Re: Squirrels in Attic

Frank B. wrote:
Is there any way to keep squirrels from getting through the heavy gauge wire I have installed at the gable vents? They just use their teeth to get in anyway. I even put rat bait in the attic but they won't eat it! I used a solid piece of wood to close up the gables in the past......but guess what?



I did not have squirrels enter my attic, but they have in many other homes around me and have tried in mine. First it is important to seal off any entrances you might have after you drive the squirrels out. They tried to enter my gable vents by first chewing up the wooden slat louvers over them to prevent rain from entering. When I saw that, I entered the attic to check the wire covering the gable vents. Although the wire was intact, I decided that while I was replacing the damaged slats I would also replace the wire with 1/4 inch wire rather than the wire that was on there. The old wire was more like screen door wire except that the spaces were probably more like 1/8 inch.

Since I did not want to replace the slats again, I pondered what would prevent the squirrels from munching on the wood I replaced. What I did was to buy a box of straight pins used for sewing. They can be had for about $1.30 for a 1000. Next I used a Dremel tool and a fine drill bit that would allow the pins to slide in the hole they made, but not pass the head of the pin. I drilled holes about one inch apart on the front edge of the slats and pushed the straight pins into the holes so that the head of the pin was inside the wood slats, and the points were visible through the front edge of the slats.

After doing this to all the slats, I replaced the old wire with my new wire. Some weeks passed before any squirrels attempted to chew their way into the gables again, but when they did they rapidly decided the wood did not suit their taste. After a few attempts on different slats and different gables, they gave up.

Now how to drive out any existing squirrels: I have not used this method because I did not have any in my attic yet, but it sounds like it would work. Seal up all but one exit for the squirrels, and take a large flat pan like a baking pan with edges. Place as many of these as you can find in the attic and pour about 1/4 inch of ammonia into the pan so that it can evaporate and fill the attic with fumes. The ammonia will drive out the squirrels, and when it does, seal up the exit they used.

Squirrels are like any other animal in that they will go to where it is easiest to get food or shelter. If it is too difficult to enter your house, they will try someone else. You need to repair any potential openings and make it unpleasant to make new ones. I hope this helped.

Ken
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