Keeping Flying Squirrels Out

Flying squirrels usually don’t force their way in by chewing like gray squirrels do; they usually get in because opportunity presents itself.

“Opportunity” for flying squirrel entry is usually just a small gap of some kind on the exterior of the home.

And sometimes theses small gaps are very hard to find.

Common entries for flying squirrels include:

Gable vents without screening
Gaps where a chimney has moved over time
Behind siding that has come loose
Behind flashing that is not properly caulked
Where there is a missing or loose piece of soffit

Here is a good example of a recent hard-to-find flying squirrel entry that Ryan recently found. It shows how thorough one has to be when removing and excluding flying squirrels.

As you see, it doesn’t take much for a flying squirrel to get in. In fact, most of our homes are not flying squirrel proof. We’re just lucky enough that the flyers haven’t found our homes’ vulnerabilities.

But, for the unlucky home that has become a favorite of flying squirrels, it needs to be made squirrel-proof.

Squirrel Proofing Creativity

Flying squirrel management is a two step process of removing the animals living in the house and sealing it up to make sure there are no more opportunities for others to move in.

The sealing of a house with flying squirrel problems is a methodical, yet creative, process of going around the home’s exterior from top to bottom and addressing any little gaps that exist. This can be time consuming as most homes have multiple small gaps where tiny flying squirrels can get in.

Sealing a home is accomplished through caulking, replacing loose siding pieces, screening, etc.

Squirrel proofing against flying squirrels is an art where the person doing the exclusion must find a practical, effective, and good looking solution.

Here are two examples: