Where I live, squirrels are essentially everywhere. I actually like them too. Of course, if a squirrel or family of squirrels found their way inside your attic, you need to remove them. I can also understand wanting to get rid of squirrels from your yard as well. After all, they can be quite disruptive to your yard or garden, digging all those holes. In this article we will discuss the possible ways to get rid of squirrels from your yard and attic. I am going to strictly discuss non-lethal approaches in this article. Of course there are ways to eliminate squirrels from your property with poison, fumigation and lethal traps. This article, however, with no offense meant to those who are looking for a lethal approach, will concentrate on eliminating squirrels from your attic and lessening the population of squirrels in your yard by non-lethal means.
Some Nutty Facts About Squirrels
In most of my articles I write a short description of what exactly the pest is, what they look like, etc. But in the case of the squirrel, I think you already know what they are and look like. That quick moving creature with the fuzzy tail, doing a rapid tight rope act on your powerlines, is probably a squirrel. That small grey rodent that shoots out in front of your car, makes a sharp u-turn and heads off in the same direction it came from, most likely was a squirrel. Anyway, here are five quick and odd facts about these crazy little creatures instead.
- A typical squirrel’s heartbeat slows in the winter months from about 250-300 beats per minute to only 2-10 beats per minute.
- Squirrels lose approximately a quarter of their buried food preserves to other squirrels. Yes, there are some squirrels who enjoy spying on the work of another squirrel, noting where they stash their food and retracing the steps to steal the buried nuts.
- Speaking of stealing acorns, squirrels are aware of this common burglary and will often pretend to bury a nut, digging the hole and covering it back up before depositing any food.
- Have you ever wondered why a squirrel seems fearless when climbing and jumping from this tree to that tree to your rooftop a leap or two later? Squirrels can actually sustain a fall from 30 meters high without sustaining injury. They use their stretchable bodies and tails as a parachute of sorts.
- Although extremely aware of where all those nuts are buried, they do tend to forget or disregard a few of their stashes each year. Those neglected stashed of tree nuts actually may result in more trees for future squirrels to climb.
How to Get Rid of Squirrels From Your Attic
Ok, so we discussed some interesting and hopefully fun facts about squirrels. No, let’s discuss some of the various ways to get rid of squirrels when inside your attic. As you are probably aware of, squirrels are not wanted houseguests. As a matter of fact they can cause damage to your home. Below is a list of some of the various ways squirrels can cause damage to your home if not dealt with it immediately.
- First, how in the world did they get in there? Chances are they found a small hole and gnawed their way into your attic. I have heard of squirrels finding their way inside an attic from the solar panels some homeowners place on their rooftops.
- Squirrels do not just want to nest in the open. Once inside the attic, they will often pick a spot to nest, whether that be a small towel or blanket or pieces of both. Did you know that the material they often use is flammable, when nesting inside the chimney, this can spell a potential fire hazard.
- Next is the possible gnawing on electrical wires. This is not ideal by any means for the homeowner. Squirrels will often habitually chew on electrical wires as a means to sharpen and strengthen their teeth. This could, however, mean exposed wires, electrical issues and a possible means of an accidental fire.
- Lastly, there is the possibility of water damage caused by the gnawing of water lines.
The best possible way to get rid of squirrels humanely from your attic is by trapping them alive. If you are not wanting or the hassle of trapping them yourself, there are numerous pest control companies who will do it for you. However, if willing to do it yourself, below are a few live traps currently listed on Amazon.com. Try placing the trap close to the entry point of your attic or in places you believe they often like to visit.
| Squirrelinator Trap – By: Rugged Ranch | Heavy Duty Live Trap For Squirrels – By: Gingbau |
| Two Door Live Squirrel Trap – By: Havahart | One Door Squirrel Trap – By: Havahart |
Other Ways to Get Rid of Squirrels From Your Attic
There are a couple of other ways to get rid of squirrels from your attic. One is by simply scattering mothballs in the attic and crawl spaces of your home. Mothballs are commonly used as they irritate the squirrels with their strong and pungent scent.
A second way to create a poor living environment for the squirrels in you attic is with strobe lights. The frequent flashes of light will upset the squirrel and have it packing its bags for a more calming atmosphere. Once they are out of the attic, make sure to cover up the entry points so that they will not return. Below are a links to strobe lights commonly used for this purpose on Amazon.com.
| Ultra Bright LED Strobe Light – By: Roxant | Mini LED Strobe Light – By: Roxant |
Another way to deter squirrels living in your home is with ultrasonic devices. Many use this way to keep mice and rats away as well. Ultrasonic solutions use a waves not detected by the human ear that will irritate the squirrels living in your attic and drive them elsewhere. Below are a couple of products of this type currently on Amazon.com.
| Squirrel Ultrasonic Repellent – By: Mos-Repel | |
Make Certain the Captured Squirrel Does Not Come Back
If using the catch and release method, after capturing the squirrel, you will need to release it, find out how the squirrel got in your house in the first place and seal off any possible entry points, making entry into your home a thing of the past.
To release the squirrel from the trap, it is recommended to release the squirrel far enough away from your home so that it will be unable to find its way back – about 4 or 5 miles from your home should be more than sufficient. Repeat the live trapping if needed and also check to make sure there are no local ordinances to interfere with the process. If there are, you may need to contact a professional to get rid of the squirrel problem after all, or try the ultrasonic or strobe light solutions mentioned above.
Now that the squirrels are gone, next step – to make sure your attic remains squirrel free – is to make the proper adjustments to your property. Make sure to seal off the entry points to your home. Trim any overhanging branches away from your roof, remove firewood that may be stacked up against the side of your home, and perhaps invest in a solid chimney cap. HY-C offers some reliable products for both single flue and multi flue chimneys. Links to Amazon.com.
Single Flue Chimney Covers |
Multi-Flue Chimney Covers |
How to Manage Squirrels in Your Yard
I can certainly understand, with all their digging and scavenging squirrels are capable of, if you consider squirrels to be a rather bothersome pest when in your yard or garden. We will now discuss ways to get rid of squirrels from the outside of your home – mostly by making you’re your property less appealing to them.
Do Not Feed Squirrels
If you do not want squirrels on your land, the obvious first thing you should not do is provide food for squirrels. I understand if you would rather not cut down the beautiful oak tree that commonly sheds acorns in your yard, but perhaps clear the acorns from the ground more frequently. Also try to refrain from placing compostable food scraps in your garden. This will attract pests like squirrels. Lastly, if you enjoy feeding the birds in your yard, you may not want to place the seed on the ground. Consider mounting your feeder on a thin metal pole, as it will make your feeder harder to climb. Keep your feeder high off the ground and away from porches or fences. And consider adding a tightly fitted baffle both below (if the feeder is on a post) and above the bird feeder.
Discourage the Squirrels With a Dog
You can also create an uncomfortable environment for them by lovingly having a dog companion. Dogs make great pets and may also keep squirrels from your yard. Some dogs even like to chase squirrels, picking up on their scent and acting upon it.
Owls to Repel Squirrels
An owl’s diet consists of smaller animals such as mice, chipmunks, and even squirrels. Owl statues can be used to scare off squirrels (links to Amazon.com).
| Dalen Natural Scarecrow Device – By: Dalen Gardeneer | Owl Decoy – By: Thanos |
Predator Urine
The scent of predator urine will commonly scare off many pests from your garden and yard. In fact, predator urine is often used to warn off rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels and even deer. Below are a few predator urine products available on Amazon.com.
| Fox Urine – By: Predator Pee | Coyote Urine – By: Predator Pee |
Motion Sensor Sprinklers
Motion sensor sprinklers are designed to spray when they sense an animal nearby. In the garden, these type of sprinklers will work on watering your garden at the same time scaring squirrels and other pests away. Below are a couple suggestions from Amazon.com.
| Motion-Activated Animal Repellent and Sprinkler – By: Havahart | Enforcer Motion-Activated Sprinkler – By: Orbit |
Plants That Squirrels Dislike
Another way to keep squirrels away is to plant bulbs or plants of plantings squirrels dislike. Some common plants of this kind are daffodils, hyacinth, snowdrops and mint.
Solutions to Deter Squirrels
Two common solutions to spray or scatter in your garden and around your home are jalapeno spray (made from a combination of jalapeno pepper and vinegar) and simple cayenne pepper. If you are unwilling to Grandpa Munster up your DIY solutions, there are also a few solutions made to deter squirrels available to purchase. Below is one on Amazon.com.
| Potent Squirrel and Chipmunk Repellent – By: Grandpa Gus’s |
Keep Trash Cans Secure
As with raccoons, squirrels are also attracted to your trash cans. Perhaps, the left overs from last night’s dinner appeal to your neighborhood squirrels. Make sure to use trash cans that are secure and have a solid lid. Below are a few great devices to secure the lid of your trash cans. Links to Amazon.com.
| Doggy Dare Trash Can Lock – By: Doggy Dare | Trash Can Lock – By: Encased |
| Secure Strap Universal Lid Lock – By: Blazer Brand |
Conclusion
Squirrels are all around my neighborhood. Like I mentioned above, I actually like them. Outside, however. If they have been squatting in your attic or crawlspace, yes, the correct thing to do is to remove them or deter them. Outside, where they belong, they can also become an issue if they are causing problems with their constant digging or overpopulation. Above mentioned suggestions are a few good ways to get rid of squirrels from your home or property. Develop your plan and execute the plan you picked.
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