3 Biggest Threats from Squirrel Damage on Your Home

If you have experienced a squirrel infestation, you may be concerned as to the damages that come with it. The threat of squirrel damage is important to understand because it will push you to get them out from your property immediately. 

Squirrel on wood fence

 

Squirrels have been a growing concern for their residents. Many people consider squirrels to be relatively cute, but no one wants to see one scampering across their kitchen floor. Yet such has been the fate of many residents.

This is what happened to one New Rochelle man named Alprentice McClutchen: “I come through the doorway and this squirrel is moving from countertop to countertop dropping apples on the floor. I’m just watching him contaminate my counters.”

In New Rochelle and other Westchester County neighborhoods, squirrels have become bolder than usual, chewing through screen doors and behind gutters to get to the food and shelter behind them. This is a particularly bad time of year for squirrel infestation: the middle of the summer is a time when baby squirrels leave the protection of their parents and venture off on their own.

If you have experienced a squirrel infestation, you may be concerned as to the damages that come with it. The threat of squirrel damage is important to understand because it will push you to get them out from your property immediately. 

Squirrels are usually found outdoors, but they can seek refuge in your house when their habitats outside shrink. In such a case, they make your attic or chimney, among other hidden places at your house, their new home. 

If you’ve heard the scratching and thumping on your walls, you probably have a vulnerability on your home that’s allowing them to get inside. If you know for a fact they are squirrels, be sure to consider these threats that they pose. 

Squirrel on tree bark

Squirrels are usually found outdoors, but they can seek refuge in your house when their habitats outside shrink.

Squirrel Damage Threats

Squirrels pose major threats to your property and the people residing at your home. Here are some of the major risks that are associated with these witty creatures:

  • Damaging Wires

Not only for nutritional value but because squirrels have four chisel-like, continuously growing front teeth that must be kept short. If left to grow out of proportion, the teeth are likely to cause much inconvenience to the animal since they may remain protruded from the mouth, hence difficulty in chewing. To control the size of its teeth, a squirrel will chew hard things such as nuts, tree barks, and wires.

When in your house, your electrical wires are at risk of damages resulting from chewing by the pest. The damages may result in costly repairs or in an extreme case cause a fire outbreak. The latter is frequent in households with serious squirrel infestations.  

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“Squirrel urine and feces are capable of causing pandemics such as salmonella to people. Squirrels can also spread diseases like Leptospirosis, Lyme Disease, Rabies and Tularemia if they are residing in your home.”

-Rest Easy Pest Control

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  • Smells and Stains from Urine and Feces

Squirrels have a habit of urinating and defecating frequently and this is one of the most disgusting aspects of these animals. The waste materials bear a unique smell which is not only unpleasant to your nostrils but also hard and expensive to remove. 

Items such as clothes, wood, and insulation in the squirrels’ harboring grounds will have this odor, which could make for your entire home.

Besides the odor, the urine and feces stain anything they come into contact with. The removal of these stains is not a breeze and sometimes they may be too stubborn that you may end up doing away with the stained items. 

Avoid squirrels as best as you can if you intend to sell your property in the future. The smell and the stain can be a major turn-off to a potential buyer.

  • Health Hazards

In addition to bearing a foul smell and staining items, squirrel urine and feces are capable of causing pandemics such as salmonella to people. Squirrels can also spread diseases like Leptospirosis, Lyme Disease, Rabies and Tularemia if they are residing in your home. 

You don’t want your loved ones to get sick, do you? Then, you need to keep squirrels at bay from your home.

Getting Rid of the Squirrel

If you notice squirrels in your home, you should ensure they are removed before squirrel damage is made. Although some people rush to their local stores to get kill animals in their houses, this is not the best elimination approach since the dead bodies of squirrels, just like other animals, stink big time. The best way is to trap and release them somewhere else while alive.***

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