Squirrel Removal

At First Choice Wildlife Services, we specialize in humanely removing squirrel pests humanely and permanently. We serve a wide range of Colorado cities, including Fort Collins, Greeley, Boulder, Loveland, and Denver. Our highly experienced staff will remove the animal, take steps to prevent future issues, and check for existing damage to your home or business.

Squirrel Problems

Squirrels are experts at getting to hard-to-reach places – which makes them difficult to handle. The most common issue with squirrels is an infestation in your attic or chimney. Attics provide a safe place for squirrels to nest and closely mimic their natural habitat in the wild. 

Once inside your home, a squirrel will cause a lot of damage. Squirrels, like most rodents, love to chew – and that often results in damage to your home. They will chew on woodwork, insulation, and even electrical wire; the latter can pose a significant fire hazard if left unchecked.  

Squirrels can chew through wood, electrical wires, and utility lines in your home causing countless headaches. First Choice Wildlife Services will humanely removes squirrels from your home, disinfect contaminated areas, and repair any damage done.

Squirrels can also cause potential health risks. They leave disease-causing urine and feces in your attic and can transmit diseases such as leptospirosis, lyme, rabies, salmonellosis, and tularemia.

Not to scare you too much but squirrels carry diseases, parasites, and bacteria including: 

Removing Squirrels

Squirrels are rodents and include various members of the family Sciuridae. Even across the United States, there is a huge variety of squirrels – including tree squirrels, ground squirrels, marmots, and chipmunks. In Colorado alone, there are at least 10 different species of squirrel (excluding prairie dogs and chipmunks) that have been observed in the wild.  

While ground squirrels can be a nuisance (especially to ranchers), the most common problems in Fort Collins are from tree squirrels moving into attics and wreaking havoc on homes and businesses. Given their natural dexterity and large population, dealing with a squirrel infestation can be difficult – but certainly not impossible. 

If squirrels have already found your Fort Collins house and made a home there, then it is time to look into your option for getting them removed professionally. Removing squirrels might seem easy because of their small size and relative cuteness, but they are surprising tenacious and removal often requires specialized equipment.  

A professional wildlife service will start by identifying entry points into your attic, then they will work to trap the squirrels with one-way doors, repeater traps, and exclusion funnels. Once the existing squirrels have been removed, access points will be sealed and any existing damage will be evaluated – included damaged electrical wires.  


Squirrel Prevention

Keeping squirrels off your home and property is an impossible task. Their famous climbing ability lets them reach places that few other animals are able to and there are no effective squirrel repellents available on the market. However, there are ways to reduce the likelihood of a squirrel invasion of your Fort Collins home: 

Squirrels primarily eat nuts and seeds. This means that bird feeders are a huge attraction to squirrels – either remove bird feeders or invest in squirrel-proof products. Also, keep fallen fruit, seeds, and nuts cleaned from your property. 

If squirrels are getting into your attic, you can stop their access with hardware cloth or another barrier that will prevent chewing. Just make sure you aren’t trapping any squirrels inside your home. They can die and cause additional problems if not handled properly.  

Squirrels are great climbers and by removing any trees or branches that are within 8-10 feet you can make it more difficult for the squirrels to reach your roof. Although they will still be able to climb downspouts, fences, and other features of your house.

Call First Choice Wildlife Services

Because of the challenging and time-consuming nature of squirrel removal, we recommend calling a professional to sort the problem out for you. If you need help dealing with a squirrel or other wildlife, call us!

We here at First Choice Wildlife Services have over eleven years of experience solving squirrel problems and can guarantee excellent service. We service the areas of Boulder, Denver, Fort Collins, Greeley, Loveland, and many other areas in Colorado.

Give us a call at 970-460-4044 to schedule our services!

squirrel removal

What Attracts Squirrels to My Property?

One of the most common nuisance animals, squirrels are everywhere. Urban, rural, it doesn’t matter. There are likely squirrels near you, and for many families, they’ll make their way near to or even within your property. To learn more about how to keep them away visit howtokeepsquirrelsaway.com. For most people, squirrels just mess around within your property, stealing plants, nuts, or a bit more, although, for some, they make their way indoors and can be damaging. It can be a bit confusing to see squirrels returning time and time again, so let’s look at a few things that may be attracting squirrels to your property.

Food

As with any animals, if squirrels find easy food sources, they’ll make their way to them. The major reason why you’ll find a squirrel on your property and not a bear (for most people), is because their diets are incredibly wide. Squirrels eat nuts, bird seeds, insects, fungus, fruit, vegetables, plants, and much more. While a garden may come to mind first, the plants in a garden are just one type of food that squirrels may be attracted to.

Even the random plants spread across your yard can attract squirrels. That’s completely ignoring the potential from poorly sealed trash cans or food scraps. Squirrels don’t have a terrible sense of smell, so they’ll quickly find and move towards food sources, nearly the moment they find them. Alongside that, squirrels can potentially move indoors if they realize you have food as well. Then, they’d return for not only this reason but also for:

Shelter

Squirrels aren’t particularly picky. They’ll gladly live outside if they’re close to a food source, although that also applies to being indoors. If squirrels find out that you or your property have food readily available, they’ll move in closer to make it easier to eat. While that oftentimes means they’ll move onto your property, there’s also the chance that they’ll move their way indoors. After all, they’ll be closer to a greater source of food, and also shelter.

The winter is harsh to squirrels, thanks in part to the fact that they don’t have much resistance to the cold. Moving indoors or onto your property means they’ll be closer to food, safe from the elements, and can potentially hide from predators. Yet again, squirrels are pretty vulnerable, meaning that both the cold and predators can push them closer to people. As they’re social animals, they won’t be too opposed to the idea.

Small Areas

According to some experts, squirrels can fit into spaces nearly an inch in diameter. While many people want to move away from small spaces, squirrels find them perfect. These critters will actually seek out small spaces, both in hopes of finding smaller meals that they’ll be able to eat, but also because they’re generally well suited against the elements. This doesn’t just apply to indoors though. Large rocks and holes in your backyard or around your property can attract squirrels, which will gladly move into the small spaces.

Keeping Squirrels Away

While it’s pretty easy to find a squirrel lurking on your property, it’s much harder to get rid of them. These social animals stick together in groups, meaning that they won’t be easily intimidated. That’s on top of these animals’ ability to spread diseases, injure people, and be general nuisances. 

If you don’t want to deal with squirrels, then call First Choice Wildlife Services. We’re licensed to take care of nuisance wildlife in and by the state of Colorado, and we’ll gladly take care of your squirrel issue. Our team has the knowledge and the tools to not only remove any nuisance wildlife, but to also prevent them from coming back. We’ll work to get rid of any attractors across your property and install methods to keep squirrels away. FC is only a call away, so don’t be afraid to contact our team of experts for any help!

squirrel removal

How to Remove Squirrels from Attic 

As winter approaches, several nuisance species seek shelter in human settlements. Squirrels are no exception. If given a chance, they will find their way into the attic through holes and vulnerable spots. That’s when you’ll begin to hear the scratching and scurrying noises from your attic. And before you know it, they’ll have wreaked innumerable damages. 

First Choice Wildlife Services provides professional squirrel removal for home and business owners. And in this post, we explore our proven squirrel removal process. 

Step 1 – Inspection

The first step to a successful squirrel removal is a thorough inspection. You need to get into your attic to understand the full extent of the problem. First off, you need to verify you’re dealing with a squirrel infestation. Common signs to look out for include droppings, nests, damaged insulation, wood, and pipes. 

Once you have that out of the way, the next step is to figure out how the nuisance pest got in. You must carefully look for holes near the roof area. 

Step 2 – Removal

Before removing the animal, you need to develop a rock-solid plan. The best approach will be highly dependent on your unique situation. Some of the most common removal methods include:

  • Exclusion

This is the most preferred method for squirrel removal, but it can only be used when dealing with a lone squirrel. It involves sealing all the entryways into your attic except one. In the last hole, an exclusion device is installed. Once the squirrel leaves through the hole, it is unable to get back in. 

  • Trapping and relocation

Imagine you have a squirrel and her newborn kittens in your attic. What do you think exclusion will do? You guessed right! By excluding the mother, you risk separating her from her babies. The babies may eventually die in your attic, causing a much bigger problem. 

That’s why in this case, trapping is a better option. The babies are used as bait to lure their mother into a cage before they are all relocated. It is advisable to get professionals like First Choice Wildlife Services when trapping squirrels. 

  • Deterrents

There are several deterrents you can use to get rid of squirrels from the attic. However, most are not very effective. Examples include mothballs, sonic repellers, and predator urine, among many others. 

Step 3 – Clean up

Squirrels leave lots of waste that serve as a breeding ground for pathogens. Moreover, their urine and droppings give off an awful scent that can pollute your living space. That’s why it’s essential to clean up after getting rid of the squirrel. While wearing hand gloves, pick up the animal’s nest, droppings, hairs, and other remnants and store them in a plastic bag. Dispose of the bag. You should also disinfect the attic space to kill pathogens. 

Step 4 – Preventing Re-entry

What’s the point of getting rid of a squirrel from your attic, only to have another one replace it? That’s why you must put measures in place to ensure you keep them out for good. Some of the things to bear in mind include:

1)    Repair any holes in the exterior of your home. 

2)    Cut tree branches overhanging your house so squirrels can’t get to your roof.

3)    Apply seals around plumbing fixtures and electrical wiring so squirrels can’t enter. 

4)    Ensure you keep your yard free from major squirrel attractants. 

Hire a Professional Squirrel Removal Company Today!

Getting rid of a pesky squirrel from your attic on your own can be challenging – and sometimes impossible. But with First Choice Wildlife Services, you get to relax while we do the hard work. And in no time, your house will be permanently free of squirrels.

squirrel removal

How to Keep Squirrels Out of The Roof    

Squirrels are intelligent and exciting creatures, though not when they are on our roofs. If you cherish the quiet and tranquility of the day, then having a Squirrel on your roof is a terrible idea. What is more, they are capable of damaging your roof. 

It is incredible if you consider the number of damage Squirrels does to our roofs and other utilities that lie on them. There is a lot of damage to the roof, including;

  • Structural damage to the roof and gutters
  • Transfer parasites from their body to other areas in the home
  • Cause disease
  • Cause lot of noise by their actions on the roof

However, many tricks can help you get rid of this pest in no time. Seeing that some of these methods may be daunting/complicated, hiring a professional service may be best.

  • Hacking off tree branches

Having animals on your roof is such a terrible idea. And it is usually caused by overhanging branches on your roof. An effective way to reduce their transit from tree to roof is to trim or cut down those branches, overreaching to the top of your roof.

Unless in the case of flying squirrel, others will find it difficult to scale from the tree to the roof

  • Extra protection for Electric Cables and Wires

Another method that squirrels get to your roof is by using extending cables as “bridges.” Of course, it is essential to have these wires/cables, but you must discourage them from being used by squirrels. 

PVC pipes should cover the cables or wires that Squirrels use as a bridge. The PVC pipes should be cut diagonally and slipped over the cables/wires. Over time, the Squirrels will be discouraged from climbing these utilities as it gets tricky.

  • Installing scary animals

Squirrels cautiously avoid the paths of predators. They will release a warning sound and dive into their holes at sight. You can purchase plastic owls, hawks, or eagles and place them on the roofs or trees as a deterrent to squirrels.

  • Using Repellents

Squirrels are repulsed and irritated by certain smells or substances. It is good practice to sprinkle these substances on the roof or around areas of the homes the animal visits. 

While some of these substances are usually purchased in a wildlife store, others can be prepared naturally. Some examples are;

Predator Urine (Coyote, Fox, Cat), or any mimics of their urine

Other repellents include the use of substances like;

  • Ammonia smell,
  • Vinegar,
  • Scattering Mothballs in the area
  • Clearing any collection of their Nuts

Squirrels will prefer a place where they can easily store their foods/nuts. If your roof has such a hidden place, they will remain there and may even breed in such areas. However, this will require you to work with ladders/heights and is a very risky task.

You can contact our professional services to ensure a complete inspection of the area.

  • Install Squirrel Guards

There are various forms of installing a Squirrel guard, but an effective method is setting up sheet metals that are at least 2ft wide and 6 ft high on each pole. Such sheets/guards should then be secured with Wire and Springs.

Wrapping Up

You must deal with Squirrels on your roof as soon as possible. Once they get too comfortable on your roof, they will begin to scout new methods of going into your homes. Also, install wire guards and seal up any cracks once you start to discover your trees colonized by squirrels. 

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