There are two species of squirrels that live in attics of Nassau County, Long Island homes. The Eastern Gray Squirrel, which is active during the day and the Flying Squirrel, which is active at night. The Eastern Grey Squirrel is the largest tree squirrel found in Nassau County, Long Island and is the most frequently observed squirrel. Having an average weight of approximately two ounces, the nocturnal Flying Squirrels are the smallest squirrels found in Nassau County, Long Island. The Eastern Grey Squirrel is seen in woodland, parkland, urban and suburban habitats and was once hunted and eaten in earlier times by Native Americans. The fundamental requirement to make a habitat suitable for a grey squirrel is a foreseeable abundance of food. These highly intelligent, opportunistic omnivorous rodents feed chiefly on the nuts of forest trees. They also eat tree bark, mushrooms, seeds, berries, acorns, buds, apples, caterpillars, tree flowers, baby birds, eggs, frogs, and insects. The Grey Squirrel doesn't hibernate but instead relies on its fat reserves and a large amount of food that it hoards for future consumption. This squirrel plays a very important role in reforestation, by hiding nuts and seeds in hundreds of different locations, which is called scatter hoarding. Scatter-hoarding assures that even if some of the food is found and eaten by other wild animals, enough will remain for the squirrel. Eastern Gray Squirrels have an exceptional sense of smell, which they utilize in locating the food that they have hidden away. The squirrels also have very precise spatial memory for the locations of these hidden caches and use distant and nearby landmarks to recover them. Many squirrel caches are never found and sprout, growing into trees the following spring. The fur of the gray squirrel is primarily gray, but it can also be brown or black in color. Black squirrels, which are a melanistic subgroup of the Eastern Grey Squirrel have a greater cold tolerance and can frequently be observed in Nassau County, Long Island. Its bushy tail is used in sustaining balance while it jumps between tree branches, or runs along power lines. Squirrels can easily navigate trees by synchronizing two structures in their feet. They can immediately change direction and even run headfirst down trees by swiveling their rear ankle joints 180 degrees and simultaneously digging their long sharp claws in both the front and hind feet into the bark of the tree. Gray squirrels build nests in tree hollows and in the forks of trees, made up of dry leaves and twigs. They also nest in attics, chimneys, garages and sheds of Nassau County, Long Island homes, where they are regarded as pests, and a fire hazard due to their propensity to gnaw on electrical wires. Periodically a squirrel will come down an uncapped furnace flue and end up in the basement of a Nassau County, Long Island home. A squirrel is a rodent, which means gnawing animal. A rodent is recognized as having a single pair of continuously growing teeth in each of its upper and lower jaws. Squirrels use their sharp teeth to gnaw food, dig burrows and defend themselves. The two long pair of teeth are used by a squirrel when gnawing its way into the attic of a Nassau County, Long Island dwelling. Squirrels will often gnaw holes in fascia board and soffits to gain access to the attics of Nassau County, Long Island residencies. The Eastern Gray Squirrel is most active in Long Island attics at dawn and dusk. During the early morning hours, Eastern Gray Squirrels can be heard leaving the attic and in the later part of the day, they can be heard entering it. So, if you are hearing scratching, running, scampering and chirping sounds in the ceiling during daylight hours, you most probably have gray squirrels in the attic of your home. In Nassau County, New York grey squirrels reproduce twice a year, in the Spring and in the Fall. Typically, gray squirrels give birth to four to six pups, but this number can be as high as eight. Gray squirrel younglings are weaned at around seven weeks of age and leave the nest after ten weeks. Grey squirrels can begin reproducing when they are 5 1/2 months old and have a maximum life expectancy of 13 years in the wild. Squirrels communicate with one another by making sounds and body movements, such as tail flicking. The Eastern Gray Squirrel has a number of vocal and tail signals that have different meanings depending on how they are used. When predators are nearby, gray squirrels will sound warning calls to alert other squirrels. Both the vocalizations and tail flicking can be used as alarm signals by the squirrels. Chattering, rasping, and barking are all examples of sounds made by a distressed grey squirrel. Predators of the Eastern Gray Squirrel include raccoons, weasels, cats, dogs, snakes, red fox, owls, and hawks. Squirrels mark their territory using two main scent marking tools, urine, and oral scent glands. These rodents will periodically urinate as they move along travel routes. The gray squirrel will frequently stop and gnaw on trees and deposit their oral scent by rubbing their cheeks on the tree.
Squirrel Removal Nassau County, New York Squirrel Inspection - This is the first step in the removal of squirrels from Nassau County, Long Island residences and businesses. Nassau County Wildlife Control rodent removal wildlife trappers will inspect your premises to determine the species of squirrel that is inhabiting it. Evidence of squirrel activity may include:
Squirrel Tracks - The five-toed rear footprint is above and the four-toed front footprint is below.
Squirrel Feces - Are normally 3/8 inch long and cylindrical in shape with rounded edges.
Squirrel Damage - Squirrels will generally gnaw a hole that is roughly the size of a baseball in the fascia board or soffits to gain access to an attic. In the attic, these rodents will gnaw on wires, cables, PVC pipes, wooden beams, ceilings, and the central air conditioning ductwork.
How To Get Rid Of Squirrels Nassau County, NY
Squirrel Repellents
Squirrel repellents are ineffective in getting rid of squirrels. Mothballs, fox urine, pepper sprays, and ultrasonic sound emitting devices do not get rid of squirrels. There are numerous squirrel repellent products for sale in hardware stores and on the internet that promise to resolve your squirrel control problem. The truth is, none of these wildlife repellents are effective. If there is a squirrel in the attic of your Nassau County, Long Island residence, it is nearly always a female squirrel with younglings. There is no squirrel control repellent that is going to convince that female squirrel to abandon her young and leave the attic of your Nassau County, Long Island residence.
Squirrel Trapping
Humane squirrel trapping is an effective solution to getting rid of squirrels and is the method used by Nassau County Wildlife Control humane animal trappers in the removal of squirrels from homes and businesses. There are numerous types of humane squirrel traps and squirrel baits that can be used for squirrel removal in Long Island. Knowing what kind of humane squirrel trap to use and what bait to use is determined by what time of the year it is. The Nassau County squirrel removal trapping methods that our wildlife control experts use is also dependent upon the situation and where the squirrels are entering your Nassau County, Long Island premises. Our animal control wild animal trappers do squirrel removal from attics, chimneys, sheds, and garages. Nassau County Wildlife Control animal trappers, know what humane squirrel trap and squirrel bait to use in every situation. Squirrel removal prices are contingent upon where the rodents are entering your home or business, the number of squirrels, and what would be entailed in getting rid of them.
Squirrel Exclusion
Upon completion of the squirrel trapping, Nassau County Wildlife Control will send out a licensed contractor to give you a free estimate on any wildlife damage repairs that need to be done to your Nassau County, Long Island home, or business to keep squirrels out. Our wildlife control operators will suggest any modifications that can be made to your Nassau County, Long Island home or business to avert future Long Island squirrel control and wildlife pest control issues.
