Animal Control: How to Get Rid of Squirrels in the Attic
Squirrels can take up residency in an attic without notice, and can cause substantial damage to your home. Not only do squirrels drag nesting material from outside into the attic and create waste, but they also chew on everything. This can include electrical wires, and may present a fire hazard. There is no way to repel squirrels, and the only way to fully remove them from your attic is to physically move them and prevent them from returning. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Heavy-gauge wire mesh
- Crackers or bread
- Peanut butter
- Single-animal live traps
- One-way exclusion door
Instructions
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Determine the squirrels' points of entry to your attic. Most squirrels enter via attic vents, chewed fascia boards or roof trim, gaps where the gables meet, or under the eaves. If you cannot locate the point of entry easily, simply observe the squirrels, as they will come and go throughout the day.
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Fully seal all but one of the potential points of entry to your attic, using heavy-gauge wire mesh. Install mesh on the inside of any metal attic vents. Leave the main entry point uncovered for the time being so the squirrels can leave the attic.
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Bait one or more small, single-animal live traps with crackers or bread and peanut butter. Place the traps near the entry point to the attic. Release caught squirrels far away from your home to prevent them from returning.
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Install a one-way exclusion door to the remaining point of entry. These exclusion doors allow squirrels to leave the attic while restricting their access back into the attic.
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Seal the remaining point of entry with wire mesh once all of the squirrels have been removed or excluded from the attic.
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Inspect your attic thoroughly to check for any damage from the squirrels. Have the attic professionally decontaminated, since squirrel droppings can transmit disease and attract new squirrels.
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Tips & Warnings
Before attempting to trap or exclude a squirrel, make sure that there are no newborn squirrels in your attic. Removing the mother from her young will cause them to die in most cases, which will lead to more problems in your attic. If you have baby squirrels in your attic, either wait until the young are old enough to become active, or find and remove the nest by hand.
In some states, trapping and releasing squirrels is illegal. Always check all local and state laws carefully before attempting to rid your attic of squirrels. In some areas, you will have to allow animal control employees or licensed exterminators to remove the squirrels.
Do not attempt to poison squirrels, as there are no legal squirrel poisons on the market. In addition, poisoning is inefficient and inhumane.
Never try to catch a squirrel by hand or handle a caught squirrel.
References
- Photo Credit squirrel image by lance davis from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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LOL, yep tried them all, not one worked. Wire mesh, they chewed right through it. Metal panels, chewed right through it. Poison, they didn't touch it. Thicker metal, they went around it and left another hole to cover. A rat trap with blades welded to them, bait was gone and the trap was not tripped. If you trap them and move them to another area far far away, you are in fact being inhumane. Not to mention causing an out of balance situation with mother nature, and the other people who live near your drop off point. The best and most humane way to remove them is to make them uncomfortable in your attic. Small amounts of crushed mothballs works every time, it also works for birds and other critters that like to go under your porch/deck. Do not use an entire box, it will drive your family out. Crush several into a powder, you can leave them in very small bits. They have to be small enough that the critters can not pick them up and throw them on the ground outside. The squirrels that moved out from my attic, moved to where they are supposed to live, in the trees, that was 15 years ago.
