"Some animal is living in my attic," the caller
said. "I’ve collected
the droppings — can you tell me what they are?"

"Bring them over," I said, and in due course the
droppings were delivered.
They were about half an inch long, and shorter than rat
droppings.

"It’s a squirrel living in your house" I said.

"Is this a problem?" my visitor asked.

Squirrels are interesting creatures of wooded and wild
gardens and subdivisions — if
they stay outside. But inside, they’re hazards.

The risks come from squirrels’ endless chewing. They chew
holes in soffits and siding,
they chew holes in insulation, they chew this and chew that.

The main risk comes from chewing electrical wires. They may
cause short circuits in
hidden places which can cause house fires.

Squirrels are also a potential, though uncommon, source of
disease.

Getting rid of squirrels is a bad enough problem. There are
companies in the business
of moving them. I called one.

"How about squirrels — are they an important part of
your business?" I
asked.

"Gray squirrels are always our top species," the
receptionist told me.
"As of today (June 17) we made 462 visits for gray squirrel
problems this year.
Flying squirrels are No. 2. To date, we have removed 189 from
houses."

This firm also copes with racoons, possums, bats, snakes and
other animals for a fee.

If you have squirrels in your house, you can get them out
yourself with a little common
sense, capture technique and carpentry.

Forget chemicals. There is nothing I’d recommend for this
purpose. How about mothballs?
They are neither effective not labeled for eliminating
squirrels.

So, how can you get rid of them?

The first thing to do is find the opening. Look around vents
and louvers and other
likely places. Then use a cage trap — set inside — to catch
the animal. A trap that
opens at both ends mounted over the hole works great.

Use peanut butter on bread crusts and apple slices for bait.
After you’ve caught your
squirrel, set the trap again to catch another. Keep the trap in
place for at least a week
after you catch your last squirrel. Then close the opening.

Leave the trap set in the attic for a few more days to catch
any squirrels accidentally
locked in.

Don’t turn your squirrel loose in the yard — he will chew
back into his old residence.
He needs to be taken far away. How far? It’s hard to say. Try 10
miles.