Squirrel Removal in Adairsville, GA

Squirrels in your Adairsville home

Squirrels are a woodlot animal, and Adairsville has woodlots on every side: hardwood patches between pastures, oak and hickory along fence rows, and big old trees that were left standing when the newer subdivisions were cut out of farmland. A squirrel can get from any of them to a roof without touching the ground. Once it's up there, it looks for the easiest way in. On an older home in or near the historic downtown, that's usually a rotted soffit corner or a gable vent whose screen has rusted through. On a newer house, it's often the construction gap where two roof sections meet and the builder left an opening behind the trim.

The noise is annoying, but the damage is the real concern. Squirrels have to gnaw to keep their teeth worn down, and in an attic that means chewing on wiring, ductwork, insulation, siding and the roof deck. Because our winters are mild, a squirrel that moves in during fall may stay through spring and raise young there. Getting rid of the squirrel is only half the job. The other half is sealing every opening with metal so the next one from the woodlot can't follow the same path in.

Farmhouse, downtown or subdivision: where the hole is

Where a squirrel gets in depends on what kind of house you have. Old farmhouses out in the county often have attic gable vents with loose louvers, and porch roofs tied into the main roof at an awkward joint. Older homes near downtown tend to have soft fascia boards and chimney chases where the flashing has pulled loose. Newer homes on former pasture usually have the gap built in from day one, at a roof return, a dormer or a corner where the drip edge never quite met. A good inspection checks all of these, because a squirrel will chew a small gap into a big one within a few days.

Babies change the order of the job

Gray squirrels raise young mainly in spring and again in late summer to fall, though that timing varies from year to year. If a mother is sealed out while her babies are still in the insulation, she won't leave. She'll chew a new hole straight through the roof or siding to get back to them, and that does more damage than the original entry. That's why a pro confirms whether there are young before closing anything, and waits or removes them by hand if there are. If she has to find another spot, that ends up being a barn or a hollow tree, not your attic.

What they chew up there

Our crew finds the same squirrel damage again and again: wiring, insulation, siding and roofing. Chewed wiring is the most serious because bare conductors in an attic can start a fire, and many older Adairsville homes have wiring that's already been in place for decades. Squirrels also pack insulation into nests and leave urine and droppings in it. A pro looks at the condition of the insulation, but replacing all of it is often recommended when it isn't actually necessary. Ask what really needs to come out and why.

Trimming trees helps, but doesn't solve it

Cutting back limbs that hang over or touch the roof is worth doing, especially on homesteads where a big yard oak is shading the house. But squirrels and rats can also climb brick, siding, downspouts and utility lines, so trimming trees alone won't keep them out. Do the trimming together with sealing, not in place of it. Also check the barn and the shed. A squirrel living in an outbuilding rafter is only a short trip from your house.

If the noise starts after dark

Gray squirrels are active early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Scampering that starts after sundown and continues through the night usually means southern flying squirrels, a small native that lives in hardwood woodlots, or rats. Flying squirrels often share an attic in groups, and they can get through holes much smaller than a gray squirrel needs. The method for removing them is the same, but the inspection has to look for smaller openings, so the pro needs to know which kind you have before sealing.

How the job is done

The pro goes over the whole roofline, the gables and the foundation to find every opening, active or not. Squirrels are removed with live traps checked daily, one-way excluders that let them out but not back in, or both. After the attic is confirmed empty and any babies are accounted for, each opening is closed with metal flashing, steel mesh or hardware cloth, not foam or wood that a squirrel can chew through in an afternoon. Done properly, that repair should last for the life of the house. Ask what warranty comes with it and get it in writing.