Squirrel Proofing Cambridgeshire

Proofing is the least dramatic part of squirrel work and the part that decides whether you need anyone again. A roof that let one grey squirrel in will let the next one in, and there is no shortage of next ones in Cambridgeshire gardens.

It is also the one approach where no animal is harmed at all. A sound roofline with nothing reaching it simply does not get squirrels.

Timing: Clear First, Then Close

The most common and most expensive mistake is proofing too early. Seal a roof with a squirrel inside and it will chew a new way out, often through something more costly than the original gap. Seal it while there are young inside and you leave the mother gnawing to get back in.

If squirrels are active now, the removal comes first, and our squirrel trapping guide explains how that is done.

Where Squirrels Usually Get In

Squirrels climb well and jump a long way, so height is no protection. The gaps worth checking are at roof level more often than at ground level.

• Along the eaves, especially where soffit boards have shrunk, rotted or come loose
• At the corners of fascias and where two sections of board meet
• Where a bay, porch or extension roof meets the main wall
• Under displaced, cracked or missing roof tiles and ridge tiles
• Around roof vents, pipe exits and any unprotected gable vents
• Through gaps left by old aerials, satellite brackets or cable entries

The first sign is often chewed wood around the edge of a gap, lighter in colour than the weathered timber next to it. For town-by-town detail, there are static guides such as where squirrels get into roofs in Ely.

Materials That Hold, and Ones That Do Not

A squirrel chews harder than a mouse and will open up anything soft. The rule is simple: if it is not metal or solid timber and masonry, assume it will be chewed.

Worth using

• Galvanised steel mesh, fixed firmly over vents and openings so ventilation is kept
• Sheet metal flashing or plates over chewed corners and edges
• Sound replacement timber for rotten or chewed soffit and fascia boards
• Properly bedded tiles and ridge pieces in place of loose or broken ones

Not worth relying on

• Expanding foam, which a squirrel will chew through
• Plastic mesh or chicken wire, which is too thin
• Wire wool on its own at roof level, which can rust and be pulled out
• Anything that blocks ventilation the roof needs to stay dry

Squirrels do not find a weak point by accident. They test the whole roofline until something gives.

Taking Away the Route Up

Closing the gaps is half of it. The other half is making the roof harder to reach. Cut back branches that overhang or come near the roof, and cut them back well clear of the building rather than just to the wall, because squirrels jump a considerable distance. Deal with ivy and climbers growing up to the eaves. Check whether a fence, a shed roof or a downpipe gives an easy climb.

If the route is a neighbour's tree, talk to them. And if you are planning tree work, check first whether the tree has a preservation order or is in a conservation area, and whether birds are nesting in it.

Who Should Do the Work

Some proofing is straightforward: a mesh cover on a low vent or a new strip of flashing reachable from a stable ladder. Much of it is not. Work on the roof itself, replacing soffits and fascias, or anything that needs scaffolding is building work, and it belongs with a roofer or builder.

What we give you as part of a squirrel control job is the list: the gaps we found, which matter most, and what to close them with. Squirrel trapping is £280 fixed cost, with no call-out fee and the price confirmed before anything is booked. Every treatment is guaranteed: if the problem comes back within 14 days of treatment, we return and re-treat free of charge. The trapping cost guide explains what the programme covers, and all our prices are published.

Checking It Stays Closed

Walk round and look at the roofline a couple of times a year, especially in autumn, when squirrels look for somewhere to spend the winter. Fresh chewing at an old repair means one is testing it. Catching that early is far easier than dealing with another occupied loft, and our guide to squirrels in the loft covers what to look for inside.