SQUIRREL REMOVAL

Baby season: Feb, March and August, September
Two litters per year, usually 3 – 6 young per litter

How to Remove Squirrels from Your Home

Have you heard squirrels scurrying through your attic, chimney or elsewhere on your property? In Tennessee, squirrels are one of the most commonly seen animals. Active Wildlife Removal is a family-owned business serving Nashville and surrounding areas. We offer unparalleled and humane animal removal services, and we strive to keep the relationship between Nashville’s residents and wildlife population in a healthy state.

Squirrels are great climbers, and their front teeth give them amazing chewing capabilities. These pesky critters will locate entry points and vulnerable areas to gain access into attics of homes and buildings. If no opening is available, squirrels are likely to make their own with just a few minutes of chewing on wood or vinyl. At this point, it’s time for a squirrel removal specialist from our team to take care of your problem.

The Reason You Need Squirrel Removal

A squirrel is an agile tree-dwelling rodent with a bushy tail that typically feeds on nuts and seeds. They’re members of the family Sciuridae which consists of small or medium-size rodents. They’re known to be one the most common nuisance animals, which include: bats, beavers, bees (honey bees), birds, coyotes, opossums, raccoons, rats, snakes, yellow jackets and hornets.
Squirrels are known for their chewing expertise, and they will create an entry point into your home if they are unable to locate one. They will chew through the edge of your roof line (above the gutter, but under the shingles), wood siding or gable vents, eaves and roof vent screening. A squirrel typically has two litters per year. Normally, baby squirrels, or kittens, are born in the months of February to March or August to September.

Once a squirrel enters your home or attic area, it will chew on wood framing or wiring. Squirrels can also compress the insulation in your attic, which reduces the R rating of your insulation and creates a major fire hazard. This is when our squirrel removal services really become a must.

The Best Method for Squirrel Removal outside Your Home:

• The first step in how to get rid of squirrels outside your home is to remove the squirrel’s food. Purchase seal-able outdoor trashcans, and replace your trashcan’s lid if it’s easy for squirrels to get into. Ensure that the lid stays closed at all times.
• Squirrels are very creative in finding ways to get into a bird feeder. To prevent their entry, purchase a squirrel guard to attach to your feeder. Also, be sure that you don’t place feeders close to trees or your home because squirrels will be able to leap past the guards by way of the tree’s branches or your home’s eaves to the bird feeder.
• Another method of squirrel removal for outside your home is to utilize squirrel repellent, which can be found at any hardware or home and garden store. Most squirrel repellents are made with natural ingredients such as cayenne or black pepper (which won’t bother birds), or the urine of the squirrels’ predators.

How to get rid of Squirrels inside Your Home

• The first step in squirrel removal inside your home is to ensure that your attic doesn’t have any food in it. If squirrels are going in and out of your attic often, then it’s probably because they’re finding food. Clean out your attic and make sure that you remove anything that a squirrel would find appetizing.
• Next, put a guard over your chimney to prevent the squirrel from entering your home. Guards made for chimneys are typically made of stainless steel mesh, which means that you won’t have to remove it when you use your fireplace.
• Make sure that the squirrel has a way to escape. If a squirrel is caught in your chimney or attic, then it’ll be beneficial to make sure it has a way out. If it’s caught in your chimney, then consider dangling a rope down through your chimney so that the squirrel can climb out. If the squirrel is trapped in your attic, then open a window and try to lure it out with food.
• Home and garden stores sell live traps that’ll enable you to catch the squirrel without harming it. Then, you can simply take the rodent outside and release it.

If you don’t want to deal with the difficult task of removing the squirrel yourself, then we’ll be happy to come over and remove the squirrel for you.

After we’ve gotten rid of the squirrels, then you may be worried about the future task of squirrel removal. Take note that we offer an exclusion service, which means that we’ll close off all possible entryways so that the squirrels don’t re-enter your home in the future.

At Active Wildlife Removal, we have professional Wildlife Removal Technicians who are fully licensed and very knowledgeable about wildlife in the Nashville and surrounding areas. We’ll thoroughly inspect your home, remove those pesky squirrels and provide impeccable exclusion services that come with a full warranty.

Damage that squirrels do to your home and health hazards they pose

While most of us would consider squirrels to be small, cute, and harmless little animals, they can actually do more damage than we give them credit for and can really turn into a real pest for homeowners. These furry little creatures have the potential to wreak havoc on your property by causing damage to your electrical systems, your garden, and even your interior if they get the chance.

Here are a few common problems that can be caused by squirrels with reference to your home:

Chewed Wiring

The last thing you want when you are watching your favorite show or playing a new video game is the power to suddenly cut off. Well, if you have squirrels on your property, this may be a common occurrence. If a squirrel finds their way into your attic or crawlspace they will chew wires to strengthen their teeth and potentially acquire new components for their nest. So be aware and board up any entry points where possible.

Dug Up Gardens

Squirrels need to eat just as we humans do and the most common way for them to find their food is by plundering gardens in search of fruit and vegetables. So if you have a green thumb and grow your own produce, you can count on squirrels coming along and helping themselves to the fruits of your labor.

Property Damage

Squirrels will often cause damage to your house in order to find an entry. The most common way that a squirrel will attempt to gain entry to your home will be through damaging roof shingles, house siding, roof caps, and many more. So if there is a potential entry, they will likely find it, and once inside your home, they will likely cause damage to any wood or insulation that is present in the attic or crawlspace.

Household Interior

While you might think that squirrels wouldn’t risk entering the main areas of your home, you would be sadly mistaken. In fact, not only will they run around your interior if they see a chance, but they will also damage your furniture by gnawing on the wooden pieces in particular and they will also raid any open food storage or pantries if given the opportunity, so be on high alert if you think you have a squirrel issue.

Diseases 

Squirrels, much like other rodents, have the potential to be carriers of harmful diseases meaning that these little pests can have a really negative effect on your physical health. The most common disease is Lyme disease, an inflammatory disorder that affects the nervous system, joints, and heart. So to keep yourself in tip-top condition, be sure to get those squirrels off your turf. 

What to Do to Remove Squirrels from My Home

Much like the removal of any rodent, there are a number of ways that you can both prevent the issue from ever occurring and deal with the issue proactively. However, doing this effectively will require extensive knowledge of how the animal in question operates, a number of professional-grade pieces of apparatus, and a certain level of skill to achieve. All assets that the general homeowner will likely not possess. So in this case, we would suggest a professional.

If you live in Tennessee, contact us at Active Wildlife Removal for the task at hand. Our licensed and highly trained removal specialists will take care of your rodent problem with ease, do a fast job, and make sure that your home receives any aftercare that it needs if the little pests did any damage to your property. Plus, we will prevent the problem from reoccurring by putting preventative measures in place.

We offer our services to the residents of Clarksville, Nashville, Brentwood, Dickson, and all surrounding areas. Call us today to help solve your wildlife problem and reclaim your home once and for all!