What Are The Risks Of Squirrels In My Attic?

There are many reasons why you would prefer to have squirrels on the outside of your home rather than the inside. Two major ones are the financial and health consequences they pose to the home and residents. And while you have a negative reaction when these animals get into your home, your best option for a solution is expert humane squirrel removal services.When squirrels enter your home, they tend to head for your attic. This is because the attic provides them with a secluded haven and the needed warmth to keep them comfortable. But in getting comfortable, the furry foragers inflict so much damage over time that your repair bill might soar through the roof. In fact, wildlife experts agree that when it comes to wildlife invaders of human dwellings, squirrels have the most significant negative impact. What squirrels do on your roof is pretty much what they would do in their natural habitat. They keep their constantly growing front teeth sharp and in check by chewing on anything that they can find. To learn more about the dangerous safety hazards squirrels create while staying in an attic, keep reading:

WHAT DANGERS DO SQUIRRELS CREATE?

CHEWING ELECTRICAL WIRES

Since squirrels are a part of the rodent family, this means sharpening their constantly growing front teeth. To do this, squirrels will chew anything they can find – including electrical wires. When they chew on electrical wiring, as they sometimes do, your home is at risk of fire. In fact, many house fires that take place across North America are the result of squirrels chewing on electrical wires. As squirrels start redecorating your attic to make a comfortable home, they will carry branches, leaves and nuts inside. Alongside exposed wires, this creates an additional fire risk.

DESTROYING INSULATION

During their stay squirrels will be ripping apart your insulation to create fluffy nests to rest in, or to place their growing babies in. Not only does this create a large mess to clean, without properly distributed insulation your home will lose a lot of heat. In many cases spot cleaning can be done to address a squirrel invasion, however, the longer these quick creatures stay, the more likely an entire attic restoration will be needed to repair the damage caused to your attic’s insulation.

STRUCTURAL DAMAGE

Structural damage is one of squirrels’ worst offenses during their stay in an attic. As we mentioned before, squirrels have constantly growing teeth and what is a better way to file them down then a nice piece of wood framing? Over a short period of time a squirrel can turn a strong support beam into a weak piece of wood, and the more squirrels there are, the worse the situation will become. To make matters worse, squirrels will create whatever hole necessary to get inside, which allows water to seep inside your attic. Squirrels often make these holes in roof vents, roof edges, roof-soffit intersections, gable vents, plumbing mats and chimneys. Water may start to seep into your home after squirrels chew on the exterior parts. This water damage can be quite costly to repair. The only way to keep this and other types of damage to a minimum is to tackle the squirrel invasion promptly as it only takes a few weeks for squirrel damage to cost thousands of dollars.

USING YOUR ATTIC AS A TOILET

While inside your attic, squirrels will constantly be releasing droppings and urine as they would in the wild. Over time, the biological waste, coupled with the rot from the damaged wood and insulation results in an unbearable musty odor that permeates to the living spaces of your home. Liquid damage can sometimes seep through to create ugly discoloration patterns on your ceiling. Not only does this create a rotten smell and a horrible stain, squirrel feces and urine carry a variety of diseases that are transmittable to humans, including; salmonellosis, leptospirosis and tularemia.

ALWAYS LET PROFESSIONALS HANDLE A SQUIRREL INVASION

When you suspect that you are dealing with a squirrel invasion, your best option is to get expert help. Expert wildlife teams like the ones at Skedaddle are able to use safe and humane methods to remove squirrels from your home.

After a thorough inspection during which we identify the location of the squirrel dens in the attic as well as the extent of the invasion, wildlife technicians get to work. If no baby squirrels are present, we will employ specialized tactics to motivate the squirrel to leave your attic. We may also install one-way doors at the existing access points to ensure that when squirrels leave (as they are bound to do from time to time) they cannot return.

If squirrel babies are involved then the technician will find creative and safe ways to lure the mother away after which they will carefully remove the babies and place them in a box designed to keep them safe and warm. Material from the den may be placed inside the box to keep the new space familiar. The box is then placed as close as possible to the access point so that when the mother returns she will find her babies. As is her nature, the mother squirrel will then relocate her babies to another den. To avoid attic damage and a costly attic restoration, get help from wildlife professionals as soon as you see or hear signs of squirrels. Call Skedaddle today at 1.888.592.0387.