Hearing Flying Squirrels in House?

Unlike the ubiquitous gray squirrel, flying squirrels are rarely seen, because they are usually out from after dusk until just before dawn, and they hang out high above our heads in the seed-bearing trees where they forage. Their favorites are beech, hickory, maple, oak, and poplar—the trees we love to plant in yards and neighborhood parks. This brings them close to the temptingly warm and available shelter attics and other denning areas our houses can provide when potential entrances are not adequately sealed off. You’ll be glad to know that “flying squirrels in a house” is not an unduly difficult problem to fix. But it will help to know more about these animals and their life cycle, because it all plays into how you will solve the problem.

Normally out after dusk to just before dawn, flying squirrels are rarely seen.

Signs of flying squirrels in house…

When gray squirrels are living in your attic, you’ll typically hear noises during the day, early evening and morning hour, but less activity during the night. With flying squirrels, you will most likely hear noises as they’re coming and going at two times of the day in particular: around two hours before sunrise and two hours after sunset.  If you have been up in the attic, you may have noticed their nests or even paper and fabric belongings of yours that have been chewed or shredded to make nesting material. You may also be concerned about them chewing on electrical wires—a possibility with long-term occupation, but much more likely with their larger cousin the gray squirrel after they have been in your house for a while. When it’s evident that there has been long-term rodent occupation it is a good idea to get an electrician to check things out and make any necessary repairs once the animals have been evicted and all the entry points repaired.

A knothole in the wooden siding served as the perfect entryway into a house for this flying squirrel. J. Griffin

The question of timing…

When evicting wildlife, the time of year and your geographic location figures into the times when dependent young are likely to be present. Check with your state wildlife agency, humane shelter, or a local wildlife rehabilitator to help you determine whether it is likely to be the northern or southern species, if they are overwintering communally and where you might be in terms of the two periods of the year when they are likely to have dependent young. This will help determine when it is safe and effective to install a one-way-door excluder on the main entrance the flying squirrels are using to access your attic or wall space.  If you install this when dependent young are present, they will perish and the mother may do significant damage to your roof or eaves, attempting to get back to her babies. If you are in the safe period for your area, though, first, seal up all potential entrances except the one main entry where the one-way-door will be affixed. Take a look at your house through the eyes of the flying squirrel and remember they can access holes about the size of a quarter.

If dependent young are likely to be present, you may need to hire a licensed wildlife control service that uses humane techniques to safely remove the babies which will require locating them in the attic or void space. He or she will place them in a reunion box at an appropriate location outside your home, and install a one-way door on the main attic access point so the mother can exit. Typically, she will then find her young and bring them one by one to a nesting site she has used before in the area. This is a pretty delicate process and is best left to the professionals. When the expertise isn’t available or if the young are not accessible, it is best to wait until the young are big enough to emerge from the house and forage on their own.  At this point the 1-way door eviction process can begin.

Sealing up…

Once you have successfully gotten all the flying squirrels out of your attic, it’s incredibly important to ensure that all possible openings are repaired to keep out future “house-hunting” wildlife. Attach wire mesh, metal flashing, or other sturdy building materials to any spots of concern, and check back periodically to see that the repairs are still in place.