Squirrels in the soffits

[marianne]

Does anybody have tips for driving away squirrels that have invaded the soffits of a house? Traps? Sprays? Airhorns? Chickenwire? I think that there used to be a licensed nuisance wildlife guy who posted about racoons. Are you still out there?

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[WSB]

airhorns help. we have squirrels and/or raccoons in the attic and every time we hear ’em, we get out the noise artillery.

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[marianne]

Thanks. We’ll give that a try. Maybe that will drive them out and then we can seal up any entry.

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[tanin]

I was recently successful in evicting a squirrel couple from my attic. We referred to them affectionately as Merle and Pearl. I purchased a trap on-line and it left open for a couple of days with almonds in it. When they were comfortable with the free lunch program, I was able to trap them both the same day. They now live in Bellevue :-) You have to be able to deal with attitude once they are in the trap.

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[Zenguy]

Steel wool is good for keeping them out afterwards.

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[JeffSavoie]

Marianne,

Yes ma’am, I’m still around (I’ve been too busy this week, to visit the forums).

If I can be of any assistance, please let me know.

All City Animal Control, 206 914-9196

Lowmanbeach,

That doesn’t sound, to me, like it’s much of a solution, since you have to repeat the process over and over.

Exclusion is so much more logical, and permanent. ;)

…Think about it, they probably piss themselves, in your house, every time you scare them.

And THAT is the big problem, with living with wildlife.

If your satisfied, that’s cool, but I’d be glad to do an inspection and offer my best advice, or to help implement a more effective long term solution.

This is a great time of year for attic clean outs. ;)

Tanin,

Live trapping and then releasing animals (off site) is not humane, studies show relocated animals have survival rates as low as 10%.

It’s hard to survive without food stores, or a home, and to compete with highly territorial animals who already have these things and are willing to fight for it.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but it’s more likely that your squirrels died, in Bellevue, as opposed to still living “happily ever after”, there.

Stress, starvation, thirst, aggression, and being lost (without territory), all combined against their chances of making it.

On top of that, releasing eastern gray squirrels, is a crime (because the E.G. squirrel is already an invasive, non-indigenous species, that has put our own western gray on the endangered list).

There’s a lot more than attitude, to deal with, once you decide to trap an animal, and sometimes there’s a reason you should hire (or at least consult) a professional.

Merle and Pearl deserved better.

Zenguy,

Steel wool is temporary, especially in this damp climate, and the red rust can do as much harm as good. Copper “Stuff-it” (brand name), along with galvanized bird-block screen, stucco wire, and a few other tricks of the trade, are all more effective.

Jeff Savoie

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[homedk]

We had an unwanted squirrel move into our attic last year. What worked for us was to carefully watch its routines for a few days.

This took some patience, but we noticed that there was just one squirrel & we determined the point of entry into the house. We noticed that the squirrel seemed to return to our attic each evening, but went outside during the daytime.

The entry into the house was between one of our gutters & the roof. The opening was barely visible from ground level, but once we figured out where it was we could watch the squirrel leave the house & then scamper across our roof to a nearby tree.

After all our “research”, we just waited for the squirrel to leave the house one day; once that happened, we closed up the opening into the house with wire mesh/hardware cloth.

The squirrel wasn’t happy when he/she tried to return & found the opening closed up; it even tried to sit in the gutter & chew a new opening into the house. That is when we dug out the noise artillery & the little fellow decided to find a new home.

Hope this helps!

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[tanin]

JS……….Auf Wiedersehen

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[B-squared]

well done, homedk! i imagine if i am ever faced with this situation, that is the approach i would take. the option seems to be letting a pest removal company trap them then haul them off to be gassed (or otherwise dispatched). got to be a better way…..

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[Jo]

Anyone with a wildlife problem, would do well to talk with Jeff Savoie (comment #6).

He’s been around doing this service for years and has a flawless reputation – using effective and humane methods in dealing with wildlife.

Also, he’s one h*** of an interesting guy to talk with.

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[marianne]

Thanks for all the tips. We have decided to go the professional route. I am in the process of coordinating schedules with a wildlife removal and cleanup pro recommended by my co-worker. Thank you for responding, Jeff. I now have your contact info. I had thought of you first because I remembered previous posts about racoon problems. If I can’t coordinate something timely with the person I’m currently working with, I’ll be giving you a call. Thanks again, everbody1

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[JeffSavoie]

Homedk,

I applaud your approach, good information, and good on ya! :D

But I can’t very well sell my time, spending as much of it as you did on a solution.

They call that equity. :)

And with one’s own time and sweat, a home owner can often get way more value than their money could buy, of someone else’s time and sweat.

For this reason I’m forced to find faster, and more permanent, solutions, and refine and practice them… my equity, is in my experience.

Animals don’t give up easily, as demonstrated to you, and eventually a squirrel is likely to decide it really needs the food stores, and shelter it had established at someone’s house, and keep trying.

I’m currently doing a job that sounds very similar to your house, with no traps.

I’m installing bird block wire, from behind the gutters to up onto the roof decking (under the roofing) all the way around the house.

The trees were trimmed, so there’d be no more jumping on or off of the 30′ high roof.

*And I threw in a gutter clean-out as part of the job (since I’m already up there, and have to have my hands and tools in there, while I work).

No squirrel is ever going to get into the attic where the last one did, or anywhere else like it, ever again (no bees nests either).

I also installed a “valve”, a one way door, so that if anyone is inside, they can leave, and not get back in (which I’ll remove upon completion of the exclusion work).

Tanin,

“Good-bye?”

I’m not following you, care to elaborate?

B-Squared,

As you can see, wildlife control isn’t always about trapping, and euthanasia, to me.

There’s some animals that are legal, and “sturdy” enough, for release, and sometimes I do that.

My point was, once you decide to trap an animal, you should follow the law, and do the most ethical and humane things you can for that animal that as you can.

Tanin’s lack of conformity and legality is no more welcome to me, than using foothold or killing traps is to many other people, more than for any other reason, because I see the actual results as inhumane.

There’s an upcoming study, going to be done by UC Davis, on mortality of trapped and chemically sterilized (campus) e.g. squirrels, and I’ll be waiting with baited breath (pun not intended) for the results.

And I’d be glad to implement a similar (sterilization) program in my own dealings with squirrels, when requested and costs are covered by the client, once it’s proven safe, effective, and humane.

But, in the interim, is it really worth trading the extinction of one animal for the presence of another, especially a prolific, non-indigenous, one?

While they seem benign, to you, and many other people, I don’t see the eastern gray squirrel as “welcome” here.

That’s my personal opinion, not just professional.

It’s not realistic, to send eastern gray squirrels “back east”, or to take them to Bellevue… and as much as I’d like to have a whole buncha pet squirrels, that’s not any more realistic than the aforementioned options.

What Tanin called “attitude”, is actually an animal freaking out, stressed to the limits, more often than not injured (from bouncing around the cage like a pinball), teeth broken from chewing on the cage wire, and hands and feet torn up pretty bad.

It may be, that a rat has it better off, because he never knows what hit him (which is consider “humane enough for rats and mice”… and a squirrel really is just a day shift rat with a nice coat and tail).

*My dealings with squirrels are almost always as “incidental” non-target catches.

I’ll be trying to catch raccoons, and squirrels like the same fruity baits used on raccoons and ‘possums.

It’s never my choice, to target squirrels, the choice is given to the client (along with the requirements of the law (*of which I don’t like the lack of options, any more than you do)), and I try to provide the service they want.

Generally speaking though, removal is almost always cheaper than exclusion, by a professional.

The job I’m on now, will cost over $500.

And to trap the squirrels, would cost less than half of that.

There’s a fine line, between wildlife, and nuisance wildlife, at times… and I never consider an animal, answering the open invitation of a structure that’s too easily accessible, “a nuisance”.

Most human wildlife conflicts, are created by humans, and that’s where any honest solution will begin and end, with deterrents and exclusion.

But sometimes removal, and even humane euthanization, is required in the middle.

Being well educated, experienced, and realistic, helps when accessing that need, and in being able to provide a solution.

I’m a nuisance wildlife control operator, not just a trapper.

Jo,

Thanks for the kind words.

Yeah, I figure it’s like anything else, the more you know, the better decisions you can make. A second opinion is a good thing, and I’m generally more than glad to offer one. LOL

Marianne,

I truly appreciate you thinking of me.

I understand, word of mouth recommendations carry a lot of weight in my line of work, like any other service industry.

If you do need a second opinion, or if your schedules don’t meet, please think of me again.

I’m never too old, or too smart, to learn, so if nothing else I’d be glad to discuss the plan of action you come up with, further (by blog, phone, or in person).

Again, I apologize for the delay, and I’ll try to follow the blog a little more closely.

Jeff Savoie

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