Indications You Have Squirrels In Your Attic in Arlington TN
Some indications that you may have squirrels in your attic are chewed holes the size of baseballs or smaller. You may notice squirrels running around on your roof. Inside your home, you may hear a running sound or chewing and scratching noises above your head. This can take place in the attic or even in the walls. Once squirrels get into your attic, they will travel throughout your entire home.
What Happens If A Squirrel Gets Stuck In A Wall?
This is especially bad. Squirrels can become stuck or fall into small crevices. If you hear scratching, crying or screeching noises in the bottom of your wall, a squirrel is most likely trapped. If the squirrel is not rescued quickly, it will die from dehydration and exhaustion.
As sad as this is, it gets worse. If a squirrel dies in your wall, it will start to smell as it decomposes. The decomposition will begin to attract flies and other wildlife. You will have a repugnant odor that will permeate your entire home. It will take several weeks to a couple months to get rid of the odor! If it is a large squirrel and the weather is warm, it could take even longer to get the smell out. Fortunately, in most cases we are able to remove the squirrel and deodorize the area to remove the odor. However, it can still take several days for the smell to fully dissipate.
Squirrels Attract Other Animals To Your Attic
Squirrels in your home will attract other predators if they are nearby and hungry. It is not uncommon to have raccoons and rats get into an attic once a squirrel finds its way in. The most squirrel activity during the summer months will be early in the morning and when the sun is going down. They will leave the attic when it gets too hot during the day. Squirrels are most active during the day, but you can sometimes hear them during the night. During winter months, squirrels stay in their nests to keep warm and are not very active. However, you are still able to hear them in the attic. You may see the holes where they are entering, but they may not be seen much outside of your home.
Squirrel Breeding And Gestation
Squirrels mate around December or January. You may see several male squirrels chasing a female squirrel like a game of tag. This is when the loud noises begin. Once they have mated, the female’s gestation period is about 40 days. This gives her plenty of time to start her nest if she doesn’t already have one. Squirrels like to build nests in attics because attics are quiet and secluded.
This keeps them away from predators and out of the weather. Squirrels typically have their young in the springtime. Baby squirrels stay in the nest for up to three months before they start to explore outside. Squirrels have around three babies in an average litter. Once the babies become active, it can get pretty noisy.
What Kind Of Squirrels Are In The Attic Of Your Home?
When clients call, we like to ask questions to determine the species we are likely dealing with. We first need to determine if all signs point to the species in the attic is actually a squirrel. We ask questions such as, “when do you hear noises?” This helps us determine the type of squirrel or rodent we are dealing with. Depending on the species, some squirrels are active at night and others during the day.
For example, gray squirrels are mostly active during the day. Flying squirrels are nocturnal and are active at night. Another question we ask is, “have you seen squirrels going into your attic?” People often assume it is a squirrel because they have seen them outside or on the roof. What we think we hear is often completely different from what is actually going on. You could possibly have a quiet raccoon in your attic! Sometimes there are actually multiple species living in an attic. It is not uncommon for us to find rat, squirrel and raccoon evidence in an attic.
Typical Questions We Ask And Why We Need To Know
After we ask about the type of sounds, we want to understand the condition of your home.
Do you have a lot of holes in the wood?
Have you seen chew marks?
Is there a lot of rotted wood?
These questions all have a purpose. When we ask about holes, we are also asking about the size of the hole. Squirrels tend to make baseball-size holes. If someone calls in describing the hole as bigger than a baseball, it is most likely a raccoon. If it is the size of a golf ball, it could be a flying squirrel. Even smaller holes could indicate roof rats or mice.
Squirrel Trapping And Exclusion Process
Once we know what species we are dealing with, we can proceed further. Following a positive identification, we begin the trapping and exclusion process. The trapping process will vary depending on species. However, we normally complete the process in one to two weeks. Now it is time to start sealing your home from wildlife re-entry. However, one thing that will slow things down is if you have rotted wood on your home. Rotted wood can be a big problem and is sometimes very costly to replace. It is good to know if there is abundant rotted wood before we come out. You May Need Carpentry Work So Be Prepared
Our company does not replace rotted wood or do any major carpentry work. If there is a lot of work that needs to be done, we ask that you have a carpenter come out to assess your home and replace those areas first. The foundation needs to be strong and sturdy before we seal your home. Our main focus with exclusion work is sealing up the small gaps, securing vents and patching up smaller holes. If there is rotted wood around your home, it needs to be repaired before we perform our exclusion. We cannot secure any of our work to something that could fall apart or be easily chewed through.
Apex Wildlife Control strives to have the highest quality work. We want satisfied customers who know our work is going to hold up and last!
