Squirrel Removal in Lawrenceville, GA

Squirrels in your Lawrenceville home

The wooded strips that run behind so many Lawrenceville lots, along creeks, around ponds and between subdivisions, are full of oaks and other nut trees, and that means they're full of gray squirrels. A squirrel living in that band of trees doesn't see a property line. It sees the house next to the woods as one more tree, and once a limb reaches the roof, it will go looking for a soft spot: the louver of a gable vent, the corner where the soffit meets the fascia, or a gap the builder left where two roof sections meet.

Homeowners usually notice the sound first, a light, quick running in the ceiling in the early morning and late afternoon. The bigger issue is what the squirrel does while it's up there. It chews constantly, on wood, on vent screens and on the plastic coating of electrical wire, and it tears insulation apart to build a nest. Because Georgia winters are mild, a squirrel that gets in in the fall doesn't leave in spring. It stays until someone gets it out and closes the hole.

The house that backs onto the woods

On a dense Lawrenceville street, the houses that get squirrels first are the ones on the edge: the back row against a creek buffer, the lot beside a detention pond, the home at the end of the cul-de-sac where the trees start. Those houses are the shortest jump from the squirrels' home range. Trimming limbs back from the roof helps, but squirrels can climb brick, siding and downspouts too, so cutting trees alone won't keep them out. The roof itself has to be closed.

Babies change everything

Gray squirrels usually have young in spring and again in fall, and in Georgia the season can run long. A female will pick a warm attic for her nest. If a homeowner nails a board over her hole while she's out, she doesn't give up. She chews a brand-new entry right next to the old one to get back to her babies, and the damage gets worse. If she's shut inside instead, the babies may die where nobody can reach them. That's why a pro checks for a litter before closing anything.

Wiring, insulation and the roof

A squirrel's front teeth never stop growing, so it gnaws on whatever it finds. In an attic that includes electrical wiring, and wire with the coating chewed off is a fire risk. Squirrels also flatten and soil insulation, tear at roof vents and widen small gaps in siding and trim. None of that fixes itself. The sooner the animals are out and the holes are sealed, the less there is to repair.

Where squirrels get into Lawrenceville houses

On the typical two-story subdivision home here, the usual entries are the gable vents at each end of the attic, the soffit and fascia corners where roof lines meet, ridge vents, and the gaps around pipes and vents that come through the roof. Builders in Georgia often leave openings out of sight, behind a gutter or under a roof return. A good inspection covers the whole roofline, because sealing the obvious hole while missing a second one just moves the squirrels.

Flying squirrels from the creek woods

If the noise starts after dark and goes on through the night, you may have southern flying squirrels. They're small, live in groups and glide between trees, and the mature hardwoods along Lawrenceville's creeks suit them well. The removal is the same idea as for gray squirrels, but they fit through much smaller openings, so the pro looks for gaps a gray squirrel couldn't use.

How the pro gets them out

After the inspection, the pro fits a one-way door over the main entry and may set live traps, which are checked every day. Squirrels leave to feed and can't get back in. Once the attic is confirmed empty and no young are left behind, every opening is closed with metal: mesh, flashing, vent guards. Done right, that repair should last as long as the house. Ask for the warranty in writing.