These Squirrels Need To Go

It’s around 11:00 pm and you are finally getting into bed from a very hard day. While you’re lying in bed, you start to hear noises coming from within your attic. The noises sound like little feet running around and scratching noises. You get up out of your bed, annoyed, and open the attic hatch to look to see what’s going on. Once you enter through the attic entry, you see tiny eyes glowing at you as if you invaded their space. You see squirrels and think sarcastically, what a perfect ending to a perfect day.

Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day; however, unwanted squirrels living inside your home is definitely not appreciated. Squirrels are one of the unwanted nuisance pest that can take up residence within your attic. These pests cause a lot of noise while everyone has settled down for the evening and they can also cause a lot of damage to your home as well. Squirrels have extremely sharp teeth which can cut into roofing material, vinyl siding and even electrical wires.

Some entry areas in which squirrels can use to gain access into your home are:

Chimney

Squirrels use chimneys as a point of entry. The bricks on the chimney allow these nuisance pests to go up and down which provides them a nesting spot on top of the fireplace. There are times that squirrels can fall and get stuck at the bottom of the chimney.

Roof

The roof area provides many access spots for squirrels. Since they have such sharp razor like teeth, they can chew into parts of the soffit, gutter and even some roofing materials. If there is any spot that is deteriorating, squirrels use these spots as a quick access into your home. Squirrels can also get through certain gable vent that are constructed from aluminum, plastic or wood because parts of the vents provide edges they can chew through.

The Yard

Bird feeders invites squirrels. They are a great food source for them and as long as they have a consistent food source, then they are going to find a home nearby. Most of the time that home is your home. Any type of tree that produces nuts or acorns should be raked up consistently. This is another great food source that they can rely on. Tree branches that are close to your home are also a technique squirrels can use to enter. Squirrels can leap right off the branch onto your roof and start chewing away to gain access.

Once a squirrel gains access into your home, the entry area used can also be used by other wildlife animals as well.

Why It’s Important to Address the Problem

Squirrels can transmit a number of diseases that can affect you, your family, and even your pets. Especially if they want to take up residence within your home during the colder season. It won't take long before you end up having an infestation. Squirrels can have a litter of 3-5 babies at every They will tear up insulation to use in their nests, defecate, and make obnoxious noises day and night.

Squirrels can chew and gnaw on wooden support beams, walls, and electric wiring. Their nesting areas can turn into toxic messes and can carry a number of diseases. Some of those diseases are: Lyme, leptospirosis, rabies, and tularemia. Squirrels are also a host for parasites, like ticks, fleas, and mites which can transmit to people.

After the animal(s) has been removed from the attic, it is extremely important to clean up their mess that they have left behind. Here is why:

Feces

Any animal that inhabits your home will leave feces and urine of the space they inhabit. The amount of time an animal has inhabited the space, there can be a significant amount gathered. Leptospirosis is a disease which causes headaches, jaundice and fever. Any feces or urine that is left behind can have mold grow within it making it even more difficult to breathe. A person who already has breathing problems can be affected even more. Different animals can cause different diseases which is why it is important to clean up the mess they leave behind.

Material Replacement

Here are just a few examples of what wildlife animals can do to a home. Nuisance pests can cause damage to important materials of the home. An example is the insulation throughout your home helps control the temperature either by keeping it cool or warm. If the insulation is damaged, then the home's electric output could increase due to not having the proper materials working like they should which in turns increase your bill each month. Another example is squirrels are known for using their sharp teeth to chew wires inside the home. Not only could this not allow the electric current to work properly, but can also cause a fire within the home.

They not only cause damage to the inside of a home, but nuisance pests can also damage the outside as well. They can tear open small holes to make them larger in order to enter the home which can damage the siding, roof top, gables and/or soffits.

Odor

Any wildlife nuisance pest smells. We are not able to give these animals baths as we do domestic animals. Even if an animal has been living in your attic, the odor can be smelled all throughout the home. Not just the odor from a nuisance pest can be inside your home, but there's the odor of their urine and feces, not to mention if an animal dies within your home too. You may not be able to tell; however, a house guest can.

Squirrels may be cute to watch while they're outside; however, residing in an attic is very different matter. Elite Wildlife Removal has solutions when you need help with unwanted nuisance pests. We are professionally trained to not only humanly trap and remove the animal(s) and seal the entry area, but taking your home back to how it was before the nuisance pest entered. We will be more than happy to conduct a thorough inspection and work with you throughout the whole process to ease your mind in knowing your home is completely pest free. Give us a call at 804-867-7184 or 301-848-5048.