I discovered that the squirrels are in the attic of my rental house again. When I first bought it they were in there living merrily. We closed off the points of entry which were under the roof overhang and shot the squirrels. Wednesday I was down that way and decided to look at the roof and spotted an area that looked as if a small section of the roof had exploded up.

Yesterday I got up on the roof with a roofer and found that the squirrels have torn off three layers of shingles and chewed a hole large enough to crawl in.

So fixing the roof is something that is very understandable and doable but I am a bit at a loss as to how to remove the furry friends and make sure they don't come back.

Suggestions?

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

A bug bomb will get them out but the smell they leave behind will attract more of the same.

How are they reaching the roof? Neighboring tree? Rain gutter?

I'm a self-described expert in squirrels................

Apparently, leaving the soffits open tends to attract the bastards.............long sad story.

I've chased them with just about every chemical I can find and they are a hardy bunch. Chlorine is the best, but it takes quite a lot to move them off a space.

The best solution is the traps. If I set a trap and bait it with peanuts, and locate it close to the path, I get the squirrel within three or four hours. Never failed yet. He goes off to a county park about five miles away.

The main problem is the scent that they leave behind. Other squirrels are attracted to the scent and I don't quite know how to eliminate it and prevent recurrence.

I had one get up into the attic and he died in the floor joists above the bedroom. That wasn't fun.............

How about you come out here and do my soffits............???

I should have known you would have expertise in squirrells and nuts. (unavoidable as a Mod!)

The scent thing sounds like a part of the problem......

I don't see how to keep a determined rodent out of a wooden structure. I would be reluctant but willing to cut or trim back trees near the house to aleviate the problem I suppose.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

In one rental house, I repaired the hole where the bastard got into the house (rotten facia).

Unbeknownst to me, the SOB was still IN the house. He destroyed the roof deck to get himself OUT of the house. Again, the trap was my best friend in that case.

They have the claws to get through any soft wood if they are determined...........

If they can't jump from the trees to the roof, you will alleviate your problem..........climbing up the siding is possible but not typical.

can they climb a metal downspout?

Of course it has a power line too. Do those balls work on the power lines?

I have seen those films of squirrels doing things to get at feeders.

Yikes!

I'd much rather have them on my side than be my enemies!

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Live traps and relocating is what I used a few years ago to solve my intrusion after I gave up with a pest control company. Removed the highway ( overhanging limbs). Bait the traps with peanut butter on crackers sprinkled with some raisins & nuts (bird seed). I ended up catching & removing three iirc.

I have read they are territorial. So, if you catch, remove and close up quickly, you should be ok. They breed in Feb & August I've been told. They'll be using the nest a lot now.

Someone here a long time ago suggested instead of taking them away and setting them free, a 55 gallon drum full of water works well too.
Be sure to take them faaarrr away. Brian's suggestion of the zoo is a great idea.

If it was polished aluminum, probably not.

But, they can grab the inside corner between the downspout and the siding (if wood) if they are tenacious.

Again, the more difficult you make it, the less likely they are to try.

I don't believe they can get the scent from the ground. And it's unlikely they will climb from ground level.

All my issues are due to trees that are within jump distance.

I don't condone such behavior in any way. The animal doesn't deserve death simply because he inconvenienced you.

I've taken at least 20 of them to the park. There is a 10 lane highway between my house and the park. They won't be back.

I did have one die in the cage because I was away for two days. It wasn't right.

5miles isn't far enough if there isn't a geographical obstacle in between to hinder their return like a river or busy highway. I've spray painted them and had them return from 7 miles away. You have to rid the vicinity of squirrels. No other solution to my knowledge. Had a bad case a couple of years ago. Killed some with mouse poison mixed in with food and put in the attic. Caught others in traps and relocated them 10 miles away across a river. Killed others with a pellet gun. Once they were gone from our block, the didn't return. No point in patching the holes until they're all gone. They'll just eat their way in somewhere else. Squirrels are smart. They learn to avoid traps. Sometimes death is the only option. A good pellet gun with a scope is effective.

We've had problems with pigeons also. Recently that problem has diminished. I couldn't figure out exactly why. Neighbor down the street told my wife that the city has introduced falcons to the neighborhood to kill off the pigeons. Neighbor knows because she can let her tiny dog out in the backyard alone any more since the falcon is likely to snatch it up.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

I don't like killing animals if not necessary but am very willing to kill the little bastards if necessary to keep them out of the house.

I wouldn't want to think relocating them would work.

It also seems as if there might be baby squirrels in there now.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Wonder if one of those Owl decoys would be a nonlethal deterrent?

That was the point at which I resorted to my genocidal policies. I decided that new generation only knew my attic as it's home and I had to put an end to it. I purchased the pellet gun.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

I wonder if allowing a cat to inhabit the infested area for awhile would leave a scent that would override the attractiveness of the squirrel scent?