Many people like to watch squirrels. They look cute and cuddly and are great, as long as they stay out of people’s homes. While the rodents with the cute tails and high intelligence, they can be disastrous to your home if they find a way in. While it is possible to have the experts in rodent removal come in and perform the live removal of squirrels, this is one area where “an ounce of prevention” is worth more than “a pound of cure.” If squirrels decide to get in and make your home theirs, there is almost no limit to how much damage they can do. Moreover, if they get into your wiring, they can burn the whole place down. They are cute when they are outside but once inside, they are very destructive animals. Here are some reasons to keep the critters out of your home:
- They can cause safety problems in your home. Once you know you have squirrels in the attic, you should know that they are experts at chewing things. They will chew just about everything in your home. Nothing is safe or “off limits” to these dangerous animals. They will happily munch on wires, papers, insulation, wood beams, and boards. Moreover, if you have squirrels, you probably have squirrel families with all they have and bring. Two squirrels can become a lot more as they turn into one litter and then two and more. When they chew through electric wires, that can lead to a fire. When they chew beams, that can impact the stability of the house.
- Squirrel poop can make people sick. This is true. The two most common illnesses that are found in squirrel excrement are leptospirosis and salmonella but those are not the only ones squirrels will bring along when they make your home theirs. The squirrel droppings can be loaded with germs that cause food poisoning, enteric fever, typhoid fever, and others. Many people do not know they have leptospirosis because its symptoms mimic those of the common flu. They include fever, aches andamp; pains, stomach upset, and vomiting. While the flu is caused by a virus, leptospirosis is caused by a bacteria so it can be more easily treated by a physician.
- Squirrel corpses smell like death. It is always better to either prevent them from getting in or by getting the rodent removal people to do a live removal of squirrels because if they die in your home, it will be awful. Like many animals do, squirrels will look for a place to hide when they die. People have found dead squirrels in vents, under floors, crawl spaces, and in between walls. The smell of a dead squirrel is dreadful. And the smell lasts. Long after the body has been removed from your home, the smell will linger. You will most likely have to have your home professionally cleaned to get rid of the odor
- Squirrels can do a lot of damage to your vehicles. Even if you are able to avoid needing to deal with a live removal of squirrels from your home, your garage is an easier target. Often, the rodents get into your car or truck to stay warm an to hide from you and other animals. Once it gets inside, it can wreak havoc on your vehicle’s electrical system. Once your vehicle has been turned in a squirrel home, the damage they can do is immeasurable. Not all car insurance policies cover this kind of damage.
- Squirrels can destroy the appearance and feel of your home. They can chew on and remove shingles from your roof. They can get into your HVAC system and destroy your vents and filters. They have been known to destroy gutters, window sills, door frames, and much more.
Squirrels can be fun to watch but once these clever rodents get into your home, they can cause a lot of problems. If you can keep them out, you can save yourself the cost of a live removal of squirrels but you can prevent all of the expensive repairs, you may have to make. Your home was built for you and your family, not the neighborhood squirrels.