Baby Squirrels on Your Property and the Possible Damages that can take place.

During one time or another, what can be found in your attic, walls, garage or wherever it might be are baby squirrels. This time of year, the appearances of baby squirrels are on the rise due to it being baby season. Mother squirrels look for a place most suitable according to their standards but when they select a homeowner’s property, or a place of business like a restaurant or office, this can often be a problem.

Squirrels are born into a litter of about 2-8. They are cared for by their mother for the first 2-3 months of their lives until they are able to fend for themselves in the wild independently. Dealing with a single squirrel on your property can be an issue, but if you find yourself hosting a place to stay for a family of squirrels, that’s another issue.

There are a couple reasons why it is important to recognize if you have squirrels on your property,
especially around this time of year. If you don’t prevent it in time, you may be host to a litter of them
which could end up being a bigger nuisance with more damages. Recognizing and preventing these
issues means avoiding having to deal with squirrels on your property as they grow up and their mother
takes care of them.

Here are a couple signs to look out for if you think you might be having a squirrel problem on your
property and some of the damage you might have to look after

  • You might notice holes or rips from the outside structure of the property
  •  Hearing noises in the attic is not uncommon for people facing a squirrel problem
  •  Seeing squirrels on your property more frequently can be an indicator that they live very
  • close by
  •  Chewing wires and ripping insulation in the attic are behavior that squirrels often
  • conduct
  •  Droppings and urine left behind by squirrels leaving a unpleasant sight and odor
  •  Holes torn in soffits or anywhere to gain entry to attic can also attract other wildlife animals like raccoons or birds
  •  Possible negative interaction with pets
  •  Squirrels bringing in disease

If you notice any of these signs, it’s possible that you may be hosting a family of squirrels on your
property. Fortunately, there are solutions to these issues. If you have noticed these, but you’d like to
take measures to avoid experiencing any of it, there are things you can do for this as well.
In the event where you are already hosting a family of wildlife, we recommend calling for a professional
wildlife removal company to solve the issue for you. There are specific methods that are created to
minimize risking the well-being of the squirrel, yourself and your loved ones as well as the property.
Squirrel removal, or other types of wildlife management conducted by reputable wildlife control
companies understand the importance of minimizing as much human-wildlife interaction as possible,
unless it is absolutely necessary. The companies who understand this, practice solutions that will not
interrupt a wildlife animal’s natural behaviour.

As for prevention methods, trying to keep wildlife away before they cause any sizeable damage is the
recommended approach that can result in saving you time and money in the long run. There are many
options available in books or online that suggest several types of squirrel prevention, however, for long-
lasting effective solutions calling a professional is the best option. Our technicians conduct thorough
inspections which allow them to identify weak area points in the structure and potential points of entry
for squirrels as well as devising a personalized plan of action custom to the structure of your property
and nature of the situation.

While the best results come from hiring a professional, there are several things you can do to keep an
eye out

  • Maintain a neat and tidy property
  • Dispose of all trash (especially compost) in the appropriate manner. Ensure bins are secured to
    not attract any wildlife
    animals
  • Consider taking the trash out in the morning rather than the night before to avoid giving wildlife
    the evening to an uninterrupted dumpster dive
  • Regularly inspect and monitor the property for any damages like ripped soffit, scratch mark etc.
    that might indicate wildlife habitat nearby
  • Look out for noises or droppings left behind if you suspect squirrels or any other wildlife on your
    property

In some cases during these seasons either on or off your property, you might encounter baby wildlife
alone. While it’s almost automatic to assume that the baby wildlife animal is helpless, inspect the
situation a little further before you intervene, and for the sake of the animal, call a professional for
assistance.

If you happen to find a baby squirrel or a litter of baby squirrels on your property check to see if
their mother is around. Baby squirrels are highly dependent on their mother for food, protection
and guidance. If the mother has not made an appearance for a significant amount of time, call a
wildlife rehabilitation center. Wildlife rehabilitation professionals will be able to assist the
orphaned or injured squirrel back to health before they are released back into the wild.
Do not attempt to feed the wildlife animal. Like human babies are sensitive to certain types of
food or drink, so are baby wildlife animals. Consult a professional wildlife rehabilitator before
taking action.

In the event where there is a family of squirrels living on your property, call a wildlife removal service company like SOS Wildlife Control Inc. SOS Wildlife Control ensures that the squirrels are
removed from your property in an efficient and humane way.

If you notice signs of wildlife in your house give us a call. At SOS Wildlife Control Inc., we provide
squirrel control services for residential, commercial, and industrial clients, guaranteeing effective
results every single time. Let us help you solve your wildlife problems. Taking action before it's too
late will help eliminate animal damage repair costs. We are available 24/7, 365 days a year for
emergency services, and can easily be reached at 1-800- 981-0330. Don’t wait, call us to schedule an
appointment for a thorough inspection, removal and prevention to help evacuate all your unwanted
wildlife guests in the most humane way possible.

Call SOS Wildlife Control at 1.800.981.0330 for Squirrel Control!

Baby Squirrel Removal

Last Updated: May 2021

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

CALL US NOW FOR REMOVAL SERVICES