One of the most important things to know when it comes to repellents is that they generally don't have any effect on squirrels, whether they are in the chimney or somewhere else. Repellents that are most often recommended and used by people are ammonia and mothballs. Mothballs are a chemical mixture of deodorant, pesticides and a certain amount of wool or some other type of material that is soaked with these chemicals. Mothballs are effective repellents when it comes to repelling bugs such as moths and their offspring, but not when you need to deal with squirrels or other rodents. This is the reason why mothballs should be used with clothes you store in your closet when you need to protect them from moths, but you should definitely think twice about using mothballs when you need to deal with a squirrel in the chimney.



The scent released from mothballs is actually more unpleasant for people and the just mentioned moths than for squirrels and other rodents.

When it comes to ammonia, we all know that this is a nasty-smelling liquid and it is difficult to withstand it – but again, people will have the most problem dealing with this scent. It will not have much effect on squirrels just as mothballs don't.

This is especially true if we are talking about the pregnant squirrel or a squirrel mother with babies. Squirrels are very protective and nurturing animals, with motherly instincts that are above their other instincts (personal survival is what we are talking about), and a bad smell isn't something that will scare her away from her nest with babies in it. Offensive smells aren't something that will have much effect on a squirrel mother. Even repellents such as loud noise or a lightshow will not scare a squirrel mother away from her babies. In the end, the most important thing is that an offensive scent isn't something that has any effect on the health or well-being of a squirrel mother or her babies, and this is another reason why repellents of any kind will not get the squirrel out of the chimney if a squirrel has made it its home.

The only safe way to get the squirrels out of the chimney is by using traps that enable the removal of the squirrel mother and her babies out of the chimney. Once you get the mother squirrel out of the chimney, then get into action to remove the babies.

Go back to the Squirrels in the Attic home page.