Squirrels are small furry animals with a bushy tail. They come in different colours and species.
There are the flying squirrels and ground squirrels and some are red whilst some are grey. Squirrels come in different species and have different origins and some of these are fox squirrel, Southern flying squirrel and Northern ground squirrel.
Squirrels have long sharp teeth on their upper and lower jaw and the teeth keep on growing.
These teeth aid them in breaking hard things like nuts or chewing even the hardest surfaces. Just like rats, squirrels also need to gnaw at things in order to keep these teeth from growing too long.
Squirrels can live both in the wild and urban areas. They live in nests made of twigs and other debris.
Squirrels often mate in late winter or later summer and female squirrels can have up to 7 young ones who start fending for themselves as early as 10 weeks in summer.
In winter the young ones can stay longer with their mother until she has new babies.
Squirrels can be very cute and some people even throw food at them when they see them. The problem comes when they take over your home and yard as theirs and that’s when they become stubborn pests.
This article will discuss squirrels as pests, how to avoid them, their habits, how to detect their presence, damages caused and humane removal of squirrels.
Squirrel Control
Squirrels like fruits, vegetables, bird seeds and meat so these things can lure them into your home.
Make sure you don’t store your birdseed where squirrels can see them and keep your birds in cages where squirrels won’t reach.
You can also wrap bird netting around plants so that squirrels won’t devour them.
Use squirrel proof wiring especially to fence gardens and close all openings that might grant squirrels access into your house.
Electric fences can help too in keeping squirrels away from your garden and home.
Squirrels can make their nests in your attic, shed roofs, chimney tops and trees so keep an eye on these places and put security to deter squirrels from harbouring there.
Squirrels are also attracted by food in rubbish bins so try to use tightly sealed bins so that squirrels will not see the contents of your bins and compel them to come in.
Repair all broken shingles and openings that might enable squirrels to enter your home.
Another way to keep squirrels away is to plant plants that squirrels hate. Squirrels don’t like the smell of peppermint and hate daffodils too so these might keep squirrels away from your place.
Habits of Squirrels
Squirrels build their nests in attics, chimneys, sheds and garages so look out for these places.
Squirrels are also very noisy especially during their “courtship” in which the male will be chasing the female for mating. This can be irritating to both humans and pets. Imagine hearing those noises from your attic or above your chimney.
Grey and red squirrels are known as unsocial animals but they can also do communal nesting during winter.
Squirrels also like living in sparsely forested areas like parks so if you have such areas in your home you are probably calling squirrels to come in.
Squirrels eat eggs, snakes and bugs which is a very good thing, not on the eggs part of course. This means that they can control other harmful pests like snakes and bugs but as for eggs, they might rob you of your valuable eggs.
How to detect squirrels
Squirrels are not hard to detect as they feed during the day. You can spot them going in and leaving their nests.
If you see a nest in your garage, attic shed or near your home then know that there are squirrels around.
Squirrels also raid trash cans so you can see by the mess they make in dustbins.
If you constantly see your eggs missing or your birdseed then know that you might be dealing with squirrels in your home.
Squirrels are messy eaters so you can easily see their presence by the food debris they scatter all over while eating.
Also, the noise squirrels make during mating is loud enough to be a nuisance so that will let you locate where they are.
Squirrels leave claw and teeth marks on things that they come across with so that one too can help you detect the presence of squirrels in your home.
Damages caused by squirrels
Squirrels gnaw at anything that they can get.
They can cause power surges when they gnaw at electric wire cables.
If squirrels make their nests in your home then you are really in trouble. Besides their nests made of twigs, squirrels are messy eaters and they scatter food all over the place making your place very dirty. It is better to check out for any signs of squirrels in your home and deal with them immediately before they take over your house
If squirrels live in your home, they leave teeth and claw marks in your furniture, walls and wooden materials.
Removal of Squirrels
Squirrels are very hard to deal with as they are not scared of humans. Even scarecrows don’t phase them so it is very hard to scare them away.
One way to deal with squirrels is through the use of repellents. Spray repellents on your birdseed, cages, around your gardens, on plants or anywhere you think squirrels might reach. You can also put granular repellents along perimeters of structures, in shades, garages or anywhere necessary.
Keep cats or dogs to scare the squirrels away. Squirrels are not scared of humans and scarecrows but not dogs.
Don’t kill the squirrels, it is both animal cruelty and may be unlawful depending on your state.
Before killing a squirrel( which is really something you must not consider), check your Department of Fish and Wildlife Laws to see if it’s allowed.
You can also use ultrasonic devices to deter the squirrels from invading your place. These devices produce noises that keeps rodents like squirrels, rats and mice away and the frequency is inaudible to humans and dogs so it won’t affect you in any way.
These noises can effectively keep squirrels at bay.
The most recommended way to deal with pests like squirrels is to call professionals to deal with the problem. If you have squirrels invading your place consult your local Wildlife Services and they will help you.
