A few years ago we got some squirrels in our attic—flying squirrels, we were told. They chewed into the attic through the window frame of the kids' bedroom in the back. Pesky things.
We had a pest control company come out and inspect the attic. They set out some "excluders" (a one-way trap door that allows the squirrels to exit but not return) and then put some mesh paneling around all the possible entrances (that they could figure) into the attic.
We had our handyman come out and fix up some siding, replace the frame around the kids' window, etc., and so forth.
It was expensive...and a bit of a headache.
We managed to keep them at bay for a while, but do you know what a determined squirrel can do in a short amount of time? A whole lot of damage, that's what!
All that is to say that I heard a squirrel in the attic the other day. I told Andrew about it and he called pest control right away. Because we already know what they can do in a short amount of time.
So, they came out and installed an excluder on the gable vent above our bedroom, but the silly squirrel would not use that as an exit and instead went on a rampage through the attic trying to find an alternative exit. We could hear it scrambling all over creation.
It finally decided the gable vent over the garage was a promising exit and promptly chewed through not one but two slats of our vent...and still wasn't able to get out because of the mesh installed previously (which you can see an angry squirrel had tried digging away previously—that's precisely how they got into the gable above the bedroom...by clawing away at the wood and squeezing under the mesh):
This is a screenshot I took from a video Miriam sent me when she got home from seminary the other morning, so it's not the clearest picture...but if you look closely you can see that squirrel chewing away at that plank.
It had completely severed it (and another one) by the time pest control arrived to install another excluder.
The squirrel eventually left the attic.
But then!
Andrew started hearing squirrel noises in the ceiling above his office. He went outside to look and was just in time to see a squirrel pop out of a hole (of the squirrel's own, desperate making) in the siding and scramble down the bricks.
So Andrew pulled out the ladder, screwed a board over the hole, and called our handyman.
He showed up somewhat spontaneously on Saturday afternoon. He said he would've called first, but his phone died...and since he knew where we lived and he had time...he figured he'd just stop by. It was really nice of him to do so (but also a little inconvenient because we were supposed to head up to Grandpa and Darla's for dinner just then, so instead Miriam drove us all to Grandpa and Darla's and Andrew made a run to Home Depot to get the right colour of paint).
It is painted now (though I haven't taken a picture of it) and it looks like it's always been there!
After the excluders are removed our handyman will install some new gable vents.
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