How to Rid a House of a Squirrel in the Walls
- 1). Listen for scratching sounds or other noises to pinpoint where the squirrel has fallen between the walls. In older homes, many walls open up into the basement; if this is the case with your home, install and bait a live trap in the basement.
- 2). Bait the end of a long rope with peanut butter and lower it down into the lower levels of the wall. After securing the rope, allow a day or so for the squirrel to find its way up the rope and out of the house. This method will only work if the home's walls are accessible through the attic space.
- 3). Cut the wall with the reciprocating saw if the home's walls are difficult to access from the attic or basement. Cut roughly a foot above where you have located the trapped animal to avoid injuring it. Use the flashlight to visually inspect the space to locate the animal.
- 4). Reach in while wearing the heavy leather gloves and grab the animal. Place it in the live trap quickly to avoid injury to yourself and the animal. This method works best if the squirrel is a juvenile, though squirrels of any age can be aggressive and bite ferociously. Adult squirrels will probably require the use of a snaring pole; try to get the loop around the animal's neck or midsection and maneuver it into the live trap.
- 5). Drive the squirrel at least 20 miles away and release it. Squirrels easily find their way back to nests or other roosts if they're relocated too closely.
- 1). Inspect the interior of the wall where the squirrel was and clean out any droppings. After the area is clean, use a sharp work razor to bevel the inside edge of the hole at an angle. Do not to widen the edges of the hole too much.
- 2). Fit the piece of cutout drywall into the hole.
- 3). Fill in the edges and the gap around the hole using spackle. Allow it to dry for several hours or overnight.
Finish the project by painting over the seam with a paint that matches the rest of the wall, or repaint the entire wall. - 1). Check the eaves and siding along the roof line for holes. A squirrel can squeeze through any hole large enough for its head to fit. Squirrels often gain entrance to a home by chewing through ventilation screens under the eaves of the roof, so use heavy-duty mesh screen to repair ventilation holes, and patch other gaps in the house with materials that match the home's siding.
- 2). Trim any nearby tree or bush branches back to at least 6 feet from the house. Squirrels frequently use these as easy bridges onto the roof of a home. Power lines are another common route.
- 3). Install a chimney cover if you have a fireplace. Squirrels often enter a home or walls through the chimney and flue.