How To Prevent Squirrels From Nesting Inside Your Attic
Do you have squirrels nesting inside your attic space in the Richmond, Henrico, or Hanover areas? Contact the wildlife removal experts at Critter Authority. Squirrels are a very destructive nuisance pest, these rodents will exploit the tiniest cracks and gaps to get inside your attic, where they will rip up your insulation, soil it with urine and feces, gnaw on everything in sight, and create fire hazards by chewing through wires and bringing in outside nesting materials. Critter Authority offers the best squirrel trapping and removal service in Richmond, and we also offer squirrel exclusion services to prevent these nuisance rodents from coming back. Habitat modification is another good method of preventing squirrels from nesting in your attic, but first, you must know WHY squirrels are so interested in your home.
What Attracts Squirrels To Your Property?
Squirrels are searching for food, water, and shelter, so anything on your property that provides these will make your home a more attractive nesting site to a passing squirrel. Bird baths and bird feeders offer steady sources of water and food for a passing squirrel. If you have nuts, seeds, or fruits dispersed around your yard, these can also attract squirrels. Your attic is the number one thing that squirrels will be attracted to, as they provide the perfect sanctuary for a squirrel to raise their young. Attic spaces are dark, quiet, secluded, and safe from predators as well as harsh weather. If your roof, fascia, soffit, rake board, or gable vents have the slightest openings, cracks, or gaps, then squirrels will make quick work of it, gnawing and scratching at the hole until it becomes a suitable entry point.
Squirrels in Attic Damage
Once a squirrel has gotten inside your attic space, it will start ripping up your attic insulation in order to make its nest. These critters will also bring in dry, dead, nesting material like twigs, leaves, and straw, which can create a potential fire hazard. Squirrels are rodents, which means their teeth are always growing. In order to keep the length of their teeth manageable, squirrels will gnaw on anything they find inside your attic, including wooden beams, HVAC ducts, storage boxes, cables, and wires. When a squirrel gnaws through the rubber covering around a wire, the bare wiring it exposes can also pose a potential fire hazard. Squirrels will urinate and defecate all over your insulation, soiling it and ruining its effectiveness. Even worse, the smell of squirrel droppings can attract even more squirrels to your property, worsening the infestation.
Squirrel Trapping and Removal
If you have squirrels inside your attic, it is imperative to have them removed as soon as possible. Critter Authority offers the best squirrel trapping and removal services in the Richmond, VA area. We can remove squirrels by hand, or we can set up humane live traps that will capture the squirrel and allow for quick, safe, and humane removal. Squirrels often hide their babies deep inside your attic insulation, and the untrained eye might not be able to spot them. Our team has years of experience removing squirrel families, and we will ensure that all squirrel babies are removed with their mothers. We also can install squirrel one-way doors, which are valves installed on the main entry point that allow the squirrel to leave, but not re-enter.
Squirrel Exclusion and Habitat Modification
Squirrel exclusion and habitat modification can help prevent squirrels from nesting inside your attic space. Exclusion is the process of locating every possible entry point where squirrels can get inside your home, and then sealing and fortifying these entry points. Exclusions must be performed AFTER all animals have been removed, as otherwise you will end up with dead squirrels in your attic or walls.
Habitat modification is the process of altering your property to make it less attractive to wandering squirrels. Eliminate their food and water sources by monitoring or removing bird baths and bird feeders. Make sure you regularly clean up any fruits, seeds, or nuts distributed throughout your yard. Tall trees with branches that extend to your roof are practically inviting squirrels to start searching for a way inside your attic, so make sure you are trimming tree branches that are within 10 feet of your roof.
Best Squirrel Removal in Richmond, VA
Squirrels are destructive critters that will get inside your attic, rip up your insulation, soil your insulation with their droppings, and create potential fire hazards by chewing through electrical wires and bringing in outside nesting material. You can manage squirrel populations on your property in Richmond through habitat modification, and you can also have these animals trapped, removed, and excluded by the wildlife experts at Critter Authority. Our highly-trained technicians will carefully inspect your property for all signs of squirrels, determining their location and entry points. After the squirrels are trapped and removed, we will seal off all their potential entry points, preventing them from returning. We also offer attic insulation removal, cleaning, and replacement. Contact us today to get started with a FREE estimate for squirrel removal in Richmond at (804) 492-2804!