Squirrel Removal in Perry, GA

Squirrels in your Perry home

Perry is surrounded by pecan orchards, and plenty of yards in town have a big pecan tree or two of their own. For gray squirrels that is a dependable food supply, and a well-fed squirrel population needs places to raise young. The attic of an older Perry house — especially one with a louvered gable vent, a gap where the soffit meets the fascia, or a loose board at the roof edge — is about as good as it gets: dry, warm and close to the food.

Once in, squirrels chew. Their front teeth never stop growing, and wiring, insulation, siding and roof decking all get gnawed. Chewed wire in an attic can start a fire, which is why a squirrel problem is worth dealing with now rather than waiting for it to leave on its own (it won't — with mild Georgia winters, squirrels live in attics year-round). Here's how the problem plays out in Perry and what a licensed pro does about it.

Pecans, oaks and a lot of squirrels

The orchards on Perry's outskirts and the big nut trees in older yards produce food well into the cold months, and squirrels bury what they can't eat. More food means more squirrels survive and more females look for nest sites. That is why a home near an orchard or under a mature pecan can deal with squirrels again and again: as long as the neighborhood population stays high, an unsealed house keeps getting new tenants.

Reading the noise

Gray squirrels are active early in the morning and again in the late afternoon. What you hear is usually light scratching and quick runs across the ceiling, sometimes the sound of nuts being rolled. Noise that starts after dark and keeps going through the night points to something else — flying squirrels or roof rats. Telling the pro when you hear it helps them confirm the animal before any work starts, because each one uses different openings.

Where squirrels get into Perry houses

The most common entry is a gable vent — squirrels chew through or push past the screen behind the louvers. After that come construction gaps at the roofline: the corner where a lower roof meets a wall, the seam between soffit and fascia, and rotted trim on older downtown houses. Branches give them a shortcut, but cutting trees back won't keep them out on its own; squirrels climb brick and siding without trouble. Every opening has to be found and closed.

Why you never seal the mother out

Baby season here usually comes in spring and again in fall, though it can run long. If the mother is shut out while her young are still in the attic, she will chew back in somewhere new to reach them, often doing more damage than the original hole. If she can't get back, the young die in the attic and you have an odor problem. A pro checks for a nest before anything gets sealed.

Flying squirrels: smaller holes, night noise

Southern flying squirrels live throughout Georgia, including Perry. They are small, they come out after dark, and several may share one attic. The approach is the same as for grays, with one difference: they fit through much smaller gaps, so the inspection has to look more closely at the ridge, vents and trim.

How the pro gets them out for good

The pro puts one-way excluders over the active holes, so squirrels can leave but not return, and traps where needed — live traps have to be checked every day, which is part of the cost. Once the attic is confirmed empty and no young are inside, every gap is sealed with metal: hardware cloth behind gable vents, flashing or steel mesh at roofline gaps. Then the nesting material and droppings are cleaned out. If the trees around the house or a nearby barn hold more squirrels, the whole house still needs sealing, because removing squirrels without sealing just makes room for the next ones.