Background Information
Fox squirrels are found almost wherever there are trees and are common sights in all the major cities along the front range of Colorado. They are easy to identify with their yellowish-brown fur with brownish-orange underbellies. They average 17 to 28 inches in length with 8 to 13-inch-long tails. Average weight is around 1 to 2.2 pounds. Fox squirrels have two litters per year and have a gestation of 45 days. They average 3 young per litter. They are the largest of the tree squirrel species in North America. Squirrels can cause damage by girdling trees, chewing holes into attics, falling into chimneys and in severe cases chewing on electrical wires and even starting electrical fires.
Treatments for Fox Squirrels
There are multiple treatment options for squirrels including trapping, one-way doors and exclusion. The best option is through prevention, which includes inspections around your house or business to make sure that there are no holes in the exterior and that all chimney tops are capped. Squirrels can tear through damaged soffits and roofing or will simply take over a hole created by other animals like birds or raccoons as they are very opportunistic. It is also important to look at trees that touch or overhang the rooftops. Overhanging trees can be bad for numerous reasons. In this case, it allows easy access to the roof for the squirrels, but most importantly the trees can rub against the house when the wind is blowing and that weakens the roofline and allows moisture to deteriorate that area. In severe cases or when we get spring snowstorms, the heavy snow can cause limbs to break and you do not want those coming down on the roof. We commonly trap during breeding season for squirrels to ensure that we do not separate mother from babies and during other times of the year we utilize one-way doors to evict them from the attic areas. Our squirrel services will include basic exclusion to prevent future entry into the attic and to deter water from getting inside and causing additional damage. It is always recommended to have a licensed contractor, roofer, electrician or handyman to come by after we are finished to make any major repairs. The service technician will walk you through this process if he believes it is necessary.
Service Expectations
All NOCO pest and Wildlife Control squirrel services come with a complete 1-year warranty on sealed areas against squirrels getting back inside. We pride ourselves on the humane treatment of wildlife and all squirrels that go through the one-way doors are left in their home areas. All trapped squirrels are relocated in suitable habitats as far away from people as possible. In certain situations when squirrels are girdling trees, the trapping process is a population reduction service. Our goal is to not trap every squirrel in the neighborhood but rather trap the squirrel that has the tendency to chew on the tree bark.
