How to Get Squirrels Out of the Attic

The reliable way to get squirrels out of an attic is exclusion: find every opening they are using, seal all but the main one, install a one-way exclusion door over that main entry so the squirrels can leave but not return, then seal it permanently once the attic has been quiet for several days. Repellents, lights and radios rarely work on their own, and trapping without sealing the holes just makes room for the next squirrel. Timing matters too, because a mother with babies inside changes the plan. Here is how to do it step by step and when it makes sense to call a wildlife removal company instead.

Part of our Pest Control guide →

In this guide

1. Step 1: Confirm You Have Squirrels
2. Step 2: Check the Calendar for Babies
3. Step 3: Find Every Entry Point
4. Step 4: Seal Secondary Openings
5. Step 5: Install a One-Way Exclusion Door
6. Step 6: Make the Roof Harder to Reach
7. Step 7: Clean Up and Repair the Attic
8. What About Repellents?
9. When to Call a Wildlife Removal Pro
10. Prevent Them From Coming Back
11. Frequently Asked Questions

Step 1: Confirm You Have Squirrels

Tree squirrels are active by day. The classic sign is scurrying, scratching or rolling sounds in the ceiling shortly after sunrise and again in late afternoon, with quiet at night. Noise through the middle of the night points to rats, mice, raccoons or flying squirrels instead, which call for different approaches. Raccoons are much louder and heavier; rodents tend to be steady, light scratching after dark. If you suspect rats or mice, our guide on getting rid of mice and rats covers those.

Other signs of squirrels include:

• Chewed holes about 1.5 to 3 inches across at roof edges, fascia boards, soffits, gable vents or where two rooflines meet.
• Tooth marks and gnawed wood around the hole, often with rounded, smoothed edges from repeated use.
• Squirrels seen running along the roofline, gutters or overhanging branches and disappearing near the eaves.
• Nests of shredded insulation, leaves and paper in the attic, usually near the eaves.
• Droppings that are larger and more rounded than mouse droppings.

Step 2: Check the Calendar for Babies

Gray and fox squirrels in most of the US have two main breeding seasons, giving birth roughly in late winter to spring and again in late summer. Young stay in the nest for several weeks before they are mobile. If you seal a mother out while her young are inside, she will chew frantically to get back in, often making a new hole, and the babies will die in your attic and cause an odor problem.

If it is baby season, look and listen carefully. High-pitched squeaking or chirping is a giveaway. If babies are present, you have three humane options: wait until the young are moving around on their own and leaving with the mother, often several weeks; have a wildlife professional remove the young by hand and set them out in a warming box so the mother can relocate them; or use a pro’s specialized reunion technique. Never seal a hole without knowing whether young are inside.

Step 3: Find Every Entry Point

Squirrels rarely use only one opening. Walk the entire perimeter with binoculars, and if you can do so safely, inspect from a ladder. Look at:

• Roof returns and the corners where the soffit meets the fascia.
• Gaps between the roof decking and fascia board, especially where wood has rotted.
• Gable vents, ridge vents, roof vents and plastic or aluminum soffit vents.
• Gaps around chimneys, dormers, plumbing vent stacks and utility lines.
• Gutter-to-roof junctions and loose drip edge.

From inside the attic on a sunny day, turn off the lights and look for daylight showing through. Note which hole has the most wear, droppings and staining. That is the main entry where the exclusion door will go.

Step 4: Seal Secondary Openings

Seal every opening except the main one, using materials squirrels cannot chew through. Galvanized hardware cloth with quarter-inch or half-inch openings in a heavy gauge, sheet metal flashing, and heavy-duty steel vent covers all work. Expanding foam, plastic mesh, window screen and wood alone do not; squirrels chew through them quickly.

Cut the hardware cloth at least 2 to 3 inches larger than the hole on every side, bend it to fit the roofline, and fasten it with screws and washers rather than staples. Replace flimsy plastic vent covers with metal screened ones. Where wood is rotted, replace the board before covering it, or the squirrels will simply chew around the patch.

Step 5: Install a One-Way Exclusion Door

A one-way exclusion door is a short wire tunnel or funnel with a hinged flap or spring door on the outside end. The squirrel can push out to leave, but the door closes behind it and it cannot push back in. Commercial squirrel exclusion doors are sold by wildlife supply companies, or you can build a funnel from hardware cloth.

1. Mount the door directly over the main hole so there is no gap around the edges. Secure it with screws into solid wood.
2. Angle it so the exit end points outward and slightly down, along the roofline where possible.
3. Leave it in place for at least three to five days, and longer if you still see activity.
4. Watch at dawn and dusk. When you see squirrels trying unsuccessfully to get back in and you hear no noise inside for several consecutive days, the attic is likely clear.
5. Remove the door and seal the main hole with the same heavy metal mesh or flashing used elsewhere.

Some wildlife professionals use a one-way door on a live trap instead, which confirms when each squirrel has left. Check your state’s rules before trapping; many states regulate trapping and relocating wildlife, and some prohibit relocation entirely.

Step 6: Make the Roof Harder to Reach

Squirrels can jump several feet horizontally and drop from higher branches onto a roof. Trim back any tree limbs to at least 6 to 8 feet from the roofline. Where trees are close, a metal baffle or band around the trunk, at least 2 feet wide and 6 or more feet above the ground, can stop climbing on isolated trees, though it does nothing if the tree’s canopy touches other trees. Utility wires are another highway; your utility company can sometimes install rolling guards.

Reducing food around the house also lowers pressure. Use a squirrel-proof bird feeder placed well away from the house, pick up fallen fruit and nuts, and secure trash and compost. Our guide to keeping squirrels out of the garden covers yard-level deterrents in more depth.

Step 7: Clean Up and Repair the Attic

Once squirrels are out, inspect the attic for damage. Wear a respirator rated N95 or better, gloves and long sleeves; droppings, urine and nesting debris can carry parasites and pathogens. Remove nests and heavily soiled insulation in sealed bags. Check wiring carefully for chewed insulation, which can be a fire hazard; have an electrician repair any damaged wires. Treat soiled areas with an enzyme cleaner to remove scent trails that attract new squirrels, then replace insulation as needed.

What About Repellents?

Repellents have a supporting role, not a leading one. Strong odors such as predator urine, capsaicin, or peppermint oil, along with bright lights and loud radios, can make an attic less comfortable and may encourage a squirrel to use the exit door sooner. But a squirrel with a warm nest, and especially one with young, will put up with a lot. Ultrasonic devices have little reliable evidence behind them. Use repellents to speed up exclusion, never in place of sealing. If you are comparing products for the yard and outbuildings, our roundup of the best squirrel repellents compares the main types.

Avoid poisons. They are illegal for tree squirrels in many places, can kill pets and non-target wildlife, and leave you with dead animals in walls and ceilings.

When to Call a Wildlife Removal Pro

• The entry points are high on a steep or multistory roof you cannot reach safely.
• Babies are present and need to be removed and reunited with the mother.
• There are many entry points or extensive rot that needs carpentry.
• You hear noises at night, suggesting raccoons, flying squirrels or rodents.
• Your state requires a license for trapping or handling wildlife.
• Squirrels have chewed wiring or there is significant insulation contamination.

Look for a licensed, insured wildlife control operator who uses exclusion rather than trapping alone, and who offers a warranty on their sealing work. A good company will show you photos of entry points, explain how they will handle any young, and give a written scope covering exclusion, repairs and cleanup. For more on handling animal and insect problems around the home, see our pest control guide.

Prevent Them From Coming Back

Inspect the roofline every spring and fall, before the two breeding seasons. Look for fresh chew marks, loose vent covers and new rot. Keep branches trimmed and gutters clean so water does not rot fascia boards, which is the most common way new entry points develop. A few minutes with binoculars twice a year is far cheaper than another attic cleanup.

Squirrels in the attic are a building problem more than an animal problem. Find the openings, let them out with a one-way door, seal everything with metal, and keep the roof hard to reach. Do that thoroughly once, and you are unlikely to hear them again.