Squirrels are common species found in the wild and your backyard because they build nests on the trees and get food from the plant seeds. They can enter your home and cause severe damage to the property and the garden if the home is infested with these rodents.
Why Do Squirrels Try To Get In My House? Squirrels can get into your house to give birth in a safe place away from predators, search for the food source, and build nests in warm and comfortable environments if easy access points are available. They can enter the house through the damaged roof, vents, roof soffit intersections, gable vents, dryer and wall vents, windows, and chimneys, and jump from high trees to find access points.
You can use various methods to get these little rodents out of the house without violating state rules.
Why do squirrels try to enter my house?
These rodents try to enter the house for various reasons. Here are all the details:
Protection from predators
They find a safe place to give birth to little babies and keep the predators away from the young ones. A pregnant squirrel can enter your home to give birth at a safe and suitable place.
The mother squirrel does not need to get worried about the predators, such as eagles, owls, hawks, and foxes, because these animals can attack the babies and eat them instantly.
The nests at the tree tops are not as safe as the hidden places inside the house, and they make the entrance and exit paths through the roof or walls.
Human homes are secure places, and they can keep their babies and protect them from predators because large wild animals cannot enter human homes.
Searching for food
Food is the first preference for these rodents when they go outside the nest to search for something healthy to eat. Their diet is much healthier than many other animals; therefore, they always search for high-nutrient food.
They love to eat everything the pets, humans, and insects eat, and they can enter the house while searching for food.
They can eat the nuts, fruits, and vegetables you place on the kitchen counter, and fruits and nuts are absent the next day.
The squirrels in the yard are less afraid of humans because they often see them in the garden, and people also feed the rodents in the yard.
It can encourage them to enter your property without hesitation and make your home theirs. They find suitable places to hide and take the food when no one is around.
To build nests
They build nests inside the house at hidden places, such as attics, because they do not need to worry about the rain, storms, and weather changes, which can damage their nest on the trees.
The nests inside the house are safe, and they can make shelters away from predators and near the food source. They use insulations, chewed wood, and bring the nesting leaves from outside.
They prefer to build nests in hidden places where predators cannot see them, such as under the floorboards and chimneys. They can infest this place if you do not notice them inside the home soon.
Easy access points
They can get into the home if easy access points are available, such as openings in the roof and windows. Sometimes they enter your home to get rest in a comfortable and safe place.
Squirrels can get into this place mistakenly through the openings when searching for food or spend a night there to sleep peacefully. They can get out from the point where they enter if no food source is available because they need the energy to protect themselves.
They cannot enter the home if no entry points are present, and they roam around in the yard or outside the house. They remain worried about the food and their babies in open areas and the wild.
Warm environment
Squirrels need a warm environment in winter or hibernation and a suitable living place to store their food. They get in your home in winter to have a warm and cozy atmosphere.
They remain close to each other to keep the body temperature regular, especially when it snows. They do not miss the chance to enter a warm place and enter the home to keep themselves and the babies.
The attics in homes are warmer than the outside environment, and they take shelter in the attics to pass the winter season.
How do squirrels get into the house?
They can find many ways to enter the house, such as through the damaged roof and roof soffit intersections. The deteriorated edges can also cause rodents to enter the attic and home.
Damaged roof edges can cause holes and patches in the roof, which allow squirrels to enter this place and build nests. Repair the damaged roof as soon as possible because it can lead to many other issues.
The damaged vents on the roof and outside the house are also an easy access point for rodents to enter this place. The roof vents can get damaged due to various reasons, such as harsh weather, storms, and rains.
Moreover, low maintenance and poor material quality also lead to cracks and damage inside the vents. They have sharp teeth and can chew the wooden openings to enter the home.
Gable vents also allow the squirrels to enter the home because they have holes covered with screens, which the rodents can chew easily with their sharp incisors.
They can use the dryer or wall vents to get into the home, but the chances are less because these vents are connected to your utility rooms, and the squirrels find it easier to use the roof vents instead of wall or dryer vents.
Many old homes have chimneys on the top of the roof to remove the fire or furnace smoke and other combustion gases from the home.
These chimneys are covered with caps or covers that are easy to chew. The mother squirrel can build nests and hide from predators. These rodents can also chew the plumbing mates and enter your home through the openings.
Moreover, the high trees near the home and the unused areas also allow them to jump on the roof and make entry points through windows and other options.
What happens if squirrels get into the house?
Squirrels can create a lot of mess if they get in your home because they carry pests, such as fleas, ticks, and mites. These rodents can transfer fleas and mites from their fur to humans and other pets in your home, which is not safe for family members and pets.
It causes various health hazards to you, your family, and your pets because wild squirrels carry many contagious diseases. Therefore, they can create a severe health problem for you if they are sick and enter the house.
They can make the home dirty by urinating and defecating in different places. Pet dogs and cats can pick up feces and touch the urine, which causes diseases.
Moreover, there can be an unpleasant smell in the house, which can create an unhygienic atmosphere. These little rodents can damage the property by chewing the insulations, PVC pipes, electric wires, and wooden frames.
You have to spend hundreds of dollars on repairing the electric connection and PVC pipes; therefore, it is better to take immediate action when you encounter these rodents in your home.
How to get squirrels out of the house?
You can use various methods to get the squirrels out of the house safely because these rodents cannot deal with high-stress levels or die due to heart attack.
Therefore, using safe and humane methods to get rodents out of your home is better. You can use squirrel repellent sprays, as the smell of these sprays can make them move out of this place and deter them from entering again.
You can use safe traps to catch them and relocate them away from the house to minimize the chances of return. It is better to close all entry points around your home to avoid insects and these rodents in your place.
You can call the wildlife rehabilitator center if you observe an infestation in the attic or other portions of the home because the staff is trained to get rid of the rodents safely and make sure they do not return.
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