Hire A Wildlife Removal Expert To Remove Squirrels From Your Roof
Getting squirrels off your roof may seem straightforward but it is a nuanced job that requires expert knowledge of the animals behaviour. First off, the chances that you will find every single hole that the squirrel can possibly use to enter your home is minimal. This is especially the case for older houses. An experts trained eye and experience is the only way to guarantee that the house is properly wildlife-proof.
Another concern is trapping baby squirrels in your roof with indiscriminate use of one-way doors. You need to make sure that there is no litter inside the roof before locking the mother out. Baby squirrels will die of dehydration and starvation without their mother. The location of the litter may not be obvious at first since squirrels prefer to stash the kittens in hard-to-reach areas including wall voids.
Finally, the squirrel removal technician Toronto will help you remove attractants that lured the squirrels to your property in the first place including accessible garbage, wood piles and more.
Getting Rid Of Squirrels On The Roof
If you are lucky enough to have the squirrels just on the exterior roof and havent made their way in, it is of primary importance that you prevent them from continuing to access your roof.
Start by observing the squirrels for a few consecutive days or for as long as it takes to notice their pattern. You are mostly looking out for how exactly they are finding their way onto the roof.
Trim long branches ensuring that there is a distance of at least 8 feet between the branch and the roof. Squirrels are great jumpers and can clear up to 8 feet in a single leap.
Cover your tree trunks with sheet metal at least 6 feet high and 2 feet wide. Hold the sheet metal in place with springs and wires to allow the tree trunk easy room to expand. The sheet metal is slippery and discourages the squirrels from climbing on the trees.
If you notice that the squirrels are gaining access to the roof via wires or cables, cover them with PVC pipes. Take about two-inch long PVC pipes and cut lengthwise to slide over cables or wires. The idea is the pipe spins when the squirrel tries to scurry across it and drops to the ground. Squirrels are impressive gymnasts and can fall from great heights without getting injured. You may need to contact an expert if the critters are accessing the roof via electrical wires.
How Do I Keep Squirrels Off My Bird Feeder
Another consideration when keeping squirrels off your roof is whether you have bird feeders that attracts squirrels to your house.
Squirrels can raid your bird feeder and make a mess on your lawn. If your need squirrels to stay away from bird feeders, you can use a squirrel guard on the bird feeder pole.
There are two designs. First is the torpedo shape squirrel gaurd. It works best on shepherds hook type bird feeders.
The second design is the cone shape squirrel guard.
You can choose either shape that looks better to you. The benefit of squirrel guards is that they will prevent both raccoons and squirrels from raiding your bird feeders.
Another option is to choose a bird feeder that is designed to be squirrel-proof.
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How Do Raccoons Get Into Your Home
Raccoons are clever animals. When they are determined to do something, they are typically successful. If an opening is available, raccoons will climb through it. If they cant find an easy entry point, the raccoons create one using their sharp claws and teeth to dig through weakened spots in your homes structure.
What You Need To Know About Squirrels
Just like all other rodents, squirrels have four front teeth that do not stop growing, no matter what. The biggest reason squirrels keep munching, chewing, and gnawing is to keep these four teeth sharp and in check.Here are the 5 most common types of squirrels you can find in the US. Take notes of their behaviors and appearances, so you know what to look out for!
| Type of Squirrel | |
|---|---|
| dark gray coat, pure white underbelly, rusty brown patch of fur on their back | |
| Northern Flying Squirrels | light brown-colored fur, whitish fur on their belly, huge black eyes |
As they linger around the home, they will come upon delicate and dangerous things like electric wires and cables. But because they do not know any better, squirrels will destroy them. The greatest reason they are labeled as pests is that they will chew whatever comes across, even when whatever they are chewing is not edible.
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How To Keep Squirrels From Eating Pumpkins
So youâve decorated your fall porch with pumpkins, and the next thing you know theyâve been devoured by squirrels. Although not their favorite food, they are handy at just the right time of year when squirrels are fattening up for winter. Here are a few methods to try to keep them from destroying your pretty fall display:
- Spray the pumpkins and surrounding area with a repellent, like Liquid Fence.
- Tuck some dog hair around and beneath the pumpkins.
- Scare them off with a motion-activated air blaster. Although, you might want to warn visitors of its presence and be sure to remove it before trick-or-treaters show up.
- Rub the pumpkin with a cloth soaked in apple cider vinegar and even tuck the soaked cloth nearby. Reapply often.
- Mix a solution of 1 part eucalyptus oil and 10 parts water and spray or wipe down the pumpkin. You can also try peppermint oil.
- Add an owl decoy to your decorations to scare them off.
If youâre looking to keep them from eating your pumpkins while theyâre still growing in your garden, try some of the suggestions at the top of the page.
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Do Squirrels Damage Gutters Too
Though squirrels have a strong reputation for chewing through wood, they dont frequently chew through metal with the same veracity.
This means that, when it comes to direct damage, your gutters are mostly safe. Still, there are other ways in which the presence of squirrels can disrupt the functionality of your gutters.
In addition to having an instinctive need to grind down their teeth, squirrels also have a drive to hide their treasures. Frequently, your gutter can become one of their favorite places to store nuts, sticks, and other goodies.
This may sound fine in theory, but once those heavy spring rains fall, these stockpiles can create blockages, leading water to pour where you least want.
Morbidly, squirrels can also cause a drainage problem in another way: by dying in the gutters.
If youve ever had or known anyone who has a pet rodent, you likely know about their joy of tunneling. Many hamster or rat cages come equipped with tunnels for exactly this purpose.
Squirrels are no different from other rodents in this way. Their adoration of tunneling drives them to travel your gutters, almost as a game.
Unfortunately, its also easy for them to become stuck this way. Once trapped in a gutter, a squirrel is likely to eventually starve to death before it can wiggle itself free, becoming an unfortunate, disgusting clog in your drainage system.
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The Top 4 Ways To Stop Squirrels From Climbing Your Downspouts
Make Your Own Squirrel Repellant
You can combine red pepper and petroleum jelly and spread it on the insides of your downspouts. This may help in detracting squirrels and making it slippier to climb.
However, it can be difficult to coat the insides of the downspout, especially if a squirrel has already established its den inside. You must also be very cautious of squirrels running out of downspouts and potentially
Use Mothballs
Mothballs are another alternative you can try to get rid of those squirrels. You can toss a few mothballs in the gutter and at the bottom of the downspout.
This method may be worth a try, but is only a temporary solution to the problem. Mothballs are also very toxic not only to humans but to other animals as well, so it is important to make sure pets, children, or other animals do not consume them.
Install Wire Mesh On Your Downspouts
Wire mesh can be installed on the entrances of your downspout to prevent them from coming in. It may be risky to do so, since squirrels can bolt out of the downspout and surprise you if youre unprepared.
Another major drawback is that it will be harder to clean out your downspout if the wire mesh causes debris to get stuck inside the downspout.
The best and safest option is to call a professional. Professional wildlife removal companies will be able to get rid of your squirrels with high success.
Unlike the other methods, professionals will be able to provide more permanent solutions to your squirrel problems.
What Can I Use To Keep Squirrels Off My Roof
In solving squirrel roof infestation, trimming branches and working magic on electric cables is not always enough.It is always good to take several measures so that when one fails, the other does not.
To further prevent squirrels from climbing up poles and trees, you may want to employ the use of funnel-like squirrel baffle guards, which have wide surface areas and are mounted around the tree trunk/pole. It is to deter squirrels from climbing up trees and poles to get access to the roof.
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How To Keep Squirrels From Damaging Your Home
How can I keep squirrels from climbing on my house and damaging my home and window screens? -Jeri
Hi Jeri,
Squirrels love climbing on houses and can cause damage to the outside of your home by chewing on everything from lead roof flanges and attic vents to wood shutters and siding. If they manage to get inside your walls or attic, squirrels can cause extensive damage to your home, including chewing into wiring and tearing up insulation for nests.
To keep squirrels out of your house, start by thoroughly examining the exterior of your home paying particular attention to the eaves for holes and cracks then fill or cover any gaps you find with a hard material such as fiber cement, sheet metal flashing, or auto body filler. Check gable, soffit, and power vents in the attic as well as caps on chimneys to make sure they have metal hardware cloth behind them thats firmly attached around the edges.
Squirrels have a keen sense of smell and taste, and have a strong dislike for capsaicin the active ingredient found in cayenne peppers. Commercial squirrel repellents are available or you can make your own using cayenne peppers.
Heres a recipe for a homemade squirrel repellent using capsaicin:
- 1 bottle of cayenne pepper sauce
- 1 gallon of water
- 1 teaspoon mild liquid dishwashing detergent
Mix the ingredients up together, and spray or brush the repellent on areas where squirrels are active.
Good luck with your project,
Understanding How Squirrels Function Can Shed Light
Now, I know everything that I needed to do to keep the squirrels out. I will get to that in a minute. But, before I got started with evictions, I wanted to understand the law for my area and the most humane actions to take.I also wanted to get an understanding of their behavior. In the past, I had always handled repairs prior to a problem occurring. Having an actual battle of wills with squirrels was a first for me.
So, I began by checking with my states wildlife control center. I also checked with my states law and with the Humane Society. The combination really helped me with deciding on how to deal with my issue.
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How To Prevent Squirrels From Returning
Once squirrels have been removed from your attic, there are a number of ways to prevent them from returning, which include:
Protecting Your Home Yard And Outbuildings From Wildlife
Wild animals can damage your home and furnishings if they decide to build a nesting area inside of it. Since many of these creatures also carry diseases, they can infect your loved ones or pets, making them ill.
Therefore, it is important to be proactive in protecting your home, yard, and outbuildings from a wildlife invasion. Youll want to evaluate your home and outbuildings for problem areas that need attention, while also clearing the yard of any debris that might tempt animals to enter the area. Doing so can minimize the risk of an infestation of pests, keeping your family and pets safe from animal bites or the transmission of diseases.
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How Squirrels Get On And Into Your Roof
by Monique | Rodents, Squirrels
This may contain affiliate links such as amazon.com as were in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program: Full Disclosure
Have you seen squirrels jumping on your roof or heard them scurrying around up there? If so, then you might be wondering how they got up there. Well, it turns out that
Squirrels can climb up a house or run along cables to get to a roof, but they usually jump onto a roof from a tree or overhanging branches. The average tree squirrel can jump 4 feet from a tree to a roof. Flying squirrels, a type of tree squirrel, can glide up to 150 feet across.
Most squirrels that get onto your roof will simply move on and continue to live in tree nests, as nature intended. But some squirrels need to find a safe place to build a nest, which could be because their tree nest got cut down or because theres too much competition for trees in the area. Others are looking for a warm place to sleep and raise babies.
Squirrels that want to build a nest in your roof will quickly find any small gap or hole in your roof to enter, or theyll make a new hole in whatever they can chew through. Lets take a look at all the ways squirrels can get into your roof, so you know what areas to inspect if you are looking for signs of squirrels.
Take Steps On Your Own
- Cut back tree branches that run close to your home can prevent their entry, keeping in mind that squirrels can jump up to 10 feet.
- Install 23-gauge hardware cloth wire mesh at locations such as drains, gutters, and under eaves. The wire is thin enough to cut and adjust with hand tools and think enough to prevent squirrels from biting or clawing through.
- Buy a 2-foot-wide metal collar for placement around power poles and isolated trees. This stops squirrels from ascending vertical surfaces.
- If you discover holes in your home or a structure, stuff newspaper into the openings. If the paper isnt removed for a few days, you can repair the site.
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A Buy A Pole That Is Manufactured Specially To Prevent Squirrels
For example, I used to own the Squirrel Stopper Pole, and not one single critter EVER got past the attached spring-loaded baffle.
A squirrel baffle is merely a contraption that prevents squirrels from climbing up your bird feeder pole. Check out the spring-loaded baffle on the Squirrel Stopper pole below:
Not only is this pole great at preventing squirrels from climbing up, but it holds up to 8 bird feeders and looks classy in my backyard.
Regularly Check Your Roof And Attic For Issues
Every few months, you should inspect your roof, gutters, and attic for problems. Try working it into your seasonal cleaning or yard work schedule.
Take a walk around your house and look for any damaged shingles or issues with your gutters. If you notice any problems, fix it or call a contractor as soon as possible.
In your attic, look for any tears in insulation, strange smells, wet spots, or animal droppings. Those are all signs you could have a squirrel or raccoon problem in your attic.
It’s also important to stay on top of any repairs. If you have weak spots in your roof, it is more vulnerable to squirrels and raccoons.
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Keeping Squirrels Out Of Trees
For starters, you want to squirrel-proof any landscaping near your home. If you have a tree close to your house, especially if the tree branches hang over the roofline, trim those back.Even with doing that, sometimes you will miss something. This is the access point for my problem. This weeping Yaupon is a favorite for the invaders in my home.Even though I have it trimmed away from the house and there are no obvious branches hanging over the house, it is still close enough for them to scurry up it and jump to the roofline. Which is exactly what they do.
So, if the tree presents a situation where you cant completely prevent access to your roof, you have a few options. One, you could just cut it down.If that is not an option for you, you can make a baffle to go around large trunks. Purchasable baffles* are available that will work on smaller trucks. This will prevent them from climbing up. However, if an adjacent trees limbs extend over this tree, they can still jump across. So, keep that in mind.
