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Squirrels are members of the rodent family. The most frequently dealt with nuisance squirrel is the Eastern Gray Squirrel. They measure roughly 8 to 12 inches and weigh approximately one and a half pounds. Gray squirrels are active year-round they live primarily in trees. They feed on a great variety of foods, such as nuts, seeds, and fruits. They store nuts and acorns in holes in the ground. Gray squirrels breed throughout the year, but there are two distinct peaks, in the winter and summer. After about six weeks, two to four young are born, and raised in a nest for about three months. They prefer cavities in trees (or homes), and when cavities not available, they will build a nest out of leaves and twigs high in a tree.
Nuisance concerns: Squirrels have readily adapted to humans. They frequently use buildings for nesting areas. Squirrels love to break into a house and stay in attics or soffits. They often find a small opening and will chew a wider hole to gain access to the building. They bring nesting material into the home and make a lot of noise scurrying around and caching nuts. They commonly fall down the chimney flue and make a lot of noise or enter the fireplace. Sometimes they fall down a wall from the attic and get trapped. They can often enter the attic through the gable vent. Squirrels in a home can cause a fire hazard by bringing in nesting material and by chewing on power lines. Squirrels can leave behind a lot of droppings and urine in the attic. The droppings not only smell bad, but they pose a biohazard, and the smell attracts new squirrels.
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