Where Do Squirrels Live? An In-Depth Guide for Homeowners

Published on August 13, 2025 by Eliana
Featured

How often have you seen the bush-tailed rodent scurrying across the yard, or heard scratching in the attic, and thought of where do squirrels live and why they, for some reason, take lodgings in our homes? Save your home and garden from unwelcome furry visitors and learn to humanely and effectively get rid of squirrels by getting to know some of their habits. This all-inclusive guide will discuss the natural habitats of squirrels, reasons why they trespass into your home, and doable but realistic measures, such as how to keep the squirrels off your garden to keep your premises pest-free.

Where Do Squirrels Live & Why Do They Enter Our Homes?

Squirrels are very versatile rodents that exist in nearly all areas within the United States. One of the reasons why they survive is their impulses to find a safe nesting, food storing and young-raising spot. Of course, where do squirrels live depends on their type. , but in the urban and suburban setting, they move towards houses because they have shelter as well as food, and generally are safe.

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Some of the common reasons why squirrels live in our homes include:

  • Nesting: Attics, chimneys and wall cavities resemble tree holes.
  • Food: Many things can attract squirrels to enter your home, like bird food, pet food, or an open dustbin.
  • Safe space: Squirrels enter your home in search of a safe space where they can make their home in peace.

It is these needs that make squirrels check out all the nooks and crannies, including crawl spaces, rooflines, basements as well and garages. Squirrel pest control is done in cases where they cause damage to property or health-related complications.

The Different Areas Squirrels Live in Our Homes

Squirrels do not discriminate when they intrude indoors; they will seize any place with shelter that is warm. The common places are:

  • Attics: These are the favourite hideouts of squirrels as their attics serve as good insulation material to make their nests.
  • Crawl Spaces and Walls: Easy entry is through tiny openings, and Crawl spaces and walls are dark and safe.
  • Chimneys: They are especially welcoming in winter.
  • Garages and Sheds: Human beings do not frequent them as often, and this makes them low-risk havens.

When they get inside, the squirrel may create big problems, chewing on wires, wood and insulation, and this is the reason why squirrels need to remove.

Where Do Ground Squirrels, Tree Squirrels, and Flying Squirrels Live?

It is always nice to get to know the preferences and likings of the various species of squirrels before you call in the snake removal or removal expert:

Ground Squirrels

Spotted, thirteen-lined, and Richardson ground squirrels are just some of the examples of ground squirrels that prefer getting around in open landscapes that include grasslands, prairies, fields, even golf courses and cemeteries. They live in dry and well-drained soils, and they develop large burrow networks with many entrances- this provides protection when there is a potential predator and when there are unfavourable weather conditions. The ground squirrels search out places where they find ready food sources and soft soil before they settle.

Tree Squirrels

The tree squirrels (such as the gray tree squirrel and the American red squirrel) are spot in woodlands, parks, and urban neighbourhoods with establish trees in abundance. They prefer trees of considerable quantity and true varieties of oaks, pine or maples because these are necessary food and shelter for hole nests. They will replace the tree cavities with attics, eaves, and cavities, especially where there is easy food available, such as seeds and nuts, in cities and areas closer to cities. There is high activity of tree squirrels in urban areas where there are trees and feeders.

Flying Squirrels

Flying squirrels (particularly the southern flying squirrel) are fond of mature deciduous and mixed forests within the east in the eastern U.S. They seek places that have many trees and a lot of cover, preferably not in intensively developed places. These crepuscular animals nest in the natural holes of tall trees and fly through the trees in search of nut products, fungi, and insects. On some occasions, they might get into attics, particularly when forests are near and in cases of easy access.

How to keep squirrels out of garden

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A good garden is an invitation to squirrels. Being aware of the means of how to keep squirrels out of garden is going to save you hundreds of dollars in crop and plant destruction, as well as the discouragement of indoor intrusion. The following is how your outdoor spaces can guarded:

  • Cover Crops: Putting chicken wire, hardware cloth or row cover around garden beds works to protect the vegetables, burrowing 1 foot down as a barrier.
  • Repellent Scents: Squirrels dislike strong smells, and hot pepper flakes, peppermint oil, and coffee grounds are some of the scents.
  • Decoys and Deterrents: Place plastic owls or rubber snakes, or sprinklers that come on when the squirrel is detect, to scare away the stubborn squirrel.
  • Squirrel removal plants: There are some plants which squirrels do not like, for example, marigold, etc. Their smells cause problems to squirrels, which leads to their removal.
  • Dustbins: Keep your dustbins properly; they should be tightly closed, and avoid leaving the fruits and nuts in an open area. Garbage cans should be closed tightly and avoid leaving fallen fruit and berries around
  • Regular Fixing: Cut the branches of the trees at least 6-8 feet off your house so that the squirrels have very few pathways to your house.

Using these how to keep squirrels out of the garden together has an outstanding effect in curbing the activities of the squirrels and in preventing them from breaking into your house.

Conclusion

Knowledge of where do squirrels live helps you to reduce the number of confrontations you have with these smart rodents. Learning the environments where squirrels prefer to live, such as under your deck, in your attic and between your vegetable beds, you will be able to know their next move and prevent this damage. Once squirrels have discovered an opening, the most important thing is to get a timely and humane squirrel removal before damage already takes place and your peace of mind is compromised.

After all, the most effective long-term way is to reduce the attractiveness of your home and garden by employing the techniques listed above–the most effective ones being the nut-scatterer and the way to keep squirrels out of the garden. If you are dealing with an ongoing infestation situation or are unsure how these actions can be carried out, then SayNoPest is the best person to go to and carry out the action of the squirrel elimination in the best possible manner and without any worry.

Prevent squirrels from using your place as their playground and trust SayNoPest to provide you with the most reliable suggestions and procedures regarding squirrel avoidance and squirrel elimination