There are four native tree squirrels in Oregon: the Western gray, Douglas, Northern flying, and American red squirrels. There are also invasive nonnative species like the Eastern fox and gray squirrels. They are listed as predatory animals.
While they are fun to watch, squirrels can be a pest when they cause damage to your property. From March to September, squirrels give birth in a nest they created, possibly in your attic or chimney. Squirrels’ teeth or constantly growing, and if they get too big, they are painful. These pests will gnaw on anything hard, including metals, wood, siding, shingles, pipes, ducts, and drywall, to keep them small.
How Do Squirrels Get onto the Roof?
Squirrels are outstanding climbers and exceptional jumpers. A squirrel can jump five feet vertically and clear seven feet across. So if you have tree branches within that range to your home, squirrels can gain access to your roof.
This squirrel in Portland jumped from the trees onto a roof and created an entry hole above the gutters.
Squirrels navigate their way through treetops seamlessly, so the pests have no problem climbing onto roofs or into soffits. Squirrels need an entry point ranging in size between a golf ball to a softball. If the gap isn’t big enough, squirrels can gnaw through most housing materials to gain access.
Squirrel in Attic Removal in Portland, OR
Squirrels are always looking for sheltered areas to build nests. They gain access to attics by chewing holes above gutters or at construction gaps where dormers meet the roofline. Squirrels often cause damage to attic insulation or electrical wiring in the attic.
The best and safest way to ger rid of squirrels from your attic is calling the experts at Critter Control. Never approach nuisance squirrels without professional help.
Critter Control uses the most advanced techniques in the industry to safely and humanely remove squirrels from your attic. Common squirrel removal techniques include a live trap or installing a one-way excluder valve. Once the squirrels are safely removed, we identify and seal all entry points to prevent future intrusions.
In addition to removal and prevention, Critter Control offers professional repairs to squirrel damage on homes, including exterior repairs, insulation repair, and more.
Squirrel Control in Portland
Most people identify squirrels from the noises they make early in the morning. In this situation, the homeowners actually saw the squirrel make the jump onto their roof.
Never try to catch a squirrel. They can carry diseases and will bite or scratch if they are cornered. According to Oregon laws, squirrels cannot be relocated unless it is on the same property.
We don’t typically have to trap and remove squirrels.Trapping and transporting a squirrel to a facility that will take in the rodent requires a special permit. Hunting permits may be required for certain species during particular seasons.
We install a one way door or valve. The squirrels evict themselves. Once they go through the door, they can’t return. You need to make sure all potential squirrel entry points are sealed. Squirrels cna find their way back inside. If babies are in a nest, we remove them by hand and immediately reunite them with the mother outside.
We provided an exhaustive inspection of the property and found the squirrel building a nest in the insultation. We were able to set a squirrel trap and humanely remove it from the home. We sealed the entry point along the eaves and removed the contiminated insulation.
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