Squirrel Removal
HOW
MUCH DOES SQUIRREL REMOVAL COST? If the squirrels are
outside, the cost will be less. There will probably be a one-time
service visit and trap setup fee, and a fee per-animal trapped and
removed. The total cost for outdoor trapping service might be
around the
$200 range. If you have squirrelss
inside your attic, the cost will be higher, because it will
involved removing all the squirrels, sealing shut the entry hole
or holes, repairs to the damage they have caused, and perhaps
attic cleanup if necessary. The cost of this service might be
$400
or more. Costs vary by situation and city. The only way
to know for sure is to call and get a free price quote over the
phone.
GET
LOCAL PRICE
Squirrels are very common in both the wild and in urban settings.
They love to live in attics of houses! They find an opening near
the roof or chew their way inside, and set up a nest. You may hear
them scampering and scratching in morning and evening. They are
easier to trap than most nuisance wildlife, if you use the proper
techniques of mounting traps directly on entry and exit holes.
COMMON PROBLEMS: Squirrels can live anywhere with
trees, and thrive in suburban environments. As rodents, they
are great at gnawing and chewing. They give birth to young
twice a year, and will use any warm, dry space they can find.
They are obviously extremely agile, and can climb pretty much
anything, and go anwhere they please. Thus, they cause some of
the following problems:
- Chewing into an attic, and setting up a nest
- Fire risk from chewed electrical wires in attic
- Crawling into a chimney and living there
- Eating garden plants, bird seed, etc.
- Chewing on the wood of a house, porch, shed, etc.
- Dying inside walls or chimney, and causing odor problems.
- Concern about a sick or agressive squirrel on property.
SQUIRRELS IN THE ATTIC: This can be a complex case.
This almost always involves an adult female and baby
squirrels. Here are general steps for removing squirrels from
an attic.
- Step 1: Inspect the home, and find the entry hole(s),
which are often chewed open and obvious. Seal shut all
secondary entry holes, but leave the primary one open.
- Step 2: Enter the attic. This is crucial. You might not
see the squirrels, but you'll see evidence. You might find
and remove the litter of baby squirrels by hand, or observe
them to be large enough to run.
- Step 3: If the house is in good repair, mount a one-way
excluder door on the primary entry/exit hole.
- Step 4: If chewing back inside is a concern, mount a
repeater trap that catches all the squirrels as they exit.
- Step 5: Repair the primary hole with pro-grade repairs,
and fix other damage in the attic.
- Step 6: Clean the attic, removing all feces, and spray
with enzyme cleaner.
GENERAL SQUIRREL TRAPPING: Squirrel trapping is
subject to state laws regarding capture and relocation or
euthanization of wildlife. If you have unwanted squirrels
outside the home, in some cases, the only fix is to trap and
remove the nuisance wildlife. We can safely, legally, and
effectively catch and remove your nuisance squirrels. Trapping
is an art, and most amateur attempts go awry for a variety of
reasons. An intimate knowledge of squirrel behavior, both
prior to and after trapping, and of various squirrel trap
types is necessary to ensure that the squirrel is trapped and
removed without incident.
- STEP 1: Determine if trapping is necessary, or if there is
a preventative alternative.
- STEP 2: Select the right trap for the situation, of at
least a dozen types of squirrel traps.
- STEP 3: Set the traps in the correct areas, in shade,
camouflaged, mounted in trees, etc.
- STEP 4: Use correct bait, but to be honest, trap setup
& location are more important.
- STEP 5: Monitor the trap daily, remove trapped squirrels
and transport them.
ATTIC DECONTAMINATION & OTHER SERVICES: In some
situations, it may be desirable to clean your attic after
you've removed squirrels from the space. They can leave behind
large amounts of droppings, urine, hair, oils, food, nesting
material, and so on. These remnants can attract insects like
cockroaches, and the scent left behind can encourage new
squirrels to attempt to chew or break their way into your
house. You might also experience odor problems from the waste.
It's possible or likely that mold will grow on the areas of
feces and urine, and urine can damage wood or sheetrock. Some
of the mold can potentially cause diseases that people can
catch, and some of the feces themselves can cause diseases,
such as Salmonella or Leptospirosis. It's also adviseable to
repair any torn ductwork in an attic, along with any torn pipe
insulation or chewed electrical wires.
- We remove or vacuum all droppings, or remove all the
soiled insulation.
- We fog the attic with a special enzyme-based cleaner that
destroys any organic matter and deodorizes the space.
- We repair damage, such as ductwork, electrical wires,
pipes, insulation, and more.
The above is just a brief explanation of some of our squirrel
removal and control methods. I haven't even addressed the dozens of
other potential cases that we deal with, from squirrels in a
chimney, to dead squirrel removal, to dealing with a sick or
dangerous squirrel situation, etc. I will describe some additional
squirrel information below, but just give us a call any time, and we
can describe in detail how we will resolve your specific squirrel
problem in your town.
How To Get Rid of Squirrel - Tips
and steps for getting rid of squirrels.
How To Trap a Squirrel - Methods
for catching squirrel in cage traps.
Squirrel in the Attic - Info about
what to do if you have squirrel in the attic.
How to Kill a Squirrel - Does
poison work to kill squirrel? Is killing squirrel the best approach?
Squirrel Feces - Pictures of
squirrel poop and info about danger, and diseases from squirrel
droppings.
Squirrel Prevention -
Preventative methods for how to keep squirrel away from your
property.
Squirrel Repellent - Analysis
of various squirrel deterrents and repellent products.
What Bait Catches Squirrel - What
kind of food do you put in a trap to catch a squirrel?
Squirrel on the Roof - If you hear
scratching on the roof, and think it's a squirrel.
Squirrel in Your House - Tips on
how to get a squirrel out of hour house.
Squirrel in the Chimney -
Information about removing squirrel in a chimney.
Squirrel in the Walls - What to do
if you hear squirrel in the walls, scratching.
Read more educational articles to learn
All About Squirrels to help you with your squirrel problem. Learn from my experience if
Mothballs or Ammonia help repel squirrels, and the kind of
damage squirrels can do in an attic. Find out if
Repellents are effective, and what
attracts squirrels in the first place. I can show you how to
Keep Squirrels Away from your Property and how to know if there are
baby squirrels in the attic?. Find out if a squirrel in the attic will have a
Nest of Babies and ways to keep squirrels out of your
bird feeder. Learn what to do with a squirrel after you
catch it? and if squirrels
chew on wood. I can let you know if repellents will get squirrels
out of a Chimney and even some humane ways to
kill a squirrel in a cage. Let me show you
How to Keep Squirrels out of your House and how to know if you have a
Squirrel In Your Attic.
I can let you know if the
city or county animal services will help you with a squirrel issue, and if your
homeowners insurance will pay for squirrel damage. Learn how well squirrels can
climb and jump and if it is safe to handle a squirrel with
bare hands. I can show you how to keep squirrels out of your
garden and how to use a
one-way funnel to get squirrels out of a building. Learn about the squirrel's
natural diet and what you should
feed a found baby squirrel. Find out what to do if you find a
nest of baby squirrels in your attic, and what
diseases squirrels carry. I can let you know if a squirrel's feces are
dangerous to touch or breathe and how to
find and remove a dead squirrel in a house. Learn how to clean
squirrel feces out of your attic and ways to
kill a squirrel in the yard.
Find out if squirrels chew on
electrical wires and what
wildlife rehabilitators do with squirrels. I can show you how to
get Squirrels out of a Wall and what to do about a squirrel
under the porch. Learn if more squirrels live in
urban or wild areas and what
Equipment is needed to trap a squirrel. Read all about
Lights and Sounds and Squirrels and learn how
big squirrels can grow to be. Read about the
symptoms of a sick squirrel and what to do about a
cage-shy squirrel. I can show you how to take care of a
squirrel on the roof and where you should
relocate a trapped squirrel. I can answer the question:
Do all squirrels have rabies?. Learn, too, if you should
hire a pro, or remove squirrels yourself. I can show you how to catch a squirrel with a
snare pole and how to get
Squirrels Out Of The Attic. Read my thoughts on if you should ever
poison a squirrel and even if squirrels make
good pets. Read about what to do if you find an
orphaned baby squirrel and if squirrels are ever
active at night. Find out all about
Squirrel nests, squirrel
mating habits, what to do about a squirrel in your
Living Quarters and if it is
legal to trap a squirrel.
Eastern Gray Squirrel Information
Biology
Squirrels are the most commonly seen mammals in the world. The
Eastern gray squirrel is a type of tree squirrel, commonly found in
forests. They are also found in gardens, yards and parks; pretty
much anywhere that has trees and shrubs in abundance. Eastern gray
squirrels are of the genus Sciurus and from the family Rodent. The
word ‘Sciurus’ is formed from two Greek words ‘skia’ and ‘oura’,
meaning shadow and tail respectively. This definition translates to
mean that Eastern gray squirrels like to sit in the shadow of their
tails. The scientific name of eastern gray squirrel is Sciurus
carolinesis.
Eastern gray squirrels, as the name indicates, are usually gray in
color; however, their fur sometimes varies in colors and can become
darker in different regions depending upon where they live. It is
assumed that the color is based on the weather and climate of their
habitats. Darker furred squirrels are mostly found in colder
climates to help them adapt and survive in harsher environments.
Their bellies are white and they have long, bushy tails that help
them for balance as well as warding off predators. These squirrels
are very agile and rotate their hind feet to help them climb head
first down trees.
Habitat
Eastern gray squirrels are found mostly in the forests of North
America and Canada. Because of their love of nuts, they enjoy the
plentiful oak forests of North America. Squirrels live in nests
constructed with leaves and other materials they gather. They also
make use of nests built by other birds. They like the dense leaves
of branches on trees such as Oak, Red Maple and Hickory as they
provide food and protection from the elements and predators. Nuts of
pretty much any variety are their main staple; however, they also
eat apples, cherries, grapes blossoms and other vegetation.
Squirrels are hoarders and spend a lot of their time gathering nuts
and other food sources to stash away. Although they do not
hibernate, the still collect stores of food to get them through the
rougher parts of the seasons when food sources are not so readily
available. They usually have several caches where they store food
instead of just around their nests. This way they have several areas
to retrieve their food in case any of their caches are found by
predators or other animals.
Life Cycle
Squirrels normally mate in two seasons: from December to February
and from May to June. During their courtship, they frolic in the
trees trying to impress and attract potential mates. After mating,
the male and female work together to build their nest for their
young. The gestations for a mother squirrel is about 44 days and
anywhere from two to eight babies are born in a litter. The babies
are born without fur and are pink in color. Though they can live up
to 20 years, the Eastern gray squirrel usually lives around twelve
years.
Diseases Carried by Eastern Gray Squirrels
Easter gray squirrels are known to carry rabies and tularemia.
Tularemia, also known as rabbit fever, is a very infectious
bacterial disease. They also carry squirrel pox, which causes tumors
to form on their bodies; however, this disease is not transmitted to
humans but can be spread to other mammals such as rabbits.
Eastern Gray Squirrel Nuisance
Squirrels forage for food and at times may enter your home to gather
any food supplies left out, such as garbage and left over foods.
Attics and other areas of the home are great places for squirrels to
take up residence and build their nests. As they breed and raise
their young, they may become destructive; eating clothes, wires,
garbage and other items. They can be loud creatures as well; their
chirping and screeching as they communicate with each other can
become very annoying to human inhabitants. As with any living
creature, Eastern gray squirrels will leave urine and droppings
around your home which pose a health hazard as well as producing
foul odors to permeate the environment.