As the sun starts to set and the shadows grow in your home, you suddenly hear a massive thud come from your ceiling. And then a second… and then a third time. Is there an elephant in the attic? You take a look but can’t find anything that looks menacing. Maybe your attic become the resting place for your newest roommate, Casper the friendly ghost? While that’s not likely, you could very well have a squirrel home invasion.
These little guys can be cute, but they can also cause a wide variety of expensive issues in your home if you allow them to long-term nestle in the attic. From chewing up wires and making homes in the insulation, this is an adorable infestation that needs to be taken care of quickly. We can’t help you with the actual removal of the animals, we recommend finding a squirrel or pest removal service nearby, and let the experts help you out.
Words of caution. We encourage finding an expert, as there are several ways NOT to remove squirrels from your home.
Do not seal the hole in which they enter/exit your attic. Blocking their passage and trapping them inside may exacerbate they need to destroy things as they try to get out. OR they may even dehydrate and/or starve in the summer, meaning you’re left to find the smelly squirrel remains before it takes over your whole house.
Plugging the hole while they are gone has proven problematic as well. Usually, the squirrels will find another entry point, or create one themselves. The best way to get rid of them, is to trap them and relocate them elsewhere.
After the squirrels have been removed, reach out to us to come assess your property damages. We can investigate how the insulation was affected and replace and refill the areas. Insulation is important as it keeps your energy usage low year round. Without insulation, the summer heat would seep in from the attic and thwart all of the cooling efforts that your AC unit works so hard to offer! This works the same way with heat, the heat escapes more easily in the winter and will take more energy to maintain a reasonable temperature. Even if you can handle the temperature differential, you might see your energy bills skyrocket.
While addressing your squirrel situation, we can also look at the exterior of the home and potentially help prevention from welcoming more attic friends. Sometimes, a bad gutter may be exposing a hole for creatures to enter the house. Bright Star will evaluate your gutters and can repair, replace, and paint them for you, creating a fresher look for your home!
Although not super common, serious infestations can begin to affect the ceilings in your home. If you start noticing water spots above you, it is smart to investigate the source as soon as possible. Drywall is not too expensive to replace, but depending on the cause of the water damage, sooner rather than later is always better. Squirrels will chew on anything, and you never know what might have been a target while they were in your home.
For more information, please reach out to us for a Free Estimate on how we can help you recover from squirrel damage in your home!