How Much Does Squirrel Removal Cost?

Average Cost to Remove Squirrels

Squirrel Removal Cost by Method

When you hire a pest control service, they may offer a variety of methods to remove the squirrel(s). The method you choose can impact your final squirrel pest control cost.

Squirrel Relocation

Squirrel relocation costs between $50 and $175. This price includes:

• The cost of a squirrel trap: $50.

• The cost of professional removal services: $75–$125.

In this scenario, you would purchase your own squirrel trap, set it up, and catch the squirrel yourself, then pay a professional service to remove the squirrel.

It’s important to either have a local animal removal service take care of this work or, if handling it yourself, drive the squirrel far enough away from your home to ensure it does not return. Experts recommend at least 3 miles from your home, but some say you should take the squirrel as far as 10 miles away.

If you pay for professional squirrel trapping, the cost of squirrel relocation will be baked into the cost.

Squirrel Traps

Having a pest removal service set up squirrel traps costs $250 to $550. This includes both the price for installing the traps and then returning to relocate the squirrels.

Most professionals argue for the catch-and-release method of squirrel removals. Not only is it humane, but the alternative—poisoning squirrels—puts pets, wildlife, and children at risk. Plus, if a poisoned squirrel dies in your home, it could be in an inaccessible area. You may have to tear apart part of your home to get to it, which could be expensive; the cost to demo an interior ranges from $2,000 to $4,900.

After the animal trapper successfully releases the squirrel(s), remember to seal up entryways and repair damage before a new squirrel family moves in to replace the old one. The pest control service can likely recommend an easy DIY solution.

Squirrel Exclusion Door

Squirrel exclusion doors cost $250 to $550, the same as trapping. Like trapping, this squirrel removal cost also includes the price of relocation.

Instead of traditional squirrel traps, the wildlife specialist installs an exclusion door at the squirrels' main entry point and seals up any other likely secondary access points. When the squirrel tries to leave its nest, the exclusion door opens and allows the squirrel to exit into the attached trap. But the door only swings one way, so once in the trap, the pesky critter can't open the door and get back into your house.

Squirrel Removal Cost by Size of Infestation

The size of the infestation can have the largest impact on your overall squirrel removal cost, with extensive infestations costing as much as $1,500 to remove.

If your home only has one or two problematic squirrels, you can expect to pay as little as $200 to $350 for removal. Medium-sized infestations (generally a single family of squirrels) can go from $300 to $600, while larger infestations (multiple nests) can range from $500 to $800. If your home has dozens of squirrels with multiple nests and extensive damage to your home, you can expect to pay between $1,000 and $1,500, which is on the extreme end of wildlife removal costs.

Squirrel Removal Cost by Infestation Site

Where squirrels have chosen to take up residence on your property directly impacts how much it costs to get rid of them. A single squirrel in an easy-to-access location costs less than removing a significant infestation of squirrels from a challenging area such as an attic.

Lawn/Yard

It costs between $125 and $250 to get rid of squirrels in your yard. You can also help make your yard less attractive to squirrels by removing fallen fruit and nuts from trees and by using squirrel-proof bird feeders. While squirrels don't damage the actual yard much, their urine and feces are unsanitary and can spread disease to humans and pets.

If your garden becomes a favorite food source for all the neighborhood squirrels, they'll end up trying to set up a home within your property. It makes sense for an animal to find a nice warm, dry, and quiet place to nest as close as possible to a reliable food source. Therefore, make your garden less attractive or hire a local gardening service to take care of it for you.

While squirrels don’t pose a major threat to your yard, gophers and moles do. If you notice gopher or mole presence in your yard, act immediately. Gopher and mole removal costs between $100 and $550.

Shed

Removing squirrels from a garden shed costs $125 to $250 and is likely to be a straightforward case of trap and relocation. If you use your shed regularly, the squirrels are likely to be beneath it because they like quiet, dark places that are largely undisturbed. However, if your shed is a little neglected and you don't do much with it other than store yard tools, the squirrels may nest inside.

Basement

Generally, removing a squirrel from the basement is pretty simple, so it only costs $150 to $275. Having squirrels in the basement is a common problem if your basement is warm, dark, and seldom used. Entry points are usually easy to spot and seal, and traps are easy to maneuver and set up.

Basements can be a common shelter for various rodents, especially in the winter. In general, rodent removal costs between $175 and $550.

Chimney

Squirrel removal from the chimney costs between $200 and $300. Squirrels nesting in the chimney might seem harmless in the summer months, but this blocks up the chimney, makes it unusable in the winter, and will require hiring a local chimney service to clear the blockage and fix any damage.

Additionally, if a squirrel gets into a metal or clay-lined chimney, it often gets stuck, and you need a wildlife removal service to rescue and relocate it. It's best to have the nest taken care of before it gets to these more complex stages.

Garage

To remove squirrels from your garage, expect to pay between $300 and $500. Having squirrels in the garage is less common than in the attic, the shed, or the basement. However, they will nest in the garage if you don't use it often, as they like dark, quiet locations. They may also find their way from the garage into your home if the two are connected. If you do get squirrels in the garage, they are likely to damage drywall and electrical wiring, which can lead to additional costs:

• Drywall repair costs $300–$875.

• Electrical repair costs range from $60–$2,200, depending on the extent of the damage.

If you have a vehicle in your garage, squirrels can also damage it by chewing at the wiring or nesting in the engine. Squirrels can also easily damage any stored possessions; the space may even become hazardous from squirrel feces and urine. Hiring someone to install an exclusion door and relocate the squirrel as soon as possible helps limit damage and risk.

Walls, Attic, and Eaves

Removing squirrels from the walls, attic, or eaves costs $300 to $600. In any of these places, squirrels are more than a nuisance: They pose a significant health and sanitation risk and can seriously damage the property itself, from destroying wiring and insulation to eating through water pipes and roof joists, resulting in costly repairs.

Exclusion doors and traps are usually the best options when you have squirrels inside your home. Find a pest control company near you to search for and seal up any potential entry points, then place the exclusion door at the most likely squirrel entrance.

Ceiling

If you have squirrels in the ceiling, removing them typically costs $750 to $1,500. The extra cost is because the professionals have a larger area to cover than if they're just trying to catch a squirrel in one room or even the attic. Plus, if squirrels are scurrying through your ceilings, they're most likely in your attic, too, resulting in more surface area your pros have to cover.

You may also need to factor in ceiling repair costs, as well as electrical rewiring costs, drywall costs, and even the cost to paint your ceiling.

Squirrel Removal Cost Factors

Trapping and relocating the squirrels is only one aspect of the job. Many additional factors can impact the overall squirrel removal cost, including accessibility, cleanup, and any remedial work.

Location and Accessibility

Where the squirrels are and how difficult the area is to access impacts price; inaccessible and dangerous-to-reach areas generally result in higher labor costs. The size of the area and the number of entryways that require sealing similarly influence the job's complexity and, therefore, the total cost.

Additional Pest Control

Unfortunately, other pests like fleas often accompany squirrels. Fleas breed and spread rapidly and can quickly infest your whole house. If you've had squirrels in your home for a while, you may need to hire local flea exterminators to eliminate them after the squirrels are gone. Alternatively, the squirrel removal company may be able to exterminate the fleas and ticks for you as part of the same job.

If squirrels have been able to make themselves at home in your house, it’s possible that other pests have as well. If that’s the case, you may need to alter your budget to cover the price of opossum removal or raccoon removal costs.

Squirrel Cleanup and Sanitizing

How much mess the squirrels made impacts the cost of the removal job; the price usually includes cleanup. The squirrel removal technician will remove nest materials, clean up feces and urine, and spray a sanitizing solution to decontaminate the affected area fully. The bigger the cleanup job, the more you'll pay.

Remedial Work

Chewed wires, destroyed insulation, and damaged ductwork all require repair or replacement. While your wildlife removal expert can fluff insulation back to its original condition if it's not too damaged or unsanitary, you'll need to replace it if there is extensive damage. Replacing attic insulation costs $1 to $7 per square foot. Repairing electrical wiring costs $3 to $5 per square foot.

Emergency Squirrel Removal

If you need immediate help from a professional to remove the squirrel but it’s after hours (in the evening, on the weekend, or over a holiday), expect to pay at least $100 more than the typical cost. For a basic trapping, that means $350 to $650.

Squirrel Inspection

Not sure if squirrels are actually in your home? If you have a hunch but haven’t confirmed it, you can contact a pest control service to provide an inspection, typically between $100 to $250. Some companies may waive this fee if squirrels are present and you use their services to remove the pests.

DIY vs. Hiring a Squirrel Removal Pro

When you compare the risk to your health and your property against the comparatively low cost of a local squirrel removal company, there’s no contest. While you can buy traps and catch squirrels yourself relatively easily, you can't ensure that you’ll find and seal all entry points. Nor can you guarantee that you've caught all the squirrels—and you don't want any of these critters dying and decomposing in your home.

Live squirrels can transmit diseases—including rabies—if they bite you. And squirrel feces and urine also carry dangerous bacteria. Yes, they look cute, but squirrels are wild creatures and will defend themselves if they feel threatened. 

Go with professional wildlife removal if you think you have squirrels making themselves at home on your property. Remember, too, that they can cause significant electrical, ductwork, pipework, and structural damage that can result in hefty repair bills, so it’s important to act fast.