Why squirrels gnaw
A squirrel's incisors grow throughout its life, and chewing keeps them worn down. Add the need to build a nest and to get past anything in the way, and almost every material in a loft is fair game. The problem is not one bite; it is steady gnawing, day after day, in the same area, and a loft offers no natural reason for it to stop.
Insulation pulled apart
Mineral wool and other loft insulation make good nesting material. Squirrels drag it into heaps, tunnel through it and strip patches back to the ceiling boards below. Once it is flattened or moved, it no longer does its job, so the rooms underneath can lose more heat. Insulation fouled with droppings and urine usually needs taking out and replacing.
Chewed timber
Rafters, joists, roof battens and the edges of the loft hatch can all show gnawing. Much of it is surface damage, but repeated chewing at one point is worth having looked at, particularly on older or already weakened timber. Wooden fascias and soffits outside are often chewed at the same time. Fresh gnawing looks pale and clean; older marks darken with dust, which can help you judge how long the squirrels have been there.
Stored belongings
- Cardboard boxes torn open and their contents shredded for nests
- Old clothes, curtains and bedding pulled apart
- Books, papers and photographs chewed or soiled
- Christmas decorations, luggage and toys gnawed or fouled with droppings
Water tanks and pipework
Many older lofts still have a cold water tank. Squirrels chew tank lids, and a missing or broken lid lets droppings, nest material or even a drowned animal into the water. Plastic pipes and the lagging around them can be gnawed too, which can cause a leak into the ceiling below. If the tank or pipework looks affected, ask a plumber to check it. A slow drip from a gnawed pipe may first show up as a damp patch on a bedroom ceiling rather than as anything you notice in the loft.
Electrical cables
Wiring runs across most lofts, and a squirrel does not know the difference between a cable and a twig. A chewed cable can expose live conductors and become a fire risk, so any gnawed wiring should be checked by an electrician. What to look for is covered in can squirrels damage electrical wiring.
Damage outside the loft
The route in takes a beating as well. Squirrels widen gaps at the eaves, pull at loose tiles and chew the soft edges of lead flashing. A damaged roof edge can let rain in long after the squirrels have gone, and that repair is a job for a roofer. The common weak points are in how squirrels are getting into your roof.
Why damage builds up in big lofts
A large, rarely visited roof space can hold a nest for a long time before anyone goes up. The larger period homes of Dollis Hill and the interwar houses of Kingsbury often have exactly this kind of loft, full of stored items that nobody checks from one year to the next. By the time the noise is noticed, a nest may already have been used for a whole breeding season. If you are not yet sure what is up there, start with the signs of squirrels in a loft.
Limiting the damage
Act on the first signs, move valuables out if you can reach them safely, and wear gloves if you have to handle anything soiled. Do not seal the entry while squirrels are inside, and read why squirrels return to the same loft before planning repairs. Squirrel control in Brent is a £280 trapping service; book online and let us know what you have found up there.
