Squirrel in Your House? Here's Exactly What to Do

Squirrels are fast, persistent, and surprisingly destructive. If one has found its way into your home — whether it's scratching in the attic, running through the walls, or darting across your living room — you need to act quickly. Here's a complete guide to understanding the problem and solving it for good.

Squirrels are excellent climbers and can squeeze through openings as small as 1.5 inches. Common entry points include:

• Roof vents — Plastic or aluminum vents are easily chewed through
• Soffits and fascia — Rotted or damaged wood is a prime target
• Roof-to-wall intersections — Gaps where different rooflines meet
• Chimney caps — Missing or damaged caps invite entry
• Tree branches — Overhanging limbs act as a bridge to your roofline

Once a squirrel finds an entry point, it will use it repeatedly and often enlarge it over time.

Squirrels are active during the day, unlike raccoons (nocturnal). Listen for:

• Rapid, light scurrying sounds in the attic — especially in the morning and late afternoon
• Scratching or gnawing sounds in walls
• Rolling sounds (squirrels often roll nuts across attic floors)

• Chewed entry holes on the exterior, typically 1.5–3 inches wide with clean, gnawed edges
• Droppings in the attic — small, oval-shaped, about ½ inch long
• Nesting material (leaves, insulation, shredded paper) in the attic
• Chewed insulation or wiring

A musky odor from the attic, or a stronger smell if an animal has died inside the walls.

This is the most serious danger. Squirrels gnaw constantly to keep their teeth worn down, and electrical wiring is a frequent target. Chewed wiring is a leading cause of house fires. If squirrels have been in your attic for more than a few weeks, a licensed electrician should inspect the wiring.

Squirrels tear apart insulation to build nests, reducing your home's energy efficiency. They also gnaw on wood framing, PVC pipes, and HVAC ducts.

While squirrels rarely carry rabies, they can transmit:

• Salmonella — through droppings
• Leptospirosis — through urine
• Ticks and fleas — which can carry Lyme disease and other illnesses

A single female squirrel can produce two litters per year, with 2–5 young per litter. A small problem becomes a large one quickly.

Rodenticides are ineffective for squirrels in attics and create a worse problem: dead animals decomposing inside your walls, causing odor and attracting other pests.

If you seal the entry point while squirrels are still inside, they'll chew a new hole — often in a worse location — or die in the walls.

Ultrasonic devices, mothballs, and predator urine are largely ineffective for established squirrel infestations. They may temporarily deter animals but won't solve the underlying problem.

A licensed technician identifies all entry points (there are often more than one), assesses the extent of the infestation, and determines whether young are present. This is critical — removing adults while young are still in the nest leads to dead animals in your walls.

The preferred removal method is installing one-way exclusion doors over the primary entry point. Squirrels can exit but cannot re-enter. This is more humane and effective than trapping alone.

While the exclusion door is in place, all other potential entry points are sealed with professional-grade materials — galvanized steel mesh and hardware cloth that squirrels cannot chew through.

After 3–5 days (confirming all animals have exited), the exclusion door is removed and the primary entry point is permanently sealed.

Contaminated insulation is removed, nesting material is cleared, and affected areas are sanitized.

After removal, take these steps to reduce the risk of re-infestation:

• Trim tree branches to at least 6–8 feet from your roofline
• Cap all roof vents with galvanized steel mesh
• Repair damaged soffits and fascia promptly
• Install chimney caps if you don't have them
• Check your roofline annually — especially after storms

Call immediately if you:

• Hear squirrel activity in your attic or walls
• Find a chewed entry hole on your exterior
• Notice damaged or exposed wiring in your attic
• Have had squirrels before and they've returned

The longer squirrels remain in your home, the more damage they cause and the more expensive the remediation becomes.

Wildlife Removal Specialists provides same-day squirrel removal throughout our 32+ service markets. Our technicians are licensed, insured, and trained in humane exclusion and professional sealing.

Call (800) 319-1556 for a free inspection. We'll assess the situation, provide a written quote, and handle everything from removal to cleanup — guaranteed.

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