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Flying Squirrels in your attic

While regular gray or silver tree squirrels are still the most common in our area, flying squirrels are starting to become more prevalent. The wooded lots, evergreen trees and nearby trails will be home to many however with more construction and taking down their natural habitat, homeowners may be finding some flying squirrels seeking refuge in their attics and other home crawl spaces. While flying squirrels don’t actually fly, but glide, with the aid of two loose folds of skin between the front and hind legs, it is this ability to move quickly and leap many times their own body length that helps them evade predators. The flying squirrel’s smaller size in comparison to the more common ground squirrel allows it to maneuver into smaller gaps or holes along the roofline and into your home. It is also hard to capture a good close up photo of one as they are pretty quick and speedy when trying to elude predators and avoiding capture.
Flying squirrels are very cute and adorable to look at but can be quite aggressive if they feel threatened or cornered.
Southern flying squirrels can have a grayish to olive brown fur color with white fur on their underbelly. Flying squirrels also have larger dark eyes set more to the side. Flying squirrels are one of few rodents that when they mate, they will mate for life so, if you have seen one it’s a pretty good bet there is at least one more nearby.
Taking note of time of day when you are hearing more activity will help determine the type of squirrel issue you may be having. Flying squirrels are nocturnal which may make them more difficult to spot, but the sounds of scratching and scurrying will let you know it may be time to investigate your attic further. Flying squirrels can be a challenge to get out of your attic. We try a humane approach and trap to relocate into a safer, wooded environment when possible.
With our Annual Rodent Exclusion Service, we are checking for:
- Droppings
- Chewed wood or wires
- Exterior openings or damage to soffits, roof offsets, exterior trim and siding
Once we are sure flying squirrels are out and no young ones are left behind, thoroughly sealing entry points to prevent future re-infestation is done as well as a clean-up and sanitation of bacteria from urine and fecal matter that may have been left behind. Our Rodent Warranty Exclusion Service includes a one year renewable warranty.
With a milder winter, mating season appears to have started earlier this year which means newborn squirrels, of many varieties will soon be here. Gestation period is about 40 days and can produce a litter of 2-5 young. Flying squirrels are more than just a nuisance. The added costs of clean up and damage can quickly add up so the sooner you have your home inspected, the better.
If you think you may have a rodent infestation of any kind or are just looking to keep pests from entering your home, contact Bio-Tech Pest Control today at 936-249-0917.
