Cold Weather = Increase in Flying Squirrel Problems
Need a unique trivia question to liven up a struggling holiday party conversation this season? Try this one.
Q: What is the most common type of squirrel in Ohio?
A: The biologists at ODNR report it is the Southern Flying Squirrel.
Did you know the answer? Well, if you did, you are definitely in the minority, as most Ohio residents aren’t familiar with them at all. Gray Squirrels, Fox Squirrels, and Red Squirrels are also common and readily identified by most people. But even though they are the most common, very few people have ever seen a Southern Flying Squirrel. This is because they are strictly nocturnal animals.
In fact, Frontline Animal Removal has come to realize that people may have them living in their houses and don’t even know it.
Existence of Squirrels is Often Suspected by Noise
People often suspect squirrels in their homes when they hear noises in the attics, walls, and ceilings. The noises are often described as “scratching”, “scurrying”, and “little feet running”.
The noises lead people to look for squirrels (the ones we know by sight) on their roof and lurking around their houses. But then they watch the local gray squirrels seemingly leave their roof alone and can’t find any obvious squirrel openings. The noises continue and the frustration grows.
When consulted in this sort of scenario, two questions we would likely ask are:
- Do these sounds usually start at the time you are heading to bed and continue until you are getting up in the morning?
- What time of year did the noises start? Did they first appear or increase as the nights became cold?
If you
- Hear squirrel sounds
- Haven’t seen any identifiable squirrels
- Hear the noises throughout the night
- Started to hear the noises in late Fall / early Winter as temperatures began to dip
Then there is a likelihood that Southern flying squirrels have moved in.
Identifying The Southern Flying Squirrel
Take a look at this flying squirrel Ryan recently captured.
A flying squirrel is just slightly larger than a chipmunk and can fit in the palm of the hand. They are brown colored on the backside with a white belly. They also have large eyes in proportion to their body size due to their nocturnal nature.
The reason why they are called flying squirrels is because they have a skin membrane covered in fur that stretches from their ankles to their wrists, which they spread out and use to glide from tree to tree, or from tree to your house. This is visible as the white line of fur above.
One of the coolest features of a flying squirrel is the flat, rudder-like tail which can be seen in this picture.
It is a short tail compared to the other Ohio squirrel species. When they leap and glide, it is used as a rudder to line up their landing spot.
Habitat: Flying squirrels are typically not found in homes in the summer, preferring the hollows of large trees. But, as the weather begins to get cold, they often congregate in numbers in any habitat offering shelter which includes homes and other man-made structures. Flying squirrels are communal, social animals and can exist in substantial groups in the winter time.
Problems with Flying Squirrels in Your Home
Aside from keeping you up at night, flying squirrels are known to:
- chew on wires
- soil insulation
- can carry fleas and parasites into your home
In the case of a heavy infestation, their urine has been known to stain ceilings and walls.
Because of their small size and typical construction practices, flying squirrels can do a lot of exploring throughout a home. Flying squirrels can fit through an opening as small as 1 inch x 1 inch. Consequently, they have been known to travel up and down structures from attic to basement and, in some cases, to raid food pantries.
Removing Flying Squirrels and Keeping Them Out
In order to successfully remove flying squirrels from a structure, it is often necessary to seal the entire building as a whole rather than just trying to close up the one or two entry points that may be found. .
Not only can Frontline Animal Removal trap and remove the squirrels, we can also seal the structure and provide assurance that they will not re-enter your home.
If you have unexplained noises in your home that you can’t figure out, give Frontline Animal Removal a call today!
Please visit our main squirrel removal page and check out our other blog posts on squirrel removal.
