Squirrels do more damage in an attic than their size suggests. They gnaw constantly to keep their teeth in check, so wiring and wood get chewed, and a damaged wire is a real fire risk. Squirrels also flatten and foul insulation into nests, and that cuts how well it holds temperature and pushes up energy bills. Most of this happens quietly above the ceiling, so homeowners rarely find it until the damage is well along. Getting squirrels out early, then sealing and repairing the attic, keeps a small problem from becoming an expensive one.
Squirrels look harmless bouncing across the fence line, and that is exactly why the damage they do in an attic catches Austin homeowners off guard. A squirrel in the attic is not just a noise overhead. It is a rodent with strong teeth and a chewing habit, living directly above your ceiling, and the harm adds up fast in ways you will not spot from the living room.
By the time we get the call, the damage has usually been building for weeks. Here is what squirrels actually do up there, and why getting them out early saves you real money.
Signs of Squirrels in the Attic
Squirrels keep different hours than raccoons or rats, so the clues look a little different. A few things point to squirrels specifically:
- Scampering and rolling sounds during the day, loudest at dawn and dusk
- Small, oval droppings scattered near the entry point
- Gnaw marks around vents, eaves, and the fascia board
- A chewed hole about the size of a baseball where they get in
Squirrels are daytime animals, so if the noise overhead peaks in the morning and quiets down at night, that points away from rats and toward a squirrel.
Do Squirrels Chew Wires?
Yes, and this is the damage that should worry you most. Like all rodents, squirrels gnaw to keep their front teeth worn down, and electrical wiring is a favorite target. Stripped or severed wiring in an attic is one of the leading wildlife-related causes of house fires, and it sits hidden above the insulation where no one notices until something shorts out.
Wiring is not the only thing on the menu. Squirrels also go after ductwork and anything stored up there, so a squirrel left alone for a season can run up repairs that reach well past the cost of removing it.
What Squirrel Nests Do to Insulation
Squirrels build nests, and your attic insulation is the material they reach for. They tear it up, pack it into nesting piles, and soak it with urine and droppings over time. Insulation that has been flattened and fouled this way stops doing its one job.
You feel that in two places. Your home gets harder to keep cool through an Austin summer, and your energy bill climbs to make up for it. The soiled insulation also holds odor and bacteria, so it is not something to leave in place once the squirrels are gone. In most cases the affected sections need to come out and get replaced.
The Damage You Cannot See
The hardest part about squirrel damage is that it happens where you never look. A homeowner might hear a little scratching, figure it is nothing, and go months without climbing up to check. During that stretch the nest grows, the chewing spreads, and the droppings pile up.
That is the part that surprises people when we finally open the attic hatch: the amount of quiet destruction a couple of squirrels can cause. Catching it early is the difference between a simple removal and a full restoration.
In Central Texas, squirrels usually reach the roof by way of an overhanging oak or pecan limb, then work a soft spot at the roofline into a full opening. If your trees touch the house, you have handed them a ladder. That is the first thing we check when we walk the exterior, because a sealed hole means little if the branch that leads to it is still there.
Getting Squirrels Out and Sealing Up
Removing squirrels the right way follows the same logic as any attic wildlife job. Our humane squirrel removal handles the whole thing in order:
- Removing every squirrel, including young left in a nest, before any sealing
- Closing the entry hole and other weak points with chew-proof material
- Attic cleanup to clear nests, droppings, and soiled debris
- Replacing ruined attic insulation so the space works again
Sealing has to wait until every animal is out, so nothing gets closed inside a wall. Squirrels are persistent about reopening old routes, so the repair has to be tougher than a dab of foam.
How We Handle Squirrel Damage
We have cleared squirrels out of Central Texas attics since 1999, and we treat it as wildlife control done humanely, start to finish. As a family-owned Texas company, we handle the removal, the sealing, the cleanup, and the insulation with the same crew, so nothing gets missed in the handoff. Qualifying exclusion work carries a 1-year warranty, so the seal holds.
The goal is simple: get the squirrels out, close the door behind them, and leave the attic clean and repaired rather than patched.
Do Not Wait to Look Up There
If you have heard scampering overhead in the morning, it is worth a look before the damage grows. Fall is when squirrels start pushing into attics for a warm place to nest, so a small problem now can become a chewed-wire, torn-insulation problem by winter. Call us at (512) 444-0262 and we will inspect the attic, show you what the squirrels have done, and give you a straight plan to fix it.
We handle squirrel removal and attic work across Central Texas, including:
