One of the reasons you bought your house was the fact that the property had some wonderful mature trees. Over time, you found your yard and the same beautiful trees had become a haven for squirrels.
One day, as you were about to go to sleep, a question popped into your head: Where do squirrels go at night?
Most homeowners don’t realize that there are tree squirrels and ground squirrels, and that some types nest in dens, while others sleep in drays. Some varieties prefer underground homes, while other squirrels find in-tree hideaways more comfy.
While many of us find squirrels in their natural habitat quite adorable, it’s an entirely different story if and when these animals scratch, claw and gnaw their way into houses to set up their dens or nests in the relative comfort of fireplaces or attics. To make matters worse, these invasions often happen without homeowners realizing it—at least for a while.
Should you be worried? Are you and your family in any danger? What kind of damage can these rodents do? And if so, what should you do to prevent any potential problems?
Pest control pros deal with questions like this all the time, particularly when it comes to squirrels. Quite simply, most people don’t really think about squirrels as a potential problem.
No one wants rats or mice invading. Some of us have seen first-hand how vicious raccoons can be.
But squirrels? They’re just cute.
The truth is that these furry animals can cause big damage—and even some danger—if they take up residence in your home.
In this post, we’ll break down some of the most common worries about squirrel invasions.
Do Squirrels Bite?
There’s bad news and good news here, but let’s get the question out of the way first.
Can (and do) squirrels bite? Yes.
While there isn’t a lot of clear data on the number of squirrel bites or attacks that occur on an annual basis, we absolutely know that it happens.
In 2016, there were reports of a single squirrel in California biting at least eight people. Five people were reportedly attacked—by a single squirrel—in a New York City park in 2017. There’s also the story of an apparently well-known vicious squirrel in 1870s Pennsylvania that was known to attack periodically, once “mutilating” a farm laborer’s face.
Not exactly comforting.
Notice anything similar about those three stories, though? It’s always a single squirrel.
Because, by and large, squirrels don’t go for people.
Even if a squirrel does bite a person,it is incredibly rare to get a disease from a squirrel—not impossible, but rare.
How rare?
So much so that the CDC doesn’t even keep records on squirrel attacks, diseases or deaths.
None of this means you shouldn’t be cautious, especially if you’re dealing with squirrels in your home. That said, you also don’t need to live in fear of a family of squirrels descending on your family at night to injure you.
Signs Of Squirrels In An Attic
Hear a tapping noise in attic at night? It could be an indication that you have squirrels in your attic. If you’re worried you might have squirrels in your home, how can you tell?
Before we get into specifics, let’s start with the basics. Generally speaking, there are two places these critters might take up residence: your fireplace and your attic.
Of the two, the attic is far more likely. In fact, if you have a squirrel in your chimney, there’s a good chance that it might have just fallen in. In most cases, if you make some loud noises, you can scare the squirrel back out.
Unfortunately, this approach doesn’t work for an attic invasion. If squirrels get in there, you can be sure that the act was deliberate. These animals came looking for a place to set up shop.
You’ll need to enlist all your senses to check your home for the following signs.
Scratching And Scampering
When squirrels enter your attic, they’re looking for a den. Obviously, these rodents can’t just stay there forever. A squirrel still needs to forage for food. In addition, one of these creatures will likely want to bring in outside materials to make their new home comfy and cozy.
With this in mind, you should know that these animals will be coming and going. If you pay close attention, you’ll probably hear a squirrel moving through the walls and over floorboards.
Additionally, it’s not uncommon for squirrels—particularly babies—to fall down into the open spaces between walls. When this happens, there will be a lot of scratching and clawing as they try to climb back out.
The Smell Of Urine
If you are unlucky enough to have squirrels make a home out of your attic for a fairly significant amount of time, you’ll have to expect these animals to deposit waste materials.
Basically, one side of the attic will be a squirrel’s living area, and the other side will serve as a bathroom. As time goes on, the smell will become progressively more noticeable.
Chewed Entries
Remember, squirrels usually get in by scratching, clawing and gnawing. If you notice a ragged hole in your roof shingles, near eaves, in vents or otherwise, it’s a good sign that you have an unwanted guest. These holes don’t have to be much bigger than an inch for squirrels to get in.
It’s even more likely that squirrels are the culprit if the hole is close enough to a tree that a squirrel could jump from the branch to the house. However, even if it’s not near a tree, don’t assume you can rule out squirrels. They’ve been known to scamper right up the side of a building in seconds.
Paw Prints
Let’s say that you are pretty sure you have invaders, but you’ve looked around the attic and couldn’t find anything. One way to test your theory is to spread some flour on a piece of cardboard. Put this close to where you suspect squirrels are living and check the area later for tracks.
Nest Or Food—Or Both
If you run across an actual nest or a stash of nuts, this is a pretty good sign that you’ve got squirrels. Even if it’s an old nest, you’ll want to seal off the entry point and clear everything out, because leaving the nuts especially can lure other squirrels in.
You’ll also want to keep in mind that as rodents, rats and mice share some characteristics with squirrels, so some of these warning signs will also apply to an invasion from these unwelcome guests.
Squirrels In Attic? Damage These Animals Can Do
Why do you want to get rid of squirrels who nest in your home as soon as possible? Essentially, it comes down to the damage they cause to your house. You may be surprised to learn how destructive these otherwise cuddly-looking creatures can become. As you might expect, the bigger the pest, the bigger the headaches they can cause.
Chewing Their Way In—And Out
When squirrels chew through to the inside of your home, it should go without saying that they are causing damage you’ll need to pay to fix.
The actual cost will depend on what materials they chew through and how many holes they make. Sometimes these pests can make multiple entry and exit points.
Destroying Belongings
Earlier we mentioned that you will hear the squirrels moving in and out as they gather materials for their nest from the outside. This is true.
But they may not only get their materials from outside. Squirrels have also been known to use and rip apart household items, such as books, clothing and blankets to make themselves a cozy little home.
Creating A Fire Hazard
You know what a squirrel nest is? A big pile of flammable material. Most of the time, this is no big deal, but if squirrels decide to build their nest in your chimney or a vent, it can increase your risk of fire.
Sharpening Their Teeth On Wires
Even though it isn’t food and doesn’t need to be chewed for squirrels to burrow their way in, your wiring will be in danger as well.
That means the increased likelihood of both power interruptions and electrical fires, in addition to the personal danger of exposed wiring should anyone come into contact with it.
Causing Plumbing Issues
Squirrels chew through PVC piping, which transports water around your house. This means the possibility of leaks, and even flooding, in extreme cases.
Not so cute anymore, are they?
When You Have A Squirrel Problem
There are a number of potential ways to get squirrels to move out of your house. That said, you have to remember this is just the first step. After these animals gone, you’ll need to seal up the entry points and probably make changes in your yard as well to make it more difficult for a new family to replace them.
To evict these pesky creatures, you have a few options,
Scare Them
It’s possible that you might get your squirrels to leave just by heading into the attic and talking loudly, because they’re not particularly interested in having to deal with people.
Alternatively, you could try banging on the walls or ceiling near their nest.
Use Audio Or Visual Warfare
Some people have had success leaving a bright light on 24/7 by the nest or doing the same thing with a loud radio.
Just like us, squirrels find this unpleasant. They may give up and leave for some place that’s less annoying.
Blow Them Away
Another method that has been known to sometimes work is to snake a vacuum hose into the wall or attic, change it to “blow,” and leave it running until the nesting squirrels clear out.
Stink Them Out
Some homeowners report that squirrels really don’t like the smell of cider vinegar. So, if you soak some rags in the stuff and leave them near the nest, you may be able to convince them that it’s not worth staying.
ABC Can Help You Sleep Soundly
Unfortunately, some homeowners find that these methods don’t work. If you’re dealing with repeat squirrel visitors, your best next move is to call in the professionals. At ABC Home & Commercial Services, our experienced pest control technicians take a holistic approach to ridding your home of invaders, and they’ve dealt with just about every type of situation you can imagine. When you work with us, you can rest easy that we will not only help in repelling squirrels to solve your current problem, but also do everything possible to make your home less appealing to squirrels, so they’re less likely to return.
