You wouldn't think these three words would go together, but boy do they.
Squirrels are cute, good to eat and fun to watch, but they are one of the most damaging animals you can have around your home.
The reason for a squirrels' damage is their need to chew and their playing habits.
Squirrels' front teeth grow from the day they are born to the day they die and if they do not continuously chew their teeth grow so long they can't open their mouth wide enough to eat.
In the wild they chew on trees and shrubbery, but in the urban areas they are as likely to chew on a tree as they are the siding of your home, the electrical wiring in your attic or even the AC condensate line.
When they do their playing outside they are fun to watch but when they start playing in your attic they cause problems.
Running and scratching on the air conditioning ducts causes leaks and playing "hide and seek" in the insulation compacts it and reduces it's ability to insulate.
The most common squirrel in the gulf coast is the Sciurus Carolinensis, better known as the Grey Squirrel.
It is larger than the Fox Squirrel (the other most common squirrel) and it get's it's name from it's color.
Actually when you get a close look the color is sort of salt and peppery but from several feet away they look gray.
By the way, don't try to pet them and hand feeding them is not a good idea.
When I was about 10 I caught one...
but turned it loose really quick.
Yes it bit me and yes I still have the scar on my right hand.
Squirrels have been known to live for up to 10 years but typically their life span is between 3 to 4 years.
As an adult they will weigh one to one and a half pounds and will be about 1 to 2 feet long with about half of this length being the tail.
Squirrels start breeding at t one year old and they usually have two litters a year with a gestation period of six months.
Each litter will produce two to four young with the first being born in January or February.
Mom and Mom only has the responsibility of rearing the young they are dependent on her for about three months.
If you suspect you have Squirrels around your home or in your attic I strongly urge you to get them out and seal up all openings before she becomes pregnant.
Once she has built a nest and had her kids driving a Mom out of your attic becomes very difficult.
The Grey Squirrel, unlike many other species, do not hibernate.
This is because they don't have the ability to store fat reserves and as a result they have to eat all year long.
Their diet consist of nuts, berries, seeds, bird eggs and sometimes nesting birds; they are also not opposed to raiding a garden for vegetables.
I suspect we would all be healthier if we followed their diet and I know we would have more money in the bank if we emulated their saving habits.
What they don't eat they save.
They store the excess food in temporary and permanent "catches" and they will have several thousand catches saved each year.
In the wild you will find their nest in a tree hollow or in a fork of a tree limb.
In an urban setting they sometimes find attics more to their liking.
Attics are warm, rain proof, usually close to food and it protects them for natural predators like owls, hawks and snakes.
I suspect a big reason for moving in with you is so they can be close to their food source.
I have been in the pest control business over 40 years and every one of my customers, not some, not most, but every person that has a "bird feeder" in his yard (or his neighbor's yard) has had rats and/or Squirrels in their attics or under their wood decks.
The surest way to know what you have living in your attic is to actually see them, a Rat's tail is hairless and a Squirrel's tail is fuzzy.
Short of this the next best way is to listen to the times when they are active.
Rats are active a night and Squirrels are active during the day light hours but this can be a little confusing.
Squirrels start their day off at dawn and come home at dusk while Rats start their day at dusk and come home at dawn.
It is sometimes difficult to distinguish which is which and the noises can be misleading.
We look for Fecal droppings to make a positive identification.
Once you have determined that the noises you are hearing is not the wind, a tree limb rubbing on the house or a neighbor's kid throwing balls on your roof, the question then becomes, how do you get rid of them? The first thing you have to do is find out how they got in.
Squirrels, and rats can crawl through holes no larger than their heads.
With a rat this is a hole about the size of a quarter and with a Squirrel it will be about the size of a Silver Dollar.
They are capable of chewing through sound wood, siding, soffits or fascia boards, but prefer to areas of wood decay.
They are also quite adapt at finding roof vents into the attic or gaps in the exterior siding.
Getting them out comes down to three options, repelling devices, traps or baits.
The repellent devices will be sonic machines (above the hearing range of humans), predator smells (fox urine) and/or strobe lights.
The sonic machines and urine are not always successful but strobe lights (we use the kind you would find atop a radio/television tower) almost always work.
Baits also work well but when baits are used there is the real possibility of them dying in the attic or walls.
If this happens a "dead animal smell" may develop that can linger for weeks.
If this happens it will be an experience you will never forget.
Once the rodents has been driven out or killed sealing up their access points is very important.
If you don't seal the entry holes their brothers, cousins, friends and kins will have "ready made" entry places.
Sealing is done with screen wire, metal flashing, concrete and sometimes the wood has to be replaced.
You have to keep in mind that "your home may be their home too" and if you miss sealing up just one little hole your problems start all over again.
Squirrels are cute, good to eat and fun to watch, but they are one of the most damaging animals you can have around your home.
The reason for a squirrels' damage is their need to chew and their playing habits.
Squirrels' front teeth grow from the day they are born to the day they die and if they do not continuously chew their teeth grow so long they can't open their mouth wide enough to eat.
In the wild they chew on trees and shrubbery, but in the urban areas they are as likely to chew on a tree as they are the siding of your home, the electrical wiring in your attic or even the AC condensate line.
When they do their playing outside they are fun to watch but when they start playing in your attic they cause problems.
Running and scratching on the air conditioning ducts causes leaks and playing "hide and seek" in the insulation compacts it and reduces it's ability to insulate.
The most common squirrel in the gulf coast is the Sciurus Carolinensis, better known as the Grey Squirrel.
It is larger than the Fox Squirrel (the other most common squirrel) and it get's it's name from it's color.
Actually when you get a close look the color is sort of salt and peppery but from several feet away they look gray.
By the way, don't try to pet them and hand feeding them is not a good idea.
When I was about 10 I caught one...
but turned it loose really quick.
Yes it bit me and yes I still have the scar on my right hand.
Squirrels have been known to live for up to 10 years but typically their life span is between 3 to 4 years.
As an adult they will weigh one to one and a half pounds and will be about 1 to 2 feet long with about half of this length being the tail.
Squirrels start breeding at t one year old and they usually have two litters a year with a gestation period of six months.
Each litter will produce two to four young with the first being born in January or February.
Mom and Mom only has the responsibility of rearing the young they are dependent on her for about three months.
If you suspect you have Squirrels around your home or in your attic I strongly urge you to get them out and seal up all openings before she becomes pregnant.
Once she has built a nest and had her kids driving a Mom out of your attic becomes very difficult.
The Grey Squirrel, unlike many other species, do not hibernate.
This is because they don't have the ability to store fat reserves and as a result they have to eat all year long.
Their diet consist of nuts, berries, seeds, bird eggs and sometimes nesting birds; they are also not opposed to raiding a garden for vegetables.
I suspect we would all be healthier if we followed their diet and I know we would have more money in the bank if we emulated their saving habits.
What they don't eat they save.
They store the excess food in temporary and permanent "catches" and they will have several thousand catches saved each year.
In the wild you will find their nest in a tree hollow or in a fork of a tree limb.
In an urban setting they sometimes find attics more to their liking.
Attics are warm, rain proof, usually close to food and it protects them for natural predators like owls, hawks and snakes.
I suspect a big reason for moving in with you is so they can be close to their food source.
I have been in the pest control business over 40 years and every one of my customers, not some, not most, but every person that has a "bird feeder" in his yard (or his neighbor's yard) has had rats and/or Squirrels in their attics or under their wood decks.
The surest way to know what you have living in your attic is to actually see them, a Rat's tail is hairless and a Squirrel's tail is fuzzy.
Short of this the next best way is to listen to the times when they are active.
Rats are active a night and Squirrels are active during the day light hours but this can be a little confusing.
Squirrels start their day off at dawn and come home at dusk while Rats start their day at dusk and come home at dawn.
It is sometimes difficult to distinguish which is which and the noises can be misleading.
We look for Fecal droppings to make a positive identification.
Once you have determined that the noises you are hearing is not the wind, a tree limb rubbing on the house or a neighbor's kid throwing balls on your roof, the question then becomes, how do you get rid of them? The first thing you have to do is find out how they got in.
Squirrels, and rats can crawl through holes no larger than their heads.
With a rat this is a hole about the size of a quarter and with a Squirrel it will be about the size of a Silver Dollar.
They are capable of chewing through sound wood, siding, soffits or fascia boards, but prefer to areas of wood decay.
They are also quite adapt at finding roof vents into the attic or gaps in the exterior siding.
Getting them out comes down to three options, repelling devices, traps or baits.
The repellent devices will be sonic machines (above the hearing range of humans), predator smells (fox urine) and/or strobe lights.
The sonic machines and urine are not always successful but strobe lights (we use the kind you would find atop a radio/television tower) almost always work.
Baits also work well but when baits are used there is the real possibility of them dying in the attic or walls.
If this happens a "dead animal smell" may develop that can linger for weeks.
If this happens it will be an experience you will never forget.
Once the rodents has been driven out or killed sealing up their access points is very important.
If you don't seal the entry holes their brothers, cousins, friends and kins will have "ready made" entry places.
Sealing is done with screen wire, metal flashing, concrete and sometimes the wood has to be replaced.
You have to keep in mind that "your home may be their home too" and if you miss sealing up just one little hole your problems start all over again.