Two species of squirrels found in Ontario are the grey squirrel and the red squirrel. The grey squirrel and the red squirrel produce babies twice annually. Most squirrel litters are born in February or March, and July or August. A litter comprises of one to eight babies but five or six are most common. The baby squirrels are naked, blind and deaf. The mother feeds them every two to four hours for several weeks. At 7-8 weeks, they start to follow their mother around within the den site. If the den is inside your attic this is when you will hear noise if you haven’t already noticed the cries.
Noise in your attic is usually caused by an unexpected guest, often a squirrel. Squirrels are one of the most common wildlife pests to be in your attic. One common complaint is the hearing of “scratching” noises, which usually ends up being a mother squirrel in the attic. The young squirrels begin to eat solid food and are weaned at 10-11 weeks of age. A month later, they start to leave the den. If there are not too many squirrels in the area, the young will build nests nearby. Otherwise, they will be chased away to less crowded feeding areas. Typically some of the squirrels will continue to use the birthing den, thus it is important to have baby squirrel removal conducted as they will keep returning to your attic.
Professional Baby Squirrel Removal
SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated will arrive at your home, inspect the area and provide you with a thorough outline of what the problem is, the main entry points and the squirrel removal options you have. The next step (upon hire) is an attic inspection. This is a hands on approach and allows us to invade the animals space. We can identify if there are babies involved or if it’s only adults. During the search of the attic, the technician must be aware that the mother squirrel may be lurking in the dark. It is her instinctive nature to protect her young and may be provoked when they approached. The mother squirrel needs to be chased out of the attic through the one-way door or kept at bay in order to get to the babies. The standard humane method for baby squirrel removal is by sealing all the entry points except one, and installing a one-way door at the main entry hole. This ensures the mother squirrel leaves and cannot re-enter. This method keeps squirrels from being locked inside a building and it greatly reduces the possibility of property damage. The technician will then be able to seek out the babies and remove them from the property. Once the technician have the babies, they are placed in an insulated heated box close to the one-way door installed. When the mother feels that it is safe, she will come back and relocate the babies one by one to the pre-established den.
Do-it-yourself Baby Squirrel Removal
Baby Season is the time squirrels and other wildlife start to have their babies. It is important during baby season if you hear or see any signs of wildlife in your home to check straight away for babies. Precautions must be taken with conducting baby squirrel removal, as it involves dependents which becomes more complicated. Never conduct baby squirrel removal on your own, contact an experienced technician. Ontario has strong animal welfare legislation, enforcing strong laws and tough penalties. Throughout the GTA, Richmond Hill, Markham, Scarborough etc. it is an offence to cause or permit distress to an animal.
“Their goal is to ensure Ontario’s animals are protected and treated in the humane manner that our society expects”.
Ministry of Natural Resources, 2015.
The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) recommends hiring a licensed professional like SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated to trap them and remove the animal especially during baby season. The MNR have issued licenses to professionals like ourselves with certain protocols must be followed. Please do not try and remove the babies yourself.
First thing you do is locate where the noises are coming from. Second thing you need to check, is if there are babies. Babies are usually noisy, you can hear them chirping, as they cry for their mother to be fed. The mother will be in and out of the nest to get food and water, so you may not hear the thuds of their paws at certain times of the morning and daylight hours.
Tips to help Identify Wildlife
Squirrels jump around a lot – day and night! Squirrels like to hide their food, but they have a very short memory, so they scurry around looking for the food they hid. They are very noisy.
Raccoons are larger than squirrels and you will hear sliding while it moves around slowly or fixes up its Raccoons are a lot louder than squirrels.
Mice are harder to hear, small mice don’t make too many loud noises and the evidence they are there is when they walk out in the open of your home. However larger mice, who feel they are safe may get loud and you will probably need the assistance of experts.
Birds in your attic you may occasionally hear scurrying or if there is babies you will hear chirping.
Within a couple weeks, the babies will start to move around and squeak and thump. By about 4 weeks of age, they begin to explore the attic – especially when the mother is not there. The mother comes and goes from the attic during the day and the babies spend a lot of time running around at night!
Mothers are very protective of their young and do not let any animal near them. As mother wildlife are very protective, they can be quite vicious. If you find the babies watch out for the mother as she may be lurking not too far.
If you have any over laying branches onto your roof you should cut these away, reducing access to you roof. Any loss shingles or broken timber should be fixed as raccoons/squirrels etc. can gnaw and claw at weak areas very quickly. We offer wildlife removal and prevention. Please call us for more information and free advice on your wildlife problems.
Call SOS Wildlife for Baby Squirrel Removal at 647-994-9453
Raccoons are pretty common wildlife animals that interact with humans in Toronto GTA. Sometimes the interactions are not wanted and humans are not pleased with it at all. They want the raccoons removed! But getting rid of raccoons can be a hard mission which is why many people just contact professional wildlife technicians like SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated to do raccoon removal for them. To figure out how to get them out, you need to determine how did the raccoon get in in the first place. For raccoon removal, professionals usually use a one-way door. A one-way door is a door set up at one of the entry points the animal has made, usually the main entry point. All other entry points are sealed before the one-way door is set up. This allows the animal to exit and not re-enter. This is the most humane raccoon removal method and involves no human-wildlife encounters. In some cases we use snares when one-way door option isn’t suitable. When using snares, the raccoon is picked up around the waist to avoid any injury to the neck. There is no one size fits all solution but not ensuring humane removal is the ideal raccoon removal method.
How do raccoon get into your home?
Knowing a little about raccoons will help you understand what raccoons do what they do. Raccoons are intelligent animals and will seek out the weak spots on your property. They may rip open soffits, open vent hole, open walls, gable vents and other roof vents. There are various different ways on how raccoons are able to come inside your home which can sometimes be mind blowing once you find out. They are very good climbers, very strong and have agile hands which are traits that make it easier for them to climb into your house, or rip soffits/vents to make their way into your attic. They are not one bit scared of heights as they are amazing climbers. You may have seen the story where the raccoon climbs 213 meters up a Toronto condo tower? Our check our video at the bottom of the page with our raccoon removal from a 200 ft crane. It was the tallest we’ve ever been on a job and removing a raccoon up there I have to admit was quite scary, but we got him down! Getting rid of raccoons is tricky, but once they are in your home you should remove the raccoons immediately before they cause too much damage.
Most of the time raccoons pick their home based on previous homes they have had. Some homes may have bigger holes and easier access. Any ripped soffits, damage on the exterior wall makes it easier for raccoons to enter your house. These homes will have to call for raccoon control frequently to make sure there is no raccoons returning to live inside their house. Once one raccoon lives in a house they leave behind their scent which attracts other wildlife and predators. It is advised when you remove raccoons you should clean that area extremely well. If you had a raccoon in the attic check your attic insulation to see how badly it’s damaged and have your attic restored to its clean state. Wildlife proof your home! If you don’t want to pay a professional, take all the wildlife prevention methods you can yourself to prevent further unwanted critters entering your home. Houses with lots of tall trees surrounding them are higher at risk of having raccoons living in their home. Trim the branches from your house and check for any holes in your roof or soffits a few times annually to ensure there is no wildlife in your home. Read our blog Signs that wildlife are living in your home. Check for these signs and try to remove anything that makes your home attractive to wild critters.
As stated, raccoons usually come in your home and or attics by tore open soffits, open vent hole, tore open wall, gable vents, and other roof vents. You will want to seal any holes and or openings but you need to make sure you don’t trap the raccoon in your home as this is cruel and illegal. Close / fix all holes except for the one way door. Leave this opening open so that the raccoon will be able to come out. If there are babies involved you will have to contact a professional to have them removed. Read our raccoon removal page for info on baby raccoon removal. These are the most common ways raccoons come inside your home. Check these areas of your home to ensure everything is sealed.
Getting Rid of Raccoons
SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated does not advise on do-it-yourself raccoon removal as too often accidents happen. Getting rid of raccoons requires knowledge and experience. Be careful not to trap your neighbors cat, or hurt the animal. Wildlife can be quite aggressive when under threat so be careful. Raccoons may also carry a lot of diseases which are dangerous to humans (rabies and roundworm). If you are getting rid of raccoons I strongly recommend you use a professional like SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated. Read further on raccoon removal page.
Call SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated at647-994-9453 to get rid of raccoons
If you think you have a mice control problem SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated can help. Professional mice control involves removing the mice from your home by sealing the animal entry holes and setting bait stations or traps for the mice depending on your infestation situation.
Signs you need Mice Control
If you are hearing scratching or gnawing noises at night, there is a good possibility you have a mouse issue. You will also know you have mice by droppings, by odors and through finding bite marks on certain foods and household items. Make sure you call SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated, Toronto rodent removal experts right away. Don’t let a small rodent issue in your home or business turn into a huge infestation problem.
The most efficient mice control methods are those administered by trained pest control experts
Is Mice Control Necessary?
Yes, living with mice can put you at risk of health issues. Mice droppings are unhygienic and need to be cleaned up immediately as the smell may also attract more rodents.About 6% of mice can carry the hantavirus disease in their urine, feces and saliva that can infect people. All mice and their droppings should be treated as infectious and dangerous. Mice will also cause a lot of damage in your home by chewing. Having wildlife in your home, especially rodents must not be taken lightly. When you’ve got a mouse or a family of them in your house, call the experts.
Populations grow rapidly and are extremely difficult to eradicate. It is best to target infestations when colonies are small
SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated Mice Control Service
How do professionals get rid of mice? Well each mice control case is entirely unique. when you contact SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated we will ask you numerous questions prior to engaging in any extermination or control methods.
Questions that will help implement a strategic solution include
What is the size of the property?
Is it detached?
Where have you seen the mice?
What noises are you hearing and when?
How long have you had them?
Your answer helps assess your mice control situation and implement a program based on whats deemed necessary. We will come to your home and inspect the outer perimeter to find entry holes. If we find entry points for the mice in the exterior inspection and they are minor holes we can plug them for you. We will then go into your house and implement the best option whether its mouse traps, mechanical traps, glue boards or bait stations. The bait stations are inaccessible and locked, although they must never be tampered with unless you are a trained and licensed professional. They are strategically placed throughout the infrastructure of your home. Extreme caution and safety is exercised when implementing mice control measures.
Please be patient, depending on the infestation level effective control can take a period of time.
Do not move or tamper with any stations or traps
Do not use any other mice control products as it may work against our rodent control measures
Follow recommendations given by technicians like removing food sources, sealing containers, keeping floors very clean and removing trash regularly.
Technicians will return at a time convenient for you and them to check the situation and remove bait and traps.
Call SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated at 647-994-9453 for Mice Control
If you think you have a squirrel control problem SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated can effectively and humanely remove them. Professional squirrel control involves humanely removing the squirrel(s)from your home, screening the animal entry holes and provide wildlife prevention services. Wildlife prevention helps prevent wildlife from causing further damage to your property.
Signs squirrels are in your home
When we receive phone calls from our customers we ask several questions to identify the type of animal. Usually the first sign it is a squirrel is the noise. Squirrels are very noisy. You will hear them scurrying typically at sunrise. At first light they begin looking for food and making irritating noise in the process. Try to track the time of day you hear the squirrel and identify what part of the house you hear it and for how long do you hear the noise. Not every squirrel removal process is identical, so knowing this information helps generate the best plan of action.
If the first sign is not by the noise then it usually is the customer finding the entry hole. You should look around your home for entry holes as there may be multiple entry points. The easiest are for squirrels to enter is through the roof. Squirrels will often rip through soffits, through vents and will gnaw through to gain entry into your attic. Professional wildlife technicians will close all entryways except one. On the last hole, a one-way door will be set up for the squirrel to exit. Upon request they will wildlife proof your home which consists of putting wire mesh around all weak areas of your home that squirrels are likely to go through. Read further on wildlife prevention.
Is Squirrel Control Necessary?
If you have squirrels in your attic or squirrels in your wall you should have them removed immediately. Squirrels get in, get comfortable and reproduce twice annually. The damage they cause can be quite overwhelming as they gnaw on everything to file their teeth, including wiring, siding, gutters, and make multiple entry holes costing you a lot in repairs. Damage depends on how long they remain in your attic, the longer you wait, the more damage. If the squirrels leave eventually, and no prevention methods are taken in place, the vacant space can be re-occupied by raccoons, mice, rats, bats etc. Not dealing with the problem may lead to bigger pests down the line, expensive roof problems and higher energy bills. We advise you to call a professional and have the problem dealt with efficiently and effectively.
Do it yourself squirrel removal
If you decide to take squirrel control into your own hands make sure it is humane. Do not trap the squirrels in the attic or wall or wherever they are. They will die. There are repellent products and sound emitters on the market, that may work, but only temporarily. People also play loud music to get rid of squirrels. You may be successful with some of these tactics but it will be short lived as the squirrels often return. It is my advice to not waste your money on these options. There is no quick and easy fix when it comes to squirrel control. It’s best to have a professional handle squirrel removal while you sit back and relax.
Read more about professional squirrel control on our Squirrel Removal page where we describe our squirrel removal process.
Call SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated at 647-994-9453 for Squirrel Control
An attic provides a safe shelter for a squirrel, and usually meets all of their living requirements: shelter, safety and food. The first step if you have a squirrel in the attic is to identify if there really is a squirrel in the attic as it may be a raccoon or another wildlife animal. Next, you’ll need to determine how to remove the squirrel in the attic. Last, you need to know how to prevent future squirrels in the attic.
How to know you have a Squirrel in the Attic
Three common ways to identify if you have a squirrel in the attic is by sight, noise, damage.
Sight
The easiest way to know you have a squirrel is to spot it. You may see it entering or leaving however this could be rare as they are very skilled at staying hidden. Squirrels are active early in the morning and make a lot of noise, this may be the best time to spot them. If you do see a squirrel in the attic have them removed immediately.
Noise
The most common way to know you have a squirrel in the attic is to hear it. Noise is the primary way our customers know they have a squirrel in the attic. We get calls early in the morning as the squirrel in the attic can be a definite nuisance. A squirrel in the attic can be very loud, move fast and keep you awake at night compared to a raccoon who moves slower and are heavier. Raccoons are nocturnal and only make noise mainly at night were a squirrel will make noises throughout the day.
Damage
You can also identify a squirrel problem by the damage they cause. They may destroy anything that gets in their way in their search for food. They will knock over garbage cans, break glass, and destroy property. The longer you have a squirrel in the attic the more damage they will cause. Having a squirrel for two weeks will cause a lot of damage to your attic as they can chew through the wood at the side of your house or chew through soffits to gain access. They don’t just make one entryway they make several and having several holes on your roof affects the energy costs in your house. In some cases, squirrels chew on electric wires which can cause a fire hazard. As soon as you notice a squirrel in the attic you should have them removed immediately! For more information on squirrel damages read our Squirrel Removal page.
What to do if you have a squirrel in the attic?
If you have a squirrel in the attic you have two options to remove it: Do it yourself squirrel removal or hire a professional like SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated to remove the squirrel in the attic for you.
Do it yourself squirrel removal
Gimmick Products:
This involves using sprays, loud music, sound devices and other gimmicks to scare away the squirrel. Although these methods may work temporarily, the squirrel usually returns.
Eliminate Attractants
Other ways you can resolve a squirrel problem without trapping the animal is to eliminate whatever is attracting the squirrel to your property – garbage, pet food, a pond, tree branches etc. Assess you house for weak points where they may enter and exit.
There is a lot of dangers with do it yourself squirrel removal and you may spend a lot of time and money on gimmicks that don’t work. We highly recommend removing squirrels professionally by someone who is a trained expert with experience. If you are going to try to remove the squirrel yourself please read up on the Ministry of Natural Resources Laws. It’s important to make sure the safety and welfare of the animal is considered at all times. Check out out Squirrel Removal page for more information.
Baby Squirrels in the Attic
If you have a squirrel in the attic, be aware that depending on the time of the year, there is a high chance for baby squirrels to be present as well. If you have baby squirrels in the attic, do not remove them by yourself, hire a professional. Mother squirrels are extremely protective of there young. You will not want to enter an attic with a mother squirrel and babies as a wild animal in a confined space protecting her young can be dangerous! Read our method for baby squirrel removal on our Squirrel Removal page.
Prevent future Squirrel in the Attic
To prevent future animals entering your home SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated provides wildlife prevention for your home. Wildlife Prevention helps keep them out and is a very smart move to save you money in the future. Read our Wildlife Prevention page for more information.
Call SOS Wildlife if you have a squirrel in the attic
Two species of squirrels found in Ontario are the grey squirrel and the red squirrel. The grey squirrel and the red squirrel produce babies twice annually. Most squirrel litters are born in February or March, and July or August. A litter comprises of one to eight babies but five or six are most common. The baby squirrels are naked, blind and deaf. The mother feeds them every two to four hours for several weeks. At 7-8 weeks, they start to follow their mother around within the den site. If the den is inside your attic this is when you will hear noise if you haven’t already noticed the cries.
questions to identify the type of animal. Usually the first sign it is a squirrel is the noise. Squirrels are very noisy. You will hear them scurrying typically at sunrise. At first light they begin looking for food and making irritating noise in the process. Try to track the time of day you hear the squirrel and identify what part of the house you hear it and for how long do you hear the noise. Not every 
Is Squirrel Control Necessary?
If you have a squirrel in the attic, be aware that depending on the time of the year, there is a high chance for baby squirrels to be present as well. If you have baby squirrels in the attic, do not remove them by yourself, hire a professional. Mother squirrels are extremely protective of there young. You will not want to enter an attic with a mother squirrel and babies as a wild animal in a confined space protecting her young can be dangerous! Read our method for baby squirrel removal on our Squirrel Removal page.