Removing squirrels from your loft
If you do a quick search of the internet, you will find many ways of removing squirrels from your loft, but which ones are best? I've listed a few here, along with what I think of them.
Squirrel trapGenerally regarded as the best method of removing squirrels, there are many squirrel traps available to buy over the internet. I found one on Amazon and have had it in my loft for a few months now. Although it hasn't caught anything, the squirrel seems to have disappeared of its own accord, so it's not the traps fault. The reviews on Amazon all seem to be positive and you can buy your own by clicking on the Amazon advert to the right.
Good baits for the trap include peanuts, peanut butter, sweets, biscuits, cereals and dried fruit. Do not use traditional rat/mouse traps, as I have learnt from experience that the squirrel will just eat the bait and probably set the trap off, but they never seem to get caught in them. |
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PoisonThe first time we had squirrels, we called a professional out and he laid poison down in the loft. This comes in the form of a grain of some sort, loaded with warfarin. Warfarin is an anti-coagulant, in other words a blood thinner, which causes internal bleeding and death in the squirrel. This was very effective and within a couple of weeks we had no more noises, however I then had to remove dead squirrel carcasses from the loft which was not fun. You also run the risk of the squirrel dying somewhere you can't find or easily reach and leaving a bad smell and flies.
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Squirrel deterrent spray/pepperMany places on the internet sell sprays promising that they will stop squirrels from entering whereever they are sprayed. The big problem is usually these don't work. This is especially true if the squirrel has built a nest. A mother won't leave her children because of a bit of a bad smell. I tried using cat pepper in my loft, spraying it all over, but it had no effect whatsoever.
Sound devicesYou will also see sound devices on the internet and in DIY stores which emit a high pitched sound (above human hearing) which drives rodents away. Again, there is no proof this works and it certainly doesn't work on a squirrel that has already made its home.
Patching up holesOnce you have removed the squirrels, it is a good idea to patch up any holes you have which allowed the squirrel to enter in the first place.
The first time we had squirrels, we removed them completely, only to find a year or so later, new ones arriving, using the same hole as before. A word of warning however. Make sure the squirrels have gone before patching up holes, otherwise the squirrel will just use its incredibly sharp teeth to make a new hole. |
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