Squirrels in the attic sound like someone is rolling marbles across the floor early in the morning. That scrabbling, thumping sound right before dawn is the most common description we get on squirrel calls from older Parkersburg neighborhoods. By the time you are hearing it regularly, they have usually been in there for a while.
Two species cause most of the squirrel problems in Wood County. Grey squirrels are the daytime runners, active from sunrise to mid-morning and again in late afternoon. Flying squirrels are nocturnal. If your house is making noise at 2 a.m. and you ruled out bats, flying squirrels are a strong possibility.
Parkersburg's older housing stock was built with wood construction that ages. Fascia boards separate. Soffit returns pull away from the overhang. Roof edge vents lose their screens. A grey squirrel can chew through soft wood rot in minutes. A flying squirrel can fit through a gap smaller than a golf ball.
The most common entry points we find on Wood County homes:
Squirrels chew. That is the core issue. They chew on wood to maintain their teeth. They chew on insulation for nesting material. They chew on electrical wiring, and that is what causes house fires. A squirrel chewing on the 14-gauge wiring in your attic is not a pest problem. It is a fire hazard. We have seen the aftermath in older homes near downtown Parkersburg where knob-and-tube wiring was already under stress before the squirrels added to the damage.
They also urinate and defecate in the insulation, which degrades the R-value and can create odor problems in the living space below. Long-term infestations often require attic restoration to replace contaminated insulation.
We check and reset traps on a schedule so animals are not left in traps for extended periods. Humane work throughout.
Squirrels are active during daylight hours, especially dawn and dusk. Bats are active after dark and you often see them leaving and returning at dusk. If you hear noise early in the morning and it stops mid-day, squirrels are the more likely culprit. Flying squirrels are nocturnal and can be confused with bats. An inspection tells you for certain which species you have.
Yes. Squirrels chew on electrical wiring and this is a known cause of attic fires. If squirrels have been in your attic for more than a few weeks, having an electrician check the wiring after we remove them is worth doing, especially in homes with older wiring.
It depends on how long they were in there and how much damage was done. Short infestations may not require full replacement. Long-term infestations with heavy nesting and soiling do. We assess honestly and tell you what we find. See our attic restoration page for details on that process.
Not if the exclusion work is done properly. Removing squirrels without sealing the entry points is a temporary fix. We seal everything permanently as part of the job. We also warranty our exclusion work.
Related services: Bat removal Parkersburg WV · Attic restoration and insulation replacement
Squirrels chew wiring and insulation. Call us for a same-day inspection in Wood County.
+1 681-236-1128