Squirrels Chewing in the Attic: 5 Reasons Why You Should Stop It Immediately


Sharing your home with a wild animal might seem like fun in theory, but once you get to the reality of the matter, everything is very different. Seeing a squirrel in the back yard means that there is a nest nearby in almost every instance, and there's a very good chance that the nest is right in your own home, usually up in the attic.

Although leaving them there until they are free to leave of their own accord might seem like a humane, laidback approach to the removal of squirrels, it's not a great approach. Squirrels are just one of many nuisance wildlife species that chew – they'll chew through almost every material in front of them, which doesn't spell good news for you.

All rodents chew to help maintain their teeth, but they also chew to get into places, through materials, and also just for the sheer hell of it. In the attic, squirrels can chew through actual parts of your home just as much as they can chew through your personal belongings. If you have old, treasured photographs in the attic along with a squirrel infestation, they won't be in one piece for very long. The animals will chew through the photographs, and other documents/papers/materials they come across, to create soft bedding or a nest for young squirrels, or just because they can. And your old photographs or documents are just going to be the tip of a very large iceberg too, as you're about to learn …


1 – If squirrels chew through cables or wires, you might be left without power.

Have your lights started flickering? Maybe certain plug sockets in a room aren't working right? Mains-operated electronic devices not working at all?

Squirrels (and other rodents) could be the root cause of it all.

Squirrel damage will sometimes require professional expertise to put right, especially when you're talking about dangerous electronics. If you know nothing about the field, you'll then need to call in an electrician, and those call-out costs can be mighty expensive.


2 – If squirrels chew through cables or wires, you might be left without a house!

We're talking about really bad scenarios here, but what if one of those squirrels chewed through a cable and left the wires inside exposed? What if that exposed wire then came into contact with attic insulation and a fire started?

It hardly bears thinking about, we know; but this is something that you will most definitely need to worry about when you have an animal that is known to chew, up in your attic. It might be time to put a fire alarm up there.


3 – If squirrels move attic insulation (or chew it) to make a comfortable nest for their young, your home will be less economical.

Attic insulation is used to keep heat in your home. When the attic insulation has been removed or just moved, it will no longer give you the same benefits. Sadly, attic insulation is usually one of the most affected things when nuisance wildlife move in to the attic space, and it's one of the most expensive things to repair on a large scale too. This, like many other parts of nuisance wildlife removal, cleanup, and control, usually requires the assistance of a trained (and, therefore, expensive) professional.

If your attic insulation has been removed or moved by squirrels, your home will be letting heat and cool out when you're trying to keep it all in. You're paying to heat up or cool down the heat outside your home. Any hole in your home allows heat or cool air to get out, that's why you should make sure you maintain the building properly, checking to make sure all damage is spotted and repaired immediately. This will also prevent future wild animal attacks too.


4 – If squirrels chew through plumbing/pipe work, you'll have a leak to fix and cleanup.

If that leak is left unrepaired, it might turn into a flood. If this was in the attic, the rooms directly below would be at risk of getting wet and having the ceiling caving in over them. The necessary repairs for this are going to cost a lot of money – tens of thousands of dollars in really bad cases


5 – If squirrels chew and cause water damage, you'll have mould to deal with too.

Yes, whenever you have a damp, humid space, you'll find mould, and that's exactly what squirrels will bring to the table. They'll do it in a variety of ways too, from causing small leaks which allow for slow and deliberate mould growth, to mould caused by squirrel urine and feces. Either way, mould is unpleasant, smells weird, looks unsightly, and also caused a host of health repercussions all by itself.

Have you noticed evidence of squirrels chewing in your attic? It's time to take action. 

Give professional wildlife removal specialists a call today for a free quote and a fast, effective job.



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