When Do Squirrels Have Babies in Virginia Beach?
As fall approaches, so does squirrel nesting season. But wait, wasn’t squirrel nesting season in early spring? That’s right, squirrels actually have TWO nesting seasons, one in the spring and one in the fall. Squirrels have two different mating seasons, which means during two different times of the year they will be looking for places to have their babies, including attics, trees and crawl spaces. Summit Wildlife Removal can remove squirrels and squirrel babies from your attic in the Virginia Beach area and safely relocate them.
Squirrel Mating Season in Virginia Beach
Squirrels are different from other nuisance wildlife that get into your house because they have more than one mating season. Male squirrels will reach reproductive maturity between 9 to 11 months, with female squirrels reaching reproductive maturity between 6 and 8 months. Squirrels mate twice a year, once around February, and once around late June through August. Both times, it takes roughly 45 days for the squirrels to give birth. This leads to two nesting seasons, one in the spring and one in the fall.
The squirrels that nest in the spring will typically kick their babies out sooner, while the squirrels that nest in the fall might keep their babies inside the nest longer so they can survive the winter. When a squirrel becomes pregnant and is getting ready to have a baby, it will begin looking for safe, warm places to settle down and make a nest, and inside your attic is the perfect place for them.
Squirrel Removal | Signs of Baby Squirrels in Attics
Squirrels may seem cute, but they can cause lasting damage to your home, especially your attic. Squirrels will often rip and tear into soffits, gutters and gable vents to get inside your home. Once inside, these squirrels will rip up your insulation to create their nests. They can also soil your insulation with their urine and feces, which will require removal and replacement of the insulation, as well as sanitization of the affected area. Squirrels can also carry parasites like mites and fleas, and they can spread diseases like rabies and salmonella. It is important to call a licensed wildlife removal company like Summit Wildlife Removal as soon as you notice a squirrel problem.
Some signs of baby squirrels in your attic can include the sound of running and scratching in the attic, as well as the sound of a high pitched chirping. If you see a chewed hole in your fascia board, this is another indicator that there might be squirrels nesting in your attic.
Removing squirrels can be challenging, so never try to remove them on your own. Call Summit, we can institute a humane trapping program or a one-way door on the exterior of the attic to get all the squirrels out. Once a squirrel is removed, we can begin the seal out process. Seal outs are the process of patching up any potential entry points and making it difficult for the squirrels to regain entry.
Where Do Squirrels Live?
Squirrels typically have two different kinds of nests, a drey nest and a cavity nest, also known as a den. Dreys are squirrel nests built out of leaves, twigs, insulation, moss, paper, or whatever else they can find. Squirrels will build dreys high up in the forks of trees, where branches cross or in other nooks and crannies. Cavity nests are built inside the cavity of a tree, and these nests consist of the same material that makes up a drey, but with the added shelter of the tree. Squirrels will also build “vacation homes” which are secondary nests they use during the day to store extra food or hide from predators.
Squirrels will also build their dreys inside your attic. Attics provide the perfect shelter for squirrels to hide from harsh weather and predators, and insulation is one of their favorite nesting materials.
Squirrel Nesting Locations
Squirrels are arboreal, which means they will be inclined to nest up high. Their two favorite nesting places are attics and trees.
Attics
Attics are typically where a squirrel will gravitate towards if it nests inside your home. Squirrels live in trees and are excellent climbers and jumpers, so they will oftentimes scurry up to the fascia board or gable vents on your house, and look for a way in. Sometimes, if there’s only a slight crack, they can exploit it by gnawing and scratching until the crack is big enough to fit themselves in. Once inside, these squirrels will make their nests with insulation as well as outside material like leaves, moss, twigs and more. Squirrels are rodents, so their teeth never stop growing. In order to keep their teeth at a manageable level, squirrels will gnaw on wooden beams in your attic, as well as the rubber covering around wires, exposing the bare wiring. This can cause a major fire hazard, which is another reason why you should always contact Summit Wildlife Removal for squirrel removal and seal outs in the Virginia Beach area as soon as you start seeing the signs of a squirrel infestation.
Trees
Trees are a far less disruptive place for squirrels to build their nests. Squirrels will either build nests inside a hollow tree cavity, or high up on the fork of trees by building dreys out of leaves, twigs, moss and whatever they have available. If you have multiple tall trees on your property, with plenty of acorns and other food sources around, this might be attracting squirrels to your property. Squirrels are constantly eating, so an area with consistent sources of food and shelter will draw them in. If you have tree branches touching your house or near your house, this could also contribute to squirrels getting inside, as they can use these branches to easily migrate their nests from trees to indoors.
When Do Squirrel Babies Leave The Attic?
Squirrel babies are typically weaned when they are roughly 10 weeks old, and by the time they reach 12 weeks, they will leave the nest and go out on their own, but they will often stay around the same area. However, removing a squirrel nest does not mean the baby squirrels will die. When done right, the mother and baby squirrels can be relocated to a wildlife rehabilitation center together. However, this is another reason why we caution against trying to remove baby squirrels yourself, as squirrels are very good at hiding their babies, and someone not trained in wildlife removal might miss one or more when removing the nest. If the squirrel baby doesn’t die, then the mother squirrel will cause even more damage to your fascia board or gable vent to get inside and retrieve her baby.
Summit Wildlife Removal in Virginia Beach can help remove squirrel babies and squirrel nests from your attic. Our technicians are trained in safe, humane wildlife removal, and we can also offer seal-outs to prevent squirrels and other wildlife from returning. Summit can also remove and replace any insulation soiled by the squirrels, and sanitize the affected area. Contact Summit Wildlife Removal today for a FREE estimate at 757-901-4455!