A Rodent That Works From the Roof Down
Grey squirrels are rodents, and they belong in a rodent company's work — but they behave nothing like the rats and mice that make up most of it. A squirrel is diurnal, it is a confident climber, and it enters a building near the roofline rather than at the foundation. Everything about the job happens at height.
Greensboro's mature oak and pine canopy is exactly the environment grey squirrels thrive in, and the older neighbourhoods with large established trees close to the house see the most attic activity.
How They Get In
The usual routes are a soffit return where the roof meets a wall, a gable vent whose louvres or screen have failed, a lifted shingle course at a valley or ridge, or a fascia board that has rotted at the corner. A squirrel will also enlarge an existing gap, which is why a small hole ignored one autumn is a considerably larger one the following spring.
Overhanging limbs are the enabling factor. A squirrel that can reach the roof easily will keep testing it; one that has to cross open ground generally does not bother.
Signs of Squirrels Rather Than Rats
- Activity during daylight, particularly early morning, rather than after dark
- Heavier, more deliberate movement overhead — scampering and rolling rather than scratching
- Entry damage at the roofline with visible gnawing around the opening
- Debris, leaves and shredded material accumulating in the attic
- Repeated sightings on the roof, gutters or overhanging branches
The Timing Problem
Grey squirrels have two breeding periods, broadly late winter and mid-summer. Sealing an attic while a litter is present walls in young animals that cannot leave, which is both inhumane and creates an odour problem inside the roof structure that is genuinely difficult to resolve.
We check for dependent young before any exclusion is carried out. Where a litter is present the sequence changes: the family is dealt with first and the structure is closed afterwards.
Because sealing a roof cavity at the wrong time of year traps a litter inside it, Rodent Control Greensboro checks for dependent young before any attic is closed.
Damage Worth Taking Seriously
Squirrels gnaw constantly, and in an attic the available materials are roof timber, stored belongings and electrical cable. Stripped cable sheathing in a roof void is a fire risk and should be looked at by an electrician — we will tell you when we have found it rather than sealing the roof and leaving it behind the insulation.