Squirrels in the Attic, Raccoons in the Trash: What to Do When Wildlife Gets Too Close

Northeast Georgia’s mix of forested mountains, rural farmland, and growing suburbs creates a unique situation: a large and healthy wildlife population living in close proximity to residential neighborhoods. Most of the time, this coexistence works fine. When it doesn’t, you need to act quickly, wildlife that gets into a structure can cause serious damage in a short time.

The Most Common Wildlife Problems We See

Squirrels in the Attic

Gray squirrels and, less commonly, flying squirrels are year-round residents in northeast Georgia and are the most frequent attic invaders. They typically enter through gaps in the fascia, deteriorated soffits, or uncapped gable vents.

Signs you have squirrels:

• Scratching, running, or rolling sounds in the attic, typically in the early morning and late afternoon
• Gnaw marks on exterior wood, particularly at the roofline
• Finding acorns or chewed nuts inside the attic

Why it matters: Squirrels gnaw constantly to maintain their incisor teeth. Inside an attic, this means they chew on wood, HVAC ductwork, and electrical wiring. Squirrel-chewed wiring is a fire risk. A family of squirrels can also cause significant insulation damage and leave urine and feces contamination that creates odor and can damage drywall below.

Raccoons

Raccoons are intelligent, strong, and surprisingly capable of accessing your home. They can tear back loose soffit panels, enlarge existing gaps, and even lift improperly secured attic vents. Female raccoons actively seek attic spaces in late winter and spring for denning and raising young.

Signs you have raccoons:

• Heavy thumping sounds from the attic (much louder than squirrels, it sounds like someone walking up there)
• Visible damage to soffits, vents, or roofline
• Raccoon tracks in soft soil or mud around the foundation
• Scattered trash cans repeatedly

Why it matters: Raccoons are one of the most destructive wildlife intruders. They can destroy insulation, damage HVAC systems, and create large fecal deposits that can contain Baylisascaris procyonis (raccoon roundworm), a serious human health hazard. Female raccoons with young can be extremely aggressive if cornered.

Opossums

Virginia opossums are the only marsupial native to North America and are common throughout northeast Georgia. They’re largely harmless and primarily a nuisance when they shelter under decks, porches, or in crawlspaces.

Noteworthy: Opossums are highly resistant to rabies (their body temperature is too low for the virus to thrive). They’re also voracious tick consumers, a single opossum can kill and eat thousands of ticks per year. They’re not as problematic as raccoons or squirrels, but their presence under a structure is still worth addressing.

Groundhogs (Woodchucks)

Common in fields and at the edges of yards bordering woods or farmland. They dig extensive burrow systems that can undermine structures, patios, and decks. Active April through October; they’re true hibernators in winter.

What You Should NOT Do

Don’t attempt to handle raccoons or other wildlife directly. Even healthy wildlife can bite and scratch severely.

Don’t seal entry points before confirming the animal is out. Sealing an entry with an animal inside causes it to either die in the wall (creating an odor problem that can persist for months) or damage the structure trying to escape.

Don’t use poison for wildlife. Rodenticides and other poisons are illegal for most wildlife species and create secondary poisoning risks for pets and raptors.

The Right Approach: Trap, Remove, Exclude

Effective wildlife control has three phases that must happen in the right order:

1. Confirm what you have and how they’re getting in. Proper identification and entry point location before any action.

2. Remove the animals. Live trapping is the standard humane method. In Georgia, trapped wildlife must be released or euthanized per Georgia DNR regulations, they cannot be transported and released in a new location without a permit.

3. Exclude and repair. After all animals are removed and you’ve confirmed no young are left behind (a critical step with raccoons and squirrels), seal all entry points with appropriate materials. Screening, sheet metal, and hardware cloth are standard. The exclusion work is often as important as the trapping, without it, new animals simply move into the same access points.

Attic Remediation

After a significant infestation, particularly raccoons, attic remediation may be necessary. This involves removing soiled insulation, disinfecting the attic space, and replacing insulation. This is not always necessary but should be evaluated for any extended infestation.

Kilz Pest Control handles wildlife removal and exclusion for homes throughout northeast Georgia. We follow all Georgia DNR regulations and handle every step, from initial inspection through trapping, removal, and exclusion repair.

Contact us for a free assessment or call/text us at (706) 754-6248. Serving Gainesville, Clarkesville, Cornelia, Toccoa, Dahlonega, Helen, Cleveland, and surrounding areas.