Have you heard sounds or scratches in certain places above you? You probably have squirrels in your attic. Check your attic, and if you see a long fluffy tail somewhere, you are sure you have an invader and should get rid of it as soon as possible.
Below you can find more information on this topic and safely dispose of a squirrel in the attic.
Why Do Squirrels Live In The Attic?
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In most cities and towns, you can see squirrels. Typically 50 to 60 squirrels can live in a neighborhood in one square kilometer. Squirrels are a species that adapts quickly and can modify their behavior to live in new habitats.
Squirrels can use roofs and telephone lines to be able to travel from one place to another. Squirrels traditionally built their nests in cavities or tree forks, but now they can live in attics.
Attics are ideal places for squirrels to nest; their height offers protection against humans and predators. Plus, it allows squirrels to stay warm and dry when the weather is cold.
With their super-powerful teeth, they can chew through aluminum, plastic, wood and create gaps that allow them to enter your home. Also, rain and snow can enter these holes. Squirrels can enter your attic through a hole larger than 2 inches.
When they are indoors, their nesting habits and fondness for chewing or gnawing can cause a lot of damage to your construction.
Usually, female squirrels make their nests to raise their young; you should know that squirrels can reproduce two times a year. Baby squirrels are born after a gestation period of 44 days.
The first litter of baby squirrels can be born in March and early May, during the second litter between July and August. An average litter can contain between 2 and 6 baby squirrels.
How Do You Catch Squirrels In The Attic?
It is best to get rid of squirrels without causing harm, among the traps that you can find in the market to catch squirrels are:
Havahart traps
This trap makes catching squirrels in your attic very humane and easy. This is a brand that makes many types of traps for different animals. All are very effective for this situation; it has the right size that also works for animals such as skunks and rabbits.
It is a very easy trap to use; if you are inexperienced, you will not have any problem when using it for the first time. Bring the trap to your attic and place it where you saw the squirrel last, you can use peanuts to use in your trap.
The steps to get rid of a squirrel in your attic are as follows:
- Begin By Looking For Entry Points Into The House.
If you have damage to your attic walls, you feel annoying noise at night above you should inspect the area. Squirrels can seriously injure your home from their teeth, which can lead to costly and time-consuming repairs.
Also, squirrels can cause many diseases, so it is good to remove these wild animals from your home as soon as possible. That is why you must choose an effective method to eliminate these annoying animals that can not leave the attic area.
- You Must Seal All Entry Points Except One.
As mentioned above, squirrels can go through any hole in your home. You need to check that the doors and windows are securely attached, you can put wire mesh in open vents or chimneys.
In the other holes, you can use putty, steel wool, or any other appropriate material. If in doubt, you can call a pest control professional and offer you all the help you need.
Leave a single point of entry open so the squirrel from your attic can leave on its own. Remember to make the entry point more accessible and obvious, then cover it with the newspaper for a few days. If you no longer hear noises in your attic, you can have it sealed.
- You Can Give The Squirrels Certain Intensives So They Can Leave.
Sometimes if they don’t go alone, you should give them a specific push to get them to leave. If they already have a litter, they will not go alone, in this case, the adult will always come and go when they want to look for food.
If you seal the entry point when the adult squirrel is out, a professional will remove the live or dead babies. For this reason, you must remove the squirrels before they give birth. You can keep the light on or play loud music, and this can repel squirrels.
When you know that there are squirrels in the attic, you should avoid going to the attic because they can be dangerous if scared. They can also run to other parts of the house and create terror and damage in their wake.
How To Get Rid Of Squirrels In Your Attic With Traps
As mentioned above, you can use traps to catch them. Attic squirrel traps are a very effective method for many experts.
In the market, you can find many traps that you can use to get rid of these annoying wild animals. You will be able to place them in a few different places in your attic; this method catches them alive. As the name implies, they catch squirrels alive.
It is difficult for many people to have to deal with the live squirrel after catching it. Releasing her is a procedure that can be dangerous for you and the animal, you must release her 5 or 10 miles from your home.
Some people say that death traps are more humane than live traps, and they are also safer. You should be aware that in certain places, you may require a permit based on wildlife laws depending on the state.
You should avoid leaving the animals in the trap alive because it will starve, other traps are called body grab traps. These traps should be placed outside the entry points, so it will catch the squirrel when it enters or leaves your house.
Read More: How to Get Rid of Ground Squirrels Naturally
How to Prevent Squirrels From Your Attic
Learn how to keep the squirrels out of your attic and your home in our articles. You can seal holes in the windows, doors, walls, or ceilings to deal with this problem. Trim trees that may overhang your home so squirrels and other animals cannot access your attic.
If there are squirrels around your home, you can use traps to prevent them from entering your home. Follow these tips to help you catch these wild animals from your attic. Can’t catch the squirrel in your attic? If you can’t fix your attic problem, you can call in a pest professional, and the squirrel can be safely and efficiently disposed of.
