How much does it cost to get rid of squirrel problems in my attic?

Any reputable business will have operating expenses and nuisance squirrel removal companies are no exception.  Any company conducting business at your home will, at a minimum need a Georgia pest control license and wildlife control license, general liability insurance, workers compensation insurance, a vehicle, ladders, traps and a truck full of other equipment. Obviously if you are paying for the service you also hope the person coming to your home is experienced in his or her chosen profession.

Most of all, you want any contractor that performs work on your home to do it correctly. If things are missed the first time or done poorly, it will just cost you more money later on down the road. Just like any maintenance issue on your home, ignoring it will not make it go away. The longer you let the problem occur the worse it will get. It’s always a good idea to make a few phone calls to reputable companies and get some ideas over the phone. Of course, no reputable company will tell you an exact cost over the phone. There are always things on every home that must be seen in person in order to give a correct estimate. It’s always good practice to get two to three estimates for any home project, attic squirrel removal included.

A few points to consider when hiring a professional to get rid of squirrels from your attic. It is rarely ever one squirrel. By the time you hear them there are probably anywhere from three to six Grey Squirrels. With Flying Squirrels it is usually an even number over four. I say this because we usually catch them in male-female pairs. And the Grey Squirrels it is a family unit. Occasionally a person is lucky and does catch the first female Grey Squirrel chewing a hole in the roof line, but most of the time when we do our initial inspection on the home we count several nests the squirrels have constructed in the soffit.

The second point: It is NEVER a good idea to leave the problem squirrels on your property! One of the wildlife removal tactics we have been seeing more and more of is the installation of the “one way door”. While there can be a beneficial use of the one way “escape tunnel” never should this be a wildlife control company’s solution for every squirrel in the attic situation. An escape tunnel, one way door or exit tunnel is a device that is placed over the animal’s point of entry and lets any squirrel in the attic escape. In theory this sounds wonderful, you get the squirrel out, the squirrel isn’t stressed out and lives happily ever after. A squirrel believes your attic is their home. They do not want to give it up easily. If someone changed the locks on your doors would you just give up and move? NO! You would do whatever is necessary to regain access to your home, maybe even break a window!

Squirrels will think this same way. When these devices are used and the squirrel remains on the property squirrel damage to the roof shingles is inevitable. We have seen squirrels cause significant damage to roof shingles by chewing them. This causes roof leaks, roof leaks cause wood rot, wood rot is easy for squirrels to chew through. I am sure you get the picture now. Another problem is the one way door may not be installed in the correct place. This may actually trap an animal in your attic. If this occurs you will learn why we call them ”wild”life! The squirrel will do whatever is necessary to escape the attic. Sometimes this means ending up in the living space or it could just die in the attic. Dead animals in the attic can cause a serious odor issue.

These are just a few examples of some of the issues that can occur. Other problems could be trapping baby squirrels in the attic and mother cannot receive them. The list can go on forever. I believe any successful wildlife control and exclusion program should always start with trapping. Squirrel trapping is more time consuming than using a one way door but the results are long term squirrel free attics.