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Flying Squirrels in Your Home and how we remove them

Flying squirrels in the attic are quite common, but the presence of flying squirrels is usually only detected when the attic is inspected for other species. Flying squirrels will den in the eaves of a house, in den cavities in attic insulation, under attic walk boards, in walls, etc. They routinely den in parts of a home that are impossible to reach. Additionally, when they are outside of breeding season, they can live in colonies of 20 or more individuals. I have personally caught 12 individuals in a single trap set up. How to you get that many squirrels out of your attic and keep them out?

Nocturnal Habits and night sounds

First, it is good to know a little bit about the species that you are dealing with. Flying squirrels are nocturnal. To be able to function in the dark, they have extraordinarily big eyes. Clients usually report hearing movement in the wee hours of the night as opposed to early morning and evening hours with Grey Squirrels. Flying squirrels will sometimes make an audible plop on rooftops as they land. Scurrying and chewing noises are also common.

Flying Squirrel Description:

The Patagium

Their body without tail is about 3-4 inches long, which is just large enough to fit into the palm of your hand. Their total body length is 8 to 12 inches. They have a furred membrane that runs from the wrist to ankle called the patagium. The patagium gives the squirrel the ability to glide from tree to tree when the extremities are outstretched. They can glide almost 200 feet but trips are usually shorter. There are two species of flying squirrel in the eastern United States: the Northern and Southern Flying Squirrel. The Northern Flying Squirrel is present in Canada and higher elevations of the Appalachians. In this region, the Southern Flying Squirrel is likely to be the species that is in your home unless you live at higher elevations. (This is a special problem for homeowners in our area since Southern Flying Squirrels are much more likely to leave feces and urine in attic spaces.)

Flying Squirrels are Abundant

Most squirrel calls that we receive are for Gray Squirrels (the standard squirrels you see in the park or back yard). Oddly enough though, flying squirrels are listed as being more abundant than Gray Squirrels. This is undoubtedly due to the fact that they are nocturnal and homeowners do not see them in the daylight hours foraging or entering/exiting the home. Flying squirrels can live in homes for long periods without detection by homeowners.

Denning Requirements

Flying squirrels, because of their size, require smaller cavities for nesting. Thus, they can use smaller less developed stands of trees than Grey Squirrels. Finally, their diet is also more diverse. They do feed on acorns like Gray Squirrels, but they depend much more heavily on animal protein. They feed on eggs, carrion, insects and other sources of protein. This diversification, allows them to extend their ranges into areas that would not be available to Gray Squirrels. I do not believe that Gray Squirrels and Flying Squirrels operate exclusively of one another.

Flying Squirrels will use a leaf nest which are constructed much like a bird’s nest and situated in tree branches. They also use natural tree cavities (woodpecker holes). Leaf nest are more likely to be used in the summer months. In the cooler months groups of flying squirrels will gather in cavities to conserve heat. This is when we start getting calls. Attics are drier, warmer, and are already stuffed with fluffy high quality nesting material (insulation). Evidently, itchy insulation does not bother them the same way it does humans.

Squirrel calls are more prevalent from fall to spring. At this time attic temperatures are at a more reasonable levels and provide excellent group nesting sites. Summer heat and different nesting needs usually drive squirrels out of attics. If you see one flying squirrel, chances are that you have more than one. Up to 50 individuals have been recorded denning together.

Flying Squirrels can carry Typhus. Typhus starts with headache, fever, and chills and develops into toxemia where toxic substances in the blood stream. Typhus is rarely transmitted to humans.

Entry Hole Size

As already mentioned, flying squirrels are one of the most difficult species to deal with. Gray Squirrels prefer a hole somewhere in the two inch size class. Flying squirrels can pass through a much smaller hole than their Gray Squirrel cousins which makes it easier to enter a home. Entry points as small as 7/8 of an inch can be used with pregnant females passing through holes that are 1.25 inches in diameter. To complicate matters further, if a hole is too small to enter, the surrounding building material is “softer than tooth”, the squirrels will modify it to fit their needs. All entrances must be sealed with materials that are “harder than tooth” to be secure. This includes masonry, steel mesh or plate, etc.

Ridge Cap Entry Points

When dealing with flying squirrels the “standard list” of Grey Squirrel entry points needs to be checked to see if they are secure. This list includes but is not limited to gable vents, eaves, gutters, etc. But, because of their size, there is one notable addition. Ridge caps, especially the newer designs that are made of plastic and capped with shingle are quite vulnerable. Plastic is far from being strong enough to stop flying squirrels. These vents are tall enough, that once the squirrel chews through the plastic grating on the side, it can crawl through and enter through the ventilation slot underneath. This means that the entire ridge vent system is vulnerable to entry by your resident flying squirrel colony. This is a difficult problem to solve. There are no absolutely secure replacements that solve this problem on the traditional construction materials market. If this is your case you will have to work with a wildlife control specialist familiar with this problem for a solution. The Wildlife Company has access to specially designed retrofit to solve this problem.

Surface Texture of Homes Exterior

I personally believe that, often, the texture of the exterior of a home is important. If, for example, a home has a vertical or steeply sloped surface made of slippery sheet metal an animal will not be able to cross the surface to reach a potential entry point. Flying Squirrels, because of their aerial abilities, can also glide to a part of the home that would be inaccessible if they were forced to climb. This means that they can access areas that a Gray Squirrel cannot. This can become an important factor in dealing with flying squirrels. Factoring this and other factors in it is usually recommended that a professional be called in to help deal with flying squirrels. Most homeowners discover that their efforts are wasted. If you need help with your flying squirrels please give us a call.

Getting Flying Squirrels Out of Your Home

Once all entrances are sealed, flying squirrels can be removed from the home.  We do this through the use of a one way door or repeating trap device.  These mechanisms are designed just for this purpose and we attach them on the exterior of the home over an entry point.   Attachment of this device needs to be done by someone who is skilled.  Sloppy installation will only result in animals bypassing the device and re-entering the building.  Generally, wildlife will avoid the devices and will take any route possible other than through the exclusion device.   Proper sealing up and installation are critical to success.

Verification of Success

The nocturnal habits of flying squirrels also makes it much more difficult to verify that exclusion from the home is complete. Larger animals like raccoons or opossums are heavy enough that they make larger thumping noises and have enough weight that their movements can be heard overhead.  Juvenile raccoons also tend to make lots of noise as they begin to tussle and play.  They also make a kitten-like mewing noise.  Flying squirrels, one the other hand, do not necessarily make a great deal of noise in the attic where insulation is deep and dampens noises made there. Occasionally the homeowner may hear scratching is walls as the animal climbs and scratches against drywall or wood.  Homeowners may also hear gnawing if the animal decides to “modify” the interior of walls or ceilings.  Outside of these two possibilities, flying squirrels give few clues to their presence and fewer clues to their identity. In the right situation, a colony of 15+ squirrels can make quite a noise; but don’t count on it. If they are traveling through soft insulation and in the eaves you may never hear them.  Even if you think that you have successfully removed the squirrels, it is a good idea to give us a call and let us check your site.  I also suggest that people who have the right habitat around their homes (lightly to heavily forested area), have a yearly inspection.   This is especially true for anyone who knows that they have had flying squirrels in the past or seen them in the back yard.   The average homeowners may go years before they discover that they have flying squirrels.

Flying squirrel removal risk

Flying Squirrels are without a doubt one of the top five most difficult and dangerous species to deal with. This seems odd that it would be so dangerous to remove such a cute little critter. The danger, obviously, does not come from the risk of a squirrel attack but, instead, it comes from the risk of a fall while dealing with entry points. Anyone considering this type of work should consider their risk of injury or fatality before starting work.  According to OSHA statistics construction workers make up only 5% of American workers but have 20% of workplace fatalities.  Of those fatalities, 33% are related to falls.   The odds of surviving a 20-30 foot fall (about the height of a normal house) are about 50% and that drops significantly if you land on your head. The difficulty comes in finding and sealing all the entrances which are invariably located at the most extreme high points of the house. Generally homes have more than one entry point. Ten or more entry points on a home are common. Flying Squirrels will explore and “develop” as many entry points as possible. All entry points must be sealed for a project to be a success.                                                                                         

OSHA regulations state that work that is conducted over 6’ in height must have fall protection equipment.   This does not apply to home owners: but it is certainly worth considering before dragging a ladder from the garage.    Whenever working at these heights, safety harnesses, hydraulic lifts, and other appropriate safety equipment is used.  Our ladders even have special stabilizers and braces to improve safety.  Much of our safety equipment is specialized and is not available at local stores.  

Installation of the Squirrel Removal Device

The one of the greatest risk that we face comes in installing a squirrel exclusion device.  To do this the installer must hold the device in place with one hand and a tool in the other.  It is at that point that the worker is in the most danger.    With no hands on the ladder and the worker only balancing on the ladder rung it is extremely easy to fall.    This is especially true if the work has to be done overhead or the worker has to lean back slightly to reach the attachment point.  Just remember, that the odds of a fatality are high and we charge significantly less for our services than the medical industry does.    It is better to give us a call than to face these odds.

Note:  The method that is suggested in this article is the preferred method of trained professionals.  If implemented correctly it provides long term relief from squirrel problems.   If someone visits your home and suggest something other than this, be cautious.

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