Squirrel Removal in Norcross, GA

Squirrels in your Norcross home

Rats rule the commercial side of Norcross. Squirrels rule the residential side. The streets around the historic downtown and the older neighborhoods beyond it are shaded by tall, mature oaks and other hardwoods that have had decades to grow over the rooftops. Those limbs drop squirrels right onto the roof, where they find what older houses tend to have: original gable vents with flimsy screens, wood soffits that have softened, and fascia boards that have pulled away from the roof deck.

The noise is easy to recognize: light scratching and quick runs, mostly in the early morning and late afternoon. It's annoying, but the real problem is the teeth. Squirrel teeth never stop growing, so squirrels chew constantly, including on attic wiring, and in an older Norcross house that wiring may already be brittle. They also dig nests in insulation and chew on siding and roof edges. The fix is the same every time: get them out, make sure no babies are left behind, and seal the openings with metal.

Old trees, old rooflines

Norcross's older neighborhoods grew up under a canopy that newer subdivisions don't have. Big limbs hang over gutters and rooflines, and squirrels use them like a bridge. Trimming branches back helps, but it doesn't solve the problem on its own, because squirrels can also climb brick and downspouts. What matters is what they find when they reach the roof. On an older home that is usually a worn gable vent screen, a soft spot in the soffit, or a gap where an addition meets the original roof.

Townhomes and low-rise apartments

The older townhome and low-rise apartment buildings around Norcross add a twist. Where one attic runs over several units, a squirrel that gets in at one end can nest anywhere along the building. The neighbor hearing the noise may not be the one with the hole. A pro inspects the whole roofline and seals all of it, so the squirrels can't just switch to the next unit's side of the attic.

Don't seal the mother out

Squirrels usually have babies in spring and again in late summer or fall, though the timing varies from year to year. If a mother squirrel is shut out while her babies are still in the attic, she won't give up. She will chew a new hole to get back in, often doing more damage than the original entry. That's why a pro checks for a litter before installing anything. If there are babies, they're removed by hand or the exclusion waits until they're old enough to leave with her.

Wiring, insulation and the rest of the damage

Chewed wiring in an attic is a known cause of house fires, and it's the main reason not to let squirrels stay. In older Norcross houses, where wiring may already be aging, that risk is worth taking seriously. Squirrels also flatten and tunnel through insulation, chew on siding, fascia and roof edges, and stash nuts in wall cavities. After they're gone, the pro should show you any chewed wiring so you can have an electrician look at it.

Morning noise or night noise?

Gray squirrels are active in the early morning and late afternoon. If the noise starts after dark and goes all night, you're probably dealing with southern flying squirrels or roof rats, both common in Norcross. Flying squirrels are small, live in groups, and can squeeze through much smaller gaps than a gray squirrel. The job is basically the same, but the pro has to look for smaller entry points and seal them too.

One-way doors, then metal

The method is simple and humane. The pro finds every opening, puts a one-way door on the one the squirrels are using so they can leave but not return, and closes the others. Once the attic is confirmed empty, the one-way door comes off and that opening is sealed with steel mesh or sheet metal, not foam or wood that squirrels can chew through. Any soiled insulation around the nest is cleaned up. Done right, the repair should last the life of the house.