Squirrel

Generally have 2 litters a year,2-4 young per litter. They normally breed in midwinter and late spring. Gestation is about 44 days. Diet consists of bird eggs, insects, berries, fruit,
vegetables, nuts and nestling birds. They like to hoard their food.

Gray squirrels are active during the day, expecting to hear them during the daytime. Gray squirrels can inhabit the attic areas as well as crawl spaces. They like to enter the attic areas from your gutters and nearby trees and bushes. Installing gutter guards, or down spouts with screen may prevent them from climbing up to the roof through a down spout.

The flying squirrels don't really fly, but glide into attics from trees. They do this by means of a thin skin that extends out from the sides of the body and connects the front and hind legs as shown in the above picture. In "flying," the squirrels leap spread-eagled and use their outstretched gliding membranes for gliding and their bushy tails for guidance. Glides of 60 meters (almost 200 feet) or more have been recorded.

Flying Squirrels can enter the attics through the eaves and soffits thru small cracks. These squirrels may easily enter the space between the roof top and facia board , chewing the area for a wider entry point.

These squirrels chew on ornamental and potted plants also damages screens. They may gnaw on wood, electrical wiring and insulation causing fires.

Fly squirrels are nocturnal with their major activity at night. They are known to make plenty of noise during the night. Can by commonly heard, making a great deal of noise at night between sunset and sunrise. May be heard landing on the roof or the sides of the house.

Flying squirrels normally have 2 litters a year, 2-4 young per litter. They will seek shelter and a hiding place, likes to hide in the insulation. Their diet consist of  seeds, nuts, insects, bird eggs, and fruits. When trapping for these squirrels: place the traps in the attic, where they are commonly found.

APPEARANCE

Gray squirrels are about 18 inches long, including their 9 inch tails. Larger than the flying squirrels, weigh about 1-1.5 lbs. as an adult. Their coloration is usually gray, salt and pepper, but can have tan hairs in the fur as well, white belly.

The winter coat is grey above with a white underside; the summer coat is shorter, sleeker and brownish grey above. Red squirrels have red/brown upper parts in summer but may show some grey on the back in winter, leading to some confusion. Reds are smaller, lighter, have ear tufts, prominent in the winter coat and brown on the legs and tail.

Flying squirrels are smaller than the grey squirrel, entering the smallest of cracks and holes. They are about 9 inches long, which includes a 3-4 inch tail, weighing about 3 ounces as an adult. They have a dense soft brown fur, white belly.

SQUIRREL CONTROL

Removal of any diet source: bird seed for example, because they attract the squirrels is the first order of business.

Gutter guards and covering down spouts will reduce the amount of squirrels entering through the roof top and facia boards.

There are no poison baits on the market that squirrels will eat and none are labeled as squirrel bait...just mice and rat bait. There is just a repellant that could be spread around the places Dr T¡¯s Rid-A-Critter Repellant for Rabbits and Squirrels. Live trapping squirrels is another way to remove unwanted squirrels. Locate the trap along the path of entry and places of known foraging activity.

You may want to consider local ordinances for trapping squirrels, in that they differ. Sometimes a professional trapper with a nuisance control license is needed to not only capture the squirrel, but relocate it as well. Go about 4-5 miles away to relocate the squirrels or it will find it's way back to your area.

Trapping a squirrel is really the only way to get rid of it in your attic, once it has chewed a hole. t is important to seal up and repair all entry points after trapping the squirrels so they no longer have access.

Steps to prevent squirrel entry in crawl space, basement or attic:

¡¤         Trim tree branches that may overhang the roof line.

¡¤         Remove firewood stacked against the building.

¡¤         If there are cracks in the foundational wall, repair them.

Squirrel Traps used:
Havahart #1025 Squirrel Cage - for the larger Gray squirrel types, but not the smaller squirrel types. The 1 inch grid would make this trap less preferable for trapping rats or the smaller squirrels.

Squirrel Trap Single Door Spring Loaded 18"L x 5"W x 5" H with 1/2" grid. We have many different sizes if needed.

And always use work gloves when handling the traps with a squirrel inside.

• Some trappers like to use a technique called "pre-baiting"....leaving the trap out,
  and wired open(so it won't shut) with the bait so that they can get used to the object in their environment, gaining confidence. Most of the time, this technique is not needed.
• Place traps where you hear or see the activity. Using a Rat/Squirrel lure (walnut oil based) on a cracker or piece of fruit behind the trip pan is very helpful as a lure.
  You may also try peanut butter. Next use sunflower seeds on top of that and trail a line of sunflower seeds out the front door of the trap so that there are "free" seeds a couple of feet in front of the trap. This will help overcome any anxiety the squirrels may have about entering the trap.

For trapping gray squirrels you will want to place their traps along their pathways or points of entry...such as along the roof, at the base of a tree, or base of the building they are entering.

Flying squirrels would need to be trapped inside the attic areas, in that they glide into the attics. Look for their areas of activity..such as droppings, when placing the traps. The insulated areas, with their tunnels and nests that look like piles is another place to set up the traps.

After trapping and relocating the squirrels you can seal the openings with 1/4" mesh hardware cloth or metal flashing. Look for all possible entry points. If you are not handy with tools, many nuisance wildlife control companies will seal entry points with a year's guarantee for a fee.