Squirrel Removal from Michigan Attics

How can you tell it is a squirrel?

The clock helps. The National Park Service says flying squirrels are nocturnal, so people often do not see them, while the Forest Service says red squirrels are active by day. Gray squirrels are out in the open in daylight more than most animals, the Park Service notes. The Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management’s tree squirrel biology page covers the rest of their habits.

A National Park Service rodent-proofing manual doubles as an inspection list for the outside of the house: limbs that overhang the roof or come within six feet of it, a chimney without a cap, vent pipes without screens, and holes gnawed through siding. It was written for rodents in general, squirrels among them.

Does the time of year matter for squirrels?

Yes, because of young. The Forest Service’s species accounts give the pattern for fox squirrels and red squirrels across their range, not Michigan alone. Fox squirrels mate in mid-December or early January and again in June, with most births in mid-March and July and an average litter of three; the young may not be self-supporting until 12 weeks. Red squirrels usually have one litter a year, typically of four or five young. The National Park Service says gray squirrels have one or two litters a year, depending on food.

Pushing an adult out and sealing the hole without checking for young can leave them inside. Ask the operator how they will make sure no young are left before the opening is sealed.

If young are found on their own, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says a young animal that needs help should go to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, and that most states require permits or licenses to rehabilitate wildlife. A box in the garage is not the answer.

The squirrel mating season article goes through both breeding seasons and what each means for an attic.

What does squirrel removal involve?

1. Find the entry. The inspection covers the roofline, vents and chimney, and any tree close enough to the roof to jump from.
2. Get the squirrels out. How that is done is the operator’s job. Ask what method they will use and how they will confirm every squirrel has left.
3. Check for young before anything is sealed, above all around the fox squirrel birth peaks in mid-March and July.
4. Seal with metal. The National Park Service manual covers squirrel holes through siding with galvanized sheet metal, notes that squirrels can gnaw through aluminum, and calls for capped chimneys and screened vent pipes.
5. Trim the approach. The same manual, written for rodents, says to remove limbs that overhang the roof or come within six feet of it.

What sets the price of squirrel work is covered in the cost guide.

What should you ask a squirrel removal operator?

Ask which state permits cover the work, how they will get the squirrels out, and how they will make sure no young are left inside before the opening is sealed. If the noise comes only at night, ask how they will confirm the species; the National Park Service notes that one flying squirrel species has become a protected species in several states. For Michigan’s rules, see the DNR’s wildlife damage and nuisance control permits page and its squirrels page.

Is a squirrel in the attic dangerous?

To your health, not usually. The CDC lists squirrels among the animals that rarely spread rabies. Flying squirrels carry one rare risk: the CDC links occasional U.S. cases of sylvatic typhus to contact with flying squirrels and their nests, and advises avoiding that contact.

The bigger risk is to the house. The National Park Service rodent manual says gray squirrels in an attic may use the insulation as nesting material and chew on electrical wires. The cleanup and repair page covers what happens after the squirrels are out.

In Detroit, the city’s animal control says it is not licensed to receive wildlife unless the animal has bitten a person or a companion animal, so a squirrel in the attic is work for a private company; see Detroit’s wildlife rules.