Squirrels are adorable animals that come from the forest. However, squirrels entering your home can cause problems. Squirrels can transmit fleas to humans or pets. In addition, like other rodents, squirrels usually excrete feces and urine where they inhabit. Squirrel droppings and urine can contain salmonella bacteria. If a squirrel gets into your house, you can get rid of it in a safe and easy way.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Evaluating the Situation
Step 1. Stay calm
Squirrels, like most other wild animals, are afraid of humans. When a squirrel enters a house, its main goal is to get out and return to its place of residence.
- Animals usually have the same response as humans when they are agitated. Animals will also be aggressive to avoid threats. By being calm, you can prevent the squirrel from responding aggressively.
- The squirrel is erratic because it doesn't know what to do when it's in an unfamiliar environment.
- In addition, although it does not happen often, squirrels can be infected with the rabies virus. So, make sure you don't get bitten by a squirrel.
Step 2. Isolate the squirrel and move the pet to another place
Make sure your pet doesn't get too close to it so it doesn't catch fleas or disease from the squirrel. Move the pet out of the house and put it in the cage. You can also place your pet in a different room.
- Pets can get sick with squirrels.
- Pets can catch squirrel parasites, such as fleas.
- Squirrels can transmit disease through their bites or claws.
- Pets can contract the disease if they eat or bite a diseased squirrel. For example, the gray squirrel is immune to monkeypox but still has it.
Step 3. Make sure the mother squirrel and her baby are not nesting in the house
Even if expelled, the mother squirrel will still try to get inside if the child is still trapped or nesting in the house. In addition, the mother squirrel protecting her young will behave more aggressively than usual. To find squirrel chicks, follow the guidelines below:
- Search in areas within a radius of 6 meters from where you found the mother squirrel.
- Do not approach areas where baby squirrels and their mothers are potentially inhabited. The mother squirrel may attack you if she feels her baby is being threatened.
- Make a sound then stop. You will hear the baby squirrel's response to the sound.
- Squirrels usually breed in February to May and August to October. In these months, the number of baby squirrels will usually increase.
Step 4. Let the baby squirrels grow up first before being chased away
Moving a squirrel family can put a strain on the health of every member of the squirrel family. Young squirrels may not survive if they are removed from their nests. If you have a baby squirrel in your home, you can seek professional help, or wait a few weeks before getting rid of it.
Baby squirrels need several weeks to grow until they can survive without their mother. Waiting for baby squirrels to grow up is probably the most humane way to get rid of them
Part 2 of 3: Encouraging the Squirrel to Go
Step 1. Provide an escape route for the squirrel
Close all exits and leave one route for the squirrel to escape, such as an open window. If you don't want to open a window that's in the same room as the squirrel, follow the guidelines below:
Open the window of the next room, open the door to that room, and close all other exits
Step 2. Cover all hiding places while keeping your distance from the squirrel
Drawers, cupboards, and other crevices are great hiding places for squirrels. These places have similar characteristics to the original habitat or squirrel nests in the trees. By covering these places, you can prevent squirrels from hiding in them when they are kicked out of the house.
Step 3. Remove all sources of squirrel food in the house
When the weather is not friendly, such as winter or dry season, squirrels will be difficult to get rid of if there is a food source in your house. Squirrels, like other rodents, have sharp teeth that can gnaw on food wrappers. Remove all sources of squirrel food, even those that are tightly closed.
Step 4. Provide incentives to encourage squirrels to leave
Squirrels, like other animals, are very sensitive to certain smells and stimulants. Squirrels don't like the smell of vinegar, so moisten a cloth with vinegar and place it in the room it lives in.
- You can also keep the radio on in a room inhabited by a squirrel to let it go.
- Lights that are constantly on both day and night can make your home look unattractive to squirrels.
- You can buy predator urine at pet stores, sports stores, or online. Cloths soaked in predator urine, such as fox urine, can encourage squirrels to leave.
Step 5. Make noise when the squirrel hides in hard to reach places
Squirrels that live in attics or other tight spaces, such as inside walls, will be difficult to reach without making direct contact with them. Therefore, make noise by banging on the wall where the squirrel is hiding.
- You can encourage the squirrel to get out of the house by entering and speaking loudly in the attic where it is hiding.
- This noise can lure the squirrel to run away. The squirrel will probably escape through the exit you have created.
Step 6. Use a trap that is harmless to the squirrel
There are many traps that do not harm squirrels. This trap is specially designed to get rid of squirrels from the house. You can buy these traps at home supply stores or online.
- A trap with a one-way door is one that can lure the squirrel away and not let it out. When using this trap, you must release the squirrel that has been caught 5 kilometers from the house.
- The method of setting the trap and removing the squirrel may vary depending on what type of trap you are using. Always follow the guidelines for using the traps you use for best results.
Step 7. Leave the room and seal the room
If the room the squirrel lives in does not have a door, close all doors leading into the room and place an emergency barrier if possible. Use a barrier that is high enough, such as plywood as high as a door, to prevent squirrels from jumping over or over.
- If you don't have plywood or other obstructions, remove the door from another room and make it a barrier to seal off the squirrel-inhabited room.
- If using a door from another room, you should place a heavy object such as a pile of books, cardboard, a sack of salt, or concrete under the door to keep the door upright.
Part 3 of 3: Waiting for the Squirrel to Leave and Cleaning the House
Step 1. Avoid the house for an hour or two
If possible, also bring pets from home. This can prevent accidental interactions between the squirrel and your pet. Once the squirrel realizes that there are no other people or animals in the house, it will go on its own through the provided exit.
Several types of dogs have been trained to hunt wild animals. Therefore, he will work harder to catch the squirrel. If left unattended, these pets can escape from their cages to hunt squirrels
Step 2. Make sure the squirrel is gone then clean the house
After you return home, carefully inspect the room the squirrel is in to make sure it's gone. After that, also check the room around the room and throughout the house. This is to ensure the squirrel doesn't cross the barrier and find another way to hide in your home.
Like other rodents, squirrels generally spread their feces and urine. Make sure you clean areas where squirrels have lived with a strong cleaner, gloves, and a mask
Step 3. Close the squirrel entrance
Seal off any entrances that the squirrel can use to get inside to keep it from nesting in your home. You may have to do further investigation. Generally, you may have to replace the damaged wood finish caused by a leaking roof.
Generally, squirrels will gnaw thin layers of wood to get into the attic of the house. You can prevent squirrels from getting inside by patching holes in the roof or replacing leaky tiles
Step 4. Repeat this process if necessary
Some squirrels will still force their way into your home and you may have to implement several techniques at once to get rid of them. You may have to keep the radio on and use predator urine to keep the squirrels from entering your home. If the squirrel still doesn't want to leave the house, you may need to seek professional help.
Tips
- Squirrels can carry fleas. Parasites like this will be difficult to eradicate when they enter the house.
- Squirrels usually nest in hidden places. Usually, squirrels will hide in attics or basements. Squirrels will also nest in the walls of the house.
- Although infrequent, some squirrels may contract the rabies virus. Therefore, immediately consult a doctor if you are bitten by a squirrel.
Warning
- Do not touch or approach the squirrel. Squirrels may attack and bite if threatened.
- Squirrels have a tendency to gnaw at the wires in your home. This may cause a fire due to an electrical short circuit.
- Rat poison will not work effectively when used against squirrels. Instead of killing squirrels, rat poison will add to the problem in your home.
