Squirrels Chew into Seaside Park, NJ Attic

A homeowner in Seaside Park, NJ, contacted Cowleys after hearing strange “thumping and scratching” wildlife noises coming from the attic. Something was up there, but she wasn’t interested in investigating to find out what type of wildlife had taken up residence in her attic. Common “attic invaders” that we deal with are squirrels, raccoons, bats, and birds. Here, it turned out that the culprits infesting the attic were squirrels. 

Upon arrival, for the start of my inspection, I want to determine how the animals are gaining access into the attic in the first place. Unless it is a flying animal, the animal must first find a way to gain access to the roof (usually, it’s an overhanging tree branch or utility wires coming into the roofline area) and then, once on the roof, they look for some weakness in the roof structure to exploit. Often, with large wildlife, it’s not a mystery. There is an obvious entry hole in the roof or around the roofline. Here, however, at first glance, I did not see any visible damage indicating where the wildlife was finding its way inside. Upon closer inspection, I found the answer. All four of the plastic static roof vents had large holes chewed through them. Squirrels are in the rodent family and they have razor-sharp teeth that can eat through many types of building materials.

As you can see from the photo, the hole was underneath the plastic cap so it was not causing any water leakage. Nevertheless, the hole was more than enough for squirrels to gain easy access to this homeowner’s attic. Unfortunately, manufacturers do not usually design vents to be pest-proof. Contractors are looking to save money on their projects and price considerations affect the quality of “manufacturer’s standard” building materials. 

To resolve this problem, I covered three of the four roof vents with a tough galvanized steel mesh cover that fits over the entire vent. This cover is strong and durable enough to stop any wildlife from even thinking about using the vent to gain access to the attic. Why didn’t I cover all four vents? I wanted to allow any squirrels hiding in the attic a route to leave. With three of the four access points closed, the squirrels had no choice but to exit through the remaining opening. On this fourth vent, I installed a makeshift temporary cover attached to a one-way door. The door allows animals to leave, but it’s a one-way trip. They are unable to regain access into the attic. Once any animals are trapped and relocated and we are certain that there is no more wildlife activity inside the house, the fourth and final vent cover will be installed. And this wildlife job is complete — all wildlife is safely and humanely removed from the home and all entry points are sealed to prevent a re-infestation.