Baby Squirrels in the Attic? Read This!

Are you hearing suspicious scratching noises from your attic?  If so, chances are that a mother squirrel has picked your attic for a nursery. Squirrels always search for warm, dark places with lots of food nearby to create their nest and eventually raise their young. During birthing season especially, it is important for a mother squirrel to find a safe place to have her babies. Unfortunately, this safe place might just be your attic.

In Texas, the wildlife population is increasing day by day. That is why Texas residents must prepare themselves to come into contact with these furry creatures. How do you know if baby squirrels are in your attic? Thankfully there some key signs and signals you can look for to determine if you have baby squirrels in your home which we will cover in this blog.

If you notice your property has an unusually high traffic of squirrels, or hear unusual noises in your attic, especially at night, in our experience providing squirrel removal services, these are usually the first signs that squirrels have taken a liking to your property. Also, it is worth keeping in mind that squirrels do not make great house guests. The longer they stay in your attic, the greater structural damage they cause which ultimately increases your squirrel removal cost.

When Are Baby Squirrels Born?

When we have provided squirrel removal services in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, we have found that spring is normally the birthing season for squirrels. While you wait for your summer pool parties, squirrels are anxiously awaiting to raise their babies. It is important to note a few species of squirrels, such as eastern grey squirrels, reproduce twice a year – once just before spring and again in mid-summer.

Also, the gestation period for squirrels is 45 days. This means you can expect to see squirrel babies a month and a half after the start of the birthing season. If you have spotted any squirrel activity in your attic, especially during the birthing season, chances are high that they are either about to give birth or they have given birth to their babies already.

In both cases, your property is at a huge risk and you should seek to evict your uninvited guest as soon as possible. You can give it a shot by yourself but for the fastest and most hassle-free approach you should seek professional help.

How Many Babies Do Squirrels Have?

Like other rodents, squirrels do not have a rapid reproduction rate. They typically birth two to five young ones per litter. Keep in mind some species of squirrels reproduce twice a year meaning it’s possible you will have two litters of baby squirrels to deal with if you leave the squirrels to their own devices.

How long Can Baby Squirrels Live Without their Mother?

The squirrel babies are naked, deaf, and blind when born. As a result, these babies are helpless and fully dependent on their mothers. Without a mother, it is near impossible for baby squirrels to survive.

How Do I Keep Baby Squirrels Out of My House?

It’s pretty wonderful to see squirrels jumping from tree to tree from your patio or balcony. Once they get inside your house and start a family, it is no longer entertaining.

From disturbing your sleep at night to tearing apart your insulations, squirrel infestation is not something you should take lightly. If you suspect that squirrels along with babies are nesting in your attic, you must get things back on track by arming yourself with the knowledge you need to remove squirrels from your house safely. The best kind of squirrel removal is one that never happens in the first place. You know what they say, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” For tips on early squirrel prevention make sure to check out the Critter Stop blog.

Take Action Immediately

Mother squirrels will take care of their baby squirrels until they grow entirely and become independent. Usually, baby squirrels will become fully grown after seven to ten weeks; however, they will stay with their mother for several more weeks to learn a few survival skills from her.

Therefore, if you hope squirrels will leave your attic themselves, you are highly mistaken. Squirrels are quite fond of warm and dark places so your attic will be their favorite place on earth for many months to come. The best thing you can do when you suspect you have a squirrel infestation is to seek squirrel removal from a company like Critter Stop.

The Destructive Nature of Squirrels  

Some kind-hearted homeowners may want to help a mother squirrel take care of her babies by allowing her to stay in their attic. These home owners are very empathetic, as squirrels that have become accustomed to the cozy conditions of an attic typically don’t survive when moved back into their natural habitat. Despite this fact, the destructive and unsanitary nature of squirrels makes it better to remove them from your property all together.

They may look like cute, harmless creatures but in reality, they are capable of causing a tremendous amount of structural damage to your property like other rodents. Squirrels mainly do this by using the big teeth they are so famous for. They tend to constantly chew on something to keep their teeth short and trimmed, which is a huge problem when squirrels live in your home. Wood furniture, pipes, electrical wires, insulation material, and other belongings are on a squirrel’s long list of items to munch on. During their stay, squirrels will also urinate and defecate all over your attic, making it hard for you to breathe in the same space.

Like other rodents, squirrels also transmit many harmful diseases through their fur, droppings, and saliva. The longer the squirrels stay in your house, the more damage they cause and the more opportunities they have to spread disease.

Timing is Everything

Timing is everything when it comes to planning squirrel removal strategies. The good time to remove squirrels from your property is before they give birth to babies. If adult squirrels are in your attic during birthing season, it may be wise to assume the worst case and consider that there are baby squirrels in the attic too. If you get the squirrels out of your attic before they give birth you will significantly reduce any damage to your property and reduce the cost of your squirrel removal.

Squirrel removal professionals will not only get them out of your attic without hurting the babies, but they will also relocate them somewhere safe. Some companies, like Critter Stop, will even provide options for repairing the damage to your home caused by the squirrels.

Squirrels Are Not Good Pets

Homeowners should never think of keeping squirrel babies and expect them to become permanent pets. Once they are mobile, they will be mobile. They will tear your house apart and may become more aggressive if confined to a cage.

Therefore, the wiser decision would be to get them removed safely along with the mother squirrel. Squirrels are not indoor animals. In case you need another reason to get rid of these furry creatures, keeping squirrels as pets is illegal in many states, including Texas.

Time to Call the Professionals

If squirrels are nesting in your attic, you must take quick action for their removal. It is very important that the entire family is removed.  The baby squirrels will die without the support of their mother so leaving babies behind means you will have to deal with a baby squirrel corpse in your home. Not fun. It is always better to call squirrel removal experts to deal with the situation.

If you want to go the DIY route, you may hurt the squirrel babies or, in the worst-case scenario, be left with helpless babies with no one to take care of them. The squirrel removal professionals will evict the adults humanely and safely remove the babies to reunite them with their mothers later.

The professionals will also take measures to ensure that no more squirrels invade your attic again. This may come in the form of closing up any openings in the exterior of your home or installing a special trap door that prevents squirrels from breaking in.

Conclusion

Squirrels gnaw on almost everything they can reach so you can imagine the amount of damage they can cause to your attic while nesting in it. These little fur-balls are smart and sneaky creatures, making them very hard to catch.

If you don’t want a squirrel family growing in your attic, you must take help from a professional squirrel removal company. Remember, the more you delay, the higher the squirrel removal cost. Contact Critter Stop to provide guaranteed squirrel removal with no hassle for you! Call us now at (214) 234-2616 to get a free inspection and start solving this problem asap!