Of all wild animals, perhaps squirrels are the most accustomed to being around humans. This isn’t necessarily a positive. Squirrels which have been fed by humans learn not to have a healthy fear of them and become ever more daring. Some have been known to snatch food off of picnic tables when people aren’t watching, and others have even entered houses to make nests in the walls. Maybe you suspect that this has happened to your home. Keep your eyes peeled for the following signs to help you figure out if you have been harboring a squirrel in your walls.
1. You hear noises in your walls.
If there are squirrels in your walls, you might first notice scratching, scurrying, squeaking, or chirping in your house. And if it’s a case of a mother squirrel raising babies in your walls, these noises will be impossible to ignore. To confirm your suspicions, begin checking around your house to see if you can find any way they could’ve made it inside.
2. You smell a foul odor that seems to be localized.
Any wild animals that live in your house for an extended amount of time will leave traces, not least of which is a horrible stench. Most of the time, the smell will predominantly be of urine if the animals are still alive. In the worst case scenario when they die inside the walls, the smell could be unbearable.
3. You notice squirrel droppings in or around your house.
Squirrel droppings in several areas around your house can be a good indicator of activity, but if you find them inside as well, you have a surefire sign that the furry rodents have made it inside. They can look similar to bat droppings, but a professional animal control technician will be able to identify them with certainty.
4. There seems to be the same squirrel or two always around your home.
Next, you might notice that there is always a pesky squirrel lurking around when you go outside. It might even try to run inside your garage or house when it thinks the coast is clear. This can be a sign that they’ve found a food source like a trash can that could attract them to make a nest inside.
5. The exterior of your house has sustained chewing damage.
Since squirrels spend a lot of time in trees, they might attempt to drop onto your roof and find access inside from there. Normally, you’ll be able to identify shingles that look like they’ve been chewed on. But, other areas like vents, soffits, and cracks in the exterior might also show chewing damage.
6. You find squirrel tracks.
You may or may not notice squirrel tracks around your doors or patio. On hot, dry days it is more unlikely, but if has rained recently, tracks might be more visible. If you find strange tracks inside, they are almost certainly nesting somewhere out of sight.
7. There seems to be some water seeping into your ceiling or inside the walls.
Finally, it might look like you have a leaky pipe in the attic or walls causing water damage to the structure of your house. Go over and try to smell it. If there are squirrels in the walls, this “water damage” is probably their urine pooling and seeping into the walls.
Squirrel Removal Experts
If you have squirrels living in your walls, then you have a serious problem on your hands. Fortunately, it is not a problem too big for Critter Control® of Tampa to handle. Our team has years of experience in animal control, and we can remove wildlife, clean up their mess, and repair the damage they caused. To schedule a free inspection, please give us a call today.
