Squirrel Removal and Exclusion in Princeton Junction, NJ
Challenge
A homeowner in Princeton Junction, NJ called our Wildlife Division after finding a squirrel in his attic. When I arrived, I inspected the exterior of the home first to find the point of entry. Minutes into my inspection, I found an area of the soffit that was ripped open and, as I took a closer look, found squirrel hair stuck in the area. I then inspected the attic area and found squirrel droppings throughout the insulation.
Aside from the obvious health issues of contaminated insulation, when squirrels are in your attic, they gnaw on everything from boards to live wires — leaving the wires exposed and presenting a fire hazard!
Solution
I installed a one-way device over the access point, enclosed the area off temporarily with hardware cloth, and placed several baited traps nearby. The one-way is designed to allow the squirrel to safely exit the attic but prevent it from getting back in. A short while later, I successfully and safely retrieved the squirrel!
Now I will relocate it to a new, humane location, remove the contaminated insulation, disinfect the attic area, reinsulate the attic with blown-in cellulose insulation, and seal up the access point with sturdy metal flashing to prevent any squirrels as well as all nuisance wildlife from reinfesting the attic.
