Oakville, Ontario – 2024
This article will analyze and recount a case of squirrel that had entered the roof of a house in Oakville. The roof was finished as far as the roofers were concerned but there remained a massive number of easily accessible entry ways that small animals and rodents could simply walk straight through.
The technicians, before the work is done, must first inspect and confer with the customer or customers on the issue and then must inspect for the source of the issue. The squirrel did not have to make an entry way, there were dozens of entry ways already present due to faulty construction. From soffit wall intersections to gaps in the roof line, the number of entry ways was numerous. In order to get the squirrel out, and keep it out, all of the entry ways must be sealed.
Oakville, Ontario: Small Town Charm
Oakville, a town in Ontario, Canada, is situated between Toronto and Hamilton, south of Mississauga. Its history dates back to the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. The town’s extensive shoreline provided a natural harbour at Bronte, which became a vital commercial port during the early 1800s. Colonel William Chisholm’s purchase of land at the mouth of Sixteen Mile Creek in 1827 led to the establishment of a shipbuilding yard and harbour, further boosting Oakville’s economic growth.
Exterior Inspection
When the technician arrived on site they performed an exterior inspection of the property and found numerous openings left by the roofers that animals like squirrels could easily access without having to make an opening themselves. This is not uncommon and is often the result of roofers simply not knowing that animals enter such openings. Roofers are there to keep water out of your attic and house. Openings that are shielded from water are not a problem to a roofer, however, to a wildlife technician they are a very big problem as they can allow animals to get into your attic. Plastic roof vent can be easily chewed through by wild animals like squirrels or ripped clean off a roof by a raccoon. Soffit and roof intersections as well as intersections with walls are very sensitive and can be broken through easily. Many of these issues were found when inspecting this roof. From opening at the soffit wall intersections to gaps as large as a human fist. These openings must be sealed to prevent animal ingress.
Initial Measures
The first step was to find the entry way the squirrel used to enter the attic. This entry way was one of the most prominent gaps in the roof and was located at the side of the roof at a soffit wall intersection that was big enough for a squirrel to walk thorough without any issues at all.
Proposed exclusion
The technician sealed off the main entry way using a device called a one way door. This door allows the animal to vacate but prevents it from reentry. Like all animals they must eat and while squirrels do tend to stockpile food they will eventually run out and be forced to vacate to find more. This is why the one way door works. The squirrel is aware that the opening they used to get in has been tampered with and are reluctant to vacate, but compared to starvation the squirrel will chose the less of two evils. The technician then proceeded to seal off a total of five roof vents using black rubber coated galvanized steel cages. Thirteen feet of soffit using galvanized steel mesh two wall vents and twenty feet of soffit wall intersections that all would have allowed the same squirrel to have return to the attic after vacating through the one way door. This is why it is important to seal additional areas that are either open and accessible or easily penetrated. To prevent reentry by wild animals. Otherwise another animal could come along and damage another area or just walk in through an already existing opening.
Conclusion
The technician excluded all the necessary areas as well as many sensitive ones. The squirrel was forced to vacate and then could not find another way in. Squirrels are surprisingly aggressive animals and when they are removed they tend to try to get back in. They will do so repeatedly. Having sensitive areas sealed off before hand will result in the squirrel essentially giving up and moving on, which is exactly what happened in this case.
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