I have had three squirrels living in my attic for a couple of months. I started with a loud AM radio set to a Talk station (24hours a day) We were the only ones bothered by it. (That works for racoons AND skunks) My husband bought a reputable electronic device... they played with it. I have closed all their access spots except one, since I do want them to be able to get OUT. Our latest attempt was a spray I brewed with red-hot sauce, cayenne, crushed chiles, a little soap & water. My husband went up into the attic & sprayed all over. Didn't phase them. I PLEASE need a cure -- at this point, toxic or non-toxic is no longer an issue -- I am in the city & can't shoot them. One of the three sounds like a St. Bernard when he runs across the ceiling of my home. Thank you for any responses! Nise5280

Go to a large sporting goods store Like ****s or Sports Authority so find the hunting section. They sell coyote urine in small bottles for deer hunters to mask their scent. Squirrels are deathly afraid of Coyotes. Soak a few wrags and throw them into the attic. Once they are gone youmust find how they got in and close that opening with wire mesh or screening

ballengerb1 -- Thank you for the quick response..!. have to admit we haven't tried pee... yet. Will be doing so directly though. Thanks again. Nise5280

A little goes a long way

First, find how they entered your attic. When we had this problem, we found they were entering behind our heat pump outside, climbing up an exterior chute that had the electrical wires leading into the house.

We purchased a small animal trap that is a wire cage. We places nuts in the far inside. When the squirrel came out and went for the nuts, it triggered the door to shut. We then took the squirrel in the cage to a park where we released it.

We stuffed the opening of the tube it had crawled into with steel wool and then sealed it with expanding foam.

Unfortunately while we were up in the attic identifying the noise we noticed lots of little glowing eyes looking back at the flashlight. So we knew we had a nesting mother squirrel. We never had a problem with any smells, but if this problem had gone on long, I am sure the urine and other smells would have been horrible.

Either noise or light will drive the squirrels out - put a loud radio OR a bright work light in the attic. The "mother" will move the babies as soon as she finds another place and they are old enough to move. Sometimes it takes a while!

To close up the space and leave either the mother and the babies or just the babies to starve is, in my eyes, inhumane.

Or contact a trapper. There is one in my neighborhood who uses a have-a-heart trap, catches and released and charges nothing.

We just decided today to use a trap (the last resort, I guess)... thank you SO MUCH for the suggestion about the steel wool and foam. We will try that after we catch 'em... thx again! Nise5280

Do not use steel wool or foam until after the squirrels are gone. Coyote urine works great and you don't need to get a trap or relocate. Foam over once you are sure they are no longer inside. My old post was to give you 2 sporting goods store to visit. LOL I guess they don't allow to to spell that one store so I'll space out the letter, D I C K S

Well, by now I hope you have found a trap and caught your squirrels. The animal trapper I called recommended the method I mentioned previously as this is what he would have done.

It only take s a few days to catch them. And usually it is a nesting mother, usually around spring time, and she will usually give birth soon after making her nest. So hopefully she has not been up there long.

The babies are very very small and in many homes, the nest is in the very corner or edge of an eave, close to the vent for fresh air and away from the prickly insulation. In almost all attic situations this would be extremely difficult to get to the baby squirrels. And even if you could, by picking them up and getting your scent on them, they would be rejected by the mother and die. Just wanted to clarify this so you don't beat yourself up if you do believe there are babies up there.

Not to scare you but rodents in the attic are dangerous. They like to chew electrical wires and have been known to cause house fires. Plus, since they multiply rapidly, you want them out ASAP. Not only squirrels, but field mice and rats, pigeons and bats, and even raccoons like to nest in attics.

For these reasons you want to identify their entrance and set up traps ASAP. FYI, it's been 6 years since I used steel wool and expanding foam and we have had no problems since. Good luck!

It's December & we had a squirrel in our attic. The pest control guy came out & set a trap & caught it. A week later, I hear something else up there. I read on the internet that squirrels mate in December, so I'm guessing it's the mate. I literally didn't sleep for the week and a half it took to trap the first one, so I know I won't be sleeping now. This is very nerve wrecking & they make my skin crawl. I don't think they are cute, I don't care if they live or die as long as they do it somewhere besides my attic. I was almost in tears when I heard this second one. My next option is to MOVE OUT OF MY HOUSE! I can't live with a squirrel so pleeeeeeeeeese tell me what to do to get rid of how ever many may be still living in my attic. By the way, the actual attic has been converted to bedrooms, so the squirrel is living between the attic floor & the first floor ceiling. Help!!

Read what's been posted for the same problem - it's been very thoroughly covered.

MISSNIXON - just saw your squirrel post - we did FINALLY have success getting the squirrels out of our attic. I understand exactly about losing interest in whether they leave alive or not as well. The last one even managed to chew & fall into my kitchen wall (to the floor inside the wall), about 3 feet from my PC where I work every day. My husband had to cut a hole in the wall, and put the trap right up to the hole to get that little bugger. Calling the professional might be expensive, but as you probably read, trapping them was our last resort, and the fix that actually WORKED. We found a simple trap - they go inside for the peanuts, and the door falls behind them. If you trap them yourself, there are two key things to remember... 1)Take them to open space far from you; we have a creek between us and those 3 squirrels now. 2)Be absolutely sure you have closed EVERY entry point except one before you start trapping and watch the entry points closely for a while afterward. Apparently squirrels talk, because there were lots trying to take their place. But only for a while. Good luck to you!