Squirrels Chew Through Gutter Guards in Holmdel, NJ

Homeowners in Holmdel, NJ, contacted Cowleys after their home’s attic was infested by squirrels. Most wildlife infestations, especially if you include mice, occur around the home’s foundation where entry is made into the basement or crawl space. However, others are “aerial” infestations where the animal gains access to the attic through the roof or its surrounding structures along the eave area — the fascia boards and exterior soffits. The most common wildlife infestations involving attics are tree squirrels (here in New Jersey, the eastern gray squirrel is most prevalent) and raccoons. Less frequently, homeowners may find themselves with a bat infestation in their attic. Squirrels and raccoons, since they can’t fly, need some bridge, either natural or artificial, to gain access to the roof. With this house, squirrels took advantage of an overhanging tree branch. Sometimes, these amazingly agile animals will use a utility line like a circus tightrope walker to reach the roof.

Squirrels are in the rodent family, and like their mouse and rat cousins, are incessant gnawers. With this home, some determined squirrels chewed their way through metal gutter guards. Our objective here, as with all wildlife infestations, is to trap and remove the critters with a minimal amount of disruption to the home itself. I was not about to start removing and reinstalling the gutters to determine where the squirrels were entering the attic through the fascia boards. 

A good wildlife technician looks for the simplest, most elegant solution to the problem. As shown in the video, some squirrels managed to do a major number on the gutter guard, chewing through it like it was a stick of butter. They were able to make an opening that was more than enough for them to eventually gain access to the attic. How they managed to gain access to the attic through the fascia could not be determined from the outside of the home because any visibility was blocked by the gutter structure.  However, at the end of the day, the fact that the gutter structure blocked the opening into the attic didn’t matter in order for me to successfully resolve the infestation. What was important was that I found the squirrels’ initial entry point into the home. No matter what, these squirrels needed to come and go from the attic in order to forage for food outside, and they had to go through that opening in the gutter guard. I set up a one-way exclusion device directly over the opening. This device allows the squirrels to exit, but it’s a one-way trip. The squirrels are prevented from returning inside. I also set up some traps nearby the opening to possibly trap them once they leave. Once trapped, I will safely and humanely relocate them. With this set-up on the roof, it won’t take long for this attic to be squirrel-free. Wildlife taking up residence in a home is a potentially dangerous situation for homeowners and must be removed immediately. Even if you never come into direct contact with the animals, they can transmit diseases through their urine and droppings, and cause other property damage, including ruined insulation.