They’re so small, they’re so cute, they’re great acrobats, but when they’re in your attic, they’re incredibly destructive. And I mean really destructive! Now only can squirrels be a destructive problem to the structural wood in your attic and eaves, but they are incredibly tenacious in regards to finding their way into your home and once they have gotten in staying in and coming back.

One summer while we were on vacation, squirrels got into my garbage can. They must have worked all week long chewing through a 1/2 inch thick plastic lid to get to the garbage. Now this was not any can this was one of the professional waste company cans that is maybe 100 gallons in size, huge and on wheels. The squirrels chewed a hole about the size of a large grapefruit into this super hard dense and thick plastic can, just think what they can do to wood which is much softer in just a short period of time.

My sister had a problem with squirrels in her attic. She tried stuffing the holes in the eaves from the inside, she tried putting shields on the drainpipes, as they would jump from the trees and then shimmy up the drainpipe and scurry into their hole and into her attic. She finally had had it when she saw the Mom squirrel teaching the baby how to make the jump and get around the shield. Finally enter the professionals, the squirrels were caught, removed, nesting material cleaned up, and then a roofer had to be called to repair the damage that they had caused. Such small cute little furry creatures caused such a big problem that was a big drain on her pocketbook.

The lesson learned here is that to not wait too long if you think you have a squirrel problem. The longer your delay in dealing with the problem, the more costly the damage and more extensive the repairs. Squirrels are chewers. They don’t have those big chompers up front to eat grass, they like to gnaw like beavers! Once squirrels have nested in your attic, they will return each year to raise their young. Don’t let you home become the new “squirrel resort” on your block, take action now to remove these pests that just look too cute to be a problem.