Most people aren't aware that we have flying squirrels in Georgia, until they have them in their attic.  Usually I will get a call from someone saying "it sounds like there is a party in my attic at 2 in the morning."  That is pretty well a dead giveaway that we are dealing with flying squirrels.

"I hear something in my attic!"

When someone calls me with the complaint that they are hearing noises in the attic, my first question is, what time are you hearing the noises?  Typically, if it is during they day, then the likely culprit is gray squirrels, as they are active during the day, or diurnal.  If they are hearing noises in the middle of the night, one of my first guesses is that we may be dealing with flying squirrels.  Flying squirrels are nocturnal, so they are most active at night.  If you ever see a flying squirrel up close they have really large eyes, for absorbing as much light as possible so that they can see better in the dark.  

"It sounds like a party up there!"

Flying squirrels are also communal nesters, meaning they tend to live in groups, I've caught as many as 17 from one house before!  This is why it can sound like a "party."  You've got multiple squirrels all active and running around.  

How to remove flying squirrels from an attic

Our process for removing flying squirrels is to first locate the entry point.  This can be difficult to do as flying squirrels are relatively small and can get through a small hole, usually about the size of a golf ball.  There can also be multiple entrances, as is often with the case many wildlife species, for safety reasons, if a predator were to get through one entrance they would still be able to escape through another area.  For these reasons it sometimes takes some trial and error to figure out exactly where the squirrels are actively using and capture them.  

Once we do locate the active entry point, a one way trap is placed over that entry point, this will allow the squirrels to exit the house, but they will be caught in the trap.  We want to ensure that no squirrels get sealed up inside the attic, so that trap is left in place for several days to ensure all of the flying squirrels are captured and removed.  Not all wildlife will necessarily leave every night.  Sometimes they may get shy from the activity at the entry point.  

After several days of no catches and if possible, confirmation from the homeowner that no more noise is being heard inside, the entry point will be sealed up to prevent future entry.  Our preferred method for sealing entry points is to cover with sheet metal and paint to blend.  That sounds like it would look terrible, but I promise, our goal is for the repair to be barely noticeable.  We use metal bending techniques to get a custom fit, and the sheet metal is a much better deterrent to prevent squirrels from trying to chew their way in.

In addition to sealing the entry point, often we recommend preventatively sealing other areas of the home, this process is called "exclusion" as we are excluding wildlife from entering the home.  This may seem unnecessary, but once you have had wildlife in your home, there is a higher likelihood that will have wildlife attempting to get in again. 

This is because there are residual smells that are in the attic, and through the natural ventilation of an attic, those animal smells are going to be vented around the roof.  So any critter, squirrel, bat, etc. that happens to cross on or near the attic may smell the odor of another animal and get curious to come and see where that animal is/was.  

There is also the risk, especially with squirrels and other rodents, that you could have electrical or plumbing damage due to the chewing that rodents often do.  Of course any chewing or damage to the electrical system and wires is a major hazard, which is all the more reason to prevent wildlife from entering to protect your home.

Through this exclusion we can also offer a warranty on any future wildlife issues.

Contact us

If you're hearing noises in your attic, or just want to be sure there are no issues, we would be happy to come do a free inspection to see what critters you may be dealing with and the best way to remove/prevent them.  CatchPro Wildlife Removal offers flying squirrel removal and exclusion services in the Lake Oconee, Lake Sinclair, Eatonton, Greensboro, Madison, and Athens areas.  We also deal with any other wildlife issues, including bats, gray squirrels, raccoons, snakes, birds, hogs, foxes, coyotes, and any other four legged or flying critters.  Feel free to give us a call or text at 706-460-3024.

Most people aren't aware that we have flying squirrels in Georgia, until they have them in their attic.  Usually I will get a call from someone saying "it sounds like there is a party in my attic at 2 in the morning."  That is pretty well a dead giveaway that we are dealing with flying squirrels.

"I hear something in my attic!"

When someone calls me with the complaint that they are hearing noises in the attic, my first question is, what time are you hearing the noises?  Typically, if it is during they day, then the likely culprit is gray squirrels, as they are active during the day, or diurnal.  If they are hearing noises in the middle of the night, one of my first guesses is that we may be dealing with flying squirrels.  Flying squirrels are nocturnal, so they are most active at night.  If you ever see a flying squirrel up close they have really large eyes, for absorbing as much light as possible so that they can see better in the dark.  

"It sounds like a party up there!"

Flying squirrels are also communal nesters, meaning they tend to live in groups, I've caught as many as 17 from one house before!  This is why it can sound like a "party."  You've got multiple squirrels all active and running around.  

How to remove flying squirrels from an attic

Our process for removing flying squirrels is to first locate the entry point.  This can be difficult to do as flying squirrels are relatively small and can get through a small hole, usually about the size of a golf ball.  There can also be multiple entrances, as is often with the case many wildlife species, for safety reasons, if a predator were to get through one entrance they would still be able to escape through another area.  For these reasons it sometimes takes some trial and error to figure out exactly where the squirrels are actively using and capture them.  

Once we do locate the active entry point, a one way trap is placed over that entry point, this will allow the squirrels to exit the house, but they will be caught in the trap.  We want to ensure that no squirrels get sealed up inside the attic, so that trap is left in place for several days to ensure all of the flying squirrels are captured and removed.  Not all wildlife will necessarily leave every night.  Sometimes they may get shy from the activity at the entry point.  

After several days of no catches and if possible, confirmation from the homeowner that no more noise is being heard inside, the entry point will be sealed up to prevent future entry.  Our preferred method for sealing entry points is to cover with sheet metal and paint to blend.  That sounds like it would look terrible, but I promise, our goal is for the repair to be barely noticeable.  We use metal bending techniques to get a custom fit, and the sheet metal is a much better deterrent to prevent squirrels from trying to chew their way in.

In addition to sealing the entry point, often we recommend preventatively sealing other areas of the home, this process is called "exclusion" as we are excluding wildlife from entering the home.  This may seem unnecessary, but once you have had wildlife in your home, there is a higher likelihood that will have wildlife attempting to get in again. 

This is because there are residual smells that are in the attic, and through the natural ventilation of an attic, those animal smells are going to be vented around the roof.  So any critter, squirrel, bat, etc. that happens to cross on or near the attic may smell the odor of another animal and get curious to come and see where that animal is/was.  

There is also the risk, especially with squirrels and other rodents, that you could have electrical or plumbing damage due to the chewing that rodents often do.  Of course any chewing or damage to the electrical system and wires is a major hazard, which is all the more reason to prevent wildlife from entering to protect your home.

Through this exclusion we can also offer a warranty on any future wildlife issues.

Contact us

If you're hearing noises in your attic, or just want to be sure there are no issues, we would be happy to come do a free inspection to see what critters you may be dealing with and the best way to remove/prevent them.  CatchPro Wildlife Removal offers flying squirrel removal and exclusion services in the Lake Oconee, Lake Sinclair, Eatonton, Greensboro, Madison, and Athens areas.  We also deal with any other wildlife issues, including bats, gray squirrels, raccoons, snakes, birds, hogs, foxes, coyotes, and any other four legged or flying critters.  Feel free to give us a call or text at 706-460-3024.