Removing Squirrels from Elisa’s Attic

Elisa was having a heck of a time with her neighbors.

They kept sneaking into her attic and causing damage to her gutter and eaves. First it was the raccoons, then the squirrels. The most recent time was a pair of squirrels getting ready to nest, likely for the winter.

Elisa had tried everything to rid her home of these local wildlife. She’d torn down part of the ceiling. She’d tried a smoke bomb. No matter what she tried, they kept returning. Desperate for a new tactic, she contacted Anderson Humane. She had heard about their Wildlife Allies program, which removes critters from a home or business in a humane way.

Soon, two of our Wildlife Allies team members were at her house. “Cat and John came to my house and evaluated my situation with squirrels in the ceiling of my porch and attic,” Elisa said.

“Her house was surrounded by large trees that the animals had been using like a ladder to reach her attic,” said Cat Downs, a Wildlife Exclusion Technician at Anderson Humane. She and John, a Wildlife Allies volunteer, suggested the family trim the trees, and Elisa’s son soon did.

Cat and John put video cameras in the attic to assess the situation and installed a one-way door where the squirrels were entering. The next time they left to get food, they weren’t able to return to the attic. Once the squirrels were gone from the house, they sealed up the opening to prevent their return.

“Elisa was great to work with,” Cat said, adding that she even gave them tomatoes from her garden one day as a gesture of gratitude. Elisa followed that up with a thank-you note to Anderson Humane. “They did an excellent job in solving the problem,” she wrote. “They kept in touch with me, came on time, and were very pleasant.”

Cat said they were happy to solve the problem once and for all for Elisa. Though, if she experiences any other visitors to her attic or elsewhere in her home in the future, she knows who to call.

“You all do very needed and helpful work,” Elisa said. “Thank you!”

If you need wildlife removed from your home or want a home inspection performed before wild animals start looking for their winter residence, contact our Wildlife Allies team at (847) 697-2880 ext. 53 or WildlifeAllies@AHconnects.org.

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