Squirrels’ teeth rank with the toughest of any in the animal realm. These squirrels can eat through the lead sheathing and also through polyethylene. They can be such a menace to society as a whole when they maul public property like electricity or telephone cables. What about you personally? How can squirrels damage my roof? You may ask. Squirrels are responsible for a lot of damage to Toronto homes every year. Call our professional squirrel removal services in Toronto for fast and reliable solutions.
These squirrels can damage the roof very badly. Their urine is as strong too and will leave urine stains on your ceiling. This will weaken your ceiling and lead it to leaking. Replacing that part of the ceiling or the whole of it will surely cost lots of money. Since they need a way to enter your house, they will make holes to enter. They may eat away the shingles on your roof. This damage will leave you susceptible to moisture that can cause lots of damage to your house too. The roofing tiles are can be severed leaving holes that will allow water in your house to do much damage to it.
The vent pipes can be chewed through by these rodents. These vents are very important for indoor plumbing. Why would a squirrel damage these vents? Most are made of lead material or other common metallic material like aluminum. Most animals love to chew these material and squirrels are no exception. Since these vent pipes are important they have to be protected from the rodents.
In most houses, electric cables and water pipes pass through the roof. As we have seen, squirrels teeth are powerful to chew through the cables and pipes. Chewed electric cables may cause sparks that may cause fire that will surely damage the roof and eventually the house. Chewed water pipes will definitely cause water leakage that will damage the roof by causing rot in the wood.
The damages these rodents cause are very bad and may depreciate the property’s value or lead to injuries or even death! Better to take preventive measures against these pesky rodents than suffer the consequences of
their damage.
How do you get squirrels out of your roof?
Squirrels are a real nuisance if they get into your roof. These tenacious critters are constant chewers, gnawing at wood, pipework, and fittings to wear down the rodents’ long incisor teeth. Once inside the roof, squirrels create a terrible mess by ripping up insulation to use as nesting material and leaving feces and urine everywhere.
Once squirrels are inside your roof, the best course of action is to hire a professional wildlife removal company to tackle the pests for you.
In many states, including Ontario, it’s illegal to kill or cause suffering to wildlife. The law also prohibits transporting wild animals unless you have the correct permit. So, taking the DIY squirrel removal route could land you in hot water with the authorities.
However, prevention is better than cure, and there are some steps that you can take to keep squirrels from entering your roof in the first place.
Exclusion
If you have trees adjacent to your home, agile squirrels will easily be able to jump from a nearby branch onto your roof. Once there, the invaders will find a potential entrance to exploit, often gnawing their way through wooden beams or shingles to gain entry to the roof.
So, cut away any branches that are within six to eight feet of your property to prevent squirrels from leaping across from the tree and onto your roof. You can prevent squirrels from climbing the tree by fixing a two-foot piece of metal sheeting around the tree trunk about seven feet above ground level. Fasten the sheet with springs to allow for expansion as the tree grows.
Next, find any holes that lead from the outside of the roof into the attic or roof space, and seal them securely. Use wire mesh to cap-off any vents and fit your chimney with a snug steel cap, and make sure that there are no holes inside the roof space that lead to other areas in your home.
Use a good commercial squirrel repellent spray to dress the openings that you’ve sealed, covering as much space as possible. Squirrel repellant sprays contain the smell of a predator’s urine, which is often enough to deter these nuisance pests from hanging around the treated area.
Traps
If squirrels manage to foil your best efforts at excluding them and do get into your roof, you might consider trapping them. However, that’s a job best left to the professionals. And, as mentioned above, it’s actually illegal to transport wildlife over a distance of more than one kilometre in Ontario.
However, if you do decide to take action and try to trap the squirrels, you’ll need to buy or hire a squirrel trap from a local hardware store.
Set the trap on a level surface inside the roof, close to the entry point that the squirrels are using. Bait the trap with squirrel favourites, such as nuts, peanut butter, etc. Be sure to check the trap at least once every day, and contact your local wildlife pest removal company as soon as the squirrel has been caught. Wildlife pest controllers have the necessary licenses and permits to remove and relocate nuisance squirrels.
Do not be tempted to handle the squirrel! Although they might look cute and cuddly, these are wild animals that will bite you when afraid or threatened.
Can squirrels chew through aluminum?
Aluminum is used to make many fixtures and fittings around your home, including roof flashing, gutters and downspouts, roof vents, and siding. Aluminum is lightweight but extremely strong, resists corrosion, and is waterproof and durable.
However, even aluminum isn’t squirrel-proof. Many homeowners think that squirrels can’t chew through metal, and when it comes to stainless and galvanized steel, that’s true. However, sheet aluminum is soft enough to be vulnerable to squirrel attacks.
Keep squirrels off your roof and away from your aluminum fittings by cutting back trees to at least six to eight feet away from your property. Fit a two-foot-wide steel band at the height of at least six feet around the tree’s trunk, fastened in place with springs so that the tree still has room to grow.
If squirrels are a persistent nuisance, you should consult a local wildlife pest removal firm. A licensed pest control company will have the equipment and experience necessary to remove squirrels from your property. Also, it’s illegal to kill, cause suffering to, or transport wildlife in Ontario without a permit, and pest control specialists will have the necessary authorization to deal with the problem for you.
Article Updated: April 6, 2020