Something in Your Attic? Squirrel & Raccoon Removal in Toronto
Scratching, thumping or running overhead, by day or at night? It's usually a squirrel or a raccoon, and it's usually solved from outside your home.
You don't need to identify the animal yourself.
Lifetime guarantee on every entry point we seal.
$5 million liability insurance
Calls answered 24/7.
What the noise in your attic is telling you
The time of day is the biggest clue. Match what you're hearing to the list below; our technician confirms it on site.
- The sound
Light, fast scampering, rolling sounds, gnawing
WhenDaytime, loudest around sunrise and before dusk
Most likelyGrey squirrels, including the black ones common in Toronto, are active by day and asleep at night.
- The sound
Heavy, slow footsteps, thumping, “someone walking around up there”, growling or chittering
WhenAt night
- The sound
Fluttering and high squeaking near the roofline or chimney
WhenDusk
Most likely - The sound
Cooing, flapping or chirping at a roof vent or soffit
WhenDaytime
Most likely - The sound
Light, constant skittering or gnawing inside the walls, tiny droppings
WhenAt night
Most likelyMice or rats
That is a pest-control job, and not something we do.
Squirrel in the attic or roof
A squirrel in the attic is the most common daytime noise in a Toronto home. Eastern grey squirrels, the black ones included, have two litters a year, one in late winter to early spring and one in late summer, and a warm attic is a favourite nursery. A mother will move her babies between dens, so the noise can stop for a few days and start again.
They get in by chewing. Wood fascia, aluminum soffit and plastic roof vents all give way to squirrel teeth, and the usual entry points are the roof edge, gable vents, roof vents and the junction where a roof meets a wall. Once inside, they nest in the insulation, and they sometimes chew wiring, which is the main reason not to wait. Our squirrel removal page covers the signs outside the house.
Raccoon in the attic or roof
Toronto is known for one of the densest urban raccoon populations anywhere, so a raccoon in the attic is a normal thing to happen to a normal house. The sound is heavy and slow: footsteps, thumps, sometimes growling or chittering, almost always after dark. Raccoons climb downspouts and trees, pull roof vents right off, and push through soffit where the roof meets the eaves.
They den in attics mostly from late winter to early summer to have their kits. The babies are born in spring, mostly April and May, and stay with their mother into late summer. While the family is there, it uses one corner of the attic as a latrine, its weight flattens the insulation, and the droppings can carry raccoon roundworm, so don't handle them and don't go up to look. See raccoon removal for the signs outside the house.
Why you shouldn't seal the hole yourself
It's tempting to find the hole and close it. Please don't, not yet. If the animal is inside when the opening is closed, it chews a new way out, sometimes into the house, or it dies in the attic, and a dead animal in the insulation means a smell and flies for weeks.
In spring it's worse. If babies are inside and the mother is sealed out, she tears at the roof to get back to them, and the babies die. Hearing one animal doesn't mean there is one animal.
The fix is an inspection of the whole roofline, because animals often get in far from where you hear them, and a removal done from outside with the babies accounted for first. We check for babies before removal.
How we get animals out of an attic
Usually, we can solve the wildlife problem entirely from outside without needing to enter your home. Here is what a visit looks like.
- On arrival
- We confirm the attic activity and check how it's getting in.
- During the visit
- Removal is handled humanely, with care taken around your roofline and finishes.
- Before we leave
- We'll explain what we found, what we did, and how the animal got in.
A full roofline inspection, to find every entry point and not just the one nearest the noise.
We identify the species and check for babies.
Humane removal from outside, with mother and young kept together.
We seal the entry points. Lifetime guarantee on every entry point we seal.
Cleanup, insulation and roof repair, matched to your home's existing materials and colours.
Same-day service is available for requests received before 4 PM, subject to technician availability. Calls are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Sealing & repair
Attic cleanup, insulation and roof repair
Whatever was living in the attic usually leaves something behind: flattened or soiled insulation, droppings, nesting material, and an opening at the roofline where it came and went.
Once the animal is out, we seal that opening and repair the damage around it, from the roof and soffits to the vents. Inside the attic, we clean out the droppings and nesting material and remove and replace insulation where it's needed.
Questions about noises in the attic
Is it a squirrel or a raccoon?
Go by the clock. Squirrels are active in daylight, busiest around sunrise and in the late afternoon, and quiet at night. Raccoons are active at night and sound heavier and slower. Chirping from the attic in spring is usually raccoon babies. Either way, you don't need to be sure before you call.
Will the animal die in my attic?
Not when the removal is done properly. Our removal is done so the animal leaves alive. Animals mostly die in attics when someone seals the hole with the animal, or its babies, still inside.
Can I wait a few weeks?
We wouldn't. Squirrels keep chewing, raccoons keep using the same corner as a toilet, and the insulation gets flattened and soiled. In spring, waiting usually means babies, which makes the removal more involved. The longer the animal stays, the more there is to repair.
How much does it cost to get a squirrel or raccoon out of the attic?
Every attic is different, and we explain the price before any work begins.
Do you clean up and replace the insulation?
Yes. Once the animal is out, we clean out the droppings and nesting material and remove and replace insulation where it's needed, and we repair the roof, soffit or vent the animal used.
Will it come back?
Not through the opening we sealed. Every entry point we seal comes with a lifetime guarantee, for as long as you own your home. If an animal gets back in through it, we come back and take care of it at no charge. Full terms are written on your invoice.
Do you handle mice or rats?
No. Mice and rats are a pest-control job. If the noise is a light, constant skittering with tiny droppings, a pest-control company is the right call.
Humane. Local. Same-Day Service.