How to get rid of squirrels in your attic

Key points

• Squirrels gain easy access to your attic from soffits, fence lines and roofs.
• One-way entry doors are the quickest and most humane method of squirrel removal.
• To keep squirrels out of your home, take steps to prevent their entry in the first place.

Squirrels are among the most common animals to spot outside, but they can wreak havoc if they make their way indoors — from burrow holes and acorn stashes to thumping noises and ravaged crawl spaces.

While critters can find their way into your attic at any time of year, squirrels will most likely seek refuge during the breeding season, which is generally in the winter. About a month later, the sounds of baby squirrels will reverberate through your home. Squirrels can also breed in August, depending on your location in the country.

“Our phone rings every day from the first frost weekend until when the leaves are on the trees again,” said Mark Thomas, owner of Baystate Wildlife Management based in Canton, Massachusetts. Thomas noted that while maternal adult squirrels generally have about three litters per year, starting in the spring, squirrels are unlikely to enter your home during the summer.

We turned to Thomas for an expert wildlife remover’s perspective on getting rid of squirrels in the attic. We also tapped 911 WildLife owner Mela Singleton and senior wildlife technician Devin Marvin for their expertise.

What are the signs of squirrel activity?

Several signs of squirrel activity indicate that the critters have access to your home. If you frequently observe your yard, it’s possible that you’ll see squirrels creating their own entryway.

“Many people actually see the squirrel coming and going out of a hole in their house,” said Singleton, who noted that often an outside worker, such as an HVAC professional, will see something suspicious first.

This ranges from entry points and holes with signs of burrowing and tunneling to acorns and droppings inside your home.

If you have white insulation that resembles powder snow, it often reveals signs of burrowing and tunneling. “It’s definitely clear that somebody is going in and out of the insulation and leaving little burrow holes in there,” Marvin said.

But ultimately, it’s the presence of food and feces that serve as the greatest visible sign that squirrels have taken up residence.

Noise

Squirrels are diurnal, which means they make noise during the day. During that time, you will hear scratching, scurrying, and running around in the ceiling, eaves, and walls. 

Marvin explained that a telltale sign of squirrels coming in and out is when customers consistently hear noises every morning around 6 a.m. and then again in the evening. Marvin explained that squirrels will leave the attic during the day, go about their business and then come back at night. “Kind of like when folks leave for work and come home from work. They do that, too,” he said.

Thumping noises are also common, leading many people to assume the animals in their attic are larger than squirrels. However, the rodents are simply able to create a significant amount of noise despite their small stature.

Damage

Squirrel noises may give away their presence; however, the damage they cause is the most visible sign. These rodents constantly file down their teeth by chewing on wood, so any spot where they can stand and chew is going to be ripe for damage.

Generally, you will see gnawing marks on the soffit, trim and siding of your roofline or anywhere you have a roof return.

“That is the No. 1 sign that you might have a squirrel problem in your attic,” Marvin said.

When available, squirrels will chew on other materials, including PVC, a synthetic resin commonly used to make plumbing vents. “They love chewing on those,” Marvin added. While the critters won’t be gaining entry through plumbing vents, they will chew on them and cause loud sounds that echo into the wall.

While squirrels can chew through electrical wires, it is less common. Ultimately, the mess they leave behind, whether it’s acorns, feces or urine, can be detrimental to your home thanks to the stench and mess.

Odor

The smell of a squirrel infestation may not be as devastating as one caused by raccoons or rats. However, you can still smell their presence if they’ve been in the attic long enough. This is a result of feces, urine and products they’ve gathered. 

However, Thomas said, the smell of squirrels burrowing through your insulation will be incredibly noticeable. When a squirrel comes back to your house after a wet day, it brings in the funk with it. “They roll around in your insulation to dry off,” Thomas said. “You know the smell of a wet dog? The smell of a wet squirrel is tenfold.”

Of course, if a squirrel dies in your wall or attic, the smell will be intense.

Acorns or other debris

One of the most telltale signs of squirrels in your attic is the discovery of their favorite food source: acorns. However, their razor-sharp teeth encourage them to bring in other outdoor debris, such as sticks and branches.

Squirrels will also chew through patio furniture, remove the stuffing and bring it into the attic to use as nesting material. The same goes for insulation from the attic.

How can you remove squirrels from the attic?

Pest control professionals use a process called one-way door exclusion. This is similar to how they remove bats without harming them and is regarded as the quickest and most humane solution. 

The professional will begin by identifying the entry holes — there may only be one or two. However, it’s entirely possible that there will be other gaps and spots that will need to be sealed with caulk.

Pest control professionals will install a one-way door over the main entryways that allows the squirrels to leave the attic and go outside. The door will then lock them out, preventing return upon their departure to gather food and water. As long as there are no noises in the attic anymore, you can remove the one-way door and seal up the hole in a couple of days. 

When it comes to squirrel removal, there are many things you want to avoid. Primarily, don’t just seal up the hole or cover it with a board of wood. Squirrels will easily gnaw through wood, but worse, you could accidentally trap the squirrels inside, leaving them to die, Marvin pointed out.

Calling an exterminator to set up poison traps to kill the squirrels is another big no-no. Not only will the critters suffer slowly, but they will likely die in the walls, causing a terrible smell. 

Professionals also encourage homeowners to avoid sticky traps, which are inhumane, can trap other animals unintentionally and don’t address the root of the problem. 

DIY squirrel removal tips

While it is possible to remove a squirrel on your own, it’s quite difficult for a variety of reasons. 

Because squirrels are arboreal, they are pros at nesting in high trees and other elevated levels. This means they’ll find the highest point on a roof to enter your house. 

Those attempting to fix the problem themselves will have to scale a ladder, risking injury. However, if you are going to try to deal with squirrel removal yourself, be sure you have roofing and safety equipment as you go up on a ladder. 

Generally, experts will not recommend that you use squirrel traps to remove the wild animals yourself. Using live traps is particularly difficult, and squirrels are unlikely to fall for them.

“Then the problem is when you trap them, you have to properly dispose of them,” Thomas said. “And there are a lot of laws that regulate that.” 

He added that few home remedies work, despite Google recommendations that range from mothballs and peppermint to coyote-urine-soaked rags. Often, these quirky remedies only encourage squirrels to shift their position in the house.

Professional pest control squirrel removal tips

The most universal tip wildlife removal professionals recommend is to avoid dealing with the situation yourself. This is for various reasons, from the danger of scaling your roof to potentially injuring the animal. 

“If you do it wrong, you can injure the squirrel, or you can separate a mother from its babies, so now you have four babies that are dying in your attic,” Singleton said, explaining that if you barricade the mother squirrel’s reentry into the attic, it will make her “go crazy” in an attempt to get back in. What’s more, she will become particularly aggressive toward your home in an attempt to return to her babies.

What should you do to keep squirrels from returning to your attic?

If you’re looking to ensure gray squirrels can’t return to your attic, there are several actionable steps you can follow to squirrel-proof your home:

• Seal up the soffit: Because squirrels will use any landing or connection up to the soffit to gain access to your home, make sure those access points are well covered. 
• Trim your trees: One of the best ways to prevent squirrel reentry is to trim tree branches back to 6 feet away from the roofline. Also, remove tree limbs and branches from your roof.
• Spray chili spray: Capsaicin, found in chili peppers, can be sprayed on squirrel-damaged and -chewed areas. The natural squirrel repellent isn’t harmful to birds, so it can also be sprayed on bird feeders, seeds and lawns as a deterrent.
• Monthly home assessments: Walk around your property monthly to check for chewing. If you see damage, cover it with metal flashing or strong-gauge wire mesh, not wood or plastic.
• Ensure your roof is in good shape: Ensure all roof and plumbing vents are closed. You can still add caps on plumbing vents to maintain airflow, but it will prevent chewing.
• Remove bird feeders at night: Singleton recommended removing your bird feeders at night. “Have a realistic expectation that if you put food out for animals, animals will come,” she noted. If you want to keep your feeders, place them over a sweepable area.

What’s next? 

If you’re concerned that you may have a squirrel in your attic, the first step toward solving the problem is identifying it. As long as you know how to navigate your attic safely, perform an inspection for any signs of activity. 

At that point, it’s important to assess whether you can handle it yourself or if it requires the expertise of a pest control company. Still, professionals always recommend you don’t battle squirrels on your own.

To prevent the problem before it starts, make sure your home is in good repair and you’re not attracting these rodents to your property. Also, make a point to get squirrel-proof bird feeders. By taking a preventive perspective, you can stop significant squirrel damage in its tracks.

“The reality is there’s always going to be squirrels on your roof,” Marvin said. “But if you do a good job of making sure your home is secure, you can coexist.”

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