Will a squirrel in the attic have a nest of babies? What to do about that?

Squirrels don't tend to inhabit human homes unless they are looking for a safe and warm location that will be great for their future family. Human homes, especially an attic or basement, seem like a perfect choice for their babies: these are safe, warm and generally secluded locations.



Squirrels have babies in the period from February to May and from August to October, so if you see squirrels near your home or think that they have already let themselves in the attic (because you hear scampering noises there), then they are probably making themselves a nest to have their babies there. Squirrels make a nest for their babies from the readily available materials; they will also not shy away from chewing wood or insulation in the attic to make the nest for their babies. This can also include chewing on wires, which is one of the most important reasons why you don't want them to wander around the attic.

Babies are completely dependent on the mother till they are 2 months old, during which period they will not leave the nest. This is a period when you don't want to try to get rid of them. Only when the mother weans off the babies is it safe to consider your options on how to move them away from your attic. When you start seeing babies around the attic, it will be a good moment to do it.

There are different ways to remove squirrels away from your attic. One is to try to scare them away with noise. In some cases this will be effective and in some it will not (especially if the babies are still in the attic).

A much safer way in terms of results is to use one-way exclusion traps. These are traps that will enable squirrels to get out of the attic, but it will prevent them from getting back in. In order to safely apply this trap, it is necessary to find all the possible entry points to the attic where squirrels might enter and exit. Once you locate all the nooks and crannies, you need to safely close all of them – all except one. Use metal to make sure that the squirrels will not be able to simply chew their way back in. The one hole you leave will be used for trapping the squirrels and then excluding them from your home.

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Will a squirrel in the attic have a nest of babies? What to do about that?