Something heavy is moving about above the ceiling, it happens in daylight rather than at night, and it does not sound like a mouse. That is where almost every squirrel job starts.
This guide covers the whole arc — identifying it, what it does while it is up there, what the work costs and the order things have to happen in. The other guides in this section go deeper on each part.
First: is it actually a squirrel?
Three things separate a squirrel from everything else that gets into a roof, and the first one does most of the work.
- It happens in daylight. Grey squirrels forage by day and rest at night. Rats and mice are the other way round
- It is heavy. Thumps, rolling, and running that stops abruptly — not a continuous scurry
- It comes in at roof level. Squirrels arrive from above, so the entry is at the eaves, a verge or a junction rather than at ground level
If the noise is at two in the morning and sounds light and busy, the answer is probably rodents and the work is a different one. The guide on telling them apart goes through the full differential.
What it does while it is up there
Squirrel incisors grow continuously, so gnawing is not optional behaviour — it is maintenance the animal has to do every day, on whatever is to hand. In a roof space that means:
- Cabling, which is the part that matters most and the only part that is genuinely dangerous
- Insulation, flattened along running routes and hollowed out where a nest is built
- Plastic pipework and tank fittings, which leak above ceilings
- Timber and battens, which is a carpentry bill
- Felt and tiles, which lets water into the same space
- Anything stored up there, which is the loss nobody prices in
Anything electrical is urgent. Flickering lights, a circuit that keeps tripping, a socket that has stopped working or any smell of burning: isolate that circuit at the consumer unit and get an electrician. Do not wait for the pest work.
What it costs
Squirrel control is £280 fixed cost. Proofing, where the roof needs closing afterwards, is £180. There is no third figure and no per-visit charge, because a job that needs a second call is not a different job.
Set against that: a loft rewire on its own is generally more than both figures together, before anybody has looked at the insulation. The arithmetic of dealing with it early is unusually clear-cut.
The order things happen in
- Work out what is there, and whether anything is inside now
- Deal with the activity — the £280 visit
- Confirm the roof space is clear
- Close the openings — proofing at £180
- Put the loft back: insulation, an electrical check where there has been gnawing, stored items
The hole is closed last, not first. It is the commonest mistake in the whole subject. Sealing a live entry with an animal inside removes its way out, and a trapped squirrel gnaws far harder than a free one.
What to do this week
- Note the times you hear it, for two or three days, and which room it is above
- Walk right round the outside in daylight and look along the roof line from each corner
- Photograph anything odd at the eaves, verge or a roof-to-wall junction — zoom in rather than getting a ladder
- Open the loft hatch and look with a torch, without climbing in
- Do not block anything, and do not put poison in a roof space
Questions
Will it go away on its own?
Occasionally, and unpredictably. An animal that has found a dry, warm cavity has no particular reason to leave it, and one that arrives in October will often still be there in February.
Is one squirrel a problem?
Yes, because one animal gnaws daily and because a roof that suits one suits the next. The number matters far less than the fact of access.
How long does the work take?
It varies with the property and the roof. The fixed figure is deliberate so that the answer to this question does not change the bill.
Squirrel Control Costs
Squirrel control is £280 fixed cost. Proofing work, where it is needed afterwards, is £180. Call 01502 630 122 and tell us what you have heard or seen.
To arrange squirrel control, call 01502 630 122, or read the squirrel control page.