What should I do if I find a nest of squirrels in the attic?
Female squirrels move into attics when they are going to give birth. Their nest usually consists of 3 to 4 kits but can be as much as 8. These babies are born deaf and blind and remain like this for 3 weeks after birth. However, squirrels grow fast and are adults after 8 weeks. Finding a nest of squirrels in the attic can be disturbing because in addition to storing food, these animals urinate and defecate in your home. You would want to remove the nest as soon as you can but this requires some tactic.Removing the babies from the nest would require you to physically pick them up because they would not be able to walk or move themselves. You would also need to trap the mother because separating her from her babies would cause them to destroy your home, not to mention that it is inhumane. When the mother cannot find her babies, she would rip your home apart searching for them. If you do not want to physically remove them yourself, you can call the relevant authorities to do it for you. They would assess the situation and determine the best option for capturing and removing these critters.

Alternatively, you can try the following to get the squirrels to leave on their own. The first is by playing a loud radio constantly in the attic. Set up a radio and leave it playing on a talk radio station. Squirrels do not like loud environments and may leave on their own accord if they feel threatened in their environment. However, since babies are deaf, the noise would not disturb them and most likely the mother would wait until after the 3 weeks to leave. The second option is by installing bright lights throughout the attic. They would also seem as a threat to the environment and the squirrel may leave. However, because the babies are also blind, the bright lights would not disturb them and the mother would simply move the nest to a location that does not have as much light, within the attic.

A third option is by using odors. You can spray some ammonia around the attic in an attempt to get the squirrels to leave but because the babies are already born, the mother may not want to risk moving the nest to a different environment. Eviction fluid may be the only odor that would work to get the squirrel to leave. Eviction fluid is made up of raccoon urine and secretions. The squirrel would feel that a predator is in the area and would immediately try to remove the nest.One point to note however is that squirrels grow quickly, only 8 weeks for them to become adults. Before attempting to try getting them to leave, it is best to wait until the 8 weeks when they leave on their own. After they leave, you can then seal your attic to prevent future habitation. Use steel because squirrels can chew through wood.