Pest Control, Bed Bug Extermination & Attic Insulation in Trenton, NJ

Like any rodent, squirrels are compelled to chew on things ... and they are chewing all the time. Rodents are the single largest group of mammals with more than 2,000 species. Besides squirrels, those rodents that we are most familiar with are rats, mice, woodchucks (groundhogs), beavers, and those “adorable” rodents like hamsters and gerbils that kids want to keep as pets.  All rodents (from Latin rodere, “to gnaw”) have one thing in common: four long front-most teeth (incisors), two on the upper jaw and two on the lower.  Their constant gnawing creates perpetually sharp chiseled edges. Like all rodents, a squirrel’s front teeth will grow throughout their entire lives, and they do so at a pretty rapid pace. To prevent them from growing too long, squirrels must constantly gnaw in order to file them down. If they didn’t, we would have millions of scary saber-tooth squirrels running around giving us nightmares! 

This behavior doesn't necessarily mean that squirrels are trying to gnaw their way into your house. Cowleys sometimes receives calls from homeowners who are  concerned (or even convinced) that some crazy squirrels are hell-bent on trying to chew their way inside. After investigating, more often than not, we find that the squirrels just using a part of the house as a file to grind down their teeth. Squirrel gnawing is wildlife dentistry! 

In extreme situations like the one where squirrels are really doing a number on the house, wildlife technicians at Cowleys can perform a "free roaming" squirrel trapping service that will reduce the squirrel populations in the immediate vicinity of the home. We’ll trap and safely relocate as many as we can away from your residence.  

As a wildlife technician, I’m often asked if there is an effective squirrel repellent. The most effective one that I’ve found is a spray made of cayenne pepper. There are plenty of recipes online to make a spicy cayenne pepper broth. Some add other food items for good measure that squirrels hate like chopped onions or chopped jalapenos. Another effective squirrel repellent is red fox urine. If you don’t want to go through the time and trouble of collecting it yourself, you can buy it online or at most hardware stores. It should be noted that any of these repellents are a temporary deterrent at best.