Squirrels are a natural part of the environment, but if you let them get into your home or live on your property in high numbers, you can quickly find yourself with problems. Squirrels need to constantly chew on nuts and other hard objects to keep their teeth from growing too large and in some cases, they may use elements of your home for this purpose. They can also simply make a mess of your property or create fire hazards in the attic by chewing wires. Luckily, there are some simple steps you can take to get rid of squirrels, whether they are simply on your property or within your home. These steps combine prevention and removal and even if you decide to trap and relocate a squirrel, you will want to follow the preventative advice.

Home Repairs As Prevention
There is only one method of keeping squirrels out of your home that will be 100 percent effective in all situations. That method is ensuring there are no entry points for the squirrels, including to the walls, roof, chimney, attic, porch, or other areas. The best way to limit potential squirrel entry points is to stay on top of home repairs. This means adding a chimney cap to your chimney and ensuring it is in good shape and taking the time to examine your home, sealing any holes on the walls, roof, or eaves.

Cleaning Your Property As Prevention
Another way to get rid of the squirrels is to discourage their presence by making your property unappealing to the critters. Squirrels most likely selected your property for it shelter, water source, or food source. While you can't always remove the water source in the case of a pond, you can almost always limit the squirrels' food source.

These animals have a preferred diet of nuts, berries, seeds, and other plants, although they can also include small birds or insects. That means they will see an accessible bird feeder as a buffet with unlimited dining and the base of your nut or fruit tree as a picnic. Add squirrel guards to your bird feeder or remove it entirely. You should also clean up any fallen fruit, nuts, or other squirrel food on your property. Even if this doesn't convince squirrels currently living on your property to move, it should discourage them from returning after you get them off using other methods.

Exclusion To Remove
One of the best methods for getting rid of squirrels that are already in your home is known as exclusion. This is the process of sealing up all of their entry points with the exception of one, preferably their main entrance. You then attach a one-way door or exclusion device to this hole and this device will let the squirrels out but not back in. You can either buy a one-way door or make one yourself using some basic materials and online instructions. The thing to remember, however, is to only get rid of the squirrels by excluding them if there are no babies present or the baby squirrels are old enough to move around on their own.



Trapping To Get Rid Of Them
There is a variation of an exclusion device known as a repeater or repeating trap. This trap has one end that is just like that of a one-way door and attaches to the squirrels' entry point, but instead of leading to an open area, it leads into a large cage. This is a popular system among professionals for catching multiple squirrels at once. You can use this type of trap or any other live trap to catch the nuisance squirrels so they can be relocated to an area at least several miles from your home.

Repellents Don't Work
All it takes is a quick internet search or glance at your local store to consider repellents as a way to get rid of squirrels, but this method will almost never be effective. In some cases, they may work as a temporary measure, but it is more likely that the squirrels will simply ignore them as they don't want to leave their home. To make matters worse, some of the repellents you can buy in stores will actually contain harmful chemicals that can be dangerous to you, your family, your pets, or other wildlife in the area. In some cases, these chemicals may even enter the soil or water supply.

What Else Not To Do
In some situations, it may seem tempting to get rid of a squirrel by killing it as this will ensure that particular squirrel never returns. There is always a better, more humane alternative to killing a squirrel and depending on where you live, it may not even be legal to do so. You can find kill traps, but these are difficult to use and may be triggered by any animal, including your pet, the neighborhood cat, or even a small child. There aren't any poisons which have been proven effective on squirrels and using an ineffective one leaves you open to the risk of causing an animal a slow, painful death or simply wasting your money. Instead, it is best to try prevention techniques, exclusion, and trapping to take care of your squirrel problems.

Read the How to get rid of squirrels page or these other pages:
Squirrel Prevention Tips: How To Keep Squirrels Away
Squirrel Trapping: How To Trap A Squirrel
Squirrel Repellent
How To Kill A Squirrel
How To Get A Squirrel Out Of Your Attic
About Squirrels: Biology, Life Cycle, Habitat, Diet, And Behavior
How to Get Rid Of Flying Squirrels
About Flying Squirrels: Biology, Life Cycle, Habitat, Diet, And Behavior
How Long Does it Take to Remove Squirrels
Fastest Way to get rid of Squirrels
Should I feed squirrels for fun?
How to scare a squirrel away
Do squirrels bite?
Home Remedies to Get Rid of Squirrels
Do squirrels kill mice, rats, or birds?
Do squirrels remember where they bury nuts?
How much does squirrel removal cost?
How to get rid of squirrels without killing them
Are squirrels ever active at night?
How big do squirrels get?
How to get rid of squirrels in the attic
What attracts squirrels?
How smart are squirrels?
What does squirrel feces look like? Where is it found?
What to do about a squirrel in the fireplace
Will a squirrel chew through the ceiling?
How to identify squirrel tracks
Understand the Life of Squirrels and Their Habits
What Do Wildlife Rehabilitators Do With Squirrels?
Why “Hardened” Squirrels Deserve a Quick, Dignified Death
What are Some Ways to Kill a Squirrel in the Yard?
What to Do About Squirrel on the Roof?
What to Do About a Squirrel under the Porch
What to Do about a Cage-Shy Squirrel?
Effective Ways to Remove Squirrels from the Attic
Trapping A Squirrel: Is It Legal or Illegal?
What are some of the symptoms of a sick squirrel?
How to Effectively Get the Squirrels Out of Your Walls
How to Keep Squirrels Out of My Garden
What Is the Natural Diet of a Squirrel?
What Is a Squirrel’s Mating Habits?
Do More Squirrels Live in Urban Areas or Wild Areas?
Do All Squirrels Have Rabies?
How Well Can Squirrels Climb and Jump?
Do Squirrels Chew on Wood in or on a House? Why, and What Are the Risks?
Squirrels Chewing Your Electrical Wires
How to Keep Squirrels Out of My Bird Feeder
How to Keep Squirrels Away from Your Property
Squirrels Nest: How Are They and Where Can You Find Them
Will A Squirrel In The Attic Have A Nest Of Babies?
Will the City or County Animal Services Help Me with a Squirrel Issue?
What if a Squirrel got inside my House, Bedroom, and Kitchen, etc?
Is Squirrel Feces Dangerous to Touch or Breathe
What Should I Do with a Squirrel after I Catch It?
Should I Ever Poison a Squirrel?
Should I Feed a Baby Squirrel I Found?
Will Repellents Get A Squirrel Out of the Chimney?
Will Repellents Get a Squirrel Out of the Attic?
Should I Hire a pro, or Remove Squirrels Myself?
How to Find and Remove a Dead Squirrel in a House
Where Should I Relocate A Trapped Squirrel?
Will a Pest Control Company Remove a Squirrel?
Will Homeowners Insurance Pay for Squirrel Damage?
What Should I Do If I find a Nest of Squirrels in the Attic?
Do Mothballs or Ammonia Help Repel Squirrels?
How Do You Know If You Have a Squirrel in Your Attic?
How to Keep Squirrels Out Of Your House
Keeping a Pet Squirrel
How to Use a One-way Funnel to Get Squirrels Out of a Building
How Do I Clean Squirrel Feces out of My Attic?
Is It Safe to Handle a Squirrel with Bare Hands?
How Can You Get Squirrels out of Your Chimney
Other Ways of Expelling Squirrels from Your Attic and Walls
What Equipment Is Needed to Trap A Squirrel?
What Diseases do Squirrels Carry?
What Kind of Damage do Squirrels Cause in Attic?
How to Catch a Squirrel with a Snare Pole
Choosing the right Bait When Trapping the Squirrel
How Do I Know If There Are Baby Squirrels in the Attic?
What Should I Do If I Find an Orphaned Baby Squirrel Wandering About?
for helpful information and to learn more about How To Get Rid Of Squirrels.