We are renters, so we are limited on what we can do. We have a large east Texas black squirrel getting into our attic early in the mornings right above our bedroom. It jumps, scratches, etc. We told the landlord and he kinda him-haws around getting a pro out here to get rid of it. So I'm trying to think of things to do myself. I was thinking of throwing several boxes of moth balls up there to repel it. But I don't know if that really works??? I would rather not put poison up there and I can't afford a trap.
If any of you have had a squirrel problem, how did you get rid of it? Thanks mamas (and daddies).
Trap is probably the only way. They run $20. Had one in my attic. Trapped him ands released hims into the woods.
Make sure it is not a mama with her babies up there. Talk with your county wildlife removal agency about safe and humane removal. Someone should be able to advise/help you. Please don't evict her until you know she doesn't have babies up there. When ihavehad wild life in my attic, I leave the light on up there.
Your landlord is an idiot. The poor things are just looking for a place to live and be warm, BUT they can chew wires and damage things, so he's setting himself up for MORE repair work by not dealing with this.
You need to get a professional out there who will install a one way "trap door" so that the squirrel can get OUT but not back in. Once they are sure that it's out, they have to plug the hole so it can't chew it's way back in.
We had this problem, and that's what they did. It worked and nothing was killed.
This link might help. The health section I think may be overkill, but the rest of it is accurate.
http://voices.yahoo.com/why-squirrels-attic-bad-health-##...
Yep, Does the squirrel stay in there all of the time? Or does it leave during the day? If it leaves plug up the holes with wood, caulking whatever is needed. During the daytime, you should be able to see light coming through. the attic up there. .
If it is living up there, you can borrow a live trap sometimes..They will instruct you on how to use it. We find dry cat food dropped inside the trap works great.
Or rent one. Call animal control to ask..
And then you need to figure out how to plug up the hole they are coming in from up there. I would then send the owner a bill.. or ask if you can deduct the cost from your rent.
We had the same problem earlier this spring.
A pet rescue, wildlife rehab or spca might have a trap they can loan out. Good luck!
I have permanent mental scars from the ^*%* squirrels that got into our old house. They would get into the attic, but there was a place where they would fall in between two walls and get trapped and yes die. Guess what?? Dead squirrels (dead anything) really stink!!!!!
I wouldn't use poison because you never know where they are going to die. You might be able to rent a live trap from your Animal Control Department by just leaving a deposit.
Good Luck,
M
Two part solution: find the way he's getting in, and have that blocked up. You can use a have-a-heart trap -- see if you can borrow one from a neighbor or find one cheap on Craig's List. Once the hole is patched, bait the trap with some peanuts (shelled) stuck in some peanut butter so they don't slip off the trip mechanism. When you release the squirrel, don't do it nearby! They find their way back.
Your landlord shouldn't be hemming and hawing because that squirrel is chewing through the coating on the outside of wires and messing with insulation, and that's going to cost a lot of money. Moreover the squireel is most likely raising a litter of young ones up there. If you catch the adult, don't assume you are done.
Consult your town's animal control or health department, and find out what your rights are as a tenant. Your landlord may not be able to avoid this and you may have more power than you think.
You can also buy hot pepper spray in garden centers and you can probably find a recipe on line to make it yourself. Spray it around the entry hole but you will have to do it again and again and especially after it rains.
You have to trap them and drive them FAR away, because those suckers will come back. Just a tip, many times animal control will come out and do this for you. IF they bill, they send it to the landlords here. Look up your renters rights. In Texas, landlords are obligated to remove wild animals that can carry rabies.
Go to the internet and find the Texas statues and landlord laws. Print them out, and send them to him. He has to get this taken care of for you, and he has to pay.
ETA: Here is a start. This would fall under "health and safety." Since the squirrel can transmit disease to your family, or cause electrical problems by messing with wires and such. https://www.oag.state.tx.us/ag_publications/pdfs/tenant_r...
You want to go to a feed store and get coyote urine granules and sprinkle it in your attic. But you will have to do it often if you don't close up the place they are getting in. They are persistent. Try to get metal to cover the holes.
Call a professional. The squirrel will need to be released far from your home or it'll find it's way back in. The ones in my mom's attic were driven by the company about 60 miles away to a nature preserve so they couldn't find their way back.
Just a word of caution - squirrels are damn persistent!! Plug up one hole, they will make another.
Therefore, since you are renting, if YOU take action to prevent the squirrel from getting into the attic, & the squirrel then causes more damage creating a new path, you might be legally liable. I don't know that for sure, but definitely something I would look into before trying to barricade the squirrel.
Trapping & releasing out in the woods somewhere is pretty much sudden death for wildlife... if you can get a Havahart trap (humane live trap for small wildlife, usually found @ Fleet Farm type stores), find out from your local DNR how to best relocate the squirrel so that 1. he doesn't die & 2. he doesn't come back.
Depending on your relationship with your landlord, you may or may not want to contact your city housing department. There may be regulations that the landlord needs to abide by, such as vacating a squirrel. There may not be. You can find out first if there are, & if so, have a talk with your landlord & point out that he is required to erradicate the squirrel, & see if that lights the appropriate fire under his butt.
However, don't take that approach if it will cause animosity that you can't live with, or result in you needing to search for a new place to stay soon!
Squirrels are so cute & cuddly, until they are in your house, eh? T.
Find a teenage neighbor with a pellet gun and have him hunt it down from the outside. The point of entry should be easy enough to find.
