dead birds on your chest when you wake up in the morning. Look dad, I brought you a present!
mapper wrote: My dad can tell you that outdoor cats and a cat door can lead to dead birds on your chest when you wake up in the morning. Look dad, I brought you a present!
My wife's cousin is dealing with this (and will be for the next 16+ years). Young George is a pretty adept feline serial killer. No critter is safe and he's keen on leaving entrails randomly around the house.
That said, an indoor cat would still be a great critter killer. 
mapper wrote: My dad can tell you that outdoor cats and a cat door can lead to dead birds on your chest when you wake up in the morning. Look dad, I brought you a present!
We've dealt with that by having a dog that makes the cat drop whatever trophy the cat is dragging in, then eats it.
It may puke it up again later (birds especially) but at least it isn't in th bed.
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