Tag Archives: squirrel control

Squirrel Removal

squirrels in the roof

My mom says I have a “heightened sense of curiosity,” so it didn’t surprise her when I stuck around to watch the squirrel removal from our chimney.  Plus, the guy who came to get the squirrel out of the chimney was kind of cute.  I didn’t tell Mom that was one of the reasons I pulled out the camera and recorded the whole thing.

Dad had come up with this great idea last weekend to light a fire in our fireplace and roast marshmallows and eat s’mores while playing board games.  I thought it was a pretty cool idea, even if it meant hanging out with my mom and dad all evening.  I had planned on going over to my friend’s house that night to work on our science project on bugs and then chat online with a boy from my class.  Dad found out about that last part, and since he feels a twelve year old girl shouldn’t be “online unsupervised,” I couldn’t go to my friend’s house that night.  To make me feel better, he suggested we play games and roast marshmallows.  I stayed sullen long enough for him to know that I was really unhappy about not getting to go to my friend’s house, but I actually was looking forward to that night with mom and dad.

Unfortunately, as Dad set up the fireplace, he realized we had a squirrel living in the chimney.  No fire, no marshmallows, just a squirrel.  He quickly closed up the fireplace so the squirrel wouldn’t come running out in the middle of the night, and we popped popcorn instead.

The next day, the guy came to remove the squirrel from the chimney.  He was gorgeous!  He acted like he didn’t even notice me, but he told my Mom it was okay for me to video the squirrel being removed, so I got to stay in the room and watch the whole thing.  Mom told me I had to get out of the room if the squirrel got free, though, so I wouldn’t get bitten.  I agreed and pulled out my phone and turned on the camera.

The guy didn’t even hesitate.  He pulled on thick gloves, pulled the hood on his sweatshirt up over his ball cap, and climbed right inside the fireplace with nothing but a flashlight.  He looked around for a little bit, then reached up, and pulled the squirrel out.  At first, I couldn’t figure out what the squirrel was doing, but then I realized it was biting this guy’s finger, holding onto his hand with both paws.  The guy didn’t even seem to mind.  I guess the gloves were thick enough and he was probably used to removing squirrels out of chimneys.  Still, it looked freaky to me, seeing the squirrel gnawing at the end of his finger.

He got the squirrel in a trap, and then looked around the chimney some more.  He said he was looking for squirrel babies, but he didn’t see any.  Then, he was gone.  Removing the squirrel from the chimney didn’t take any longer than about ten minutes, but it was enough to get some good video.  I’m gonna send it to my friend tonight so she can see just how good looking squirrel removal can be!

Squirrel Control

squirrels in the roof

Whoever thought fermented pumpkins were a good idea for squirrel control was perhaps partaking from some of their own fermented drink.  As a squirrel, I guess I’m a bit of a lightweight, because it didn’t take me long to get completely and totally drunk from those pumpkins rotting on the vine.

Squirrel
Squirrel chewing on nuts.
(Artwork by Sharon Davis. Contact us for her contact info.)

I have several squirrel nests around this area, including one in a backyard tree and (shhhhh, don’t tell anyone) a squirrel nest in their attic.  So far, they haven’t discovered the one in the attic.  I manage to sneak in and out of there without waking anyone up, because it’s really early in the morning when I leave, and they never check that attic space.  I adore that nesting material they so thoughtfully laid down along the whole floor.  It’s insulating, it’s soft and I personally don’t mind the smell of my, ahem, droppings and urine.  And the wood up there is just perfect for keeping my teeth filed down to the exact length I want.

These people have made no efforts at squirrel control the whole time I’ve been here, even though one of their trees is now dying because I got a little too excited chewing twigs off of it and it got diseased.  No, in fact, these people even come out onto their back porch with handfuls of birdseed and other delicious nuts and treats, and laugh and laugh as they throw it out for me to stuff into my cheeks.  I’m very careful to stow that food away in my other nests while they’re watching, although I have a nice little cache of food in their attic they’ll never know about until it’s too late.  They’ll worry about squirrel control then, but not now.

I thought they were very kind, leaving a few pumpkins out on the vine for me.  I’ve gnawed a little on the hard skin, but I was really waiting until the pumpkins rotted a little bit.  They smelled so good, and I could just imagine the gooey, squishy insides and how it would taste.  I had no idea it would ferment and cause me to do accidental backflips as I struggled to maintain the gigantic tree trunk in my sights and climb up to my nest.  All I want to do now is curl up and sleep this off, but I can’t even get two inches off the ground.  This tree just keeps spinning.  And the people just keep laughing and taking pictures.  Is this their idea of squirrel control?  Once I can finally get my dizzy head resting safe in my nest, I may just have to plot my revenge.

Maybe I’ll chew through some wires in the attic, or perhaps I’ll invite that family of mice to share my space up there.  These people will think twice before using fermented pumpkins as squirrel control in the future!

Squirrel Control

get rid of squirrels

I watched, horrified, as the guy who was the squirrel control expert, pulled the cover off of our ceiling fan.

Over the last few weeks, I’d noticed an odd smell in the house, and I just couldn’t locate the source no matter how often I went through the house sniffing and seeking.  The fan was behind a vent-like cover that pulled warm air up and out of the ceiling and out of the house.  Then, the fleas came.

Now, I keep a very clean home.  As my children grew up, they always complained about my strict rules, making them clean up their rooms, pick up toys, and help me keep the house nice and tidy.  I wasn’t over the top about it, but it was important to me, and it kept my children as healthy as children can be.  Sure, they complained about it while growing up, but I have noticed that each and every one of them, with the exception of my youngest, keeps a neat and orderly home.  My youngest rebelled a bit, and doesn’t care as much about clutter in her home, but she’s a happy and successful woman, so I try not to worry too much about it when I go to visit.

So, you can imagine how horrified I was to have first a mysterious smell, and then fleas.  Fleas!  In my home!  That just wouldn’t do at all.  First, I had an insect control company come out to fumigate, but the gentleman who came suggested that I might look for the root of the problem first, before they got rid of the fleas.  So, I called the animal control company he suggested, and my squirrel control expert arrived.  He had listened to my explanations over the phone, and was certain that there was some wild animal in my ceiling, and I would most likely need squirrel control services, given the time of year and the location of my home.

I honestly didn’t care about the time of year or the number of trees surrounding my home.  I just wanted whatever it was gone.  Out of my house.  Then, I could get rid of the fleas and go back to having a beautifully clean home.

So, when he pulled back the vent covering the ceiling fan, I could not believe the amount of nesting materials that fell down around his ears.  I was horrified and fascinated all at the same time.  He had been right.  Squirrel control was needed, because it was a nest of baby squirrels.  Mama squirrel was running around up there somewhere still, probably mad as heck.  He got rid of the squirrel nest, being careful with the babies, and used his squirrel control expertise to trap mama squirrel.  Once that was done, I got the fumigators out to my house, got rid of the fleas, and then went in and sterilized my entire home, hoping I’d never have to deal with squirrel control again.

Squirrel Trap

Building a squirrel trap? Ah, teenagers in summer.  They have eager minds looking for new ways to explore the world around them, to enrich their communities, and they love to fill the hours by helping around the house.  At least, that’s what we’d like to think a group of teenagers on the East coast were thinking when they decided to build a squirrel trap out of nothing more than a rock in their backyard.  Most likely, they were bored.

Their squirrel trap was simple to build – pry up a rock from the stone walkway in the backyard, dig a shallow hole underneath, prop up the rock and tie a string to the props.  Place a nut underneath and wait.

It wasn’t long before a greedy squirrel bounded up and stopped, sniffing the surrounding area.  Was this too good to be true, a nut just sitting there for the taking?!  The group of teenagers held their breath, waiting to see if this could possibly work.  Cautiously, the squirrel circles the nut, keeping most of its body free and clear of the overhanging rock, ready to run at a moment’s notice.  What was that noise?!  It leaps to the side, ears pricked, tail twitching, ready to run to safety.  Waiting, watching, the nut is still sitting there looking oh, so very good.  The squirrel must make sure it’s safe, but that free and easily obtainable food is . . . just . . . sitting there.  Whiskers quivering, it tries to overcome the temptation, but in the end, must succumb.  One more cautious circling of the precious treat, and he creeps ever so carefully into the shallow pit.

As soon as his tail clears the rock, SNAP!  The teenagers laugh and whoop!  They can’t believe it actually worked!  Everyone runs to get a better view, noisily clamoring down the stairs, slamming open the door and running outside, jostling each other.  Now what?

Creeping up to the rock, one brave teenage boy grabs a small length of twine, winds the ends around his hands, and carefully eases the twine under the squirrel trap. His friends are literally giggling with delight.  The moment he lifts an end of the rock, the squirrel leaps into air and runs to safety, a fuzzy brown blur.  The group’s giggles turn into raucous laughter.  “No way!”  “I didn’t even see it, where’d it go?”  “It’s like a squirrel ninja!”

Were they trying to learn more about the natural world?  Were they just trying to rid the neighborhood and home of a pest?  Or, were they very simply, bored and wanted to see if they could trap a squirrel?  Their parents have to wonder what they will think of next, and can only hope they won’t hurt themselves or get into any trouble.

Get Rid of Squirrels

get rid of squirrels 
           Times are tough enough without me having to get rid of squirrels from our attic.  My company made me cut back on my hours so that I’m home more and make less, but hey, at least I still have a job, you know?  So, I’m home, and I’m working on the computer looking for some extra work to fill in the gaps, when I hear this noise overhead, coming from the attic. 

            I try to ignore it for a while and make a couple of phone calls.  But, after a while, the rustling, the running, the pitter-pat just drives me crazy.  I stand on my chair and pound on the wall.  It’s quiet for maybe ten seconds, but then starts up again.  I bring in my dog who barks at the ceiling, but the squirrels don’t even care.

            Finally, I crawl on up there, and wouldn’t you know it?  There’s squirrel mess everywhere.  They’ve even gnawed up some of the wood up there, and left a scattering of their droppings.  It could be worse, I guess, it could be something really filthy like mice or something, but squirrels are bad enough. 

            I go outside to see where the squirrels are getting in, and finally find a couple of holes right up under the eaves.  That’s gotta be it.  So, I make a trip to the hardware store, figuring I’ll just plug up the holes, clean up the mess, and that’ll be that.  Good thing I got to talking to the guy there.  He told me I could plug up the holes, but if the squirrels had babies in there, I’d just get a worse problem.  If I make it so mama squirrel can’t get back in to her babies after a long day of foraging for food, she’d do anything to get in there.  She’ll tear through the stucco and wood and make an even worse mess for me to repair. 

            So now what?  I’ve got to wait for the babies to grow up and leave the nest?  How long would that take, and why should I have to deal with listening to the annoying rustling sounds above my head, knowing some wild creature and her babies are up there?  Plus, we store stuff up there, and I don’t want them rummaging around in my stuff.  No, it’s time to get rid of squirrels and now!

            I consider myself a do-it-yourself kind of guy, but this was all kind of new to me.  What do I do?  Poison?  Set a trap?  What’s legal and what’s not?  I have no idea.  It’s not like they teach you this kind of thing in high school shop class.  It’s just not worth the hassle, I think.  It’s definitely time to call a professional.  Once they get rid of the squirrels, I can plug up those holes and that’ll be that.  Maybe I can learn how to do it right, and find a job with the pest control service?  Who knows, these squirrels might be a blessing in disguise.

Squirrels in the roof

squirrels in the roof
I walk by the front of my home. It’s clear, sunny, warm even, for the middle of winter. I carry groceries and my purse and am looking forward to leaving the cold air outside.

When I pass under the overhang of my covered porch, a curious noise chirps from above. At first I thought it could be a bird, a pack of birds maybe, but it was winter; don’t birds fly away in winter? I move closer to the noise.    The roof covering my porch has more than a few holes in it. I’ve tried to tell my husband to fix them, cover them, but he never does. Someday it will fall apart. Fall down. Hit someone over the head—hopefully my husband. Until then I have to put up with the holes, the various state of disrepair, and wait for it to collapse.   

It’s not a pack of birds chirping. It’s not even one bird chirping. I think it’s squirrel in the roof. And it sounds upset. I place my groceries down and try to get a better look. It is a squirrel. It found a nice place to live, on the side of my roof, away from the elements.

I wonder how long it’s been there? Months? Years? Does it have babies? A squirrel mate? Either way it’s chewed a hole and set up shop above my porch.    For some reason its become quiet outside. Very quiet. Usually cars drive by or someone closes a door, but right now, beneath a cloudless blue sky, the crisp chirp and rattle of a squirrel echoes through my neighborhood.

I move closer to the gnawed hole. The squirrel must have seen me move close because it poked its head out of the opening. It’s really upset now. I can see its teeth and small black eyes and I wouldn’t be surprised if it jumped out and attacked me. That’s what I would do if I was the squirrel. I would yell and scream and threaten anyone that comes near me. I would poke my head out of my home, show my teeth, and grin. If that didn’t scare off an intruder, I would jump down, fly out, and attack an intruder.

Maybe the squirrel has babies inside of the hole. Maybe the squirrel has other homes that have been taken, uprooted, destroyed by a predator, an intruder. For that reason I would protect what’s mine, and chirp until my voice was gone.    But I’m not the squirrel. I’m the intruder. I have a home. I have groceries. Maybe I’ll leave the squirrel alone, and let the roof fall down, and not tell my husband about the squirrels in the roof.