Humane Squirrel Control

A squirrel who has entered a house is there by accident and will be desperate to get out.  Place any pets in another room.  Close all interior doors and open a window or exterior door in the room.  They can jump from a second-story window onto a lawn without harming themselves.  Leave the squirrel alone, so they can find their way out.

Humane Squirrel Control and Removal in Hunterdon County, NJ

If there is no possible exit, set a humane trap baited with peanut butter on the floor near the squirrel and leave them alone for a few hours, then release the trapped squirrel outside.  Relocating them further is inhumane.  Once the squirrel is gone, look for and seal any potential entry points.

 

Inhumane Removal:

Trapping animals and relocating them isn’t the best option.  A raccoon in the chimney, a woodchuck under the shed, a skunk under the back porch, or squirrel in the attic  require professional removal specialists.  When confronted with wildlife living up-close in their own homes or backyards, well-meaning but harried homeowners often resort to what they see as the most humane solution.  Live-trapping the animal and then setting them free in a lush, leafy park or other far-away natural area may sound like a good idea but can be very harmful.

The sad truth is that live-trapping and relocation rarely ends well for wildlife, nor is it a permanent solution.

 

Wild nursery:

Between March and August, raccoons, skunks, woodchucks, squirrels, and other animals may choose shelter in, around and under a home because they need a safe place to bear and rear their young.  Well-adapted to urban life, they will opt to nest in safe, quiet and dark spaces such as an uncapped chimney or under the back porch steps.  You may only see one animal, but during this time, assume that any wild animal denning or nesting around a home is a mother with dependent babies.

 

Unintentional orphans:

Not recognizing that dependent young may be present when live-trapping and relocating wildlife during the spring and summer often has tragic consequences.  Wild animal babies are unintentionally orphaned and too often die of starvation, because their mother is trapped and removed.

 

The dangers of relocation:

Although homeowners mean well, wild animals do not “settle in” quickly to new surroundings, no matter how inviting that habitat may seem to humans.  In fact, the odds are heavily stacked against any animal who is dumped in a strange park, woodland or other natural area.

 

A 2004 study of grey squirrels who were live-trapped and relocated from suburban areas to a large forest showed that a staggering 97 % of the squirrels either soon died or disappeared from their release area.  Take it from the animals’ point of view:

• Suddenly in an unfamiliar place, they are disoriented and don’t know where to find shelter, food or water.
• They’re in another animal’s territory and may be chased out or attacked.
• They don’t know where to go to escape from predators.
• Separated from their babies, they may desperately search for their babies.

In the meantime, their helpless young are slowly dying.  Even if the orphaned young are discovered, rescued and taken to a wildlife rehabilitator to be reared, it remains a bleak situation for both mother and offspring; one that could have been easily prevented.

 

Patience, it’s a virtue:

If you discover a wildlife family nesting in or around your home, the ideal response is patience.

If the animals are not causing damage or harm, you can be assured that once the young are big enough to be out and about, the birth den will have served its purpose.  The denning and nesting season is short.  Be tolerant and wait a few weeks until the family has vacated the premises and you’ll prevent the orphaning of the young altogether. Then you can make repairs to prevent animals from moving in again.

 

If you can’t wait for the animals to leave on their own, the next best humane squirrel control strategy is humane eviction by gently harassing the animals, so they’ll move to an alternative location.  Wild animals have a sophisticated knowledge of their home ranges, the area in which they spend almost their entire life.  Alternative places of refuge are part of that knowledge or cognitive map.  Litter can, and will, be moved if disturbed.

 

Try using a combination of unpleasant smells and sounds.  The size of the denning space and the amount of ventilation will largely influence if such repellents work. We recommend using rags soaked in a strong-smelling substance such as cider vinegar (not ammonia), lights and a blaring radio during nighttime hours to convert an attractive space (quiet, dark and protected) into one that is inhospitable.

 

Control the den:

Repellents provide a temporary solution at best.  To permanently prevent animals from using those same spots in the future, you’ll need to seal off any denning areas.  Make sure all animals are out before sealing off any space.  Remember, during the spring and summer months, it is extremely likely that the animal denning under your steps or elsewhere around your home is a female with dependent young.  Make sure that mother and young are able to remain together to prevent any of them from dying cruel deaths.

 

If you can find the entry/exit holes, an easy way to determine if the den has been vacated is to loosely cover or fill it with light material, such as newspaper or insulation. This way the occupant will have to push the obstruction aside to get out or come back in.  If the block hasn’t moved for three to four days (and it’s not the dead of winter), the den has been vacated and it’s safe to make repairs.

 

When the only other option is killing, we sometimes agree that relocation, which gives the wild animal at least a chance, is acceptable.  Much depends on the species involved, the time of year, the area into which relocation occurs and other factors.  For squirrels, it is a death sentence since they would no longer have access to their food cache on which they survive the winter.  There are times and circumstances when relocation is surely a better alternative than certain death.

Looking for Humane Squirrel Control Services in the Hunterdon County, New Jersey Area?

If you’re looking for professional and humane squirrel control services in the Hunterdon County area, Wildlife Control Specialists is here to help! Since 2007, wildlife control has been our only business, and we are proud of our reputation as Wildlife Control Specialists. We’re a New Jersey-based, family-owned company committed to providing humane and environmentally responsible techniques for handling nuisance animal problems including: animal control and removal, animal damage repair and exclusion, and animal control prevention services, Our service area includes Hunterdon County, Morris County, Warren County, Somerset County, and parts of Mercer and Sussex County. With over a decade of experience we are highly trained certified Wildlife Control Professionals, and licensed by the state of New Jersey. We are industry leaders with state-of-the-art equipment, a six-truck fleet, and own 40’ articulating lift to get those places ladders just can’t reach. The towns we serve in the Hunterdon County, NJ area include: Tewksbury, Lebanon, Flemington, Hampton, Clinton, Milford, Bethlehem and many more. For more information, you can call us at (888) 758-6572 or explore our website

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