If you’ve noticed strange nests appearing around the exterior or interior of your Richmond Hill home, you likely have an unwelcome squirrel problem. A squirrel nest can cause extensive property damage and health hazards if left unchecked.
If you’ve ever asked, “Where do squirrels live,” here’s everything you need to know, including the dangers they can pose, and why Skedaddle is your best bet for humane squirrel removal services.
FAQ’s About Squirrel Nests
What Do Squirrel Nests Look Like?
Squirrels build nests, also called dreys, to live in and raise their young.
They typically consist of a large spherical structure ranging from 10 to 30 inches in diameter, usually built in the forks of tree branches, the attics of homes, or other sheltered nooks and crannies. The nests have an outer shell and an inner chamber carefully lined with shredded bark, grass, fur, paper, or cloth for insulation. Some dreys even have multiple entrances and chambers.
What Materials Do Squirrels Use?
Resourceful squirrels use any pliable materials they can find to craft cozy, sturdy dreys.
Common dry components include twigs, bark strips, leaves, moss, hay, grass, vines, feathers, fur, paper, insulation, and fabric. Squirrels may even repurpose items like plastic bags, styrofoam, or aluminum foil in their nests. The variety of materials provides excellent insulation and camouflage.
Where Are Squirrel Nests Built?
Squirrels, skilled climbers that they are, often build dreys high in trees, especially oak, maple, evergreen, and other broad-branched species.
Attics, crawlspaces, wall voids, ventilation openings, and abandoned bird nests are other prime sites. You may find a squirrel nest in sheltered areas like hollow logs, brush piles, attic rafters, crawlspace joists, the undersides of decks, or in the large nests built by hawks, crows, or squirrels in prior seasons. Dreys are usually 15 to 100 feet off the ground, but you can find them at any height with adequate support and protection.
What Are the Dangers of Squirrel Nests?
While dreys seem cozy, they can cause significant property damage and health issues if built near your home. Some key risks include:
- Fire Hazard: Squirrels may chew through electrical wires in walls and attics, increasing fire risk. Their gnawing habits also make insulation, wood, and dry nest materials highly flammable.
- Ventilation Blockages: Dense nests stuffed into vents or soffits restrict airflow, causing moisture buildup and wood rot.
- Disease Transmission: Nest parasites like fleas, ticks, and mites can spread to humans through shared ventilation. Droppings also harbour diseases.
- Property Damage: Squirrels chew wood, insulation, wiring, and personal property while nesting, causing costly damage.
For these reasons, experts should remove squirrel nests as soon as possible. Attempting to do the job yourself often spreads parasites to living areas and causes stressed squirrels to become aggressive or move to other areas in your home.
Hire Skedaddle for Humane Squirrel Removal
If you spot a squirrel nest inside or outside your Richmond Hill home, don’t wait – contact the humane wildlife professionals at Skedaddle immediately.
Our certified technicians remove squirrels and their nesting materials safely, then seal off entry points. Skedaddle offers lifetime guarantees on all squirrel removal workmanship and materials, so you can be confident we’ll solve your squirrel problem for good. Additionally, we’re the preferred wildlife control experts of Humane Societies and SPCAs because we focus on ethical, non-lethal animal handling.
Contact Skedaddle for Expert Squirrel Removal Services
A squirrel nest is a testament to the ingenuity and adaptability of these agile creatures. However, their tendency to invade homes can cause detrimental damage and health risks.
When you need experienced squirrel removal in Richmond Hill, trust the expertise of Skedaddle to remove the animals and their nesting materials safely. Our humane removal methods and lifetime guarantee ensure your home’s protection while preserving the lives of squirrels.
To learn more about professional squirrel removal, submit an online form today.
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