Expert Guide on How to Get Rid of Squirrels

Normally, we don't think of pests as being cute. But squirrels manage to be both destructive animals and quite adorable at the same time.

Part of the problem is that the most common squirrel species in the UK, the grey squirrel, isn't supposed to be here. These aggressive invaders have pushed out the native red squirrel from most of its original range. Plus, they can damage beech and oak trees by gnawing the bark at the base, causing it to weaken and die.

Worst of all, though, squirrels can nest inside our homes. There, they can damage wiring, insulation, and the woodwork of your house.

Squirrels are also one of the trickiest pests to deal with legally, and that catches a lot of people out - the single biggest mistake is assuming you can live-trap a grey squirrel and release it elsewhere. You can't. So this guide covers how squirrels behave, how to spot them, how to keep them out, and - importantly - exactly what the law does and doesn't allow, so you stay the right side of it.

Understanding Grey Squirrel Behaviour

What Are Grey Squirrels?

The grey squirrel, known scientifically as Sciurus carolinensis, is a rodent that is native to North America. In nature, they live in forests and help them regenerate by burying nuts and seeds. However, starting in the 1870s, British aristocrats began importing grey squirrels onto their estates. Even worse, in 1921, the Zoological Society of London released grey squirrels into Regent's Park. From there, they rapidly spread across the UK, driving the native red squirrel out of its habitat almost everywhere in the country.

Grey squirrels are grey or brown, with a white belly and a large, bushy tail. Grey squirrels are around 24 to 26 cm in length, with the tail adding another 19 to 24 cm. They weigh between 450 and 650 grams, much bigger than the native red squirrel, which weighs 250 to 340 grams. Red squirrels have red fur and distinctive tufts on their ears, which grey squirrels lack.

The grey squirrel's size helped it outcompete the red squirrel, but grey squirrels can also carry a disease called squirrel pox which kills red squirrels but doesn't affect their grey cousins.

Squirrel Lifecycle and Nesting Habits

• In the wild, grey squirrels live for 2 to 5 years.
• They have two breeding seasons annually, producing young roughly between February and March, and again around June and July.
• They build nests called dreys in trees, but will also build them in attics, lofts, garden sheds, and other unattended areas.
• They are active in the early morning, usually before the sun rises, especially in winter.

Dangers Associated with Grey Squirrels

You may not think of squirrels being dangerous, and, indeed, they don't attack humans. However, that doesn't make them harmless.

Squirrels urinate and defecate everywhere they go. When they get inside a building, they leave a lot of droppings and urine behind. Plus, as rodents, squirrels need to constantly gnaw hard surfaces to stop their teeth growing too long. In a home, they will chew on wooden beams, which can weaken them, and can also chew electrical wires, which may start fires. Squirrels also strip bark from trees, which causes the trees to die.

But squirrels are even more dangerous to native wildlife. They have made the red squirrel an endangered species, and are also a threat to many native species of birds as they will steal eggs from nests.

Identifying Signs of a Squirrel Infestation

Key Indicators of Squirrel Activity

Here are some signs that you have squirrels in your house:

• Hearing scratching, scuttling, or rustling noises from your loft or inside the walls of your house, especially in the early morning. (Squirrels are active by day, so daytime noise helps tell them apart from rats, which move mostly at night.)
• Finding droppings in your loft or attic. Squirrel droppings are smooth, cylindrical, with a slight curve, and are around 5 to 8 mm in length. They closely resemble rat droppings, but squirrel droppings are more rounded at the ends.
• Smelling urine in confined spaces like a garden shed, crawlspace, or loft.
• Seeing bark stripped from trees or gnawing around entry points to your attic or loft.
• Seeing squirrels on your roof, garden fences, in trees, or at birdfeeders.

Common Nesting Locations

In the wild, squirrels nest in trees. However, they can often be found nesting in:

• Attics, lofts, and roof spaces.
• Garden sheds, garages, gazebos, and other garden structures.
• Inside wall cavities and under floorboards.

Preventing Squirrel Infestations

Early detection is key to solving pest problems, and squirrels are no different. Keep an eye on your property by regularly inspecting your roof and attic and looking for areas where squirrels may get inside, including gnaw marks on beams or around holes. If you find any holes, seal them off with galvanised steel mesh so that squirrels can't chew through it. It's also good to trim back tree branches that overhang your roof to stop squirrels gaining easy access to the building.

You can also make your property less attractive to squirrels. Use squirrel-proof birdfeeders, and store birdseed in squirrel-proof containers. Keep rubbish bins tightly closed, and remove fallen fruits, nuts, and seeds from your garden.

DIY Grey Squirrel Control Solutions

Before you tangle with squirrels, protect yourself. Wear thick gloves if you're going to be approaching live squirrels, or rubber gloves when handling nests or materials contaminated by droppings and urine.

The most humane and effective approach is to make your property unwelcoming and to deny access:

• Motion-activated sprinklers can chase squirrels away by spraying them with water when they get too close to the house.
• Non-toxic taste repellents on trees and around entry points give squirrels a nasty taste when they gnaw, putting them off.
• Metal tree guards wrapped around the base of trees stop squirrels climbing them or stripping the bark.
• Proofing - sealing every gap with galvanised steel mesh - is the measure that actually keeps them out for good.

As with most persistent pests, no single deterrent does the whole job. Combine a few of these and keep them up, and pair them with thorough proofing.

If You're Considering Trapping

This is where squirrels differ from almost every other garden pest, and where most people come unstuck. The single biggest misunderstanding is that you can live-trap a grey squirrel and release it somewhere else - in a wood, a park, "back into the wild". You can't. Because the grey is an invasive non-native species, it is illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019 to release a trapped grey squirrel. Once you've deliberately caught one, the law requires it to be humanely dispatched - you cannot relocate it, and you cannot keep it.

That puts a real decision in front of you before you set a trap: if you wouldn't be willing and able to dispatch a squirrel quickly and humanely yourself, don't trap it - use deterrence and proofing, or call a professional. A few important points:

• Drowning is illegal and inhumane, and can lead to prosecution - as can any method that causes unnecessary suffering.
• Kill (spring) traps must be an approved type under the Spring Traps Approval Order, and shouldn't be used where red squirrels or pine martens are present - there, only live-capture cage traps should be used, with specialist advice.
• If you accidentally catch a red squirrel, release it. Reds are protected by law - it's an offence to harm or disturb them.

For most households, the humane-dispatch requirement is the point where DIY trapping stops making sense, which is exactly why the RSPCA recommends using a trained, reputable pest controller for lethal control. Traps can be baited with peanut butter, maize, fruit or nuts, and placed in areas of squirrel activity where other animals - including cats and dogs - can't reach them.

Professional Grey Squirrel Control

Why DIY Methods May Not Be Enough

Chasing squirrels away, making your property less attractive, and sealing holes are the most humane and effective ways to deal with them, and trapping should only ever be a last resort.

However, DIY methods can be tricky because squirrels are persistent. Often, they will find alternative entry points after you block the one they are using, particularly during breeding season. And trapping carries the legal and practical weight described above - dispatching a squirrel humanely is not a skill most people have, or want to use.

For all these reasons, it often makes sense to call for professional help - especially when an infestation persists after you've tried deterrence and proofing, when nesting areas are hard to reach, or when there are large numbers doing real damage. A qualified pest controller can be found through the British Pest Control Association, and will know all the legal rules and handle squirrels both humanely and effectively.

Methods Used by Pest Control Professionals

When dealing with squirrel problems, professional pest controllers may:

• Live-capture squirrels and dispatch them humanely under strict legal guidelines.
• Use approved spring traps (of a type listed on the Spring Traps Approval Order) where appropriate.
• Carry out drey removal, usually in rural settings.
• Shoot squirrels where it is legal and safe to do so - generally not in towns and cities.

One thing no legitimate operator will do is poison squirrels: there are no approved poisons for grey squirrels in the UK. Warfarin was the last authorised product, and its approval was withdrawn in 2015, so using any poison against squirrels is now illegal for amateurs and professionals alike. Control is by trapping, shooting in appropriate settings, and proofing.

Legal Considerations for Squirrel Control

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 prohibits releasing captured grey squirrels and protects native red squirrels, making it an offence to kill, injure or disturb a red squirrel or its drey. The Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019 reinforces that trapped greys must be humanely dispatched rather than released, and the Animal Welfare Act 2006 requires that any captured animal is treated humanely and not caused unnecessary suffering. In short: greys can be controlled but not released or poisoned; reds must be left alone.

Dealing with Squirrel Bites

You're very unlikely to be bitten by a squirrel unless you grab one. However, squirrels can deliver painful bites if they feel trapped. If you do get bitten:

• Wash the wound immediately with soap and water.
• Apply antiseptic and cover with a clean bandage.
• Seek medical advice, especially if signs of infection appear. These include redness, swelling, red streaks around the injury, discharge from the wound, or fever following the bite.

FAQs: Getting Rid of Squirrels

Can I trap a grey squirrel and release it somewhere else?

No. It's illegal to release a trapped grey squirrel, because they're an invasive non-native species. Once you've deliberately caught one, the law requires it to be humanely dispatched - you can't relocate it to a wood or park, and you can't keep it. If you're not prepared to dispatch a squirrel humanely yourself, don't trap it; use deterrence and proofing, or call a professional.

Can I poison squirrels?

No. There are no approved poisons for grey squirrels in the UK - warfarin, the last authorised product, was withdrawn in 2015 - so using any poison against them is illegal. Control is by trapping, shooting in appropriate rural settings, and proofing.

Is it legal to drown a trapped squirrel?

No. Drowning causes unnecessary suffering and is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, and can lead to prosecution. If a grey squirrel is to be dispatched, it must be done quickly and humanely.

How do I get squirrels out of my loft?

Locate and confirm the entry points, then check carefully that there are no dependent young inside before you do anything - never seal them in. Make sure the squirrel is out (they tend to forage mid-morning and mid-afternoon), then proof every gap with galvanised steel mesh. If young are present, wait until they're independent at around 10 to 12 weeks. Loft jobs are often best handled by a professional, given the law and the roof access involved.

How do I tell a red squirrel from a grey?

Greys are larger (450–650g), grey-brown with a white belly and no ear tufts. Reds are smaller (250–340g), reddish-brown with distinctive ear tufts. Reds are legally protected, so if you have red squirrels you must not harm or disturb them, and you should seek specialist advice before doing any control work.

Do ultrasonic squirrel repellers work?

There's little solid evidence that any frightening device reliably deters squirrels on its own, so treat ultrasonic as a minor supplementary layer at most - not your main plan. The measures that genuinely work are proofing entry points and removing food sources. Don't expect a single gadget to fix it.

How do I keep squirrels off my bird feeders?

Use squirrel-proof feeders (caged or weight-activated), site them away from launch points like fences and branches (around two metres of clearance), clear up spilled seed, and avoid whole peanuts and other squirrel favourites.

Final Word

Squirrels are tricky pests to deal with. They're persistent and crafty, and can be tenacious in finding a way into your home. The best way to keep them out is to make your property less attractive by removing sources of food and blocking any holes they use to get inside - and proofing is where most of the DIY effort pays off.

If you do reach the point of trapping, remember you must be willing and able to dispatch a grey squirrel quickly and humanely - you can't release or relocate it. If you're not comfortable with that, it's better to hire a professional pest controller experienced with these cute but troublesome pests.

Although they may look adorable, squirrels can cause big problems. Proof your home with our rodent proofing range, and for a quick checklist see our proven tips to stop squirrels.