Squirrels are small and may seem harmless to you; however, they can be fairly ferocious. They are always ready to fight for their young ones as well as their homes. They make nests in your house and refuse to let go of them until they die. They also let go of their young ones at around 12 weeks which keeps them reproducing continuously. In some cases, it can be nearly impossible to exterminate them. However, you should relentlessly take measures to keep them out and work on professional and harmless ways to eradicate the problem. Read on to figure out how to get rid of squirrels in walls and attics so that the next time you are enjoying a family game night with your loved ones, you are not interrupted by such a nuisance.
Table of Contents
Identify The Enemy
First and foremost, it is important to ensure that before you take any precautions, you know for sure that your walls and attics are infested with squirrels. Look for sign around the house. Now, remember, squirrels are your enemies only because they are infesting your home. They are still helpless, and they will harm you in order to protect themselves. Do not even think about hurting them. Your aim should be getting them out of your house and not letting them back in. The following are a few signs that may identify a squirrel infestation in your house.
You will clearly see nests in trees, tree trunks, or any other hollow openings around the house. Don’t attempt to break these nests, leave them to professionals. Squirrels are considered to be pretty hyperactive this is why you will see them climb up and down chimneys and walls. They will also run on utility lines, and you may witness them enter an attic or room. They are excellent climbers on trees and otherwise. Additionally, they are hyperactive which allows them to be spotted quickly. Catching them, however, is a different matter.
You may witness a few squirrels fighting. This shows that there is an abundance of squirrels and they are not able to fulfill their needs. Since squirrels are naturally territorial, this may initiate some noises too as they will compete with one another over territory and resources. You are most likely to witness a chewed bark in young trees or foiled garden plants since squirrels feed on them too. They will chew anything they find. This is not because they are hungry all the time, it is just that they need to keep the irritation off their teeth since they are always just like when a toddler goes through teething. You will witness squirrel droppings all around. Make sure you do not touch them, and if you cannot recognize them, research on them. These may cause allergic reactions and are just disgusting.
You will find yourself hearing noises, scratches, or squirrels fighting with each other. Noises at night mean flying squirrels and those making noises especially at day time indicate gray or fox squirrels. Daytime squirrels are diurnal. As soon as it gets dark, however, they become more subdued and quiet. Squirrels will also leave footprints. The front paws will have four fingers and are slightly shorter than the back paws which have five fingers. Since they run around in gardens and sling around in high branches, you will see them. You will start smelling a strange and unpleasant odor in your house. This may not only indicate living squirrels, but also the fact that a squirrel may have given birth and some of its newborns must have died leaving behind the stench of decay. Your outdoor furniture will not at all be safe if your house is facing a squirrel infestation. Squirrels tend to chew them out if it involves finding a place to reside for them.
Keep Squirrels Out of Walls
Squirrels tend to find holes, or make holes in man-made surface smooth dry walls and make their nests there. Each squirrel lives alone, so if your house becomes infested, you will most likely witness much damage. However, it is important to ask a professional to look into the matter if you do not have much knowledge or experience in removing squirrels from your walls. Here are a few ways to help you get rid of squirrels that have infested your walls.
These amazing climbers’ entry points are not so subtle. Take a good tour around your house to find these entrance points, so you will know where to start! The next step involves finding the nest of baby squirrels because that is how you will locate the mother squirrel too. To remove the mother squirrel, cut a hole in the wall and mount a soft trap on the wall. You can also lower a rope down the wall, and since squirrels are such good climbers, they will climb out themselves. The young squirrels will not be able to climb, so you need to hold them by however, young ones also have a very nasty bite. Thick welder’s gloves will protect your hands from those bites! After extermination, it is imperative to remove any diet source for the squirrels from your home and close the walls carefully so that there isn’t any way for them to get back in again. Additionally, it is important to look about 4-5 miles away to see if the squirrels have gone or not. Make sure to inspect inside out for any opening, small or big. You can and should even call in professionals for inspection.
When the squirrels are finally caught, it is important to put them in a cage and then set them free far off in the wild. You can even give them some food and water since they are also living things. It is also important to keep checking all the walls so that they are always thoroughly sealed up. It is to be noted that sometimes squirrels do not reside in the walls but are in fact stuck in them. This will be clearly noticeable since the squirrel will scratch and fight its way out.
Keep Squirrels Out of Attics, Basements, or Crawl Spaces
Since attics, basements and small crawl spaces are least disturbed places in a house, squirrels tend to enter them easily. Prevention is better than cure, so it is important to take these measures so that your house in not infested with squirrels. Check for trees that are directly leading into these spaces. Longer tree branches can be one of the many ways that a squirrel may use to enter the house. It is important to either cut these branches or make any barrier that will prevent them from getting into the house, the distance required between such branches and the opening of your house should be at least 6 to 8 feet so that the squirrels cannot jump in. House inspection is crucial. Either you can do it yourself, or get it professionally done every few weeks. Start with the exterior of your house. Look around for smaller opening since squirrels need about the size of your fist to get in. You may also find rot like gaps and opening that will allow a squirrel’s access to your attic. While studying the inside of your attic, try switching off the lights in the daytime, even the smallest ray of light can help you find the hole or gap that the squirrels probably use for entrance. Make sure you seal all possible openings and replace rotting wood; this, however, may not be as useful since squirrels can even chew through the ceilings for a way in. The areas that you should seal are the openings of utility cables, openings at joints, and other tiny or large breaches that you may find. You can also install caps on the chimneys since squirrels can climb in through them as well.
In closed spaces like attics and basements, you can also put a homemade repellent. Combine hot sauce and water at the ratio 1:1 and put it in corners of these small spaces. You can also use loud music as a source of repellent. Squirrels hate loud music, and it hurts their ears. There’s a high chance that the mother will take all her children away from the place if you are blasting away on your stereo! Once you find the squirrel infestation, avoid trapping them inside the attic. This will only cause more damage to your items and furniture. However, before taking any action, you can use the following methods to ascertain if the squirrels are there or not. Ball up some newspaper and stuff it in the holes, if the papers are intact even after two days, it means that the squirrels are not inside and you can fill the hole up. However, if the newspaper is not intact, use the following methods to exterminate them. First of all set live traps that you can avail from hardware stores. You can also cover it with a blanket or towel to reduce stress on the little creatures. Once your squirrel is in the trap, take it outside and release it near the entry point in the house. This is so that other squirrels that are naturally in the habitat will not harm the little creature. Squirrels being territorial can be very dangerous to humans and other squirrels. Once, the squirrel finds out that it cannot reenter, it will stop other squirrels too, and it will make your yard its territory. Also, keep a close eye on the original This is because if the squirrels get in again, you will not be able to catch them.
Do’s and Don’ts
Even though squirrels may be bugging you a lot, make sure to follow these dos and don’ts to ensure that you do not hurt the creatures. Always remember that they are small, helpless creatures that are not there to harm you. They are just looking for food and shelter for themselves to survive wherever they can.
Don’ts
- Don’t use methods that will harm the squirrel’s life in any way. You should want it out of your house not dead.
- If you regularly hear scratching and other sounds that may indicate squirrels, make sure to act upon them as soon as possible. Don’t leave them until they go away. Most of the times they are stuck in there and cannot get out on their own. They will get dehydrated and will die of hunger and thirst if you do not take care of the problem.
- Don’t attempt random tactics and methods off the internet. These may not only put the squirrels’ lives into jeopardy, but it may also cause them to attack you too which may result in injury.
- Don’t ever try to harm the squirrels’ home when it is inside it. Squirrels are possessive and will not go down without a fight. Naturally, how would you feel if someone tries breaks down your house?
- Don’t use repellents that may kill the squirrels. You can use homemade repellents that will make them stay away but not chemical ones that may end up killing them instead.
- Don’t keep them as pets. Squirrels are very hyperactive rodents, keeping them as pets will only trap them and will take them away from their natural habitat.
Do’s
- Caring for the squirrels even when they are stuck. Provide them with food and water before releasing them into the wild.
- Consider waiting for the young ones to grow up at least enough to be able to make their own If you find a nest with a newborn, have patience; take care of them for at least 12 to 14 weeks before expelling them from your house.
- Call professionals. They know how to tackle situations like these and also work according to the laws of the area. Furthermore, they will help ensure that no living creature is harmed in any way.
- If it is imperative to put down a squirrel, make sure you ask professionals to do it in the least hurtful way possible.
- Wear safety clothing and gloves while you tackle the squirrels. These small creatures are very vicious when they fight. They can hurt you.
- Run to the hospital if a squirrel bites you. It will be painful, and moreover, it can cause infections that may be life endangering.