Do Squirrels Chew on Wood in or on a House? Why, and What Are the Risks?



Squirrels are naughty creatures that can do anything to survive in the bush or at home. Even though they don’t eat wood as food, they can chew it to get access to a place. For example, if your gate is made from wood, the squirrel can make holes on it so that it gets a passage to access your home. Squirrels can also chew wood of a tree to create a hole so that it gets a place to stay. The chewing is done uniformly to create a way or a habitat.

What Happens to the Pieces of Wood?

After chewing the wood into soft pieces, the squirrel collects the wood pieces and it builds nests using them. They have sharp teeth that can not only destroy wood but also other materials. Once they notice a wood obstacle that is preventing them from accessing something they like, they will end chewing it so that they create an access. If your ceiling is made of wood, for example, squirrels could easily chew it to make holes so that they get access to your home. Their damage is normally intense because sometimes they make more than one hole.

The Best Materials to Use in Repairing Your House

Squirrels are known to chew many types of materials including plastics, wood and weak metal like iron sheets. To ensure that you prevent your home from damage by squirrels, you should use wire mesh or other hard materials that are hard to chew. If you don’t have access to these materials, but you still want to keep them away, use the hot spice and apply on the surface of your wood so that you prevent them from chewing the wood. They don’t like the hot spice, so they will definitely stay away. Repairing squirrel damages is costly because you will need to replace the whole material so as to make it appear like before. Preventing them prior is what will prevent you from incurring losses that these creatures can impose on your property.

The Risks of Squirrels Chewing Wood

Squirrels can impose a great danger on your home if they chew wood that supports your house. For example, when they chew wood of your basement, your house could fall any time due to compromised stability. If the squirrels chew the wood of your ceiling, your roof top could go down because the structures supporting it will be made unstable. It is good to use materials that cannot be chewed by squirrels so as to keep your house squirrel-proof.

To conclude, squirrel chews wood but only for survival purposes and not for food purposes. The squirrel attracting features are what will lead to squirrels chewing wood of your house to get access to what they want. If you can eliminate all the possible squirrel-attracting things, you will save yourself from the damages caused by these creatures. Setting live traps can help to prevent them from accessing your home.

Read the How to get rid of squirrels page for helpful information and to learn more about Do Squirrels Chew on Wood in or on a House? Why, and What Are the Risks?

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