09/06/2024
FRIDAY FACT: Grey squirrels, whether you love or hate them, you have to give grey squirrels credit for their ability to thrive. Despite being more intelligent and resourceful than given credit for though they do not make good attic tenants. In addition to carrying fleas, chewing holes in your roof, and trimming their teeth on your electrical wires, they are just plain noisy and get up early even on the weekends!
Grey squirrels are also social creatures so they don't mind sharing space with other squirrels. While most of the time when we take squirrels out of an attic it is one female and a current litter there are occasional house parties. Our current "Most Squirrels in an Attic" award winner is a home in North Jackson where we removed 17 squirrels over a three week trapping period.
Breeding for these animals occurs twice a year. Once in early winter and once in mid summer. The gestational period is roughly 44 days, so at a month and a half after breeding there will be usually two to six new squirrels per nest which will be weaned at a mere 7 weeks. Those babies will be juveniles half the size of their parents when they leave the nest at 10 weeks and begin scampering around on their own.
Once a female squirrel finds a safe place to rear her young she will return there to raise her future litters, especially a cozy attic which is climate controlled and wind/rain free. If you know or even think you have had squirrels in the past, we offer home inspections to look over your attic for proof of squirrel activity/damage or to give you peace of mind that your attic is squirrel free. We can also remove any old nesting material, spray to remove the pheromones which would attract a squirrel to the area, and put up preventative barriers over previous entry points as needed.