The Truth About Squirrel Exclusion

Most homeowners want to peacefully coexist with the cute little squirrels that scamper and play in their yards. Even after one or more squirrels has chewed a hole into their home to take up occupancy, they still don’t want to do them harm. Naturally, one of the first things homeowners try is to deter them by way of squirrel exclusion. The term “squirrel exclusion” is just a fancy way of saying squirrel barricade or barrier. While it’s a noble gesture, we’d like to share the truth about squirrel exclusion and its pitfalls.

While you can certainly attempt a DIY squirrel exclusion solution, we don’t recommend it; especially if you own a two-story home. Most squirrel intrusions occur into an area rarely accessed by homeowners – the attic. That means that the most common points of entry where you’ll find squirrel damage is at the roof, gables, fascia, and/or soffits. These are the areas where your squirrel exclusion remedy needs to be installed.

Before branching out into squirrel removal in the Charlotte area, we’ve done home maintenance for over 30 years. From our experience, the average homeowner isn’t comfortable being up high on a ladder. And that’s exactly what you have to do in order to perform do it yourself squirrel exclusion!

Envision this scenario: You’ve mustered the courage and tenacity to climb the ladder one rung at a time. With each rung you ascend, the ground gets further and further away. And the higher you go, the higher the odds are that you’ll suffer a serious injury, or even death, if you fall. With a white-knuckle grip on the ladder, your knees become shaky…but still you press on.

You reach the area where you need to install a squirrel exclusion device, but now you have to figure out how to do that without hanging onto that ladder. And if that weren’t bad enough, an angry squirrel darts out of the hole to protect the territory where they’re squatting. Next thing you know, you’re on the ground with broken bones…if you’re fortunate enough to survive the fall. Please don’t risk life and limb to install a DIY squirrel exclusion solution!

The next source for help keeping squirrels out of your home is to reach out to a qualified professional. A professional has the ability to safely place a barrier, that acts as a squirrel exclusion measure, between the squirrel and the hole they have made. We are able to provide this service, but frankly, through years of experience, we feel like it’s a waste of your money.

Most professionals will attach metal flashing in front of the holes, or use a sturdy metal mesh. This may act as a stop-gap measure in the short term, but it won’t keep them out for long. Typically, what we find is that the little rascals manage to either pry it open or they create a new hole somewhere else on your home. Squirrels are very territorial and if they’ve made your attic their home, any squirrel exclusion tactics are destined to fail.

Additionally, these barriers may prevent re-entry at that location but it won’t keep water from leaching in. Even if it’s sealed with waterproof caulk, metal absorbs heat and heat is the enemy of caulk adhesion. It breaks down faster and if you live in the Charlotte NC area, you know how hot it gets in the summer! Before you know it, you’ve not only got a squirrel invasion issue, but you’ve also got a water penetration issue.

If you have evidence of squirrel chew on your home but they haven’t gained entry yet, you can try squirrel deterrents. We’ll be covering this remedy in a future article, but for now, suffice it to say that it’s intended to do just what it says – deter squirrels. Squirrel deterrents are a proactive remedy before squirrels have had a chance to actually chew a hole all the way through.

In contrast, squirrel exclusion devices are reactive measures. They’re an attempt to keep squirrels that have already invaded your home from being able to regain access. Another reactive measure to take is having the squirrels removed and humanely relocated. Once your squirrel infestation has been removed, you can then have the holes repaired and barring another infestation, your home will be protected from water intrusion.

If you need a professional that can help you gain control of your squirrel infestation, call us or drop us a line on our contact page.