Getting rid of squirrel pests

Are you experiencing problems with squirrels in your home or attic? Do you need professional squirrel removal services? Rodent Removal of Atlanta, LLC, offers squirrel removal service throughout the greater Atlanta area.  We can take care of these pesky critters and get you back to a normal life.  It can be aggravating to have squirrels enter your home, as well as a frustrating experience.  Moth balls and pellet rifles seem to only work for a short period of time.

We can solve your squirrel problem and protect your home or building from squirrel entry.

There are two species of squirrels that cause damage to building structures.  The Gray Squirrel and Southern Flying Squirrel. If you hear noises in the attic, soffit, gutters, or roof vents during the daytime hours, you will need to have Gray Squirrel Removal, If you are hearing the noises in the evening your problem will most likely be in need of Flying Squirrel Control.

Both species of squirrel occur throughout Georgia and the Southeast United States and damage homes throughout the year.

Squirrels have adapted well to city and urban environments alike. They frequently use homes and other buildings as a cozy place to live and have their young. Squirrels become a nuisance for Atlanta area homeowners by taking up residence in attics, walls, gutters and soffits areas.

Squirrels by nature will seek out safe den locations to have their offspring and to raise them.  Due to overbuilding and lack of suitable dead trees to utilize for nesting sites, your home is a warm invitation to these rodents. Dead trees are favored due to the protection they offer against predators and the elements.  Arboreal nests, or leaf nests constructed in the crotch of a tree, offers a high mortality rate of the young squirrels, as they often fall out from the leaf nest.  Your home is the next best thing to a hollow tree!

Squirrels may gain access to attics in several ways, usually by chewing into the attic at the construction gap.  This gap is where the fascia board meets the roof decking. This gap is usually very small; however, the squirrels only need a small tolerance to start gnawing.  The small opening is increased in size until the squirrel is able to gain entry.  Sometimes they will even chew lightweight gutter guards and nest in the gutters themselves. Squirrels will then bring nesting materials into the home, or use materials in the home for nesting materials such as twigs and leaves.  Sometimes they may chew insulation or other material that is found inside the attic and use it. 

Juvenile gray squirrels may fall down a wall, get stuck and die, creating a need for dead animal removal. Flying Squirrels may be heard near tray ceilings and dropping acorn bits down into void areas.  Sometimes Flying Squirrels will also die inside a wall void and the need for dead animal removal will be apparent from the odor emanating from within.

Squirrels may live in your attic year round but are even more active during the fall through spring when the weather is cold. If squirrels are present during this time of year, the adult females need to be checked to determine if they are nursing. If they are, the offspring should be located as part of the squirrel removal process.

Chewing- Squirrels are members of the rodent family. Like all rodents, to keep their teeth sharp they must chew. Squirrels will damage shingles, soffits and fascia boards, by chewing and allowing water to enter into your home. This situation, if left uncorrected, can cause a serious problem over the next several years as water flows down the exterior walls, causing wood rot.

Worst of all, they will chew electrical wires. A squirrel will chew wire insulation until only bare copper is left which, if gone unnoticed, can be a potential fire hazard.

Contamination- When squirrels are occupying your home they will use it as a latrine and can leave behind a lot of droppings and urine in the attic. These rodent droppings not only smell bad, but they pose a potential health risk, and the smell will attract new squirrels for years to come.

Insulation- Many greater Atlanta homes were under-insulated by the builder when the home was constructed. Because homeowners do not spend much time in the attic, little consideration is given to the attic insulation. After squirrels have resided in the attic for any period of time, blown-in insulation damage is common. Loose-fill insulation will become matted and compressed, allowing heated air to escape into the attic in the winter and hot air to enter the home in the summer. This damage causes heating and cooling bills to rise. Insulation replacement should not be remedied until squirrel removal and exclusion have been solved.

We are greater Atlanta's premier animal waste and insulation removal contractor.

To get rid of squirrels in the attic, trapping must be the first step in the squirrel removal program. Squirrels must be trapped and relocated at least ten miles from the property. During breeding season, this may be particularly difficult because the animals are very sensitive to new scents and changes in the environment.

Once the squirrel removal process is complete, any hole found on the roof must be sealed. If your home has a construction gap it must be sealed as well. The area(s) that squirrels have been using as entry point(s) require special attention to remove the scent posts. The material needs to be replaced and the area(s) treated.

Animal waste and nesting material should be removed, if possible, and the odor eliminated. If the proper steps are not taken, new squirrels will replace the squirrels that were removed.

How to get rid of squirrels from your home.  

Gray Squirrel Trapping & Removal

Squirrels can be very annoying creatures if they enter your attic space.  Noisy squirrels may be heard scurrying along the soffit area in your attic.  You may hear acorns falling, or scratching sounds as the squirrels make a cozy nest in your attic.  Sometimes squirrels will enter through existing construction flaws, or may chew into other areas that may seem secure.  If you have squirrels in your attic, squirrel removal  and control is the only option available to stop damage from occurring.  We remove squirrels by placing excluder traps over entry holes, allowing humane squirrel removal or by placing cage traps that will capture squirrels that enter.  We use attractive baits that will catch the most sneaky squirrel. 

Gray Squirrels are very territorial in nature and you may see squirrels on your roof vocalizing in an effort to persuade you to leave. They can certainly be bold at times.  Most squirrels that find their way into your home are simply looking for shelter.  Other squirrels may be looking for a new nesting site to have young.  Either way, we can rid your home of these pests for good.  Please contact us to schedule an appointment today!

The Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis),

The genus, Sciurus, is derived from two Greek words, skia, meaning shadow, and oura, meaning tail. This name alludes to the squirrel sitting in the shadow of its tail. The word, carolinensis, refers to the Carolinas, where the species was first recorded.

The gray squirrel is is gray, however predominately have reddish fur as well.  In some suburban areas, black and albino squirrels have been found.

Gray Squirrels hoard food and may be seen digging holes into your lawn tp bury acorns or other nuts in the fall.

Hoarding is a type of animal behavior where an animal will store its food within a cache, in times of surplus, for times when food is less plentiful. It will also scatter hoard when it can't defend a large concentration of stored food. In other words, it will spread out the food supply, perhaps throughout its home range, hiding it well to prevent other animals from finding and pilfering it. There are two types of caching behavior, scatter-hoarding, where a species will create multiple caches, often with each individual food item stored in a unique place, and larder-hoarding, where a species creates a few larger caches which it often defends.

Squirrels live in a leaf nest, referred to as a drey.  It is made up of leaves and twigs.  The squirrels usually prefer a nest in a tree cavity, as this protects the young from predators and from falling out.  In many areas the squirrels will nest in attics of homes.

The Gray Squirrel is Diurnal, meaning active in the daytime hours.  It may be heard in the early morning inside of homes scurrying from the soffit area.  

Reproduction takes place two times per year, December-February, and May to June.  The gestation period is 44 days.  A litter consists of 2-4 young on average, but as many as 8 may be born.  At 7 weeks, the young are weaned and will leave the nest after 10 weeks.  The Gray Squirrel can breed as early as five months of age, but most do not breed until after the first year.  The Gray Squirrel can live up to 20 years in captivity, and up to 12 years in the wild.  Most do not live that long due to predation.

 Rodent Removal of Atlanta, LLC provides squirrel trapping, squirrel pest control, squirrel control, and squirrel exclusion and damage repair in Atlanta and all of North Georgia, including the counties of Baldwin, Barrow, Bibb, Butts, Carrol, Chattahoochee, Cherokee, Clarke, Clayton, Cobb, Conyers, Coweta, Dekalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Jones, Marion, Monroe, Morgan, Oconee, Paulding, Rockdale, Schley, Stewart, Upson, Walton and Webster; the cities of Acworth, Alpharetta, Athens, Atlanta, Buford, Carrollton, Catula, Columbus, Cumming, Decatur, Douglasville, Duluth, Dunwoody, Fayetteville, Ft. Benning, Fortson, Midland, Mulberry Grove, Gainesville, Hapeville, Kennesaw, Lawrenceville, McDonough, Marietta, Macon, Newnan, Peachtree City, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Smyrna, Stockbridge, Suwanee, Thomaston, and Woodstock; and all of their surrounding metropolitan areas.