Squirrels in the Attic

Submitted by SlowInvestor t3_y6bps7 in rva

Like the title says, I have squirrels in my attic. I started with simple attempts like putting a radio up there and some strobe lights to hopefully scare them away. Didn’t work. I then paid almost $2000 to have a tree trimmed way back (there is one huge tree in the back yard). Also didn’t work. They keep getting in and have created a bigger entry point (I patched previous holes with metal sheets so they just made new holes).

Does anyone know of a company that specializes in wild life removal, specially squirrels?

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BiCentennial_Condor t1_isoc76z wrote

RVA's hottest club is SlowInvestor's Attic, it's got everything: music played directly from the radio, strobe lights, disco squirrels.

Sorry I can't help but I do have a squirrel in my backyard that seems to enjoy playing with my kids toys and I just know he's going to be a problem eventually.

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GaimanitePkat t1_isoilr2 wrote

Look over there, it's the Human Birdfeeder. It's that thing where you hang some suet from a guy and when a squirrel tries to eat the suet, he screams and spins around in a circle to shake off the squirrels.

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Hedgecore138 t1_ispap0k wrote

A fentanyl-inspired rodential sadomasochistic wonderland, that local legends Nutzy and Nutasha could only describe as, "HNGEEEEEEEEEE."

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manyamile t1_isocafs wrote

Alligators and owls both eat squirrel. I suggest you fill your attic with both.

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blancamystiere t1_isonxvt wrote

A small Komodo dragon would probably get your squirrel problem under control in no time

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mybeamishb0y t1_isoi1t0 wrote

Now you could buy a small boa constrictor for a under a hundred bucks.

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bird_bitch t1_isoc0ti wrote

We used Critter Control of Richmond to remove squirrels from our attic. We were very pleased with the service. I would definitely recommend.

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Usual_Frosting t1_isodidi wrote

Seconded. Critter Control is expensive but is ABSOLUTELY worth the money. They’ll find and properly seal all the entry points.

OP, highly recommend that you address the issue ASAP before the squirrels start mating (usually around December). Not to mention squirrels will chew away at electrical cords/etc. and can cause all sorts of issues.

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cparker28 t1_ispd1qm wrote

I will 3rd Critter Control. They tried a humane way to capture the squirrels at first, but that didn’t work. G they resolved the problem and fixed the entry point.

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Charlesinrichmond t1_isoetn2 wrote

I have gone from having no opinion of squirrels to hating them so much. They are fat furry destructive termites, it's awe inspiring how much damage they can cause

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lunar_unit t1_isoilku wrote

We owe our forests to squirrels. Collectively, they plant hundreds of millions of trees every year.

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TDIMike t1_isohcpc wrote

Rats with better marketing.

They are terrible. And lucky that the window in my home office doesn't open.

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moxieenplace t1_isq4u2x wrote

They have chewed off all the plastic handles to my kids’ playset. It’s infuriating

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brads-1 t1_isob8b6 wrote

Bowls of ammonia in the attic, then seal up the holes. Note that it takes a generation for the squirrels to "forget" the nice space with lots of nesting materials. There are ways of speeding up the generational refresh with a little time and a pellet rifle......

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RVAviewer t1_isonc99 wrote

All non lethal tactics did not work for us, and we tried them all. Cut the trees back and they climb the house. Close a hole they chew another somewhere else. Unfortunate circumstance for the squirrel(s) but they are terribly destructive

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brads-1 t1_isoobwx wrote

That's why I deployed lethal tactics. You can trap them yourself with a have-a-heart trap, but it is illegal to relocate them, you must dispose of them.

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ShuRugal t1_isou464 wrote

and it's illegal to relocate them for good reasons: they will simply become a problem for whoever lives nearest where you release them. Squirrels are also disease vectors, so moving them around can spread diseases between squirrel populations.

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ItchUch13 t1_isowlsf wrote

I’ve used a .22 Gamo PCP to keep squirrels in check out where my dad lives, they learned to avoid his property pretty quick.

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dreww4546 t1_iso9l7t wrote

People on this sub are always trying to rehome found cats. I think you found a "natural" solution

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SlowInvestor OP t1_ispho7i wrote

Unfortunately I have tenants on the 2nd floor and they didn’t like the cat idea 😅

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dreww4546 t1_isqgtdj wrote

The cat is only temporary. Once it kills/scares away the squirrels, you stick a stray dog in the attic to deal with the cat

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SlowInvestor OP t1_isw4uvb wrote

This sounds like the plot of a kids book….

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dreww4546 t1_isxwqos wrote

It's a rip off the song about a woman who swallowed a fly

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Charlesinrichmond t1_isoj8qg wrote

I should note I have fogged in mint oil and the like into attics. A lot of the stinky stuff works, but you don't necessarily want your house smelling like predator urine.

Key is to fill up holes after. Problem is the little fuckers will chew a new hole into the house

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CoffeexCup t1_isodapi wrote

You can buy Fox urine in various forms. It’s supposed to help keep rodents and small mammals out of your garden and will probably help keep them out of your attic too.

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moderatehill t1_ispkflx wrote

I played Styx Greatest Hits for the squirrel trapped in my attic. I waited in the driveway and could hear the music from inside my car. Midway thru Come Sail Away that squirrel crawled out and never came back.

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ifweweresharks t1_iso9ipd wrote

No, but I can give you some dirty cat litter that theoretically will deter them.

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10698 t1_isokdsr wrote

Be sure to follow up with an electrical inspection. Squirrels LOVE the Romex cable in attics.

Seven Hills Electrical recently replaced two spans I discovered chewed below some insulation. I had a squirrel up there in that part of the attic a few years ago and it appears he was well-fed. Fortunately, he stuck to the outer insulation so I avoided a fire, but opted to have the wires replaced.

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Charlesinrichmond t1_isoueb6 wrote

you aren't kidding. Some of my saddest life moments have been sitting in the midst of asbestos insulation repairing squirrel chewed wires.

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beamishbo t1_isopxgu wrote

So .

We had this issue for years in a rental. Had them removed, hole patched, and less than a year later they were back. My understanding after having a professional inspector come out is that unless you actually go in and clean out the area where they were staying (new insulation etc) they will keep coming back.

Never hated squirrels until we had attic squirrels. Good luck.

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Superb_Essay2929 t1_isojt2q wrote

Just adopt a stray cat and don’t feed it for a day and put him up there

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zorak_robert t1_isotz60 wrote

Squirrels in the attic and a sliver spoon. Little boy blue and the man on the moon.

​

Sorry.

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atctia t1_isp2b49 wrote

When I was a kid we had this problem in the townhouse we lived in. I woke up one morning to a hole in my bedroom ceiling, right above my bed, and a squirrel's nose poking out of it.

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Shady_f4 t1_isp3230 wrote

Peanut butter + rat trap took care of the physical presence for us. But I also advise getting rid of the oils/smells or else more may come

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SouthernReport3051 t1_isp90rc wrote

my girlfriend planted her first watermelon plant this season and it grew so beautifully. There was one single watermelon growing and we had put it outside for ONE day to get some sun. Checked back a couple hours later to find a squirrel eating the little watermelon. Fuck Richmond squirrels

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AuFingers t1_ispk6kx wrote

I used Commonwealth Wildlife Management. Paid $466.20 on December 26, 2017

Fat female ignored the first two attempts to trap it.

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[deleted] t1_isofal4 wrote

Fake owls help for a while. If you get one that is solar powered and moves it works pretty well

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SlowInvestor OP t1_isphsuk wrote

Solar powered owl…. I’m going to look into that

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[deleted] t1_ispji20 wrote

Yes we use them for keeping hawks away but it has the added benefit of keeps squirrels away as well

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Poops_McYolo t1_ispudk0 wrote

Traps are about 40 bucks. I had a ton of success using just regular peanuts like you'd get at a baseball game as bait. Relocate the squirrels, repeat.

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Charlesinrichmond t1_isqmgwk wrote

You aren't supposed to relocate squirrels. In fact it's illegal

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SlowInvestor OP t1_isw50e1 wrote

Who’s out there patrolling for this exactly?

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Charlesinrichmond t1_isyhlzx wrote

Virginia Conservation police. Your chance of getting caught is pretty low, but it's stil illegal.

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SlowInvestor OP t1_it344yy wrote

I’m giving critter control a try so hopefully they will work within the laws.

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knf262 t1_isqf5y2 wrote

My dad has had success with non lethal traps and peanut butter outside the house. He’s caught like 33 squirrels this year and just drives em like 8 miles away and dumps in the woods. It’s not inside but I don’t see why that wouldn’t be just as successful inside as out…

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JCKang t1_ist8s03 wrote

This happened to me. Critter Control came, caught, and rehomed them in a Chesterfiend forrest.

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typhoidmarry t1_isp168k wrote

Bee, Bat & Bird Men

Not cheap but they did the job perfectly.

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NuttingOnNutzy t1_isp27ky wrote

I have a foolproof technique for scaring away squirrels but it’s a bit nutty...

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hiho-silverware t1_ispxczz wrote

I don’t know if it works but try zip tying some rubber snakes to the downspouts or whatever you think they are climbing to get up there.

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connor8383 t1_isr45xg wrote

Have you tried recruiting Nutzy to talk to them and solve your issue? Might be helpful.

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wet_ninja t1_isrmqez wrote

I had the same problem this past spring. I used Nice Wildlife Service. It was $1000 total ($600 to trap, $200 to spray something that neutralizes the pheromones and sanitizes the area, and $200 to seal the hole). The fix is warrantied for two years.

They tried non-lethal traps at first, but the squirrels kept avoiding them. They took out the father squirrel with a pellet gun, and the mother ran away. They sealed the hole, and the mother was not able to get back in, thankfully. She did come back and had babies in the pine trees behind my house. The hawks have gotten the population down to one...

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adam0928 t1_iss64xr wrote

They will leave, when they do, find and seal the holes. Doing anything now is largely a waste of time and money.

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