Squirrel Removal in Duluth, GA

Squirrels in your Duluth home

The oaks and hickories over Duluth's neighborhoods drop a lot of acorns and nuts, and that feeds a large gray squirrel population right above the houses. A squirrel that lives in those trees doesn't need to come down to reach a roof. It can run out a limb and drop onto the shingles. What it does next depends on the house. On older homes near downtown, it looks for fascia and soffit that have softened with age and chews through. On a newer subdivision house or townhome, it finds a construction gap, usually where a lower roof meets a second-story wall, and squeezes in without chewing at all.

Squirrels are worth dealing with quickly because of what they chew. Their front teeth never stop growing, so they gnaw on things constantly, including wiring, which can start a fire. They also tear up insulation for nests and damage siding and roof edges as they enlarge an opening. The goal on a Duluth home is to get the squirrels out humanely and then close every gap with metal so the next squirrel from the same trees can't get in.

Older homes vs. newer builds: where squirrels get in

Duluth has a little of everything, and squirrels use each type of house differently. On older homes, decades of weather soften the wood at the eaves and corners, and a squirrel can chew through a soft fascia board or soffit corner in a short time. Gable vents with thin or loose louvers are another common way in. On newer homes and townhomes, the gap is usually already there when the house is finished: a small opening where a roof plane meets a wall, at a dormer, or behind gutter ends. Builders often leave these spots out of sight. A pro checks the parts of the roof that match the age of the house first.

Why sealing the mother out makes things worse

The most expensive mistake with squirrels is closing up a hole while a mother has babies inside. She won't give up. She will chew a new hole to get back to them, often right beside the patch, and the house ends up with more damage than it started with. If she can't get back in, the babies die in the attic and you have a smell problem. Litters usually come in spring and again in late summer or fall, but the timing varies from year to year, so a pro checks for young before sealing anything, no matter what month it is.

Wiring, insulation and the cost of waiting

A squirrel in the attic gnaws on whatever it finds, and plastic wire insulation is one of the most common targets. Chewed wiring in an attic is a known fire risk, and that's the main reason not to wait. Squirrels also flatten and soil insulation, store nuts in corners, and slowly widen their entry hole. Getting them out early means a smaller repair and less to clean up. One honest note: if the insulation is only slightly disturbed, it usually doesn't all need to be replaced. Ask the pro to show you the damage before agreeing to a full replacement.

Trimming helps, but it isn't the fix

It makes sense to cut back limbs that hang over the roof. Doing that removes the easiest path onto the house. But on a wooded Duluth lot you can't move every tree, and squirrels can climb brick, siding, downspouts and utility lines anyway. Trimming slows them down. Only sealing the openings stops them. Think of it as two separate jobs: trimming lowers how often squirrels test the roof, and sealing makes sure they can't get in when they do.

Daytime noise or nighttime noise?

Gray squirrels are active in the morning and late afternoon, so that's when you'll hear running and light scratching overhead. If the noise starts after dark and continues through the night, it's more likely southern flying squirrels, which do live in the mature woods around Duluth, or roof rats. Flying squirrels are small and can fit through tighter gaps, and several can share one attic. The removal process is the same, but the pro has to look for smaller openings, so it's important to know which one you have.

How the job is done

The pro inspects the whole house, not only the hole you noticed. Then they put a one-way door over the active entry point so squirrels can leave to feed but can't get back in, and they use traps where that works better. Live traps have to be checked every day. Once the attic is confirmed empty and there are no babies left, every opening is sealed with steel mesh and metal flashing, materials squirrels can't chew through. A good seal should last as long as the house. Ask whether the work comes with a written warranty.