Added on October 6, 2022
Squirrels are a cute and cuddly looking animal, but when they move into your attic, things can get disastrous! Here in Central Florida, we've seen ceilings collapse, extensive roof damage, soffit and fascia damage, even fires and floods all caused by squirrels. One memorable incident on the space coast saw more than $25,000 in damage caused to a customers keepsakes when a squirrel decided to use them as an indoor playground! Generally, most of the damage caused by squirrels is from their chewing. As a member of the rodent family, their front teeth continually grow – to ensure their survival, squirrels constantly have to chew on things to wear their teeth down. This is when your electrical wiring, pipes, and the very fabric of your home becomes vulnerable. When it comes to critter control, squirrels are one of the critters you just can't ignore.
Common signs of squirrels living in your attic include scratching sounds, particularly around the edges of the home during daylight hours, and most commonly at sunrise and sunset. Other symptoms may include small droppings in the attic, tunnels in the insulation, chewing evidence inside and outside – particularly around soil or sewer vents, and wooden siding near entry points. As stated earlier, in extreme cases, squirrels may cause electrical, fire and flood damage if they chew on wiring or pipes. And, as with other animals, it's always possible to see one as they come and go through the multitude of entry points they may use to enter your attic.
A wildlife removal company will help you quickly and humanely remove squirrels from your attic. Squirrels are known causes of fire, water and electrical hazards in your attic and should not be taken lightly. At Dr. Critter, we resolve a squirrel problem by addressing the 3 A's of animal control – Attraction, Access and Animals.
Animals communicate by scent. You have probably noticed your dog likes to urinate on every vertical object he or she sees on their daily walks. This is how they talk to each other. Squirrels are the same – scent markings left in their biological waste is a powerful tool in the way they talk to each other. We address this by a number of methods, but the most important step here is to conduct a biological cleaning of any impacted area – typically your attic space. In extreme cases we may even need to address cleaning up or adding to your insulation.
Every home has different areas animals can enter from. In the case of squirrels it's almost an area above our heads on the roof or soffit area of your home. Ventilation points in particular are often exploited as squirrels enter your home. We address these spots by performing exclusion services where we seal them to prevent future entry. Depending on the area being addressed, there are a number of products we may use – in each case our number one concern is to make the area we're working on animal proof, number two is to allow the ventilation in that area to continue as intended, and number three, we want it to look as pleasing as possible, or invisible if we can.
No matter what we do to seal entry points, its worthless if we don't address the animal issue. Just as you'd find a way in your home if you locked your keys inside, squirrels will too. We've seen holes chewed through roofs when projects aren't completed the right way the first time. We have options when it comes to squirrel removal that may include physical trapping and relocation or setting valves that force the squirrels out of your home but prevent re-entry.
Whether you're in Orlando, Tampa, Daytona Beach, Melbourne or anywhere in between, Dr. Critter has a solution to your squirrel problem. Call us or visit us on the web at https://www.drcritter.com or https://www.facebook.com/drcritter
