Simple Tips That'll Prevent Squirrels From Taking Over Your Attic

If you hear creepy creaking and scuffling sounds in your attic and hope it's a ghost over squirrels, that's a sign you may need to address a pest problem. While a friendly neighborhood spirit isn't the first thing homeowners want upstairs, squirrels follow closely behind on the "no thank you" list. If you've noticed these furry pests are using your crawl space or attic as an unsanctioned Airbnb, it might be time to employ some tricks to keep them out and free up your storage area again. Besides regularly checking the nooks and crannies inside your attic as well as the exterior for holes or entry points they can climb in through, you can also keep squirrels out by maintaining your trees that reside nearby, getting rid of food sources that are bringing pests close to your home, and making the room inhospitable so they don't want to stay there. 

Thankfully, there are a plethora of tricks you can try to ensure the living pests at least stay away, although they may not help with ghosts — or ghost squirrels. However, adding these to your regular home maintenance routine will ensure your space doesn't become an animal hotel. The effectiveness of each may vary, but combining a few of these could also help fortify your home against pests and give you ways to get rid of squirrels in your attic if they've already taken up residence, too.

The first thing you want to do is give your attic a once over and check for any entry points squirrels could get in through. These could be holes, gaps in the exterior, or even missing shingles or broken windows. Vents and chimneys are also areas that they can sneak in through, and if either of these connect to your attic, it could be a big problem. You'd be surprised how small a gap can be and still allow these furry visitors in — they can wiggle through a 1 1/2 inch hole, which means it's very easy to overlook entry spots. 

Using sealant or caulk to fill these will ensure nothing is coming in. You can cover larger spots with material like mesh wire or aluminum flashing, but it's important to choose something durable as squirrels can chew through a lot of materials including stainless steel mesh. If you use caulking over some areas, you can still paint over these to ensure your attic has a finished aesthetic, especially if you use it for more than storage.

Once you've sealed off any openings, you can focus on the exterior of your home. Even if you don't have any gaps for squirrels to get through at the moment, their chewing skills mean they could potentially find a way in. Trees that are nearby or even touch the upper stories of your home allow these pests to climb directly to chimneys, vents, windows, or any other parts that may have weak spots where they can access your interior. 

Trimming any branches or areas of a tree that give squirrels a path to your home will help keep them from climbing on your roof to explore potential invasion. When cutting, make sure to keep the 5-7-9 rule in mind. This alludes to the distances and heights squirrels can jump as well as crawl through. Five feet is the number of feet they can jump to, so while this may not apply to your attic, it's still useful to know. Seven feet is how far their vertical leaps can reach, while 9 feet is how far across they can leap. So, when removing branches, make sure that any parts of the tree are at least 9 feet away from your house, and branches are 7 feet or more off the ground if possible.

It's not just trees you have to worry about on the exterior of your home. If you have bird feeders, you've probably noticed that squirrels like to come and pick off some of the food. These garden additions are big draws for furry pests, and while you don't necessarily need to remove them, you should keep them a good distance from your house to deter squirrels from them venturing toward your attic or roof in search of more food or shelter.

Similar to the distance you want to keep tree branches, try to store bird feeders away from the exterior of your dwelling. Not only could close proximity of food encourage squirrels to then investigate your interior or other areas of your home, but they may also be putting off birds from visiting. Make sure to check the ground around feeders a few times a week and tidy up crumbs, as these will only bring in more pests who want to snack on any seeds that have fallen out of the actual feeder.

The question of whether or not squirrels will leave your attic on their own is a good one, and the answer is that the shelter this closed in area provides is likely too comfortable for them to just move on if they don't have to. If you continue to find squirrels in your attic despite taking these measures to deter them, it might be a good idea to try live traps. These offer a humane way to remove pests from your attic. They work by allowing you to place a tempting treat inside a pen to draw the squirrels in. Once inside, the trap will close so you can take them to a safe location away from your dwelling. It's important to check your traps often to ensure squirrels aren't stuck without water and food for long amounts of time. 

If you prefer professional help, you can call pest control services to aid you with removing them, too. There are a few other DIY hacks people recommend to put squirrels off if they do get inside, like strobe lights, turning on the radio to scare them, and fox urine (although this could get problematic with the smell in the rest of the house), but live traps will help get them out if they've already infiltrated your space. As for the other tricks, science has yet to really prove playing a radio in your attic will keep squirrels away, and strobe lights may only put them off temporarily.

You could also add ultra sonic squirrel repellant fixtures to your attic space both in and out. These devices emit a noise that can be very off-putting to these pests through ultrasonic waves. There are a variety of styles you can choose from, including those that can be pushed into your lawn and gravel or plug in versions that work both inside and outside your home. These help with other animals that scavenge around, too, but by adding them in and around your attic, you are keeping squirrels at bay without disrupting anyone in the house. 

If you have pets, these won't affect them in a negative way, either, meaning they are a safe option for all members of the family. You can find these online through Amazon, just ensure you have accessible plugs and areas to install them inside the attic. There are mixed reviews on how well these work and how far the frequency can stretch, so you may need to test them to determine if they will keep squirrels out in your specific situation.