Squirrels are small and cute but only in the wild. When they make your home their home they can cause you a lot of grief. They usually move out of the wild into homes to escape wintry conditions. But they don’t come through the front door; they usually chew walls, roofs, and vents to create an opening. Once they have made your house their home, they often go ahead and destroy wiring, insulation, and even precious belongings.
Therefore, if you notice or suspect a squirrel infestation, you need to call a professional wildlife removal company immediately to prevent damage. Because if you let them be, you could end up with a badly damaged attic or home that needs extensive and costly repairs than if you remove them early.
What Squirrels Can Do To Your Home
- They Can Damage Your Home’s Exterior
Any squirrel or squirrels you find in your home will most likely have come in via your roof venting. This is because roof vents are often not protected as they usually only feature insect screening, which squirrels commonly make very light work of with their sharp teeth.
When squirrels damage your insect screening, it not only means that they gain access to your home but also means that your home becomes vulnerable to insects. Apart from tearing insect screenings, squirrels are also known to chew their way through roofs to create openings. Such holes can weaken your roof structure and allow water in leading to water damage.
So the damage to the exterior of your home may include destroyed roof vents, torn insect screenings, holes in your roof, and water damage to your roof structure.
- They Can Damage Your Home’s Interior
Once squirrels have made your home their home, they usually find a place to make a nesting in your attic. So anything you store in your attic will most likely suffer some damage. For example, they will chew through boxes, to create a nice comfy place to sleep or hide. Apart from destroying the things you’ve stored in your attic, squirrels also commonly gnaw wooden beams and electric cables. The gnawing of electric cables can create a potential fire hazard, while the gnawing of wooden beams can compromise the integrity of your roof and may cause it to collapse someday.
Still in the attic, the squirrels can also cause damage to your insulation by tearing it, moving it, or digging through it. Depending on how bad the squirrel action on your roof’s insulation is, it can ruin its effectiveness and ruin your home’s energy efficiency.
- They Can Be a Health Hazard
Squirrels are a potential health hazard in the home. This is because their feces and urine carry disease-causing organisms such as tularemia, salmonella, and leptospirosis. These can cause you or your family members very serious illnesses. Moreover, when squirrels move between your attic and garbage bins or other homes, they often carry mites, ticks, and fleas. Any of these can infest your attic and your home leading to very difficult conditions for you and your family.
Why You Need to Call a Professional Wildlife Removal Company to Remove Squirrels
Once squirrels make your home their home you are done. You cannot really handle them yourself. You need to call a professional wildlife or squirrel removal company like Capital Wildlife Control if you are in Ottawa. This is because it is only such companies that have licensed wildlife removal technicians who will fully inspect your home and propose to you solutions that will put an end to your problems.
For example, if wildlife removal technicians confirm that your home has squirrels after an inspection, they will remove them in a professional and humane manner. And then they will work meticulously to make your home and roof animal-proof. This will prevent the squirrel infestation from reoccurring. The technicians from Capital Wildlife Control in Ottawa will also remove any ruined insulation and reinsulate your attic. Lastly, they will treat your attic space and any other space where squirrels are found to eliminate disease-causing organisms and odors.
So if you ever suspect squirrel infestation, call a professional wildlife removal company to get the help you need. Remember, the more you wait, the more damage the squirrels will cause to the exterior and interior of your house.
