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Squirrel Removal and Control
Squirrels are usually classified as a pest species due to their habits of living in houses. The most common complaints include the following:
- Squirrels living in the attic
- Squirrels living in the chimney
- Squirrels chewing on woodwork
- Squirrels stealing bird seed
- Loose squirrel stuck inside home
For these reasons, many people wish to have this nuisance animal trapped and removed.
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Since it's a very common problem, I have here an advice article with photos on how to get squirrels out of the attic.
SQUIRREL BIOLOGY: (Sciurus carolinensis) Squirrels are usually gray, sometimes red, brown, or black. Adults average about one pound in weight. They can supposedly live for up to ten years,
but life expectancy in the wild probably isn't more than 3-4 years. Squirrels give birth to two litters per year - one in late summer, and one in winter. The female gives birth to 3-4 young after a 44 day gestation, and
the young grow quickly, and are weaned in about ten weeks.
SQUIRREL BEHAVIOR: Squirrels are most active in morning and evening. Squirrels eat mostly nuts and seeds. They live in a variety of habitats, both forest and suburban or city areas. They establish home
territories, and often communicate via scent, chattering, and flickering of the fluffy tail.
NUISANCE CONCERNS:
Squirrels love to live in attics. They also love to chew, and will chew on houses or wires, ducts, pipes once inside an attic. People don't like the noises of squirrels running about above the ceiling or in the eaves,
but it's really the chewing that's a problem. If squirrels chew on electrical wires in an attic, it can create a real potential fire hazard. Squirrels also bring in nesting material and leave urine and feces in
an attic.
SQUIRREL DISEASES: No real important diseaes, though they do carry parasites, and thus are vectors for the diseases that fleas, ticks, etc can transmit. They also leave a lot of droppings, which pose
the usual excrement health risks, such as leptospirosis or Salmonella.
HOW DO I GET RID OF SQUIRRELS?
If it's just squirrels on the property, the best bet is trapping and removal. If it's squirrels in the attic, then all of the open holes and vulnerable areas through which they can enter should be sealed shut with a
material that squirrels can't chew through, such as steel. The squirrels can then be trapped and removed, or excluded through the use of one-way exclusion doors and tunnels.
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