Baby Squirrel removed from a wall
Squirrel baby season is upon us. Are you hearing squirrels in your attic but don’t think it is that much of a problem. Think again, squirrels main breeding season in Northern Virginia is from December to February. The gestation periods is about 44 days. Starting in February squirrels begin to give birth to young, this means many more squirrels in your attic causing much more destruction. A normal Fairfax, squirrel in attic job before birthing season will normally only produce 2-3 adult squirrels. Once squirrel baby season starts, that same squirrel job we will catch 5-8 squirrels of varying age. Squirrels have from 3-5 babies on average at a time.
You may think baby squirrels look cute and cause no problems. They may look cute but they do actually cause major destruction to a home. A squirrel is a rodent so their teeth are constantly growing, the only way to wear down their teeth is to chew. Squirrels chew on wires, squirrels chew on wood, squirrels chew on duct and pretty much anything else in an attic that causes major issues. Since baby squirrels are smaller and do not go outside till they are older, that means they are predominantly chewing on things inside your attic. Squirrels also defecate and urinate in the insulation contaminating the attic. If the contamination is bad enough sometimes a full attic clean out and replacement is needed. But this serves two purposes, first for human health reasons from the contamination. Second it shows what actually the squirrels have chewed on and what needs to be replace. Sometimes squirrel chew on wires under insulation that can not be seen until insulation removed.
It is best to remove the adult squirrels from attic before squirrel baby season. The best option is to remove all of the squirrels and then repair and animal proof the house so no other animals can get in. This is best done before squirrel baby season starts and most of the damage is incurred. Please call today before it is too late; you never know which wire they will decide to chew.
