While squirrels are undeniably cute and seemingly innocent creatures, not everyone is genuinely aware of the true nature of these rodents. They may be glamorized as adorable and loving creatures in children’s films. However, they do pose a much more significant risk than merely hanging around your bird-feeders and emptying their contents. Unfortunately, squirrels can cause damage to your home, both inside and outside, and they also raise some health concerns. So, if you’re not entirely sure if you should finally take measures to get rid of those squirrels in the attic and other areas of your home, these five reasons will verify the importance of taking specific measures to protect your family and home from the small, long-tailed rodents. 

They Pose A Safety Concern

When squirrels start lurking around in your attic, they will gnaw on just about everything that they can get their hands on, from paper to boxes and even wooden cupboards. Unfortunately, they are also known to gnaw on electrical wires, posing a massive risk of fires. In addition to this, squirrels will also nest in your attic and breed, enhancing the problem and leading to an uncontrollable infestation relatively quickly. 

Squirrel Waste And Health Concerns

Although the risk of electrical fires concerns enough, squirrels are also known to cause health concerns resulting from their waste. Much like most other rodents, their waste is harmful. Squirrels may be cute, although their waste is a source of disease, and the most common diseases that have been found in squirrel waste include leptospirosis and the deadly salmonella. Unfortunately, salmonella can lead to food poisoning, typhoid fever, enteric fever, and many more health concerns. 

A Dead Squirrel Is A Problem In Various Ways

Because squirrels prefer to hide away, as rather shy rodents, when they die, they will generally die in hard-to-reach places of your home, such as inside the ceilings. Unfortunately, this is more of a concern than you might imagine. Identifying the dead rodent will be a challenge, and the rotting corpse will leave an intoxicatingly unpleasant smell. The smell alone can also raise health concerns, and removing the carcass will be a massive job. 

Damage To Your Vehicle

Squirrels are pretty small creatures, and for this reason, they can get into your home through even the smallest crevice. So, whether you park your car outside in the driveway or a locked-up garage, if you don’t have pest control measures in place to rid your property of squirrels, your vehicle is at risk of damage. These critters will gnaw at the wiring of your car, leaving you with a potentially massive problem and costly repairs. 

Destroying Your Curb Appeal

Lastly, squirrels can also cause damage to the exterior of your home and degrade property value due to diminishing curb appeal. Unfortunately, they will gnaw holes into the fascia and your home’s siding. They are also known to chew roof shingles and damage HVAC systems by chewing wiring. These can all be massively expensive repair costs for any homeowner. 

There are several ways to prevent squirrels from lurking in and around your property, and proper disposal of garbage is just one of them. However, the most effective approach is to consult an expert pest control service to guarantee you a squirrel-free home.