How to Trap Squirrels in an Attic

Are you hearing the pitter-patter of little footsteps on the ceiling? Unfortunately for you, you might have squirrels residing in your attic. Squirrels are opportunists and will make a home wherever they wish, even if that means inside of your attic. Don't kill them or poison them, because the smell will seep into your home. Try to trap them with a live trap and move them back outside. It may take a little time and patience, but eventually you should be able to catch them.

Things You'll Need

• Live trap
• Squirrel food

Instructions

1. Look around your home and see if you can find where the squirrels are getting in your attic. Most likely you've got a soffet that needs replacing or has fallen out of the slot in the roof.

2. Repair the area on the house where the squirrels are entering. You'll want to close up the entrance and exit point, so they can no longer get back inside. Otherwise, they'll just escape when you're looking for them, and come back in once you're gone. Squirrels are smart and they'll be looking at you from their perch in the trees while you're making the repairs.

3. Check inside the attic, if you can get there, to see if you have a nest inside. Squirrels often use the attic as a nest for their young. If you remove the mother squirrel, you're going to need to remove the babies too. If you leave the babies inside, the squirrel may try to chew their way back into the attic to get to their young. If you succeed in closing the gap where they are getting in and the young are still there, they'll die and stink up your house.

4. Buy or rent a live trap. You should be able to rent one from a local organization that specializes in removing wild animals. They have safe traps where the squirrel will be caught humanely and you'll be able to release it back into the wild. If you don't want to do the job yourself, you can hire someone. Just call to get an estimate on the charges fist.

5. Set up the live trap inside of your attic. Fill the trap with squirrel food so you can lure the squirrel inside of it. Check on the trap every day to see if you've caught the squirrel. Once you've caught the squirrel, take the trap outside and set the squirrel free. If there are tiny babies, remove them once the mother is caught and place them in an area that's safe from predators and where the mother will be able to find them. Otherwise, you can bring them to your local rehabilitation center for wild animals.