Squirrel Removal From an Ohio Attic, by Day or by Night

Which squirrels get into Ohio attics?

Ohio has three tree squirrels: the gray, the fox and the red. A Metro Parks naturalist in central Ohio names those three and adds a fourth animal, the southern flying squirrel, as the flying squirrel that lives in the state.

The City of Brecksville’s animal control page lists the ones it sees in houses: red, gray and flying squirrels. The fox squirrel is not on that city’s list.

You do not need to name the species. The operator does that at the house. What you can supply is the time of day, which the next section explains.

Why would I hear a squirrel at night in Ohio?

Because of the flying squirrel. The same Metro Parks naturalist says southern flying squirrels are probably the most numerous squirrel in Ohio, and that people rarely see them because they are almost strictly nocturnal.

So noise after dark does not rule squirrels out. Write down the hours for a few days before you call, or at least the hours from last night.

If you are not sure the animal is a squirrel, it may be a raccoon instead, or you can start by working out whether it is a squirrel or something else.

How do squirrels get into an Ohio house?

The City of Brecksville’s animal control page names three routes: chimneys, vents and holes in the siding.

Walk around the house and look at each of those from the ground. Count the openings you can see and note which side of the house each is on. Stay off the roof.

Have the count ready when you phone. An operator explains the plan and the cost on the call.

When might there be young squirrels in the attic?

For fox squirrels, at more than one time of year. A Metro Parks article on fox squirrels says fox squirrels usually breed from December to February and again from May to July, depending on latitude. It says older females have two litters a year and yearling females have one.

Those are general figures for the fox squirrel, not months measured in Ohio. This site has no source it can use for when gray squirrels have their young in Ohio, so this page gives none.

If you hear young, say so on the call.

What does squirrel removal involve?

An operator inspects the house and explains the plan on the call. This site has no saved source that describes the method, so this page does not describe one.

Questions worth asking the operator who takes the job:

• How many openings were found, and where.
• Whether a one-way door is part of the plan.
• What happens if there are young.
• What the openings will be closed with, and when.

The operator chooses the method, prices the job and answers for the state rules that apply to it.

Can squirrels carry rabies?

Rarely. Hamilton County Public Health says small rodents, squirrels among them, rarely get rabies.

What squirrels leave in the insulation is a different matter from rabies. That work is covered under attic cleanup after squirrels.

What should I tell the operator about the squirrels?

Ohio Attic Animal Removal is a referral service run by Local Core Group. It does no removal work and has no field staff. A call to the number on this page is passed to an independent operator when one works at your address. Whether one does is settled on the call, and the operator sets the price.

Have these ready:

• The hours you hear the noise, day or night.
• How many openings you counted, and where.
• Whether you hear young.
• Whether the noise is above a ceiling or inside a wall.