Nuisance Squirrels

Squirrels

Nuisance Squirrels

Squirrels have the potential to become pests in your home. They can destroy structures, lawns, trees and decorative bushes in your yard. These squirrels are divided into many species. Some of the ones which regularly come into our homes or places of work and become pests are the red, fox and Eastern grey squirrels.

Physical features

An adult squirrel can measure from 12 to 25 inches (30 to 64 centimeters) in size. These squirrels are excellent climbers. Therefore, they have sharp claws and are muscular. They have coats of various colors. Examples of these are red, gray, black and brown. Their fur is short, thick and bushy around the tail. In most cases, the color of the fur on their underbelly is different from that of the fur on their backs, head and limbs.

Natural Habitat

Squirrels can be found in forested areas. That’s because their diet comprises mainly of seeds, nuts, flowers, seeds, fungi and herbaceous plants. Seeing as they prefer to live in the trees, their nesting locations are situated in the same areas. Squirrels prefer to have their young in pine and oak trees. Furthermore, they prefer locations where the trees have wide spaces between them.

Squirrels travel on the upper level of branches and leaves. They seldom travel along the ground. Furthermore, they can build nests out of leaves and foliage or have their young in tree cavities.

Squirrels In Homes

Squirrels can become pests. They are often found in yards and houses. Seeing as they are overwintering species, squirrels often build nests in the attics of houses so as to escape the Winter cold. If a yard has lots of foliage, it is immediately ideal to squirrels.That’s because they can see trees as a source of shelter and food at the same time.

Infestation

There are various ways to tell if you have some squirrels in your attic. They can make audible scratching noises while running around. They also grunt and squeak. Being rodents, squirrels gnaw on things constantly. Therefore, they cause a scratching noise which is some other evidence of infestation. Baby squirrels normally make high-pitched squeals as well.

Damage

While squirrels normally live peacefully with humans, they can still cause destruction of property. They bury nuts in the ground to store them for future consumption. While retrieving these nuts, they can leave holes in your yard and destroy the appearance of your lawn. They also chew and scratch up the bark on any ornamental trees that you have in your lawn. Squirrels also trample upon flower bushes, occupy birdhouses and eat any bird food you could have in your lawn.

Upon entry into a home, squirrels can cause damage by nesting in the attic and chewing on support beams. Squirrels also pose danger to themselves or humans when they chew on electric wires. While traveling from place to place, squirrels often dash upon power lines. This can potentially cause electrical shorts.

Diseases

Squirrels can transmit some diseases to human beings. Their droppings can contain Salmonella bacteria. This parasite causes fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramping. They carry ticks on their coats which can spread Lyme Disease. Its symptoms are stiffness, pain in the nerves and neural inflammation. Squirrels can also transmit Tularemia. This condition causes swollen lymph nodes and ulcers in humans. Leptospirosis is another disease transmitted by squirrels. Its symptoms are rashes, vomiting, jaundice and fever. If a squirrel feels cornered or threatened, it can bite or scratch and transmit rabies to humans.

Squirrel Removal

Squirrels can be removed from your home or yard. Seeing as they are regarded as game animals in many states, you will need to have a special permit for squirrel removal. It is advisable to contact a professional trapper to perform this task. Even if squirrels are generally not aggressive, they are still wild animals and need special approach during capture.

We have the knowledge and experience that is needed to capture squirrels and remove them from your home. We do so safely and humanely. We have a staff of experts who capture and transfer squirrels away from your property. The main objective for our wildlife experts is to protect you, your property and also the wildlife in question. Therefore, we do not exterminate squirrels but simply capture and relocate.