We discovered that we had a squirrel going in and out of our attic. It was making a lot of noise. My husband finally found the opening where it was getting in and sealed it up. What should we do now to make sure it doesn’t happen again. C. F., Allenstown, NH

First of all, I hope your husband was certain that the squirrel was not in the attic when he closed it off. If the squirrel is sealed in, it is either going to chew a new opening to get out or it is going to die in the attic and then you will have an odor problem. There’s even a third scenario – that there are baby squirrels left behind in the attic. Your attic squirrel might have been a mom creating a nest space to have her young. Without mom being able to get back to them, they will die…again, odor problem. Finally, that squirrel might have had more than one entrance point.

Here’s What a Wildlife Specialist Would Have Done

All of this points out why it’s best to involve a nuisance wildlife professional from the very beginning. If you had called Colonial, our technicians would have:

1. Installed a temporary one-way valve over the opening (to make sure that the squirrel(s) leave the attic and can’t get back in)
2. Checked your attic interior (to look for a nest and any young and to assess damage)
3. Sealed the primary opening and any secondary openings found (to assure no repeat visits later)
4. Inspected your entire house exterior, looking for vulnerable or weak spots that squirrels can exploit (to make sure all potential future openings are discovered)
5. Squirrel-proofed your house, reinforcing and sealing suspect sites with squirrel-proof materials (to make sure that squirrels can’t gnaw a new opening into the attic)
6. Cleaned up squirrel droppings and decontaminated your attic (to keep your family safe from squirrel-transmitted parasites and disease)

All of this is just part of our comprehensive squirrel management program. Our wildlife technicians are certified and have 30 years of experience protecting homes from squirrel invasions. And, our work is guaranteed. Can your husband say the same!

For more on squirrels in attics, see our Services page, Squirrel Removal, and these Colonial blogs:

• How Do Squirrels Get into Attics?
• Squirrels are Unwelcome Winter Guests in Attics
• Squirrels Can Make a Mess of Your Attic
• How to “Squirrel-Proof” Your Attic

Photo Credit : By Ken Thomas – KenThomas.us(personal website of photographer), Public Domain, Link