If the noise in your ceiling happens in daylight — scampering, rolling (nuts or acorns), or heavier thumps than a rat would make — you’re probably hosting squirrels, not rodents. In tree-canopied Tallahassee, squirrels finding their way into an attic is a common call, and it’s handled a bit differently.
Squirrels or rats?
The timing is the tell. Squirrels are active during the day and go quiet at night; rats are nocturnal, with scratching after dark. Squirrels are also louder and heavier, and you may hear them entering and leaving at dawn and dusk. If it’s night noise, see rats in the attic instead.
How they get in
Squirrels reach the roof via tree limbs touching or overhanging it, then enter through gable vents, soffit gaps, roofline junctions, fascia gaps, and construction gaps. They can also gnaw a small opening larger. Once in, they nest in insulation, chew wiring (a fire risk), and can cause real damage.
The humane, effective fix: exclusion
The durable solution isn’t trapping alone — it’s exclusion: sealing every entry point so squirrels can’t get back in, done carefully so you don’t seal babies inside (spring and late summer are common breeding times). A one-way door lets the resident squirrel leave but not return, after which the openings are sealed permanently and the canopy trimmed back.
Timing matters: if there’s a litter of young, sealing too early traps them inside — a bad outcome for everyone. A proper inspection checks for babies first. This is also why DIY sealing can go wrong.
Legal and safe
Wildlife handling in Florida has rules, and doing it humanely and lawfully matters. Our wildlife removal focuses on lawful exclusion and sealing rather than just trapping — because trapping without sealing means the next squirrel moves in.
Quick answers
How do I know it’s squirrels, not rats?
Squirrels are active and noisy in the daytime and quiet at night; rats are the opposite. Daytime attic noise strongly suggests squirrels.
Can I just trap them?
Trapping without sealing the entry points just creates a vacancy the next squirrel fills. Exclusion — sealing them out — is the lasting fix, and it has to account for any young.
Are they dangerous?
Mainly to your home — chewed wiring is a fire risk, and they damage insulation. They can also carry parasites like fleas into the attic.
Hearing daytime scampering overhead? Book a free inspection and we’ll identify the animal and seal it out humanely.
Dealing with this pest right now?
See our pest control services in Tallahassee and pest control prices in Tallahassee. A free inspection identifies the pest, the entry points and an exact quote — in writing, with no obligation.
