How do I deal with squirrels or birds in the loft?
Confirm what it is, wait for it to leave, then seal — and why sealing first is the mistake that costs most.
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Time
- 1 hr
- Read
- 2 min
- Safety
- warning
Short answer
Never seal the entry point while the animal is inside — it will chew its way out and cause more damage, or die in the loft. Identify it, establish it has gone, then seal, and check the wiring afterwards.
Noise in a loft is usually squirrels, birds or rodents, and the response is broadly the same: work out what it is, let it leave, close the way in permanently. The urgency comes from squirrels and cables.
Safety
Step by step
- Identify it by the sound and the time.Daytime scampering and heavy thumps: squirrels. Dawn and dusk scratching and cheeping: birds. Night-time scurrying and gnawing: rodents. Slow scraping at night: could be bats, which are legally protected.
- Stop if it might be bats.Bats and their roosts are protected by law. Do not proceed — contact a bat conservation organisation for free advice. Disturbing a roost is an offence.
- Treat squirrels as urgent.They gnaw constantly and cables are a favourite. This is a real fire risk and it is the reason not to leave a squirrel problem for a few weeks.
- Find the entry point from outside.Broken soffit, gaps at the eaves, missing tiles, damaged fascia, a hole at the roof edge. Watch the roofline at dawn or dusk to see where they go in.
- Check for young before doing anything.Sealing a nest with young inside is both cruel and creates a serious smell problem. Spring and early summer especially. If there are young, wait.
- Establish that they have gone.A one-way exclusion device, or block the hole loosely with paper and see whether it is pushed out. Never seal an occupied space.
- Seal properly with materials they cannot chew.Metal mesh, metal flashing or hardware cloth. Squirrels and rodents chew through expanding foam, wood and plastic without difficulty.
- Check the wiring and clear up.Have an electrician check for gnawed cables after squirrels. Remove nesting material and droppings wearing a mask and gloves, and replace any contaminated insulation.
Tips
- Cut back branches overhanging the roof. Squirrels use them as a bridge, and this alone prevents most repeat visits.
- For squirrels or a persistent rodent problem, a pest professional is usually worth it — they know the access points and the legal position.
- Do the sealing properly with metal. A soft repair will be reopened within a season.
Questions people ask
How do I know what is in my loft?
By sound and timing — squirrels are noisy in daylight, birds at dawn and dusk, rodents at night. Slow scraping at night may be bats, which are legally protected.
Can I just block the hole?
Not while anything is inside. It will chew its way out causing more damage, or die in the loft. Confirm it has gone first, and check for young.