I have people write to me all the time, complaining about squirrels living in their attic, and wanting to know what to do about them. Invariably, it is Winter, and they start hearing the patter of little feet, or the sound of chewing, that alerts them to this problem.
In this situation, it is almost always a pregnant female squirrel, who is looking for a safe, dry location to have her babies, and has somehow found an entrance into your attic space. So, the first order of business, is to find where the squirrel has gained access, so that you will know what needs to be corrected once the squirrel has gone.
The dangers of allowing a squirrel to occupy your attic are many. They can make a mess of items you have stored their, many times shredding cloth and paper to use in making a nest. But, the biggest danger of allowing a squirrel to live in your attic, is the danger of fire. Being animals that need to gnaw to wear down their Incisors teeth, all it takes is for them to bite in to an exposed wire, shorting it out and electrocuting themselves. Many times the arching of electricity through their teeth can set fire to their fur and ignite a fire in your attic.
If you opt for professional removal, make sure that you select a service who will humanely remove the mother and babies without doing any harm to them. Professionals who do this usually use a system where the entrance hole is fitted with a one way exit, that allows the female squirrel to exit, but not return to the attic space. They collect the babies and place them in a warmed holding box that is located adjacent to the exit, then check on a regular basis to make sure the mother has collected her babies and moved them to a backup nest.
After the eviction from the attic, the entrance area needs to be repaired, and/or covered with heavy cage wire to prevent future tenants from a repeat performance.
The best way to prevent squirrels from entering your house, is to give them exactly what they are looking for, before they consider moving in with you. And, that is a safe and dry place to give birth to their young.
A squirrel nesting box or two placed in trees on your property fulfills that need very effectively. It’s a wooden box with a 3 inch entrance hole, and a predator guard placed just inside the hole. It should be constructed in such a way that it can be cleaned out after the tenant vacates the box. Squirrel nesting Boxes are mainly used during the early birthing season of February/ March, but rarely used during the second birthing season of July/August, because of the heat. ( Heat is also the reason that a squirrel will not use your attic during the Summer.)
On our website, we offer a full range of Squirrel House options. On the bottom of our Home page,( http://SquirrelNutrition.com,) is a contact form where you can contact us to request a FREE copy of our Nesting Box Plans.
We also offer a convenient Kit, that contains all the pieces to construct the Squirrel Box featured in our FREE plans, for only $22.95 plus shipping.
And, if you prefer a pre-made box, on our Squirrel Mall, we offer a beautiful custom made Squirrel Box for only $49.95, which includes shipping!
In this situation, it is almost always a pregnant female squirrel, who is looking for a safe, dry location to have her babies, and has somehow found an entrance into your attic space. So, the first order of business, is to find where the squirrel has gained access, so that you will know what needs to be corrected once the squirrel has gone.
The dangers of allowing a squirrel to occupy your attic are many. They can make a mess of items you have stored their, many times shredding cloth and paper to use in making a nest. But, the biggest danger of allowing a squirrel to live in your attic, is the danger of fire. Being animals that need to gnaw to wear down their Incisors teeth, all it takes is for them to bite in to an exposed wire, shorting it out and electrocuting themselves. Many times the arching of electricity through their teeth can set fire to their fur and ignite a fire in your attic.
If you opt for professional removal, make sure that you select a service who will humanely remove the mother and babies without doing any harm to them. Professionals who do this usually use a system where the entrance hole is fitted with a one way exit, that allows the female squirrel to exit, but not return to the attic space. They collect the babies and place them in a warmed holding box that is located adjacent to the exit, then check on a regular basis to make sure the mother has collected her babies and moved them to a backup nest.
After the eviction from the attic, the entrance area needs to be repaired, and/or covered with heavy cage wire to prevent future tenants from a repeat performance.
The best way to prevent squirrels from entering your house, is to give them exactly what they are looking for, before they consider moving in with you. And, that is a safe and dry place to give birth to their young.
A squirrel nesting box or two placed in trees on your property fulfills that need very effectively. It’s a wooden box with a 3 inch entrance hole, and a predator guard placed just inside the hole. It should be constructed in such a way that it can be cleaned out after the tenant vacates the box. Squirrel nesting Boxes are mainly used during the early birthing season of February/ March, but rarely used during the second birthing season of July/August, because of the heat. ( Heat is also the reason that a squirrel will not use your attic during the Summer.)
On our website, we offer a full range of Squirrel House options. On the bottom of our Home page,( http://SquirrelNutrition.com,) is a contact form where you can contact us to request a FREE copy of our Nesting Box Plans.
We also offer a convenient Kit, that contains all the pieces to construct the Squirrel Box featured in our FREE plans, for only $22.95 plus shipping.
And, if you prefer a pre-made box, on our Squirrel Mall, we offer a beautiful custom made Squirrel Box for only $49.95, which includes shipping!
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