Squirrels in attic - what actually works??

[Ghost Town]

Squirrels are also active on my roof around 8 to 9AM.
I am not sure if they get into the attic though.
Sometimes it's easy to confuse sounds whether they are coming from the roof or the attic.
I've seen them playing on the roof many times.
Few times I thought they were in the attic, but couldn't find any evidence.
They are very sneaky.
Great suggestion of a strobe light and live trap.
Need to try in a future.

[WRM20]

Originally Posted by Htown2013

Ok, so its OK to use rat poison in the attic? I put one outside near the foundation so I can see if it gets eaten. I'm pretty sure its either rats or squirrels. I heard the noise again today just before sunset, right near the gable vent. Of course when I go outside, no animal. I then made noise by opening and closing the attic ladder door several times. Havent hear the animal since today.

I'm thinking squirrel but not quite certain.

My big issue is not knowing if its up there before sealing off the gable vents. Does the Evictor light work to keep them out? If not, what will at least temporarily keep them out so I can seal up the entrance without them being there? Thinking things like scents, ultrasonic, strobes, something to have a good chance to repel it out of the attic. Any luck? Last thing I want to do is seal it in and have it cause real damage panicking and trying to get out.

The critter control quote was extremely expensive, and all they seem to be able to do beyond what I'm comfortable doing myself is actively trapping the squirrel and removing it from the premises if needed, assuming it happens to be in the attic at the time of the inspection.

We never had any issues using rat or squirrel poison in the attic. Once the exterminator put that out, we never had another issue. We also put out rat sized sticky traps for mice, and eliminated a mouse problem in teh garage.

[hendersj31]

Had squirrel(s) in our attic before and called a local pest guy. We knew where they would get in, like another poster they peeled the siding under a gable and gained entry. He suggested applying Bird B gone gel, or something similar near the entry point. The squirrels will get it in themselves and it is sticky. Apparently they hate sticky stuff and it will take them quite a bit of effort to clean themselves up. It's not harmful and will deter them from coming back. Worked for us in about a weeks time.

[Altuve]

Originally Posted by Robert20170

We had a squirrel in our attic, and I knew where he was getting in from. (It was a gable vent) I didn't want to just replace the gable vent, because I knew if he was still up there he'd just chew his way out and create another point of entry.

I got an EVICTOR strobe light (https://www.evictor.com/) and put it up in the attic in the area we heard him to try to flush him out first. We have large attic, and the strobe light did cause him to move his activities to the other side of the house, but it didn't flush him out entirely.

Determined, I used a live trap (Amazon: Live Squirrel Trap) to catch him and rehoused him a few miles from our house. I placed a rock smeared with peanut butter on the trigger plate, and it worked great.

I then replaced both of our gable vents, and we haven't had an issue since then which was more than a few months ago. The strobe lights can be effective (and I'm still using ours as a deterrent), but you'll need two if you need more coverage.

This is what happened to us. Had a family of squirrels, they got in through the gable vent. Paid a service (something like $1200) to come out and place live traps outside the house. Caught four squirrels. Then they blocked all the nooks and crannies where squirrels could get into the attic, including the gable vents, with these mesh wire pieces that they stapled on the house.

I wouldn't use poison. Had a buddy that did that and the rat died behind one of his walls, smelled terrible for over a month, and he had to tear out drywall to find it and get rid of the smell.

Also, if you do it yourself, I've been told that squirrels can find their way back if you let them loose too close to where you live, even a mile or more. The service I used drop them off about 10 miles from our house.

[oldhousegirl]

So frustrating ugh! If you have a regular 60 watt or so light fixture in your attic try simply leaving the light on. The squirrels are usually only active at night and are seeking a dark place to do whatever they do. That has actually worked.

And as far as the pest (family run exterminator company not one of the big chains that try to get you on a contract) folks. They will fill any known holes with a foam like spray gun thing and put baited traps out. The guy told me that whatever the poison is they use, it causes the pest to almost immediately dry out or something and if they -ugh- were to be in the house the chemical causes them to not smell. He also said the poison causes them to seek the light to escape out of the attic so there's that. The service cost about $130 bucks with a follow up visit included.

In another place we had the folks out that trap and do all the other things you mentioned that was about a $1200.00 quote which prompted the trial of leaving the light on that ultimately worked.

Much success to you!

[Rancho5]

Poison the bugger! Yes, they smell but not for very long. Have-a-hart traps are great but I've never relocated the victims. Put a pellet in the back of their head and throw it in the trash.


https://www.amazon.com/Eaton-704-PN-...s%2C373&sr=8-2

[mojo101]

The rat poison makes the rat thirsty and it will get out to find water,and it will usually die outdoor close to water source