Squirrels, unlike human, will continue to grow teeth forever. Their diet is heavily based on fruits, seeds, and nuts that can put a significant stress on our teeth. If the diet of human is similar with squirrel, our teeth will considerably wear away. However, since the teeth of the squirrels constantly grow, they can effectively combat this problem. This is the reason why we normally saw these small furry creatures gnawing on various objects like woods, plastics, and electrical wires. They are chewing this to control the growth of their teeth and prevent it from getting excessively long.

Why Squirrels Gnaw Our Electrical Wires and What Are the Possible Risks?

Here are more reasons why squirrels are constantly chewing on different items such as your electrical wires as well as the possible risk that it can cause.

Squirrels Need Their Teeth to be Sharp

As we mentioned above, the diet of squirrels mostly include foods that are hard on teeth. It will be difficult for them to gnaw on hard plant and seeds if they have blunt teeth. Squirrels need to maintain their teeth sharp in order to cut through hard grains and slice fruits. To keep it sharp, they will grind their teeth on solid surfaces such as our electrical wires.

It Keeps Their Teeth Strong

Squirrels are considered omnivores, but their diet is mostly composed of plant-based foods. They need a strong set of teeth in order to successfully dig into these hard nuts. To keep their teeth strong they chew on our electrical wires. This is perhaps the primary reasons why you also see young squirrels chewing on your electrical wires.

To Control Their Teeth’s Growth

Just like the different rodents, squirrels have trouble in controlling the growth of their teeth and the pace in which it grows. Some animals consider their long teeth as a weakness. With regards to the squirrel, they will have trouble in chewing if their teeth becomes abnormally long. They usually chew the rubber insulation of our electrical wires to keep their teeth at a desired length.

Even though there are limited reports regarding the damages caused by squirrels, an exposed wire can be hazardous. Here are some of the risks that can be associated with the damages caused by the squirrels.

Brownouts

A squirrel chewing on your electrical wire can weaken the connection. Eventually, it will snap which will hamper the continuous flow of electricity that can lead to power outages.

Unwanted Fires

Poor electrical wiring is considered as the primary cause of fire in the urban district. In case a flammable material such as paper and cloth touches the exposed electrical wires there is a possibility that a fire will erupt. In the event that you noticed that some of your wires have been chewed by the squirrels, make sure to immediately replace them.

Electrocution

An exposed wire has a strong current of electricity passing through, and our body is considered as a good conductor of electricity. If someone come in contact with the naked wire, they can be electrocuted which can be deadly. Ensure that you will cover the exposed wiring with a solid insulation.

Regardless of how cute and adorable they look, they can cause a significant damage to our property which can expose us to different hazards.

Read the How to get rid of squirrels page for helpful information and to learn more about Squirrels Chewing Your Electrical Wires