Why did squirrels choose my house?
Let’s face it, to a squirrel your house is just a really big tree, it meets their needs exceptionally well. Shelter, plenty of space, and abundant food sources make it so attractive that there may one hundred times more squirrels in urban areas than in rural areas. Squirrels primarily eat seeds and nuts but are more than happy to dine on your bird seed, flowers and garden.
As you can imagine this results in a lot of human/squirrel conflicts. The typical call for squirrel removal starts with the homeowner noticing strange sounds coming from their ceiling. Scratching, pattering and chewing are typically heard in the morning and evening. When the homeowner is outside, they may frequently observe squirrel’s running along their roof.
If squirrels are left unaddressed they can cause significant damage. Some common examples include holes chewed in the siding, soiled insulation and damage to electrical wiring. Squirrels have also been known to chew on vehicle wiring which can lead to expensive repairs. Squirrels can enter your home with a hole less than 2 inches and will chew a brand new hole if needed. In fact, they are so good at chewing they can even chew through masonry and soft metals.
Why did the squirrel choose your home and not your neighbors? It’s hard to say 100% of the time, but typically it is a combination of things, available food, easy access into your home and few predators around. Your landscaping can also play into it, if you have large mature trees they create a highway of branches around your yard, out of reach for many predators.
Now that they are in your home the most important thing is to deal with the problem immediately. To a squirrel, a hole in a house is like a neon Vacancy sign at a hotel. And the damage they have created will attract not just squirrels but raccoons, birds and mice as well. What is the best way to deal with this? It starts by a thorough inspection of the home to identify all access points into the home. Next the squirrels are removed through trapping. And finally the access points are repaired to remove that ‘neon sign’ to any future wildlife. This process will typically take a few weeks from start to finish.
If you suspect you have squirrels or another animal in your home give us a call at (336) 915-7373 to see how we can help.
Two squirrels poking their head out of a gable vent.
Squirrels chewing through vinyl siding to access a home.
Squirrel damage to electrical wiring, this is a dangerous situation.
