Have you heard about vampire squirrels that attack small animals, going for the jugular and draining their blood? Or how about tufted squirrels on the island of Borneo that ambush deer and eat their hearts and livers? Just in time for Halloween, these alleged tales sound more like stories told while sitting around the fireside to frighten naïve listeners.

Here in the Triangle, we don’t have to worry about vampire or tufted squirrels wreaking havoc on small animals, but when squirrels native to our area invade our homes, it can make us want to scream.

In our area, we mostly see gray squirrels, although the NC native fox squirrels have been seen in the eastern part of the country, while red squirrels are seen mostly in the mountains. Rarely, we’ll see the flying squirrel, which is nocturnal.

But when there’s a squirrel in the house, most homeowners are less concerned with what species it is and are more concerned about how to get it out of the home.

How Squirrels Get Into Homes

When it is nesting time, typically in fall and spring, squirrels look for a safe, warm and dry location for their babies. Areas that are high above ground are ideal because those areas are safer from predators. For those reasons, attics are ideal locations. If you have tall trees near your home, squirrels can easily climb them and jump to your roof. Once there, they can gnaw holes in the roof, or search for any gap in the fascia and squeeze inside.

Once squirrels are in your attic or crawl space, they may chew and tear through wood, insulation and wires. As more litters of squirrels are born, they cause more destruction inside the home and can chew additional holes on the outside.

How to Remove Squirrels From Your Home

The best way to get rid of squirrels is to trap them and relocate them away from the home. Hand in hand with removal is keeping the old and new generations of squirrels from coming back, by identifying and sealing the entryway holes. It’s important to take care, though, to make sure no squirrels are left trapped inside the home once those holes are sealed. Squirrels on both sides of the barrier can become frantic, leading to more chewing and destruction.

If you hear the pattering and scratching noise of squirrels in your attic, it doesn’t have to be a nightmare. Call the wildlife experts at Critter Control of the Triangle at 1-800-CRITTER or 919-382-0651 in Raleigh, Durham, Apex, Cary NC and the Triangle area. We provide animal removal, cleanup and remediation services that will make your squirrel problem a lot less scary.