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Squirrel removal relies on exclusion rather than trapping. A removal company finds every opening, checks for a nest of young, fits a one-way door over the main entry and seals the rest with metal that squirrels can't chew through. Because squirrels are agile climbers that live all around houses, the job also includes making the roof harder to reach, from trimming branches to rethinking the bird feeder.
This page covers the squirrels found in Canadian homes, signs, chewed wiring, one-way doors, baby season, provincial rules and how to keep squirrels off the roof.
Grey, red and flying squirrels: which squirrel is in your attic
Several kinds of squirrel get into houses, and each one behaves a little differently. Knowing which one you have helps the removal company plan the job and choose where to look for the nest.
- Grey and black squirrels are the large, familiar city squirrels, most active in the daytime, and often responsible for chewed soffits and roof vents.
- Red squirrels are smaller and noisier, common near conifers and rural properties, and they will squeeze into walls, sheds and cottage roofs.
- Flying squirrels are active at night, often live in small groups, and can be mistaken for mice because of the soft scratching they make after dark.
- Noise that starts at sunrise and fades after dusk points to grey or red squirrels, while activity through the night suggests flying squirrels or another animal.
Signs of squirrels in the attic, soffits or walls
- Scampering, rolling or scratching sounds overhead or inside a wall, often right after sunrise.
- Fresh chew marks and rounded holes along soffit edges, fascia boards, roof vents and the gaps where rooflines meet.
- Squirrels running along the gutter, jumping from trees onto the roof or disappearing under the eaves.
- Shredded insulation, leaves and paper packed into a corner of the attic or around a vent.
- Small droppings and urine stains near the entry and the nest.
- Lights, outlets or fans that act up in a room below the attic, a sign that wiring may have been chewed.
Squirrels chewing wires: fire risk and other attic damage
A squirrel's teeth grow continuously, and it keeps them worn down by gnawing on whatever is nearby. In an attic or wall, that can mean electrical cable, where chewed insulation leaves bare conductors among dry nesting material, which is why chewed wiring is treated as a fire hazard. Ontario's guidance says that if a squirrel has spent a long time in an area with exposed wiring, you should check your smoke detectors and inspect for wire damage.
Have a licensed electrician inspect and repair any chewed cable once the squirrels are out; this is not work to do yourself. Squirrels also chew through vent ducts, which can send bathroom or kitchen moisture into the attic, and they damage wood trim and flashing around their entry. The removal company can point out what it found so you can arrange those repairs.
One-way doors for squirrels: getting them out without trapping them inside
Squirrel exclusion follows the same idea as for other wildlife, with details that suit a small, persistent chewer. The company inspects the whole roofline, since squirrels often use more than one opening, then fits a one-way door or tunnel over the main entry and closes every other gap with metal.
- The one-way door is fastened to solid material around the hole, since a squirrel will chew around a loose fitting to get back in.
- Secondary gaps are closed with galvanized mesh, metal flashing or sheet metal rather than foam, wood or plastic, which squirrels chew through.
- The door stays until there are no signs of squirrels inside, and then the main entry is sealed permanently.
- The rest of the roof is checked for weak spots, because an evicted squirrel will look for a new way in close to the old one.
- Nesting material and droppings are cleaned out and damaged insulation is replaced once the attic is empty.
Squirrel baby season: timing removal around nests in the attic
Female squirrels often use attics and wall cavities as a warm, dry place to raise their young, and they can have more than one litter in a year. Young squirrels stay in the nest until they are able to climb out, so a one-way door fitted while they are still helpless separates them from their mother.
The City of Toronto advises making sure very young baby squirrels in a nest are able to exit on their own before the space is closed. A careful company looks for the nest before installing anything, and either waits until the young can leave with their mother or removes them by hand so she can move them elsewhere. Crying or scratching from one spot in a wall after an exclusion means something went wrong and needs a prompt return visit.
Squirrel removal rules in Ontario and Quebec: relocation limits and poisons
In Ontario, a squirrel that is damaging your property can be dealt with by you or an agent such as a removal company, but captured wildlife must be released within 1 kilometre of where it was caught and within 24 hours, and removal businesses may not kill the animals they capture. Squirrels released in unfamiliar territory far away struggle to find food and shelter, and a nursing female taken from an attic leaves her young to starve.
Quebec's guidance on wild animals on your property includes squirrels and favours scaring animals off and preventing damage. On poison, it is direct: poisoning should be used only as a last resort and only after all other control methods have been tried unsuccessfully. Poisoned squirrels also tend to die inside walls and ceilings, where the smell lingers until the body is found.
Keeping squirrels off the roof: trimming branches, feeder placement and mesh
Squirrels reach roofs by jumping from trees and climbing wires, downspouts and siding, so prevention starts with the routes, not just the holes. Quebec's guidance gives specific distances, and the City of Toronto notes that bird feeders are one reason squirrels do so well in cities.
- Trim trees near the house so there is more than three metres of clearance, as Quebec recommends.
- Place a bird feeder at least 1.5 metres off the ground and 3 metres from any place a squirrel could jump from, or take it down while you deal with squirrels.
- Use mesh with 1-cm openings against squirrels, the size Quebec recommends, over vents and gaps.
- Remove old TV antennas and seal open vents or holes in the chimney and roof, as Toronto suggests.
- Install a chimney cap and keep damaged soffits, fascia and roof vents repaired.
- Walk around the house each spring and fall to look for new chew marks along the roofline.
Squirrel stuck in the chimney, exhaust fan or wall: what to do
A squirrel that has fallen into a chimney, a fireplace or a vent duct can't always climb back out. Ontario's guidance says you can let a squirrel trapped in an exhaust fan or chimney exit through the house or drop a line down so it can climb up, and Toronto suggests hanging a thick rope down the chimney. Close the fireplace doors or damper and keep pets away while you wait.
If a squirrel gets into the living space, close interior doors, open a door or window to the outside and leave the room so it can find its way out; don't try to catch it by hand. A squirrel trapped inside a wall, or scratching that goes on for days, calls for a removal company, which can open a small access point and repair it afterward.
Squirrels: frequently asked questions
Will squirrels leave my attic on their own?
Not reliably. An attic with food nearby and a way in is a good home, and even if the squirrels do leave, the opening invites the next ones. Exclusion followed by a permanent repair is what ends the problem.
Is poison a good way to get rid of squirrels?
No. Quebec's guidance treats poison as a last resort after every other method has failed, and a poisoned squirrel usually dies somewhere inside the house. Exclusion removes the squirrels and fixes the reason they got in.
Should I take down my bird feeder?
While squirrels are getting into the house, it helps. Toronto notes that removing this food source may encourage them to move on. If you keep a feeder, place it the way Quebec recommends, well off the ground and away from anything a squirrel can jump from.
Can squirrels really start a fire?
Chewed wiring in an attic or wall is a fire hazard, especially surrounded by nesting material. If squirrels have been in the house for a while, test your smoke detectors and have an electrician check the wiring they could reach.
Why do squirrels keep coming back after removal?
Usually because an opening was missed, the patch was made of something they can chew, or a tree still gives easy access to the roof. Ask the company to guarantee its work and to recheck the roofline if you hear them again.
Sources
Written by the LokalMatch editorial team. Reviewed by Zubair Afzal on September 10, 2026. How we write and check our guides