How Do You Get Squirrels Out Of The Attic?

The best way to get squirrels out of your attic is by not letting them in, in the first place. Keeping your home and roof in good repair, usually by annual inspections, keeps out unwanted tenants that destroy your property and don’t pay rent!



Remove anything that can be used as a food source around your property. Birdseed is a good example, because it is usually squirrels, not birds, which eat it the most. Cover up any down spouts and putting guards on your gutters will reduce the amount of squirrels climbing to the roof and chewing into the attic. Don’t forget to cap chimneys, to keep squirrels from entering and setting up their nests.

Other ways to keep squirrels away are to remove firewood from next to the building to another place. Not only will this keep squirrels away, it will prevent a host of insects or other rodents from infesting you home.

Trim trees that have branches hanging over the roofline, repair breaks in the foundation and seal any other possible entry points around the house. Squirrels are great climbers; so the more you can do to prevent the problem the better. If this is no longer an option and the bushy-tailed little critters have already set up shop, there are still some things you can do. You can patch up all the holes in the roof except one and try to draw out the squirrels by placing food just outside the hole and using a funnel or a one-way door to secure the roof after the squirrels leave.

Another way is to trap the squirrels inside the attic. Using an out of the way place in the attic and baiting it properly will draw the squirrels in. If you have more than on squirrel, you will need more than one trap. Use a small trap, because the animal may hurt himself or herself in a panic if the trap is larger than needed.

Finally, once trapped, relocate the squirrels at least 4 to 5 miles away from your home. Any closer to that, and they may come back. Better yet, use a professional to take care of this. They are more experienced in humanely trapping animals.

Once your non-rent-paying tenant is gone, make sure all entry points to the house are sealed and decontaminate the attic to keep other critters from moving in.

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