Will A Squirrel In The Attic Have A Nest Of Babies?

The answer to that question is a simple yes. The automatic reason for this tendency is because attics provide the safest place to nest for the new mother.

Why an attic?
• When kittens are born (squirrel babies), they are blind and too small to fend for themselves, and mothers will look for places that are near food sources.
• They are prey to other animals like foxes, hawks and coyotes. Mothers will look for a safe place to avoid predators.
• They will thrive in warm and dry places and attics are the perfect abode.

Why worry about squirrels in the attic?
One may wonder why worry about small animals that hardly seem to be risky at all. Probably the risk may seem too little to fret over. Consider this;

• Handling of squirrel droppings in an unhygienic manner may cause salmonella infection.
• Squirrels carry ticks and fleas, and these can cause disease in your home.
• The droppings and urine may accumulate and cause bad smells in your house.
• Their urine is thought to have pheromones, and hence an invitation for other squirrels into your home, hence colonies in your home.
• The damage done to your house may become phenomenal if you ignore these little critters because they gnaw at wiring, and insulation when making nests or creating new exit.

Why worry about the mother and babies?
You should worry because:

• They sometime fall in board spaces in the house and the racket they make may be too much to handle.
• They are a growing colony. The mother squirrel nests twice a year, so the family is growing.
• Like all mothers, a squirrel mother will be aggressive if you handle her babies. Take caution.

How to dispel them?
• Consider the services of pest control so that they can humanely relocate the whole family.
• Give the kittens time to grow, once they can leave the nest (usually between eight to twelve weeks), seal your home off from them completely. This can be achieved by blocking holes they used and covering entrances with wire mesh.

Remember to check carefully once the squirrels have gone or been moved that there are no babies left, as the mother will keep coming back. Because of gnawing, it is best to be careful around the attic to avoid accidents like electric shocks, or falling through areas that have been weakened by their urine.