by SOS Wildlife Control | Nov 6, 2015 | Squirrel Control, Uncategorized
Last Updated: May 2016
Our Squirrel Removal technicians are ready to help in Toronto, Richmond Hill and the GTA. Removing squirrels can be costly if you don’t act fast. Coming into winter these critters will be looking for somewhere warm and dry to spend the cold winter months. The ideal space is your attic but keeping them out is the best option. Trim the trees from your house to reduce roof access. Remove rotten pumpkins that will attract them. Don’t overfill bird feeders and keep your pet bowls inside. Squirrels can cause a lot of damage if they enter your home. Some homeowners / business owners know they have squirrels and choose to do nothing about it, as they see no immediate problem. However it is. Squirrels teeth constantly grow and to keep them short and sharp squirrels gnaw on objects. This may be branches or nuts outside but in your home it will be your house structure, wires or whatever you have in the squirrels immediate space. Holes in the structure of your house will be costly to fix and increase your energy bill. Chewed wires are a fired hazard. It is common in Ontario for Squirrels to be blamed for power outages, one squirrel got electrocuted and knock out the whole power of Toronto’s Financial Sector for two hours. Generally animals play a large part in outages outside of the downtown area and cause house fires. Removing squirrels immediately will help avoid costly wildlife damage. The amount of damage depends on how long they remain in your attic.They will not cause a lot of damage if they have been in your attic for less than 2 weeks. If it has been a few months though the damage may be substantial. Attic Insulation can be compromised. Squirrels trample the insulation running back and forth, use it for nests and areas will be covered in urine and feces
Additional side effects to the physical damage is the noise they cause. We get many early phone calls from homeowners woken by the squirrels running back and forth the attic. They are quite noisy and irritating. If squirrels die in a unreachable area in your home the smell of their decay can be quite strong and can last for a few weeks. Removing squirrels immediately will help avoid this. With so many dangers in working at heights and possible parasites from the squirrel feces and getting bit or scratched by the squirrel itself, it’s best to call someone who knows the dangers of the job.
Baby Squirrel Removal
Please read further on our baby squirrel removal method. Squirrels have babies twice a year, spring and fall. With babies involved, it is a different removal procedure as mother and babies need to be reunited outside. Read our article Baby Squirrel Removal.
Amazing Squirrel Fact:
Although squirrels rarely interact, they learn who their nearby relatives are by hearing their unique calls. If they fail to hear a relative’s calls for a few days, they may investigate and rescue orphans.
Removing Squirrels
SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated removes squirrels with the use of one-way doors and occasionally live trapping to ensure squirrels do not get trapped inside, causing more unnecessary damage. Our experienced technicians will then seal all entry points with gauge screening, preventing the return of nuisance pests. If requested we will determine any other vulnerable areas of your home and secure these areas using rust proof screens to prevent them from getting back in. By Ontario law the squirrels are then released one kilometer away. A squirrel nest, called a “drey”, is usually built high up in the trees but if no tree is available, the squirrel will build it in the next best thing: your attic. SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated always release the animal in the best possible area for the squirrel to easily adapt to. Squirrels have oil in their fur that can leave a scent behind for years in your home, so even if that animal is removed, if another comes around it could smell the scent and make itself at home. Ensure all the weak areas of your home are reinforced and all holes are covered – wildlife proofing your property.
SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated has plenty experience removing squirrels in attics, squirrels in businesses, removing squirrels from walls, removing squirrels from soffits.
Removing Squirrels? Call SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated at 1.800.981.0330
by SOS Wildlife Control | Oct 8, 2015 | Squirrel Control
Last Updated: May 2016
Toronto GTA is choc full of squirrels whether it be squirrels in the park, squirrels in neighborhoods and squirrels on your property. We receive a lot of calls from distressed GTA homeowners and business owners about squirrels in the attic, squirrels in the wall, squirrels in the chimney, squirrels in the vents, squirrels in the yard stealing bird seeds or pet food. They are everywhere. In this blog we will discuss common GTA squirrel removal problems, in relation to squirrels in your home. We will provide information about squirrels and their characteristics to help you understand why they enter and what options you have.
Squirrels are quite common in Toronto and have become a huge problem not only in the GTA but across the whole of Ontario. As we continually destroy wildlife’s natural habitat they have no choice but to adapt to our residential areas.
Squirrel Behavior
Squirrels are very destructive urban mammals in the GTA, along with raccoons and other wildlife. Squirrels are determined to get food and shelter which could potentially be a costly problem if they enter your home. Squirrels have a variety of skills that allow them to exhibit a variety of behaviors, most revolving around the basics: foraging for food and seeking shelter. Several squirrels in some areas have simply lost their fear of people. In some municipalities, it is against the law to feed wildlife as this encourages the squirrels to lose their fear. If they imprint on people they may become dependent and eventually could come into harms way because of this.
Squirrels are a lot stronger than what they look with claws that pierce bark. These little guys are more than capable to defend themselves so do not corner them.
How to Remove Squirrels
The primary approach is using a one-way door. This involves little to no interaction with the squirrel. A one-way door method works by out technicians closing all entry points on your home that the squirrel is using except one. The last entry hole which is usually the main entry hole is where the one-way door is set up. The structure of it allows the squirrel to get out but cannot re-enter.
If there are babies involved then it is more complicated and you have to call a professional for squirrel removal to remove then reunite the family. Read more on our article Baby Squirrel Removal. Do not trap the animal inside your home as this is inhumane and illegal!
Read our blog on things to do before calling a wildlife control agent.
Do-it-Yourself Squirrel Removal
There’s a reason professional wildlife removal companies exist. Do-it-Yourself options for squirrel removal like trapping and releasing them elsewhere leads to the risk of you trapping a family or neighbor’s pet, or even worse a toddler. Be very careful before doing this and look up what laws and regulations apply to your area when you relocate a squirrel yourself. Please be aware when removing squirrels yourself there are other risk factors involved which is why we highly recommend using a professional for squirrel removal and any wildlife control!
GTA Squirrel Removal Experts
We specialize in nuisance wildlife control. We remove unwanted wildlife from homes and businesses, and solve conflicts between people and wild animals. From home inspections to preventative repairs, wildlife trapping, we solve critter problems with professional expertise.
Call us today at 647-994-9453 for Toronto GTA Squirrel Removal
by SOS Wildlife Control | Oct 2, 2015 | Squirrel Control
Last Updated: May 2021
It is very common in Toronto GTA to see squirrel-human interaction. People find amusement in watching squirrels sitting in the park watching them run around and climbing up trees. Watching wildlife from afar can be relaxing pastime, but sometimes the interactions are not wanted and people are not pleased with it at all.
If you’re faced with a squirrel on your property, then it’s very likely that you want the squirrels removed! But getting rid of squirrels can be a difficult task without the proper knowledge and experience. That’s why a lot of people just contact professional wildlife technicians like SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated to conduct squirrel removal for them. To figure out how to get them out, you need to find out how the squirrels get in in the first place. Once this is determined, then you can plan how to get them out.
The preferred and common method professionals usually use a one-way door. A one-way door is a door installed usually at the main entry point. All other entry points are sealed which allows the animal to exit and not re-enter only via the one-way door. This is the most humane squirrel removal method and involves no human wildlife encounter. In certain conditions, depending on the type of situation in play, snares are use. There is no one size fits all solution to getting rid of squirrels, but conducting humane removal with minimal contact with wildlife is the ideal squirrel removal method.
Once you get rid of the squirrel, repairs on any weak points to the property is recommended to ensure you have no further unwanted visitors. SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated will advise you on what areas are in need of attention.
How do squirrels get into your home?
Knowing a little about squirrels will help you understand. Squirrels are fairly intelligent mammals who can find weak spot on your property. They can rip open soffits, open vent hole, open walls, gable vents, and other roof vents. There are various different ways on how squirrels are able to come inside your home which can be mind blowing once you find out the exact measures they have taken. They are very good climbers, very strong and have agile paws. These traits make it easier for them to climb into your house, or rip soffits or vents and make their way into your attic. They are not one bit scared of heights as they are amazing climbers. Getting rid of squirrels can be tricky, but once they are in your home you should remove them immediately before they cause too much damage.
Some homes may have bigger holes and easier accesses to inside the house. Any ripped soffits or damage on the exterior wall makes it easier for squirrels to enter your home. If you do not fix the weak areas and wildlife proof your home, you may need squirrel control more often to make sure there are no squirrels returning to live inside their house. Once one squirrel lives in a house they leave behind their scent which attracts other wildlife and predators. It is advised when you remove squirrels you should clean that area extremely well. If you’ve had a squirrel 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 hire 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 squirrels living in their home. Trim the branches from your house and check for any holes in your roof or soffits regularly throughout the year 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 wildlife.
As mentioned previously, squirrels usually come in your attics by torn open soffits, open vent hole, torn open wall, gable vents, and other roof vents. You will want to seal any holes and or openings, but in doing so, you need to make sure you don’t trap the squirrel inside as this is cruel and is illegal. When sealing entry points, close all holes except for the one way entryway. Leave this opening open so that the squirrel will be able to get out. If there are babies involved you will have to contact a professional to remove the babies and their mother. Read our squirrel removal page for info on baby squirrel removal.
Call SOS Wildlife at 647-994-9453 for getting rid of Squirrels
by SOS Wildlife Control | Sep 30, 2015 | Squirrel Control
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
by SOS Wildlife Control | Sep 25, 2015 | Squirrel Control
Last Updated: May 2016
Squirrel 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
