Squirrels in the attic!

[RickinTN]

Hello everyone,
I'm in the midst of a re-model on a home and noticed yesterday that squirrels are running and playing in the attic. The attic space is accessible but not very easily. I don't think I would be comfortable in shooting even a CB Quiet in the attic so any other suggestions? Seem like I saw at one time an ultra-sonic deterrent? Anyone know anything about these?
Any help and suggestions appreciated.
Rick

[JSnover]

Ultrasonics are most likely a waste of money. I can tell you mine never did anything. Look for a thread called "killing vermin" It addresses the squirrel problem pretty thoroughly.
I have used bug bombs to get rodents out of a shed.
Someone suggested dry ice, which I thought was clever and would not leave chemicals in your home.

[JSnover]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?268341-Killing-vermin
here ya go. Some good ideas...

[RickinTN]

Thanks for the link. I'm thinking I'll try a bug bomb with some moth balls. Maybe the bug bomb will run them out and the moth balls will keep them out. Sealing the entrance ways would be a good idea also.
Rick

[country gent]

My grandmothers house had chipmunks and red sqirrels get in the attic and we never found a good deterrent to keep them out. we sealed the openings and they chewed new ones to get in. It got to the point the upstairs bedrooms couldnt be slept in due to them rolling nuts around all night. We tried the ultra sonics only worked for a short while. moth balls didnt seem to affect them much either. A flashing light did work for about 3 days then they seemed fascinated by it. opening the acess and looking saw 4-5 watching the light flash. Trapping did work but it was never ending. we live trapped them in box traps for awhile. A pellet gun does work but again depending on numbers its a long slow process. If the attic is unaccessable to pets and people ( small children) you might try sprinkling lye around the outer edges and around holes and thier acesses. Not sure if rat poison would work on them or not. In her house they were a major issue and dang hard to get out. A couple black walnut trees in the yard close to the house didnt help either. We went thru alot of 22s and pellets along with time money and energy trying to get rid of them. When we cut down the walnut trees ad did away with their food source they moved on.

[histed]

My experience with ultra sonics was the opposite of JSnover. We bought them to keep bats out of the attic and they worked very well - nor have I seen squirrels in the upper yard sine I started using them. YMMV

[timberhawk]

Squirrels make noise during the day and sleep at night.
Rats sleep during the day and make noise at night.

Just saying, are you sure you have squirrels, have you seen them?

Although, a squirrel is just a rat with a better wardrobe.

[higgins]

Years ago we had flying squirrels in our attic. I found they were coming in under a ridge vent that had a very small gap where it was not properly nailed down. When I fastened it down with screws the problem was solved. Looked for the smallest of openings. They can get in a hole no larger than a quarter. I had to cover my gable vents (the vents at the end of the house under the ridge) with hardware cloth because they had pulled the metal fly screen loose in the corners.

The flying squirrels were pesky because they (I assume) made tunnels in the blown insulation and would roll nuts across the ceiling sheetrock or scratch on it about 2am. They were also small enough to get down in the walls a couple of times.

[presty]

A Have a Heart trap, big enough though as I had one keep it open with his tail. Bait it with some peanut butter granola bars. What you do with it from there is up to you. Or if you're feeling more adventurous, a Gamo Whisper air rifle with the flat head match pellets, a "cleaner" alternative. Best of luck.

[cuzinbruce]

I had squirrels get into the garage. Chewed on boxes and everything that wasn't too hard. What really ticked me off was the way they chewed up the cork handles on a couple nice fishing rods. Since you can't shoot the little devils, maybe a Havahart trap with some peanut butter for bait? Then a spackle bucket of water. See how long they can hold their breath.

[fecmech]

Squirrels are not a good thing in an attic. They caused a house fire at a friends home some years back chewing on wiring. I would throw some packs of rat bait like Just One Bite or something similar up there and make a concerted effort to get them out. I would cut any tree limbs back that overhang the house and do a thorough search to find and seal entry points. Good luck.

[CastingFool]

Haven't had squirrels get into our attic, but did have flying squirrels get into the house three times. The first time I was able to catch it, and released it. A few days later, it was back in. Caught it and made sure it wasn't returning. The third time, it was in the house for about 1 day before I cornered in the office. Was able to catch it, and made sure it wasn't returning. the next day, I spent an hour up on our roof installing hardware cloth over the opening of our two chimneys. The bad thing about flying squirrels, cute as they may be, is that they normally live in colonies, but so far, we have not had any more visits or heard noise in the attic.

[leeggen]

Rick rat bait does work for squirrels. Go to the local farm store and buy a bunch then just toss it all around the attic. Be sure to use hardware cloth ( the heavy guage type) and cover any holes and vent areas. Works great in my barn, of course I have to resupply the bait.
CD

[GOPHER SLAYER]

Squirrels set fire to a friends home by chewing into electrical wiring. It did a lot of damage to a fine Stevens collections.

[10x]

Havaheart live trap baited with peanut butter.
And then you can take them far away and release them.
It is best that you have a barrier like a river or they just may come back. Squirrels (like vampires) have a difficult time crossing water.

Peanut butter is an incredible bait for a trap. WHen I had a squirrel problem it usually took less than 1/2 hour to have the squirrel in the trap.

[MaryB]

Trap and eat them, tree rat is tasty stuff!

[Col4570]

Our next door neighbours had Squirrels in the roof,it sounded like the Kentucky Derby up there.They where doing an extension job and overnight the little buggers got in.

[tryNto]

I have been using Ultrasonic units for over 5 years. Excellent results with Mice, Bats and Squirrels.
I have 3 units. 1 under the House, 1 in the Storage Shed and 1 in a 7'x20' Trailer used as a Shop. We live in the Woods, within a rock throw of a small River and lots of Pasture/open field
The Squirrels moved far away from the Storage Shed where the were living. Not even 1 Mouse in the House since 2013, first year here we had about a dozen trapped.
Used 1 unit in the Landlords Barn to drive the Bats off over a 5 week period.

This is the unit I have. > http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FG8B50/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Sticky]

22 shotshells are pretty attic safe.. ask me how I know.. LOL

Find their entrance points and get them closed up... went through this a while back, closed up the entrances and finished off a few that had stayed in during the close-off with a 22 pistol and shotshells (late at night when they seemed most active).

[bikerbeans]

Squirrels in the attic is better than bats in the belfry.

BB

[JB Weld]

Once you get them out of your attic, you can get coyote urine at the farm store. They have perforated bottles that you can put cotton balls inside. Put a little of the urine on the cotton and hang them near the eaves of the house. It does a good job of keeping the squirrels from coming back. Also, trim any tree branches away from the house. Try and keep the branches 10' off the house. That will help keep the squirrels off the house too.

[EMC45]

My neighbor has been bringing me squirrels in a "Have-a-Heart" type trap for a few weeks now and I have killed around 5-6 or more of them during that time. They are all in his attic and have destroyed nearly all his possessions up there. I had some in my attic and soffit in my eaves, but I did some screen work and hung some new lumber and all is well for now. I have killed a pile of them in my yard though as well. buckets of them. Ate quite a few of them too.

[gwpercle]

Treat them like chicken!
Lightly dredge cleaned squirrel in flour. Sautee lightly in butter, make a dark brown roux with oil and flour. Add chopped onion cook till soft , add broth and make gravy, slip squirrels back in , cover, simmer on low until tender. Make a pan of biscuits, then get rid of squirrels.
You could also, Let the cat go up in the attic....squirrels do not like cats!
Gary

[ShooterAZ]

I had what I thought was a squirrel in my attic. It turned out to be a pack rat, and a big one. He chewed a hole through the drywall over the tub in the bathroom, came in, and ate half a bar of soap. Now he was in the house! I set rat traps, but he just sprung them without getting caught. I ended up getting him with a regular jaw trap, the kind used to trap coyotes. I placed it along a wall that I knew he was running along. Biggest rat I ever saw.

[Certaindeaf]

Seal it up and trap and poison, 'specially if you can't get up there and creep/eyeball about.

[depoloni]

I fix this for homeowners all of the time.

First, definitely inspect and close off any entrance points on the exterior - preferably during the day when the squirrels are most active and more likely to be "out and about" when you accomplish the task. If you happen to close them inside, the easiest thing to do is peanut butter "rat sized" snap-traps. Get them up into the attic as close as reasonably accessible to where you found entry points.

We hesitate to use poison because it doesn't kill on the spot and having a well-hidden and nasty-smelling rotting squirrel in your attic is a bad thing.

If you can see the traps from your access hatch, feel free to tie strings from the traps back to your hatch on your way out. Makes it easier to "reel em in" when you catch a squirrel rather than having to climb through the attic again. Sometimes works, sometimes not if you're a long way from the hatch with your traps.

[hoosierlogger]

Get some "golden malrin" fly bait from your local farm store. Mix half of the can into peanut butter in a disposable pan. Place pan of bait in area inaccessible to pets or children. You will find the offender dead within 20 feet of the pan.

[timberhawk]

Trap and eat them, tree rat is tasty stuff!

In east Texas they call them limb chickens, because they taste like chicken.

[DLCTEX]

I thought Golden Malrin had been banned? My sister-in-law had a squirrel get into her house by chewing through nex to a ceiling light. It couldn't get back out and was in there for a long time as she was working out of town. It chewed everything in sight and made a heck of a mess. Then she found they had chewed the wiring in her attic and cost thousands of dollars that the insurance would not cover.

[hoosierlogger]

I thought Golden Malrin had been banned?
Not sure. last time I bought it was a couple years ago. I have a pound and a half left.

[MaryB]

Available on Amazon...

[ShooterAZ]

You can still buy Golden Malrin, but it's not the original potent formula any more. I looked into it when I was having a severe raccoon problem. I ended up trapping all the coons and relocating them to the woods. I didn't want them crawling into the neighbors yard to die.

[square butte]

Rick - Not sure if you have red or fox squirrels. I get red squirrels in my attic here in VT every 2 or 3 years. Simple for me to deal with. I usually set out 3 or 4 rat traps baited with Skippy peanut butter an 1 ( one ) small have a heart trap baited with the same. You need to tie the rat traps with a couple of feet of string to a stud or something else - nail. I f you just get em bye the tail, they will drag the trap off. Have trapped em this way out of a couple of houses in my neighborhood. Usually takes me just 3 or 4 nights. More if you have multiple access point in the house. Close those up if you can figure out how they are getting in. If you don't - they will bring friends. I don't use a haveaheart trap to keep them alive. It's just another way to sucker the in to a trap. Good to have multiple methods. If you have gray or fox squirrel - Rat traps are going to be too small in most cases.

[Baron von Trollwhack]

You know, you don't want to be killing squirrels in your attic. They live there. You want to be killing them OUTSIDE where they forage.

If you have a few trees about or a wooden fence, start setting out a few shelled raw peanuts with a bit of peanut butter wiped on them as bait.
Get some real rat killing bait from an Ag store. As soon at they are on the bait, switch in the good grade killing bait with a little peanut butter. Put out 5 or 6 depending on the places you set it to get them coming. You want to clobber them all at one time. Be sensible on locations. As soon as they are gone ....Fix the entry holes to stop future problems.

As an ongoing fix, bungee a 4" piece of black plastic waste pipe to a tree or fence at an angle, smear a bit of peanut butter on the upper pipe mouth, and a dab about 18" down in the pipe. The bottom of the pipe sets in an old bucket of water. Dispose of the drowned tree rats and bait as needed.

BvT