Squirrels in the Attic

[bekab]

Not sure where to post this...

We moved into our new homestead a couple weeks ago and we have squirrels ALL in the attic! We can hear them scampering around up there, and have actually seen them entering the house.

We are going to seal it off where they can't get in, but we don't want to trap them in, ya know?

So how to get rid of these critters in the house?

[Maura]

Hot peppers. Get a large jar of dried peppers and sprinkle in the attic. When they leave, clean it up real good. Put more peppers around the perimeter wall to discourage new entrances.

[bekab]

hmm hadn't heard of that before. Thanks for the suggestion.

[VarmitSniper]

I could fix the problem in a jiffy....
Rat traps will work pretty well on squirrels too.

[BaronsMom]

Originally Posted by bekab

Not sure where to post this...

We moved into our new homestead a couple weeks ago and we have squirrels ALL in the attic! We can hear them scampering around up there, and have actually seen them entering the house.

We are going to seal it off where they can't get in, but we don't want to trap them in, ya know?

So how to get rid of these critters in the house?

There is some information about a one-way door you can make. From the Internet Center for Wildlife Damage - - -

http://icwdm.org/handbook/rodents/TreeSquirrels.asp

In our area (SE Nebr), they'll be having babies soon. Once they have babies in an attic, I'd wait until spring so you don't seal accidentally trap or put up your one way door, momma goes out - leaving babies to die in the attic (smell, rot, mess)

[Ed Norman]

The angled pipe in the link above will work, but it is simpler to seal all holes except for one, then cut a square piece of hardware cloth bigger than the hole and attach it over the hole with two fencing staples at the top. Let it flop easily like a door. Squirrel leaves, it flops shut, then seal it permanently.

[GrannyG]

We had squirrels in our attic at one time..we threw moth balls around, also tried plugging up the holes they were entering in...hopefully, they are all out of there. They sometimes run on top of the roof now, but have not heard any upstairs anymore.

[WildernesFamily]

I don't know if today's moth balls are more powerful or what, but this is our experience with moth balls, copied from the "Farm stuff you should not do" thread:

NEVER listen to the advice that mothballs will get rid of squirrels in the attic.

The mothballs WILL indeed rid your attic of the squirrels.

They will also cause you to move everybody out of the top level rooms and into the basement because of the intense smell and more unpleasant things caused by the mothballs.

You will then have to go into the attic and search through all the blown insulation looking for mothballs. THREE times.

You will have to leave all the upstairs windows open no matter how cold it is outside.

You will then have to install an attic fan to get rid of the smell.

After about a month of this fun, you will all be able to move back into the top level bedrooms.

Just as you are snuggling down in your bed, happy to be back in your bedroom, you will hear the scritch scritch of the squirrels who are also happy to have their "home" back.

Our family had some really bad reactions to the moth ball odors, including feeling dizzy and nauseous. It was really bad.

Then again... hubby didn't throw just a "few" in there, he probably threw in 1/3 of a box. Maybe a "few" wouldn't be as bad?

[chickenista]

<<gigglesnort>>

Bats in the belfry, squirrels in the attic, a sandwich short of a picnic..

<<gigglesnort>>

[whiterock]

Put some cotton balls in old med bottles, use a hot ice pick or awl to purn a hole in the cap, put a few drops of fox urine on the cotton, lid on bottle, and toss some around in the attic.

[snowshoehair]

Yep, I had squirrels in the attic for a while, too.... but then I got help..

[Old Vet]

Try a hot skillet and some grease then when they are done put them in Gravy.

[bowdonkey]

I wouldn't buy a place that had squirells in the attic. It shows the place hasn't been maintained. But I've went and done it anyway, several times, and payed the price. If you can use corn or black walnuts for bait in a live trap or make a bait pile with a couple handfuls of corn and shoot them. If it can safely be done, position the pile so you can shoot them from an open window. I've bagged lots of tree rats when life forced me to live in apartments in my youth. I still have the S&W pellet pistol I used back then. Shot probably 40 tree rats, stung a couple barking dogs and broke 2 windshilds of people who thought it was proper to sit outside the apartment and honk their horn at 4 in the morning to wake their buddies they were picking up for work.

[BaronsMom]

Originally Posted by WildernesFamily

I don't know if today's moth balls are more powerful or what, but this is our experience with moth balls, copied from the "Farm stuff you should not do" thread:



Our family had some really bad reactions to the moth ball odors, including feeling dizzy and nauseous. It was really bad.

Then again... hubby didn't throw just a "few" in there, he probably threw in 1/3 of a box. Maybe a "few" wouldn't be as bad?

You are so right - mothballs won't do anything for squirrels. They just kick them out of the way, avoid them. Use them for moths, they way they are supposed to be used.