Preventing Conflicts with Squirrels
Preventing Conflicts A tree squirrel’s search for food may bring it to a bird feeder, back door, or a garden containing bulbs. Its search for a nest site may bring it into an attic or down a chimney. The most effective way to prevent conflicts is to modify the habitat around your home so as not to attract squirrels.
To prevent conflicts or remedy existing problems:
Don’t feed squirrels. Tree squirrels that are hand-fed may lose their fear of humans and become aggressive when they don’t get food as expected. These semi-tame squirrels also might approach a neighbor who doesn’t share your appreciation of the animals, which would likely result in them dying.
Eliminate access into buildings. Repair or replace loose or rotting siding, boards, and shingles. When inspecting a building for potential access points, use a tall ladder to view areas in shadows. A pair of low-power (4x) binoculars can be a helpful inspection tool to use before making a dangerous climb. Inspecting the attic or crawl space during the day may reveal light shining through otherwise unnoticed cracks and holes. Native squirrels chew holes 2 inches in diameter; Eastern gray and fox squirrels chew open baseball size holes.
Cover the dryer vent with a commercial vent screen designed to exclude animals without lint clogging. Other vents can be covered with ¼-inch hardware cloth. Some roof-vent caps contain a flimsy, lightweight inner screen that a squirrel can easily penetrate. If the screen has been penetrated, it may be better to replace the whole vent cap with something stronger.
Because squirrels are excellent leapers, keep tree and shrub branches 10 feet away from the sides and tops of buildings. To prevent squirrels from climbing a tree to access a building, install one of the barriers shown in Figure 6. Remove vines that provide squirrels a way to climb structures and hide their access points.
Prevent squirrels from accessing buildings via utility wires by installing 3-foot sections of 2- to 3-inch diameter plastic pipe barriers. Carefully split the pipe lengthwise with a saw, tin snips, or a sharp utility knife, spread the opening apart, and place it over the wire. The pipe will rotate on the wire and the squirrel will tumble off. Do not attempt to install pipe over high-voltage wires. Contact your local electricity/utility company for assistance.
Keep squirrels out of exhaust fans and chimneys (and help them out if they fall in). If a squirrel is trapped down an exhaust fan or a metal lined chimney, you can let the squirrel exit through the house or drop a line down from above so the animal can climb out.
To help the squirrel exit from above, drop down a thick rope or cloth, such as strips of a sheet, so the squirrel can climb out. It is a good idea to tie knots in the rope or cloth 12 inches apart, to provide a secure climbing surface. You may have to tie a couple of lengths together to reach the bottom of the chimney. Tie something to provide weight to the bottom of the rope or cloth, such as a pair of pliers, or other small heavy object.
Lower the rope or cloth slowly, make sure this reaches the bottom, and then secure it at the top. Leave the area completely alone. The squirrel should climb out in 1 to 24 hours.
If the chimney is firebrick then the squirrel can climb out on its own. But if it falls through the flue into the fireplace it usually cannot get back up into the chimney. Open the fireplace door and place a board or branch leading from the fireplace up to the flue. This way the squirrel can climb out on its own.
Never leave the squirrel in the chimney or exhaust fan longer than 24 hours it will die from dehydration. If needed, call Animal Evictor. After you are sure no animals are down the chimney, cap it with a commercially engineered chimney cap.
Keep squirrels out of birdhouses. Tree squirrels sometimes raid eggs or small nestlings in nest boxes for food. Introduced fox and Eastern gray squirrels seem to be a worse problem than the native squirrels. Being larger they can reach farther down into a box to pull out the chicks, although all squirrels can simply chew their way into a box. More often, tree squirrels nest or overwinter in nest boxes intended for native birds.
To prevent tree squirrels from climbing up a pole, tree, or other structure supporting a birdhouse, install a barrier. To prevent squirrels from gnawing around the entry hole of a nest box intended for small birds, attach a pre-drilled metal plate (available from stores catering to the bird-feeding public). Alternatively, attach aluminum flashing or sheet metal to the front of the nest box, and drill an entry hole of the correct size through the flashing. Use a hole-saw bit that cuts through metal and wood, and file down all sharp edges.
To prevent conflicts or remedy existing problems:
Don’t feed squirrels. Tree squirrels that are hand-fed may lose their fear of humans and become aggressive when they don’t get food as expected. These semi-tame squirrels also might approach a neighbor who doesn’t share your appreciation of the animals, which would likely result in them dying.
Eliminate access into buildings. Repair or replace loose or rotting siding, boards, and shingles. When inspecting a building for potential access points, use a tall ladder to view areas in shadows. A pair of low-power (4x) binoculars can be a helpful inspection tool to use before making a dangerous climb. Inspecting the attic or crawl space during the day may reveal light shining through otherwise unnoticed cracks and holes. Native squirrels chew holes 2 inches in diameter; Eastern gray and fox squirrels chew open baseball size holes.
Cover the dryer vent with a commercial vent screen designed to exclude animals without lint clogging. Other vents can be covered with ¼-inch hardware cloth. Some roof-vent caps contain a flimsy, lightweight inner screen that a squirrel can easily penetrate. If the screen has been penetrated, it may be better to replace the whole vent cap with something stronger.
Because squirrels are excellent leapers, keep tree and shrub branches 10 feet away from the sides and tops of buildings. To prevent squirrels from climbing a tree to access a building, install one of the barriers shown in Figure 6. Remove vines that provide squirrels a way to climb structures and hide their access points.
Prevent squirrels from accessing buildings via utility wires by installing 3-foot sections of 2- to 3-inch diameter plastic pipe barriers. Carefully split the pipe lengthwise with a saw, tin snips, or a sharp utility knife, spread the opening apart, and place it over the wire. The pipe will rotate on the wire and the squirrel will tumble off. Do not attempt to install pipe over high-voltage wires. Contact your local electricity/utility company for assistance.
Keep squirrels out of exhaust fans and chimneys (and help them out if they fall in). If a squirrel is trapped down an exhaust fan or a metal lined chimney, you can let the squirrel exit through the house or drop a line down from above so the animal can climb out.
To help the squirrel exit from above, drop down a thick rope or cloth, such as strips of a sheet, so the squirrel can climb out. It is a good idea to tie knots in the rope or cloth 12 inches apart, to provide a secure climbing surface. You may have to tie a couple of lengths together to reach the bottom of the chimney. Tie something to provide weight to the bottom of the rope or cloth, such as a pair of pliers, or other small heavy object.
Lower the rope or cloth slowly, make sure this reaches the bottom, and then secure it at the top. Leave the area completely alone. The squirrel should climb out in 1 to 24 hours.
If the chimney is firebrick then the squirrel can climb out on its own. But if it falls through the flue into the fireplace it usually cannot get back up into the chimney. Open the fireplace door and place a board or branch leading from the fireplace up to the flue. This way the squirrel can climb out on its own.
Never leave the squirrel in the chimney or exhaust fan longer than 24 hours it will die from dehydration. If needed, call Animal Evictor. After you are sure no animals are down the chimney, cap it with a commercially engineered chimney cap.
Keep squirrels out of birdhouses. Tree squirrels sometimes raid eggs or small nestlings in nest boxes for food. Introduced fox and Eastern gray squirrels seem to be a worse problem than the native squirrels. Being larger they can reach farther down into a box to pull out the chicks, although all squirrels can simply chew their way into a box. More often, tree squirrels nest or overwinter in nest boxes intended for native birds.
To prevent tree squirrels from climbing up a pole, tree, or other structure supporting a birdhouse, install a barrier. To prevent squirrels from gnawing around the entry hole of a nest box intended for small birds, attach a pre-drilled metal plate (available from stores catering to the bird-feeding public). Alternatively, attach aluminum flashing or sheet metal to the front of the nest box, and drill an entry hole of the correct size through the flashing. Use a hole-saw bit that cuts through metal and wood, and file down all sharp edges.
This information was provided by the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, Russell Link, and Michael Holmquist
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