Your home is your safe haven, but it can become uncomfortable when squirrels invade. If you have a squirrel problem, you need to get rid of them as soon as possible, as it can do severe damage. How can you ensure your home is rodent-free? The key is finding the right squirrel removal service in Milwaukee.

Why Do You Need Squirrel Removal?

Wild squirrel behavior becomes very damaging when taken into residential space. They naturally seek nesting spaces and food, which human abodes provide. Unfortunately, squirrels can create or exacerbate holes trying to get into homes, exposing the internal structures to moisture, insects and other wildlife.

Once inside, they chew on wooden support structures, furniture, plumbing, and even electrical wires. This damage presents safety hazards, as frayed wires can cause shorts and fires. Fixing these issues can be a hassle since contractors must remove drywall to access these systems.

There are also health risks associated with a squirrel infestation. Like many wild animals, squirrels carry numerous diseases, including Lyme disease, rabies and leptospirosis. Since Lyme disease can cripple the nervous system, and leptospirosis is potentially deadly, you should avoid having squirrels inside your Milwaukee home at all costs.

These health concerns are also why you should never try to get rid of squirrel nests on your own. Contact with animals or their feces can transmit these diseases, which is why professionals always use personal protective equipment. 

Why not set out traps or poison to kill them? If you do so, you’ll still have to handle the bodies, which may harbour diseases. Should the squirrel retreat into the walls before it dies, you’ll have to deal with the awful smell and dangerous bacteria accompanying decomposition.

The final issue isn’t as serious but can nevertheless compromise your ability to relax at home. Squirrels audibly scurry as they travel through your walls; constant scratching is enough to drive anyone crazy, especially when it keeps moving.

How Do Squirrels Get Into Homes?

Due to their small size and climbing abilities, squirrels can take advantage of entry points you may never notice. For example, they can squeeze through holes in the siding, foundation cracks and trim gaps.

They can also chew their way through wood weakened by rot. For example, if your gutter system gets clogged and allows water to pool on the roof, that spot is ripe for wildlife infestation. Overhanging foliage and creeping vines also pose problems, as they act as bridges for squirrels and other rodents.

Chimneys and vents are also common entry points for squirrels, especially expectant mothers looking for a safe place to raise their young. Unfortunately, this can have severe repercussions for your home. For instance, if you light the fireplace while a nest clogs the flue, the smoke will redirect into your home, exposing your family to hazardous fumes and staining the walls and furniture.

Finally, squirrels can get into attics through soffits, the covering on the underside of eaves. Since most soffits are aluminum or another soft material, squirrels can chew through them or squeeze through gaps between the soffit and eaves.

What Are the Signs You Have a Squirrel Infestation?

Since squirrels nest out of sight, you may not immediately realize they’ve moved in. However, there are a few tell-tale signs to look out for:

• Droppings
• Footprints
• Water damage
• Squirrel sightings outside your house
• Bad smells
• Weird sounds
• Chewing damage

Squirrel droppings are similar to rat and mouse droppings but tend to be rounder. They’re about half an inch long and appear where squirrels nest. That means you may not discover any unless you check the attic or crawlspace.

Similarly, you may not notice squirrel footprints unless you know where to look. Removal professionals can place powder near suspected entry points to capture clear footprints, allowing them to confirm the culprit is a squirrel.

One warning sign you’re bound to notice is a foul smell. Accumulated feces, food scraps and dead squirrels make for a powerful stench that your HVAC system will circulate throughout the house. If you can’t find where that bad odour is coming from, you need to contact pest control immediately.

Finally, you may notice a variety of damage around your home:

• Scattered woodchips
• Pieces of insulation
• Teeth marks on walls and furniture

You may also discover water damage in strange places. If squirrels came in through the roof, a leak might be the cause. However, it’s also possible for squirrel urine to produce the same effect.

How Do You Deter Squirrels From Entering Your Home?

Keeping pests away in the first place is much easier than learning how to get a squirrel out of your house under pressure. In either case, you can benefit from talking to experts, especially a local team that knows the squirrels of Milwaukee well and can devise effective deterrent strategies.

For example, if you have natural predators in the area, professionals may recommend purchasing a decoy to scare squirrels away. These life-sized, plastic owls sport realistic details to increase their effectiveness. Squirrel control services can help you place these decoys in the most effective place, ensuring that squirrels catch sight of them and stay clear.

Certain foods may also draw squirrels to your yard:

• Birdseed
• Fruit
• Nuts

Removing these readily available food sources ensures wildlife doesn’t consider your property an all-you-can-eat buffet. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean uprooting any fruit- or nut-bearing trees — they just require extra care once they start to produce. You can harvest the food yourself, work with a charity that fights food insecurity or invite neighbours and loved ones to partake in the bounty. Your local wildlife removal experts may also have suggestions to safeguard your trees.

Why Hire Squirrel Removal Professionals?

When you have a problem as serious as a squirrel infestation, you need it resolved immediately. You also don’t want to deal with the same issue again in a year due to negligence. To ensure the problem is gone for good, you need a top-notch team.

That team is undoubtedly Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control. We do detailed assessments of squirrel infestation focusing primarily on the extent of the occupation, the number of access points and the lures attracting squirrels into your Milwaukee home. Then we determine the best strategy for removal based on the evidence. Removal is thorough and humane, prioritizing the safety of you, your family and the squirrels.

Once removal is complete, our team concentrates on protection and prevention services. During this state, we remove evidence of squirrel presence that may harbour bacteria and viruses. After engaging in Skedaddles’ service for squirrel removal, Milwaukee homeowners can rest easy knowing their haven is comprehensively protected from squirrels. If you suspect squirrels in your attic, contact us by phone or go online to schedule an appointment.