Squirrel Repellent (14 Tips for Squirrel Control & Deterrence)

humane squirrel trap

Everywhere you turn, you are dealing with a squirrels. Squirrels are getting into your bird feeders outside; squirrels are building nests in your attic and garage area; squirrels are sneaking into your fireplace; squirrels are even hanging out in your walls—a potentially dangerous situation if they chew an electrical wire, starting a house fire.

So, what do you do when you have a squirrel issue? Well, you figure out what squirrels are exactly, what they love eating most and where they love building their nest like homes. After, you choice methods to get rid of them, which you will soon learn about as you read this guide on getting rid of squirrels.

How well do squirrel deterrents work?

What are squirrels?

First, let us discuss what squirrels are. Squirrels are creatures belonging to the Sciuridae family, which consist of small to medium size rodents such as chipmunks, prairie dogs, and woodchucks. Squirrels love living in indigenous areas of the world, but you can mainly find them living in South American, North America, Africa and Europe. There are many different species of squirrels too. There are flying squirrels, ground squirrels, red squirrels, and tree squirrels. All have long bushy tails, a rat like face with small hand like paws to grab stuff as well as sharp fruit teeth for chewing away at wood and nuts.

What do squirrels eat?

Squirrels do not have the ability to digest cellulose, which means they avoid plants and mainly feast on protein rich foods, carbohydrates, and fats. This is why squirrels’ main diet consists of nuts, seeds, conifer cones, mushrooms, fruits, vegetables and small insects, eggs, and earthworms. Therefore, the next time you find squirrels feasting away at the bird feeder or snacking away in your gardens, you now know why. Seeds and vegetation are part of their main diet.

Where do squirrels love nesting and living?

Squirrels love nesting and living in areas that provide them with shelter, safety and warmth. This is why many squirrels tend to build homes in attics, within the walls of homes, and in spots high up within your garage or garden shed.

When squirrels are not making homes within your home, they build nests within trees and borrows inside a forest or woodland area, which is much safer than your home. If you suspect squirrels are living with your home or are hearing chewing sounds or running around in your attic, garage, or walls of your home, you should solve the situation before it gets out of hand. If you are simply trying to keep these squirrels out of your birdfeeders, there are effective methods for that too.

How do you keep squirrels out of your home?

The best ways to keep squirrels out of your home is to fill in any holes or cracks along the foundation or roofline of your home. Make sure windows are sealed up tightly and attics are free and clear of any entrance points for these creatures to get into.

Keep garage doors closed as much as possible when you are not in them working or running your cars and keep them clean. If a squirrel finds a hole into your home, they will use it to get in and build a nest wherever they deem safe and cozy. Thankfully, squirrels are not aggressive creatures, but they can wreck havoc, which can cause:

I want to keep squirrels out of my home.

  • House firers.
  • Interior wall damage.
  • Insulation to smell and decay within your walls from being urine soaked.
  • Electrical issues.
  • Pipe damage from chewing on plastic.
  • Structural damage to your home.
  • Dry wall damage.
  • Ceiling damage.
  • Foul smelling odors due to urine soaked ceilings, insulation or decaying squirrel that died while nesting.
How to keep squirrels out of your garden

What are some methods for repelling and riding squirrels away?

  • Live squirrel traps for indoor and outdoor purposes.
  • Keep lawns maintained and keep nuts, seeds, fruit and berries picked up.
  • Keep trashcans tightly closed up and stored away in sheds or garages.
  • Squirrel proof your bird feeders with guards.
  • Do not hang squirrel feeders on houses or on trees.
  • Place fences or netting around gardens to prevent them from feast on your produce or crops.
  • Spray squirrel entrances with squirrel repellent.
  • Keep them away from your home buy feeding squirrels within their own feeders several feet from your home such as along your property line.
  • Add a sensor sprinkler system to your lawn, which will spook them away.
  • Spray bobcat urine along your property line to keep them away.
  • Keep attic spaces and garages clean and dry.
  • Cut down trees and limbs touching the roof of your home.
  • Place guards over chimneys squirrels can easily crawl down into.
  • Spray squirrel repellent along the foundation of the house or wherever squirrels are entering.
  • Call animal control or an exterminator for serious squirrel invasions.

Remove squirrels from your house with professional help.

Other ways for keeping squirrels away

Bottom Line for Squirrel Removal

Even though squirrels are friendly woodland creatures that run around happily collecting their nuts, you still don’t want them invading your birdfeeders or homes. The damage they can do to homes is sufficient enough to warrant getting rid of them from your living space as soon as you notice them.

For one, you don’t want squirrels having babies in your fireplace, attic, or walls, for example. Additionally, keep in mind that squirrel feces can contain diseases that can cause humans to get extremely ill, which is enough reason alone to deal with squirrel infestations immediately. 

However, you may need to be patient and try several methods before you find one that works well. If none work well for you, contact a squirrel professional and have them rid the problem for you before it worsens. After all, your home is meant to be safe and squirrel free, unless you have a pet squirrel, which some people do nowadays.

Published
Categorized as Squirrels

By David Jackson

I enjoy learning about new pest control strategies and sharing what I learn at NeverPest.com. I aim to create a reliable resource for people dealing with all sorts of pest issues.

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