Something is scratching in my floor with long nails and its not a mouse!

Our church once had a bird stuck in one of their walls. It just ate me up that we couldn't figure out exactly where it was. We could hear it, but couldn't pinpoint the exact wall. I just kept praying it would free itself and fly out the way it got in.

Im sure its not bigger than a rat or squirrel,i hear it only at night around 9:00 pm or so.The dryer vent is only big like a miracle whip salad dressing jar(round)and has a vent on it with 3 plastic grills that can be easily fliped up and is 5 feet up the wall from the ground.I looked for holes on my brick house and there are none,nada,so im wondering it had to get in from the vent,animals cant turn door knobs,haha:)

I hope its not a skunk:)

Hi AmbiePam:)
The hole for the dryer vent is big like a mayonnaise jar(big)round i think a raccoon would get its big butt stuck in that,hahaha!Its 5 feet from the ground also up on the wall of our house.
Peanutjar:)

Hi:)I dont want to kill it but try to find how "it" got in its kinda a hard to chew through a brick wall and cement,haha.I hear it always at night and it starts to walk in the same spot,like a path.In the basement if im down here i can hear it walking above my head,i might have to break a ceiling tile to look in the dryer hose that runs in part of the floor to see if there is a hole in it somewhere.My luck id probably stick my head in the hole at the wrong time and get it on my head.I know what your thinking,so stop before you start!Hahahahahahahahahaha!!!I will stick my cats in it,kinda like a scary movie though:(where the cats get ate,boohoo!
Peanut:)

Thanks for the Best Response, peanut! Is the scratching still continuing?

Hi,i still dont know what it was.I never heard it last night.I put a metal grill net over my dryer entrance thats outside that lets the dryer air outside.Maybe it went outside and i blocked it from getting back.I found a hole big like a tennis ball chewed in the dryer hose about 2 feet from the outdoors entrance.Im sure it was a squirrel that did it,haha.I will see tonight if i fixed the problem.
Peanutjar:)

related resource: metal hose

Hi,i dont think id call the police when i can use my broom or 2 cats or dog for this myself,haha.Im not scared but more curious.I hate not being able to "know" what it is,but im sure its a squirrel thats causing the noise because winter is here full of snow and it seems to be a good warm place to stay for the winter,haha.
Peanutjar:)

Hi,thanks so much for the advice.I never heard of this trick before and it seems very good indeed!:)
Peanutjar:)

Hi,we have a 2 story house which is made out of bricks everywhere,so a shunk or racoon could not get in but maybe a squirrel which had flipped the dryer flap thats outside which lets the hot air out when drying clothes.I think thats what it was.I put a metal grill net over the outside vent and didnt hear anything last night.Maybe i locked it out,haha.There was a hole chewed in the pipe for the dryer air anyway i had found.
Peanutjar:)

Im not scared but curious,haha!My cats are more curious though than me.
Peanutjar:)

Oh wait, you said scratching IN your floor, not scratching your floor. Thats a different story. Does it sound like it.s crawling through the vents or through the flooring itself? Throught the vents you could have a squirrel, chipmonk or possim. Through the floor its probably mice.

We do not have possums here in canada,well the part that i live in,haha!Its inside the floor or if im in the basement its in the ceiling,hehe.It always seems to start at the same place and goes through the same,well,road?path direction.I checked my dryer vent that lead outside and there was a hole big like a tennis ball.Something had chewed a round hole in the plastic pipe inside about 2 feet from the entrance.Im betting on a stupid squirrel now.I put a metal grill behind the outside dryer vent today,i hope it got out or its gonna chew the house up trying to get out,haha.Its always going(noise)around our floor beams by the walls and then cuts across where the furnace room is,but i dont see "it".