A squirrel infestation in the house is a problem that requires squirrel removal in Newmarket by professionals as soon as possible. A squirrel infestation in a shed or outbuilding may not seem as urgent, but it still needs to be addressed. Squirrels in your attic could eventually make their way into your house. Whether in your house or shed, squirrels can cause extensive property damage with constant gnawing, and they can spread diseases through their excrement and parasites.

Here are some things you should know if you have squirrels in your shed.

Why Do Squirrels Seek Shelter on Your Property?

More often than not, it is a squirrel family living in your shed, i.e., a mother with her babies. Squirrels are small prey animals that have little in the way of natural defences, but the babies are completely helpless. Newborn squirrels are hairless, and their eyes don’t open right away. Mother squirrels need shelter that is extra warm and safe for their offspring. They start looking for such a shelter before the babies are born.

Why Did the Squirrels Choose the Shed Specifically?

In addition to security and relative warmth, There are several factors that may have attracted the mother squirrel to the shed to give birth and raise her babies. Chances are that you don’t go out to the shed very often, meaning that it affords the squirrels relative privacy. Squirrels fear humans and often end up in unfinished attics where people rarely go, but if you don’t have an attic, or if it is finished and frequently trafficked, your shed may offer the squirrel a good alternative.

You may also be storing something in your shed that the squirrels want. Are you storing anything edible, such as pet food or bird seed? Like most animals, squirrels prefer to make homes where food is plentiful and easily accessible.

What Should You NOT Do if You Have a Squirrel in the Shed?

Generally speaking, you shouldn’t do anything to harm the squirrels in your shed. In particular, you shouldn’t trap the squirrels and relocate them elsewhere. Ontario has a law against relocating any animal more than one kilometre from where you found it. Squirrels relocated from their home territory usually die. Baby squirrels die if separated from their mother, and even if you relocate the mother and baby squirrels together, the chances of their survival are low as the mother squirrel will probably abandon the babies.

What Can You Do About Squirrels in the Shed?

If you have squirrels in the shed, you can try something called humane harassment. In other words, you do things to annoy the squirrels, making the shed a less pleasant environment for them, without hurting them.

For example, you can place a plastic bag containing dirty kitty litter or ammonia-soaked rags in the shed after first punching some holes in it so the smell escapes. The smell won’t hurt the squirrels, but it may trick the mother squirrel into thinking there are predators nearby. You can also annoy squirrels by placing a bright light at the entrance to their den or leaving a radio nearby tuned to a talk station. Human voices are threatening to squirrels, and they don’t like a bright light shining in their eyes when they are trying to sleep, either.

If your shed no longer seems like a place that is safe for the mother squirrel and her babies, she can move them herself to a new den.

Skedaddle Knows How To Get Rid of Squirrels

Our techniques involve humane harassment to make the mother squirrel leave on her own. If there are babies left behind, we put them in a heated box so the mother squirrel can find them and take them to a new nest. We clean up the mess the squirrels have left behind and seal the entry so they can’t get back in. Learn more about our services.