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Grey squirrel control
Heavy scampering in the loft at dawn, gnawed cables and a nest in the insulation: tell us what you hear and we reply with a fixed price for the trapping.
- Traps set in the loft
- Checked regularly
- Entry points proofed after
- Next day where possible
Get a fixed price for the treatment
Tell us what you have seen and heard, where, and when it started, and we reply by email with a fixed price for the whole treatment.
Sent.
Prefer to write? Email hello@rodent-control.uk with your postcode, your phone number and what you have found.
Grey squirrels in the loft are hard to mistake for mice. The noise is heavier, more of a scamper and a thud than a scratch, and it comes by day, loudest around dawn and again at dusk, while rats and mice are mostly heard at night. Up in the roof space you may find cables stripped to the copper, gnaw marks on the rafters, and a drey of shredded insulation and leaves packed into a corner. The way in is usually at the eaves, where a lifted fascia board or a gap behind the soffit gives them a route from the gutter.
The treatment is trapping. The technician sets approved traps in the loft on the squirrels' runs and comes back to check them regularly, as the Animal Welfare Act 2006 requires. A trapped grey squirrel cannot lawfully be released, under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019, so control means humane dispatch by the technician. Red squirrels are protected and we do not trap where they are present. If the noises turn out to be at night rather than in the day, our rats and mice in the loft page is the one to read.
Fill in the form with when you hear the noise, where in the roof it is, any damage you have seen and your postcode, and mention the gnawing, the nest or a gap at the roofline if you have spotted them. We reply by email with a fixed price for the trapping, including the return visits to check the traps, and nothing is added on the day. Proofing the eaves and fascia once the squirrels are gone is quoted separately on the first visit. Our guide to what affects the cost of rodent control explains how a loft job is priced.
Squirrel activity in lofts peaks in late winter and again in summer, when they are looking for somewhere to nest, so a quiet spell does not mean they have gone. Once they are out, the entry points at the eaves need sealing or the next pair finds the same gap, and the rodent proofing page covers how that is done. If you are not sure whether what you are hearing is squirrels or rats, signs of rats or mice in your house sets out the differences, and the rat control page covers the night-time version of the problem.
One fixed price for the trapping
The figure we send covers setting the traps and every visit back to check them. Proofing the eaves afterwards is quoted on the first visit and priced on its own.
What the treatment includes
What the treatment covers
- Survey of the loft and roofline
- Squirrels confirmed from the signs
- Approved traps set on their runs
- Regular trap checks included
- Carcass and nest removal
- Proofing advice for the eaves
- Written summary at the end
- Advice on sanitising fouled insulation
What the technician does on the visit
- Listens for where the noise comes from
- Checks the fascia and soffits from outside
- Finds the drey in the insulation
- Inspects cables and timbers for gnawing
- Sets traps away from the hatch
- Checks for red squirrels in the area
- Books the trap checks
- Notes the gaps for proofing
How grey squirrel control works
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Describe the problem
Tell us about the gnawed cable, the drey or the gap at the fascia, and the time of day you hear them. Daytime noise points to squirrels rather than rats.
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Get a fixed price
We reply by email with one figure for setting the traps and every return visit to check them. The proofing is quoted on the first visit once the gaps are known.
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The first visit
The technician surveys the loft, confirms it is grey squirrels, finds the drey and the entry point, and sets approved traps on the runs they use between the two.
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The trap checks
The traps are checked regularly until the loft has gone quiet. Any squirrel caught is dealt with by the technician, and the nest and droppings are removed at the end.
Why people use us
Traps checked, not left
The return visits to check the traps are part of the price, so nothing is left set and forgotten between one visit and the next. You know when the technician is coming.
Within the law
Grey squirrels are handled the way the law requires, and the technician checks for red squirrels before any trap is set. You are told what is happening at each stage.
Next day where possible
A squirrel loose in a loft chews a little more cable every day, so we offer the earliest visit we have, which is often the following morning.
A BPCA member contractor
The national company we send into lofts is a BPCA member and CPD registered, British Safety Council certified and SafeContractor approved, so the trapping is done by someone kept current on the rules.
What squirrel trapping in the loft involves
The technician starts outside, looking along the gutter line for a lifted fascia board, a gap behind the soffit or a hole where a cable enters the roof, because squirrels get in from the roof rather than from the ground. Inside the loft, the drey is usually found in a corner near the entry point, built from insulation, leaves and anything soft they have dragged in. Traps are set on the runs between the drey and the way in, away from the hatch and anywhere you need to go, and they are baited to suit squirrels rather than rats or mice. Squirrels are bold and active by day, so traps are often sprung within the first few days.
Before the first visit, listen for a day or two and note the times you hear them, which tells the technician how many there may be and where they are nesting. Do not block the gap at the eaves yourself, because a squirrel shut inside the loft will chew its way out through the roof or down into the house. Leave the drey and the droppings for the technician to see. Clear boxes away from the hatch so the loft can be reached, and keep children and pets out of the roof space while the traps are set. If there are red squirrels anywhere near you, say so on the form.
The traps are checked on each return visit and reset until the loft has been quiet for a stretch and the signs have stopped. The drey is removed, along with droppings and anything the squirrels have dragged in, and you get advice on sanitising the area and on cables that need an electrician to look at them. With the squirrels gone, the entry points at the eaves and fascia are sealed so the next pair does not move in, and that proofing is priced separately. The treatment ends with a written summary of what was found, what was done and what to watch for in late winter and summer, when squirrels are most likely to try the roof again.
Before and after
Other rodent problems we deal with
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Noises in the loft
Scratching at night, droppings on insulation
Find out more -
Proofing
Sealing the gaps they get in through
Find out more -
Rats
Brown rats in and around the house
Find out more -
Mice
House mice in kitchens and walls
Find out more -
Business premises
Restaurants, shops, landlords, contracts
Find out more -
Not sure what it is?
Describe what you have found
Find out more
View every rodent service
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A BPCA member contractor The company that does the work is a BPCA member and CPD registered
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Fixed price by email One figure for the whole treatment, nothing added on the day
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Follow-up visits included A standard treatment is 2 to 3 visits over 2 to 3 weeks
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Safety assessed firms ISO 9001, British Safety Council, SSIP and SafeContractor
Guides that go with this
Grey squirrel control questions
How do I know it is squirrels and not rats?
Timing is the clearest sign. Squirrels are active by day, with the loudest spells around dawn and dusk, while rats and mice are heard mostly at night. The noise is heavier too, a scamper or a thud rather than a scratch. Gnawed cables and a nest of shredded insulation fit both, so the time of day decides it.
Can you catch the squirrel and release it somewhere else?
No. Releasing a trapped grey squirrel is not something the law allows, so a live-catch cage emptied in the park is not an option for us or for you. That is why the trapping is done by the technician. Red squirrels are protected, and we do not set traps anywhere they are present, so tell us if you have seen one nearby.
Why are the noises worse at certain times of year?
Squirrels look for a nest site in late winter and again in summer, and a warm, dry loft with soft insulation suits them. Activity peaks then and can go quiet in between, which fools people into thinking they have left. A quiet loft in autumn is often an occupied one by February.
Will you repair the chewed cables?
No. The technician points out any cable that has been stripped or gnawed, and that needs an electrician to inspect and replace it. Chewed cables in a loft are a fire risk, so it is worth arranging that inspection as soon as the squirrels are out rather than waiting.
Do you replace the insulation they have nested in?
No. The drey and the fouled insulation around it are removed and you get advice on sanitising the area, but new insulation is a job for an insulation installer. Most lofts only need a small patch taken out, so the rest of the insulation stays where it is. The contractor who takes the nest and carcasses away holds a waste carrier licence for England and Wales.
How long does squirrel trapping take?
It varies with how many squirrels there are and how bold they are. Squirrels investigate new things quickly, so traps are often sprung within days, but a second pair can arrive from the roof next door and start again. We do not promise a date. The trap checks continue until the loft has been quiet and the signs have stopped, and the proofing then keeps it that way.
Tell us what you hear in the loft and get a price for the trapping
Use the form above, or email hello@rodent-control.uk with your postcode and what you have found. We reply with a fixed price and the earliest visit we have.