Getting squirrels out of the attic

[Brian Hale]

We seem to have a few families of squirrels living in our attic and they're destroying everything in sight. We've found where they come in at but blocking it off before we get them out seems like a bad idea. How can we persuade them to leave?

Brian

[Doug Shepard]

http://www.pestcontrol-products.com/urines_all.htm ???

[Brian Hale]

Thanks Doug. Will that make the attic/house smell like a fox kennel?

Brian

[John Shuk]

Get a hav a hart trap and relocate them far away or get an exterminator to kill them. That is the only way to get rid of them. My brother is an architecht and he had his models from college in the attic along with a bunch of plans. they shredded the plans and lived in the buildings. It was pretty funny except for the destruction. He tried spraying ammonia placing mothballs and a bunch of other stuff. In the end he relocated them. I like squirrels but they are just rodents.

[Linda Tetreault]

My husband decided a few years ago that if he got rid of the doz or so red squirrels(he thought he had), maybe his birds could eat in peace. Well, he shot about 50, & for each one he killed I swear there were at least a 50 more waiting to take his place. There seems to be a never ending supply. They must breed like rabbits.

Linda

[Jim Young]

I've hauled about seven squirrels from my attack using a havahart cage. I figured out how they were getting in and then put the trap ner the entrance.

[Roger Bell]

I have lived remotely most of my life and have considerable experience with all kinds of nuisance animals and have experimented widely with a variety of methods. At the moment, I am trying to discourage a rather persistant black bear without resorting to the crude, simple solution.

Obviously you must find and effectively seal up the breach at some point. I doubt that repellants will buy you much. As far as rodents go, squirrels just aren't that smart and should easily go for the bait in a Havahart. For accelerated removal, use more than one trap at a time. Wire the bait to the pan. You may be able to rent these traps. That is probably the only non-lethal alternative worth exploring.

Depending on your sensibilities, you might also consider a standard rat trap, but be sure to bungee it to something stationary in case it fails to immediately kill the animal. Wire the bait to the pan. If your domestic situation permits and if you are so equipped, you might also consider the use of .22 shot shells in a rifle. The pellets are effective to a range of about 10-15 feet and will generally do very little damage to crude attic walls, etc. Experiment on scraps of plywood for shot pattern, penetration and range ahead of time so that you become sure of these variables.

I wouldnt recommend poison of any kind except as a most desperate last resort. Too much potential unintended results.

[Jack Wood]

Well I don't have a way to get rid of them, maybe a local pest control company? I do know that they can set your house on fire! My Grandfather had pecan trees by his house and the squirrels chewed their way into his attic where one chomped down on an electrical line and fried its self and set the attic on fire. Fortunately they were at home and heard the popping noise and the lights going out and he was able to get into the attic and smother the small fire out before it got out of hand. They seem to have a liking for the insulation on wiring, go figure. So this is a more dangerous situation than most people think. I do know that the solution involved a pellet rifle and lots of hardware cloth.

[Frank Hagan]

Well I don't have a way to get rid of them, maybe a local pest control company? I do know that they can set your house on fire! My Grandfather had pecan trees by his house and the squirrels chewed their way into his attic where one chomped down on an electrical line and fried its self and set the attic on fire. Fortunately they were at home and heard the popping noise and the lights going out and he was able to get into the attic and smother the small fire out before it got out of hand. They seem to have a liking for the insulation on wiring, go figure. So this is a more dangerous situation than most people think. I do know that the solution involved a pellet rifle and lots of hardware cloth.

I've heard that like most rodents, they chew on things to keep their teeth at an acceptable length (otherwise, the teeth just keep growing). Wires are nice and round and perfect for the task.

I have an employee who used to take his family to the park in Colorado to feed the squirrels. When they moved to a remote area of Oklahoma, they asked where all the squirrels were in their community. Seems the squrriell was a local delicacy, and hunting pressure kept them at bay.

I don't have a sensible solution, other than keeping them out. But if you ever get bats in your house walls, I know how to deal with that without killing the beneficial animal.

[Duke Phelps]

Take some wire mesh and make a cone then find out where there comming in the house,attach cone with small end pointing out ,they can leave but cant get back in ,works on bats too