Squirrel Removal in Pittsburgh

Squirrels can be a nuisance. They can eat all the seeds in birdfeeders and scatter the seeds they do not want. Squirrels will strip bark off trees and eat from your vegetable garden. More than a nuisance, squirrels nesting inside your house interrupt your day, damage your home, and increase health risks to you and your family. 

The professionals at Critter Control can safely and humanely remove the squirrels and install solutions to prevent future squirrel problems. 

Where Do Squirrels Live Inside a House?

Tree squirrels enter homes looking for shelter. Some types of squirrels can give birth to two litters in a year. During their breeding period, female squirrels can build nests (dreys) in attics or wall cavities. Homeowners typically notice these litters during late spring/summer and autumn.

In the winter, they are likely to invade homes and other structures to ride out the harsh winter months. Because they do not hibernate, squirrels build caches of nuts to eat. It’s not uncommon to find squirrel caches inside your home after the cold weather.

• Attics. Squirrels are well known for nesting in attics, as they provide a safe hideaway for squirrels to raise their young. The inside of an attic is also full of things for them to nibble and sharpen their ever-growing teeth on, like wood and insulation. This can create problems—when a squirrel chews the insulation on electrical wiring, for instance, the likelihood of a house fire increases.
• Chimneys and Fireplaces. Chimney boxes are secluded, off the ground, and sheltered. It’s an ideal location for a squirrel nest. While squirrels rarely infest chimneys themselves, the pests may nest in metal chimney boxes. If a squirrel falls down a chimney and becomes trapped inside the fireplace, homeowners may be alerted to their presence via various sounds, smells, and sights. Residents may hear chittering, fighting, or scratching at all hours of the day, smell squirrel droppings, and even see the pests running loose inside the home.
• Gutters. Squirrels often choose gutters as nesting sites because they make a good foundation for a nest, and provide ample protection from predators—or at least those without wings. Of course, this superior nesting position comes at a cost—to the homeowner. Squirrel nests in gutters impede water drainage, cause water to back up and spill over onto siding, which can result in water damage over time.
• Vents. If a vent is uncovered, squirrels can easily access public or living areas. Squirrels can gnaw through most vent covers. Plastic, wood, and metals like aluminum are not strong enough to prevent a squirrel from getting into your vents. While searching for places to nest, squirrels often move through dryer vents that lead to attics or basements.
• Inside the Walls. Squirrels enter homes looking for shelter. The typical entry points for squirrels are along the roofline specifically soffits, eaves, fascia boards, and vents. Excellent climbers, these entry points give squirrels access to the attic which provides access to wall cavities. Wall cavities are especially attractive to mother squirrels. They’re small, dark, and free from predators so it’s an ideal place for a nest.

Signs of Squirrels

Homeowners concerned about these rodents infesting the attic should look for squirrel prints on a roof or around the entrance of a crawl space. While squirrel tracks look like many other rodent footprints, they do have some special traits.

Size: Squirrel tracks are relatively small at about two inches in length.

Front Paw Prints: Although their prints are around the same size as those left by rabbits, squirrels have front paws with four narrow toes tipped with tiny claws.

Hind Paw Prints: A squirrel’s larger rear paws also feature five distinct toes with a large pad at the heel.

Sounds. There’s a good chance you’ll hear a squirrel before you see any visual evidence, especially during winter months, where you’re less likely to notice exterior damage. The sounds squirrels make are often described as scurrying, scampering noises. You might also hear chewing or gnawing sounds. Squirrels like building their nests in attics, so sounds will often emanate from there. Squirrel sounds are often mistaken for rat sounds, but there’s one key difference: squirrels are diurnal, so you’ll hear them during the day, whereas rats are nocturnal, and will make more sound at night.

Squirrel Droppings Inside Your Home. Squirrel droppings are often confused for rat droppings, and vice versa. While rat and squirrel droppings do look similar—dark brown to black in color with blunted ends, around 3/8 of an inch long—they are found in different places around the home. Squirrel droppings are often found in attics or around tree trunks, while rat droppings are more common along baseboards, in cupboards, and behind large appliances like washing machines.

Nests in Your Attic. Squirrels are well known for nesting in attics, as they provide a safe hideaway for squirrels to raise their young. The inside of an attic is also full of things for them to nibble and sharpen their ever-growing teeth on, like wood and insulation. When a squirrel chews the insulation on electrical wiring, the possibility of a house fire arises. Squirrels enter attics through crevices, gaps, and cracks in soffits, fascia boards, and eaves, or open vents or broken shingles in the roof. Once squirrels reach the attic, they have free reign of the house.

Damaged Roofing Materials. Another popular nesting site for squirrels is on the roof. Typically, they build these nests with roofing insulation. Take some time to carefully analyze your home’s exterior. Squirrels commonly damage roofs by:

• Chewing holes in soffits. This can allow other small pests to invade your home.
• Biting through shingles. This can lead to water damage.
• Eating through joists and siding. This can weaken your home’s structure.

Damaged Gardens. If you walk out to your garden to find it full of bite marks, a squirrel is one of the more likely culprits. Squirrels eat a variety of popular garden vegetables, including spinach, kale, corn, fruit, and nuts. Squirrels are equally drawn to fruiting trees like citrus, fig, apple, plum, and peach trees. Protecting your garden from squirrels can be as simple as installing a wire mesh cage around your garden, and installing a metal collar around 6-8 feet up the trunks of vulnerable trees.

How We Get Rid of Squirrels in Pittsburgh

Critter Control specializes in squirrel removal. In order to remove a squirrel or family of squirrels on your property, our wildlife specialist will perform a thorough inspection to determine the severity of the problem. After the inspection, they will build a custom solution to trap, remove, and seal all entry points. They will also provide warranty options as well as an estimate for preventative services.

Squirrel Removal Services Near You

When performing squirrel removal, our wildlife professional will determine the most effective and humane way to remove the squirrel(s) from your property.

The most common methods used are:

• squirrel trapping
• one-way doors
• deterrents
• direct capture.

Squirrel Trapping Near You

We do not directly capture adult squirrels as they move too quickly and fit in very small spaces.  If juveniles are found in an attic, they will be hand removed and relocated with their mom. If the mom is not in sight and the young cannot survive on their own, our wildlife specialists will seek help from a local wildlife rehabilitation center.

Removing squirrels can be very tricky since they run, climb, and jump very quickly. While technically allowed to catch squirrels with nets or catch poles, it is nearly impossible. Squirrel trapping is one of the safest and most effective squirrel removal strategies.

The best squirrel trap is to use a 5- x 5- x 18-inch (minimum) cage or box trap. Box traps are built with solid walls usually of wood, plastic, or sheet metal. Cage traps are made of wire mesh. For squirrels, use a cage trap from ½- x 1-inch mesh.

Both live traps can in either one-door or two-door traps. Mouse traps (snap traps or glue traps) will not work to trap squirrels.

Squirrel Exclusion & Prevention

Home exclusion is the most effective method to prevent squirrels or nuisance wildlife from entering your home. It is essential to seal all current and potential entry points to prevent future squirrel infestations. After the squirrels have been removed, it is essential to prevent future squirrel problems. Whole home exclusions identify any potential entry point such as gaps around siding, vents, chimneys, and windows, to keep squirrels out of homes. We close the holes with materials squirrels cannot gnaw through.

In addition, we strongly recommend a maintenance service. Like other rodents, squirrels have front teeth that continuously grow, which means they can gnaw a new way back into your home.

Precautions like removing trees or tree branches on or close to your roof can help prevent squirrel problems in your home. We also urge you to refrain from using bird feeders as they are a huge attractant for squirrels and additional wildlife. After squirrel removal, we advise all our customers to remove food sources like accessible birdseed and acorns, if present, to maintain a squirrel-free home.

Testimonials