How to Get Rid of Squirrels in Your Attic or Walls
While it might sound endearing to some nature lovers, the scamper of little feet overhead or in your walls is not a good sign. Let's face it, squirrels are decent sized animals. Having them move into your attic or walls for the winter is in no one's best interests.
Inspect Your Perimeter
It's vital to discover where the entry point is to your home by looking for any gaps or tiny holes. Warmth beckons to these critters and they enjoy secure cozy locations to build their nests. Excess gaps can be filled with spray foam and steel wool, but not until your new tenants are successfully evicted. Do you have a cat or dog door installed somewhere in your home? Consider keeping your animals inside or out for the night; use the door insert to close the animal-door opening when you are away from home and at night time to prevent visitors.
Don't Trap the Attic
It's common to want to leave baited traps where you see evidence of squirrel activity. This however, is not an effective solution. Traps need to be set outside near entry holes or directly over top of the entry and exit holes to work effectively.
Baiting Your Squirrel Traps
Favorite baits include whole, unshelled, plain peanuts and natural peanut butter. If you are setting traps in exterior locations, be sure to place it in a shady area in order to protect the squirrels from heat exhaustion.
One-Way Exclusion Doors
This is an ideal humane way to trap squirrels for those who prefer to relocate instead of kill. These special traps offer squirrels a way out of the entry/exit holes but they are unable to re-enter. This live trap is great for a live-trap option; not that this method will not be successful if you have missed any of the entry/exit points.
How to Get Rid of Squirrels in Your Attic or Walls: Squirrel Proofing Your Home
With teeth designed to crack open the toughest nut shells, you can imagine how easy it is for a squirrel to devour mesh, electrical wiring, and even wood. Check your roof ventilation for signs of any droppings, fur or shell debris. Clean your gutters on a regular basis as trapped pine needles and tree nuts are a nutritious food source that may attract squirrels to your roof. If your dog or cat food dish is outside on your deck or your avidly feed the squirrels or birds, ensure unused feed portions are secured in metal garbage cans with lids. Plastic bins can eventually be destroyed.
Relocation Success
If you are utilizing live traps than logically, you will have to dispose of your captured critters. Many individuals simply let them go much too close to home. This inevitably will lead to re-infestation if you are not careful. Believe it or not, you should ideally release the squirrels a minimum of ten to fifteen miles away from your property to enable them to establish a new habitat.
Call for Help
Professional exterminators take all of the potential danger away from inspecting your perimeter and climbing about in your attic. Many of the entry and exit points are along your roof line or in higher and harder to reach locations. Hiring a professional and experienced crew to tackle your squirrel problem on your behalf will save you from climbing on ladders and making numerous relocation trips. Why not call in experts who deal with this issue daily as opposed to coping with the stress and time of trying to research and execute solutions on your own? Secure your home and your health by having the professionals handle your infestation.