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I'm not sure if this is the best forum but I'm hoping to hear at least from like-minded people on a possible solution.
I have a particular squirrel that I recognize because of markings that are unique to him - he's been eating peanuts I put out for at least 2 years now. He'd injured himself at the end of the year so I've been keeping a closer eye on him to see how he's doing.
He's recovered well (from a limp) but I noticed after eating he's always going up in one of my trees and from there to my roof....and disappearing. From the ground I can now see he is disappearing into an apparent hole in my roof! From the inside of that room I don't see any water damage yet - but I haven't investigated in the crawl space of the attic to see what it looks like.
It may be crazy but I really don't want to do any harm to this squirrel even though I know I have to fix the roof. What is the best way to live-capture this squirrel and attempt to relocate him to a squirrel house I can put up in a nearby tree? I guess I can't make him move to the tree but can I get him out of the attic without hurting him?
Throw all his clothes and furniture out on the front lawn while he's away at work and plug up the hole & change the lock--just like you'd do if he was the boy friend you wanted to finally get rid of?
Throw all his clothes and furniture out on the front lawn while he's away at work and plug up the hole & change the lock--just like you'd do if he was the boy friend you wanted to finally get rid of?
Ohhhhhh - but this guy is super cute! I admit he's real bum with no job or any visible means of support - also, he only leaves to eat dinner at my place so it'll be difficult to "lock him out".
Research the best time of year to trap in case there could be babies involved, you don't want babies trapped inside and mom trapped outside.
Be ready to block his way into your home immediately after you get him trapped.
For instance, if the hole in the roof can be covered with a board with a cement block on top of it, have the board and block ready to put in place so you can let him out of the trap as quickly as possible.
A proper repair to the hole can be done a few hours or a few days later.
Trim back your tree branches to make access to the roof harder or impossible.
You think like I do so I don't think you are crazy.
Put a live trap in the attic. Check it regularly. Then drive the little guy at least 8-10 miles away and set free. If you live rural, you have to put that much space between you as he had a good food supply there and will try to make his way back. If you release him near your home he will move right back in. He'll make a new hole.
We've dealt with this on and off for yrs. You def don't want a female up there having babies. You'll def have wet spots coming thru the ceiling if that happens.
Thanks for the detailed advice. Luckily, I know this squirrel is a male so there shouldn't be any babies around to further complicate things.
One of my problems is that I don't know that I can navigate the attic space myself so I'll probably have to get my handyman to take at least an initial look around. He could likely set up the live trap but it'd be tough to monitor and get him back quickly to temporarily block the hole and then set the li'l guy loose. But I can at least see what he says - maybe I'll go up in the attic with him to assess.
Thanks for the detailed advice. Luckily, I know this squirrel is a male so there shouldn't be any babies around to further complicate things.
One of my problems is that I don't know that I can navigate the attic space myself so I'll probably have to get my handyman to take at least an initial look around. He could likely set up the live trap but it'd be tough to monitor and get him back quickly to temporarily block the hole and then set the li'l guy loose. But I can at least see what he says - maybe I'll go up in the attic with him to assess.
OK....here is another way to get him out and keep him out.
A neighbor of mine used this to get rats out of his garage after he nearly poisoned one of his dogs after trying poison.
I spent hours one night researching for him until I found this unit. One of the things that sold me on this unit was a youtube made by a gardener trying to keep squirrels out of his greenhouse.
It worked like a charm.....the rats left and never came back. That was in 2017.
It worked so well I bought a unit for myself in case I ever need one......just because all too often good products seem to get discontinued.
Your handyman can figure out a way to set this up in your attic, turn it on and then make an appointment to come back in a few days to repair the hole. Maybe leave a couple peanuts up there and if they are still there when you check in a couple of days you will know your little guy no longer likes your attic because you ruined the ambience he had come to love. LOL
Pest control companies will set a couple live traps for you, check them daily and take the squirrel away and release for you if you don't want to do it yourself.
I'm not sure if this is the best forum but I'm hoping to hear at least from like-minded people on a possible solution.
I have a particular squirrel that I recognize because of markings that are unique to him - he's been eating peanuts I put out for at least 2 years now. He'd injured himself at the end of the year so I've been keeping a closer eye on him to see how he's doing.
He's recovered well (from a limp) but I noticed after eating he's always going up in one of my trees and from there to my roof....and disappearing. From the ground I can now see he is disappearing into an apparent hole in my roof! From the inside of that room I don't see any water damage yet - but I haven't investigated in the crawl space of the attic to see what it looks like.
It may be crazy but I really don't want to do any harm to this squirrel even though I know I have to fix the roof. What is the best way to live-capture this squirrel and attempt to relocate him to a squirrel house I can put up in a nearby tree? I guess I can't make him move to the tree but can I get him out of the attic without hurting him?
My brother has a problem with possums. He's in a mid-sized city with lots of trees. He sets out "kindness" traps regularly and catches them. He then takes and releases them in a woodsy area near a big park about 8 miles away. He is careful to make sure it's a male or if female, not the baby season (so no babies will be left abandoned).
Critters like possums, raccoons, and squirrels can do some serious damage to your ductwork and flashing in and around the attic. The possums had destroyed my brother's ductwork. It cost him thousands to have it replaced. That's when he realized he had a possum problem.
Do you have nearby woodsy areas? If you put the squirrel in a nearby tree, he'll just return to your roof or someone else's roof. You have to take him a few miles away and to a woodsy area.
Those kindness traps are carried by a lot of stores. Check WalMart, Home Depot, etc. You put some tasty food in there, set the door, and it closes when the animal trips it when he enters. He'll be scared out of his wits, but fine physically.
Also, there should not be a hole in your roof that critters can get into. Is it some flashing pulled up? A critter had pulled up some of my flashing once. Just had a guy get up there and push it back down. No permanent damage done. I don't know how the possums into my brother's attic. He never figured that out.
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I admit he's real bum with no job or any visible means of support - also, he only leaves to eat dinner at my place so it'll be difficult to "lock him out". 
That was in 2017.
