Can Squirrels Carry Fleas and Ticks?

Squirrels have a better reputation than a lot of their rodent cousins. Many people find their fluffy tails and berry-black eyes adorable and may try to attract squirrels to their yards to enjoy their playful antics. These people are obviously not thinking about Coquitlam squirrel removal, but if the rodents happen to get in their homes, it may become necessary. Squirrels can cause several problems if they get into your house, not the least of which is potential exposure to disease from the parasites they can carry.

What Parasites Can Squirrels Carry?

Squirrels most often carry fleas and ticks, both of which can bite people and pets, potentially spreading diseases.  Given a choice, fleas prefer to bite animals, including squirrels, cats, or dogs, rather than human beings. Flea bites can lead to worm infestation or diseases such as bartonellosis. In some areas of the country, fleas are infected with a form of the plague.  Ticks are less picky than fleas about the hosts they bite, meaning that they pose a more significant threat to humans, not just pets. Ticks can spread diseases that can infect people and pets, such as tularemia, Lyme disease, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Though treatable with antibiotics, these diseases can cause serious complications and can sometimes be fatal. 

What Are the Risks of Attracting Squirrels to Your Property?

Your pets may enjoy chasing squirrels on your property, but catching one could put them at risk. Close contact with a squirrel could expose your pet to whatever parasites it may be carrying, including fleas and ticks. Your pet may get sick as a result.  More significantly, if you purposely attract squirrels onto your property, it increases the possibility that they will get into your house. If squirrels get into your home, they will likely bring their parasites along with them. These could then start breeding on their own and cause an infestation. You and your pet may get bitten as the parasites look for new hosts, and infectious disease could result. Even if you and your pets are fortunate enough not to contract any diseases from parasite infestation, the bites themselves can be very uncomfortable. Tick bites usually don't cause symptoms until the arachnid drops off, but flea bites are similar to mosquito bites with a more immediate reaction of intense itching. 

How Can You Avoid Attracting Squirrels?

A few squirrels passing through your property from time to time shouldn't pose much of a problem, so you don't have to take any extraordinary measures to keep them out. You just need to avoid actively trying to attract them. Like most animals, squirrels will go where food is readily available, so you should avoid feeding squirrels.  Many homeowners do not feed squirrels intentionally. Instead, they hang up bird feeders, which the agile squirrels then treat as their own buffet. If you still want to hang up bird feeders without attracting squirrels, some special feeders are specially designed to resist the rodents' depredations. However, even with squirrel-resistant feeders, you still have to be careful to keep the ground underneath the feeders clear of spilled seed.  A good way to prevent squirrels from getting into your home is to keep tree branches pruned back from the roof. Squirrels are tree-dwelling creatures by nature, but a branch that extends out over the roof basically serves as an expressway for them. Once on the roof, squirrels may start looking for a way inside the house to make a nest to raise their babies. With their claws and teeth, they can cause extensive damage finding a way inside. 

What Is Involved in Coquitlam Squirrel Removal?

Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control first relocates the squirrels outside the home. We then clean up the contamination they leave behind and screen off any possible entry points so they can't come back. Find out more about our first franchise location in British Columbia.