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Squirrel in my gutters, maybe in the attic


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I have a squirrel with babies in the gutter over my back door. I sometimes hear noises in the ceilings by the edge of the house. I need a new roof, gutters and all on my real house and have been putting it off because I can't get a regular home improvment loan. I have good credit but something to do with ratio and available credit keeps me from getting a HIL. Here's the question. Is it a major problem to have a squirrel in the gutter or attic and what can I do until I can get a new roof. I read about squirrel repellent and wonder if it's enough. I don't want to hurt it. Just get it back in the trees. I can hear it making little noises and if I go out in the yard she peeks out at me. I have some information to followup on tomorrow about Government loans that Lowes can help get. I have checked all over inside and there is no way it can get inside the house, at least I hope. Anybody else had this problem? :huh:

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We had a squirrel get in our attic a long time ago and had a really hard time getting rid of it.

It wouldn't take any bait or traps we set out and we could not find where it was getting in through.

We never found it's entrance point.

It even chewed our wiring and shorted out the electrical of one whole section of our house.

Sad to say that it was only resolved only when it got hit by a car out front of our house.

We have chipmunks this year and they are making a huge mess.

They are digging up my daffodils even !!

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I looked up some info on a critter problem place on the internet and it says you usually have lots of squirrels in the yard if they get in the attic. I may see one or two occasionally in the trees but not lots. I think this is the same squirrel we had last year. I don't know how long they live. It could be a new one. My neighbor is going to check tomorrow and see what needs to be done without replacing the whole roof. The gutters were torn loose a few years ago in an ice storm where branches hit that part of the house. They were strapped back up with metal bands but there are spaces now where the squirrel got in. This house needs a lot of work and with the economy right now I'd never be able to get rid of it even if it was in good shape so I'm here from now on. I hope it doesn't chew any wires.

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Well hopefully, their home is in the gutter and not your attic. You'd probably hear them run around if it was in your attic.

My attic is basically a crawl space we never go in. The back door is by the bathroom wall and I can here them at the edge. Last year they went away I guess after the babies were old enough. One of my kitties hears something and sits looking at the window a lot but than loses interest. I definitely need new gutters and the spaces filled in where they have pulled away from the roof. I'll have ro start saving to do the whole roof. No more dollhouses for awhile when the real life house is a problem.

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Pat, squirrels live around 6 years if they don't mess around with automobiles. They will chew electrical wires. I hope you can get rid of them before they cause more damage than you want to think about.

When I lived in Virginia, one spring I began to have trouble with my car cutting out while I was driving. The mechanic lifted the hood and told me to come look. Squirrels had chewed through some of the wiring. It was easy to see their teeth marks. They actually removed 4" to 6" sections in various colors. I had to have it all replaced. I could just see Mrs. Squirrel shaking her finger at Mr. Squirrel back in the nest. "Now, Harold, I told you I want red wires to decorate the den, not those greasy blue ones!"

Once the wires were replaced, I didn't have any more trouble. I can't recall what I did differently about where I parked the car (no garage) or if I used a repellent. Having a senior moment here.

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Pat, squirrels live around 6 years if they don't mess around with automobiles. They will chew electrical wires. I hope you can get rid of them before they cause more damage than you want to think about.

When I lived in Virginia, one spring I began to have trouble with my car cutting out while I was driving. The mechanic lifted the hood and told me to come look. Squirrels had chewed through some of the wiring. It was easy to see their teeth marks. They actually removed 4" to 6" sections in various colors. I had to have it all replaced. I could just see Mrs. Squirrel shaking her finger at Mr. Squirrel back in the nest. "Now, Harold, I told you I want red wires to decorate the den, not those greasy blue ones!"

Once the wires were replaced, I didn't have any more trouble. I can't recall what I did differently about where I parked the car (no garage) or if I used a repellent. Having a senior moment here.

There are squirrels in the neighborhood but most stay in the trees, I have a garage so no problem with the car. Sometimes animals can be a real problem. I have to take one of my kitties to the vet this morning. Last night I found what looks like a dark mole under her chin, I thought it was a scab and she let me look at it and all so there's no pain. It's something recent because I would have seen it before this just petting her. Off to the vet and hope it's not anything serious. Too much happening at once makes me feel kind of sick.

Update. Back from the Vet. She thought it was a mole at first but found it was a big scab and got it off. There was a deep puncture under it but she said it was healing well and would be OK. It could have been one of my other cats really caught her with a claw. Thank goodness it wasn't a mole.

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At my husband's work once a mommy possum had babies in a gutter. So, they held and played with one, and the next day the mommy had moved them all, leaving that one!

So, of course, I'm the one that winds up with him, bottle feeding him every 2 hours, LOL! I kept him until he was old enough to let go back in the woods.

Here he is:

P.S. if you catch any babies, send them my way, LOL!

post-6078-0-34977300-1303180197_thumb.jp

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At my husband's work once a mommy possum had babies in a gutter. So, they held and played with one, and the next day the mommy had moved them all, leaving that one!

So, of course, I'm the one that winds up with him, bottle feeding him every 2 hours, LOL! I kept him until he was old enough to let go back in the woods.

Here he is:

P.S. if you catch any babies, send them my way, LOL!

How cute. It's funny how baby animals of just about any variety are cute. I read somewhere that's so the mothers will take care of them. I would think the squirrels will leave when we start working on the roof. Maybe the babies will be old enough in a week or two.

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I called animal control today and they recommended a guy who is a professional trapper. He's coming tomorrow to inspect everything and set the traps on the roof. He said there are usually no more than one or two so hope that's the case. He guarantees the removal for 30 days so that gives me time to get the repairs done. I'll get more details tomorrow from him about it. Tonight we have the sirens blowing and a tornado watch until nine. It crossed my mind if a tornado hit the house that would eliminate the squirrel problem. :lol: The older I get the more my sense of humor gets warped.

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My neighbor who already does my lawn for free came over this morning and said he could fix my gutter problem and get rid of the squirrel. He has a lawn care business and does drywall. He said the gutters needed to be removed and new wood put up so squirrels couldn't get in. I told him I had already called the squirrel trapper and he said having the gutters off etc would make it easier. He started the work and got everything taken off and the squirrel jumped out and ran away. He said I should cancel the squirrel trapper. He's out there now putting it all back together. He has his partner with him. I asked him how much he would charge and he wouldn't really give me an amount. He gave me the sales slip for the lumber which was only $30.00. I'm going to the bank when he's finished and give him as much as I can afford. What a good neighbor. He and his family are the best neighbors I've ever had. :thumb:

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The squirrel ran off when my neighbor was fixing my roof. Today it's back trying to get in again and sitting in the gutter. I know it's all sealed but it's creepy thinking it will keep trying to get in. I may have to get a trap and catch it and take it far away like the trapper says he does so it can't find its way back. When I go out there it looks at me and then jumps over to the garage roof. I don't think it's cute anymore. It's $75 more to have the trap put out and $60.00 for each squirrel. I just can't afford anymore now. :unsure:

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I was wondering about the little critters myself, for future reference.

I found this little story on Wiki answers and thought it was cute.

We actually got rid of our squirrels without hiring professionals, but only because we knew exactly where they had entered, there was only one point of entry, and the hole was easily accessible from the ground via a stepladder. It took us 5 days. Step 1. Put boombox in attic playing FM rock at full volume throughout day. Burn incense to contribute to olfactory overload. Seal opening at dusk w/heavy gauge wire mesh, hoping most squirrels have moved to better neighborhood. Step 2. The next morning, outraged hare krishna squirrels not put off by boombox and incense make presence heard. Scrabble at opening trying to get out. Husband removes mesh. Stands at distance from opening to prevent more squirrels going in before these guys leave. Wife pounds on ceiling with cane from inside, driving squatters toward exit. Squirrel is seen to leave. Mesh is reinstalled. Step 3. Repeat step 2. Step 4. Repeat step 3. There were five squirrels left post boom box episode. Step 5. Silence from attic for over 24 hours. Squirrels start trying to break in from outside. Husband nails board over hole.

Read more: http://wiki.answers....c#ixzz1KCn5vmbK

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The trapper told me that squirrels will come back to the same place over again unless it is sealed up because they think it's their new home. My neighbor put up all new wood, covered it with the long metal strips that cover the wood and put the gutter back on so I know it's secure. We got the nest out also. Hopefully the squirrel will give up but it's annoying to hear it run back and forth in the guttter and peek out at me if I go out the door. I'm afraid it will some how set up it's home up there again. Someone on the doll board I'm on said they had squirrels in their attic and put a lot of moth balls up there and they all left. I got some mothballs and put them up in the gutter where it used to get in and about three feet in either direction. I hope that works. There's also a repellent that supposedly smells like fox urine that will get rid of squirrels. I don't want to hurt it but at this point I just want it gone and I don't want it to cost me anymore than I've already paid. I haven't felt like working on my dollhouses or anything since this started and it's really a pain. :unsure:

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Sometimes mothballs work, sometimes they don't, depends on the squirrel.

I had a problem with chipmunks and read that if you catch one, take it at least 5 miles away or it will find its way back. DH took it a quarter mile down the road because he thought it was too stupid to find its way back. I now have several chipmunks digging in my garden

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I just found on the internet that using mothballs to get rid of squirrels is illegal in most states. I had to have my neighbor come and remove two panels to let a squirrel or squirrels out that were trapped inside with the repair. They were trapped up there all day running across the ceilings and trying to get out the gutters. The cats were going crazy running around looking at the ceiling and I was in tears a few times from absolute frustration. I had to wait for my neighbor to get home from work. I got some squirrel repellent to put up in the attiic and the gutters and will have to have the panels put back when they are all gone, if ever. If I get a trap set, how do I know it's the problem squirrels who have gotten in my attic and not just some others? The trappers charge $60.00 a squirrel. I also read on the internet the majority of trappers don't take them far away like they say they will and just leave them down the street in some cases. Who do you trust? I know the repair really sealed the attic and gutter area because the ones up there couldn't get out. Now I need them out and the panels put back so they won't get in again if that's even possible once this problem starts. I haven't been able to work on my houses or anything because I feel so awful. The repellent I'm going to use has good reviews so hope it really works.

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  • 3 weeks later...

The squirrel problem is resolved. I had to have my neighbor who repaired the gutters remove two panels because one of the young squirrels or maybe two got trapped in there. The mother squirrel was having a fit and chattering at me every time I went out the door. The trapper came out and put a trap in the traffic area we figured they were using. A few days later the mother squirrel went in the trap and the trapper came and took her away. He put another trap up and said if no more came in a week that should do it. He said the young squirrels probably fell out or went looking for food and couldn't get back up. I didn't hear any more activity in the attic. Just before the week was up a male squirrel went in the trap, probably the mate of the mother. I asked the trapper how would we know if it was one of the problem squirrels and not just any old squirrel. It's not like they wear name tags. He said squirrels are territorial and another squirrel from the neighborhood wouldn't have gone near the trap with the scent of the mother squirrel. He took the male squirrel away. My neighbor put the panels back and no more squirrels. It cost $75 for the traps and $60 per squirrel. I could have gotten a nice doll house for $190.00. The worst part was I was just sick about the whole thing, worrying about them being in the attic and then seeing them in the trap and all. I'm starting to save for a whole new roof. My neighbor has friends who will do the labor much less than a roofing place so that will save me a lot. I hope I won't have to go through this again.

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I'm glad you got rid of them. We had them in one of our sheds and they did a lot of damage, both to the outside and the contents of the shed. They are kind of cute as long as they live outside where they belong :)

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