Squirrel removal in Winnipeg
Humane exclusion using one-way doors, then permanent sealing. We do not seal an animal inside a structure.
- Size
- 23–30 cm body plus a bushy tail
- Look for
- Gnawed openings at roof edges, soffits and fascia
- Active
- Dawn and dusk — that's when you'll hear them
- Found in
- Attics, soffits, chimneys, wall voids
- Property risk
- Gnawed wiring is a genuine fire risk
- Price
- Quoted on inspection
- Follow-up
- Included
- Category
- Wildlife
- Availability
- Same-day
What you're dealing with
Grey and red squirrels enter attics and soffits through roof-edge gaps, damaged vents and rotted fascia. Once inside they damage insulation and gnaw wiring, which is a genuine fire risk.
Timing is critical in spring and late summer, when dependent young may be present. Sealing an entry without confirming the attic is empty traps young animals inside — inhumane, and it creates an odour and insect problem in your ceiling.
Confirm itSigns to look for
- Scratching and running sounds in the attic or ceiling, usually at dawn and dusk
- Gnawed holes at roof edges, soffits, fascia or vents
- Nesting material and droppings in the attic
- Repeated daily traffic in and out of one point
How we treat it
- 01Full roofline inspection to find every entry point, not just the obvious one
- 02Confirmation of whether dependent young are present before anything is sealed
- 03One-way exclusion door fitted at the active entry so animals leave and cannot return
- 04Permanent sealing of all entry points once the structure is confirmed empty
- 05Follow-up to verify the exclusion held
How to prepare
- Do not seal any hole yourself before the inspection
- Note the times you hear activity — it helps confirm species and whether young are present
- Trim overhanging branches within about 2 m of the roof where you safely can
What to expect
- Visit oneInspection, then treatment of every harbourage area we find. You get a written record of what was applied and where.
- The days afterUsually a few days to a week for animals to exit through the one-way door, then sealing.
- Follow-upIncluded in the price — we confirm the result rather than assume it.
Why we treat it this way
Why we never seal before confirming the space is empty
Sealing an entry point with a squirrel inside produces one of two outcomes, both bad: the animal chews a new hole to get out, usually causing more damage than the original, or it dies in the void. If there are dependent young present, sealing traps them and creates a welfare problem and an odour problem at once.
Why a one-way door is the correct tool
A one-way door lets the animal leave under its own power and prevents re-entry, without trapping, relocating or killing anything. It resolves the situation on the squirrel's schedule rather than requiring us to catch it.
Why there is no chemistry involved
There is no legitimate poison or repellent solution for squirrels in a structure. Anything sold on that premise is either ineffective or creates an animal dying inside your wall. This is an exclusion job, start to finish.
What makes it worse
These are the things we most often arrive to find already done. None of them are unreasonable instincts — they just backfire for reasons that are not obvious.
Sealing the hole as soon as it is found
Understandable instinct, wrong sequence, and the leading cause of squirrels chewing fresh entry points through soffit and fascia.
Doing exclusion during baby season
Grey squirrels produce litters roughly February to April and again June to August. Excluding during those windows separates a mother from dependent young. May and September are the clean windows.
Assuming the noise stopping means they left
Activity varies with weather and time of day. Confirmation means inspecting the void, not waiting for silence.
What's different here
Winnipeg's mature tree canopy puts grey squirrels in contact with rooflines across most established neighbourhoods, and older homes with wood soffit, box-frame eaves and unscreened roof vents give them the purchase they need. Attic entry pressure rises noticeably in autumn as animals seek insulated denning space ahead of winter.
What actually happens, week by week
Not certain it's squirrels? Send a photo to info@apcexterminators.com and we'll identify it. If it doesn't need treating, we'll tell you that instead of selling you a visit.
Common questions
Will you relocate them?
Exclusion is the humane and effective approach. Relocated squirrels rarely survive, and the vacant entry simply attracts the next animal.
What if there are babies?
Then we wait or physically remove the litter with the mother, depending on the situation. We do not seal young animals in.
Is the damage covered by insurance?
Sometimes. Our written inspection report is what your insurer will ask for.
Often found alongside this
Dealing with this right now?
Licensed technicians, fixed pricing quoted up front, same-day availability across Winnipeg.