How Long Will a Squirrel Live in an Attic?
A squirrel will live in your attic for as long as it can get in and out. There’s no point where a squirrel decides an attic has worn out its welcome. A mother raising young stays for months at a time, squirrels raise litters more than once a year, and when one squirrel finally moves on, the opening it used is still there for the next one.
A Litter Keeps a Squirrel Around for Months
Young squirrels develop slowly. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s guide to Texas squirrels says young fox squirrels don’t leave their nest tree until they’re about ten weeks old and can take care of themselves at around three months. Gray squirrels are born about 40 to 45 days after breeding, stay in the nest for about six weeks, and stay with the family for a month or so after they start foraging. A mother in your attic is there through all of it.
Two Breeding Seasons Means Year-Round Use
TPWD shows two breeding peaks a year for both gray and fox squirrels. In between litters, squirrels still use dens for shelter. An attic that works as a nursery in one season works as a den the rest of the year, which is how a squirrel problem that started in spring is still going in the fall.
The Attic Outlasts Any One Squirrel
Even when the squirrel that moved in is gone, the way in isn’t. Squirrels gnaw through soffits, roofing material and push their way through vents, and those openings stay open until someone seals them. The next squirrel that finds the hole has a dry, protected attic waiting for it.
What Happens to the House in the Meantime
Every week squirrels spend in the attic adds to the repair list. They gnaw on wiring, which creates a fire risk, crush attic insulation and chew on structural beams. Waiting for them to move out on their own just gives them more time to do it.
How We Handle It
The Critter Team provides squirrel removal services that end the stay for good. We humanely trap the squirrels out first, including any young, then seal every entry point. We replace damaged attic insulation, repair damaged soffits, fascia boards and roof openings, and secure vents with hardware cloth and custom metal fabrication, with a written warranty on the exclusion work.
So How Long Will a Squirrel Live in an Attic?
As long as the opening stays open. A squirrel with young will stay for months, squirrels breed twice a year, and when one leaves, another can move in through the same hole. A squirrel’s time in your attic ends when the squirrels are removed and every entry point is sealed.