Spring is when raccoons and squirrels raise their young in attics around Houston, and the order of the work matters more than anything else. If the hole gets sealed or the mother gets trapped first, the babies are left behind. The mother tears a new hole to get back to them, or the young die in the attic and the walls. The right order is inspect, find the young, get the whole family out alive, then seal. Call Cypress Critters & Pests at 713-775-8799 before anyone closes a hole.
Which animals have babies in the attic in spring?
Around here, the two Michael deals with most in spring are raccoons and squirrels. A mother raccoon looks for a dry, quiet, warm place above the ceiling, and an attic beats a hollow tree. Squirrels build a nest of leaves, insulation and whatever they can tear up, often near the eaves where they chewed in. Squirrels can raise young more than once a year, so spring is not the only season to ask the question, but it is the busiest one. Bats raise young in summer, and they have their own rules, covered below.
| Animal | What you notice | When you hear it | What it tells Michael |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raccoon | Heavy thumping, chirping or chattering from one spot, a torn soffit or a pulled vent | At dusk, through the night, and when the mother comes back before dawn | A mother with young is likely in the attic |
| Squirrel | Light running and scratching, a round chewed hole at the roofline, nest material near the eaves | Early morning and late afternoon | A nest is likely close to the hole |
| Bats | Droppings piled under one spot, bats leaving the roofline at dusk | At dusk, as they fly out | A colony that may have young that cannot fly yet |
What happens if the mother is shut out?
She does not give up. A mother raccoon locked out of the attic with her young inside will rip through the soffit, the vent cover or the roof itself to get back in, and the new damage is usually worse than the first hole. A mother squirrel will chew a new way in a few feet from the old one. If she cannot get back at all, the young die where they are, and then you have a smell in the ceiling and a second job. A one-way door or a patched hole put up in spring without checking first can turn a simple job into a hard one.
How do you get a mother and her babies out together?
Michael starts with an inspection of the attic and the roofline: where she is getting in, where the nest is, whether there are young, and how big they are. Then the plan depends on the animal. With raccoons, the mother is caught in a live cage trap and the young are taken out by hand, so the whole family leaves the house together. With squirrels, he times the one-way door to the age of the young, or take the nest out with them, so nothing is left behind when the door goes up. Every animal is removed alive and handled following Texas rules. Nothing gets sealed until he is sure the attic is empty.
Call or text 713-775-8799 if you are hearing new sounds in the attic this spring.
When is it safe to seal the attic?
Only after every animal is out. Once the attic is empty, he closes every opening the animals used and every one they could use next, with metal mesh, hardware cloth, flashing and vent covers they cannot chew or pull loose. Then he repairs the soffit or the vent they tore and cleans out the nest. Sealing is what keeps next spring from looking like this one. A mother that raised young in your attic leaves her scent behind, and other animals follow it to the same spot. The animal exclusion page walks through how Michael seals a house so the trap is not the end of the story.
What about bats in the summer?
Bats keep their own calendar. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says excluding bats from buildings is discouraged from May 1 to August 15, when the young are unable to fly and may be trapped inside. So Michael does not put up bat exits or seal a bat roost during those months. He confirms where the bats are getting in, plans the work, and does the exclusion with one-way devices once the young can fly. Bats are never trapped.
When should I call?
Call before you close any hole or set any trap in the spring. If what you hear sounds heavy and comes at night, start with the raccoon removal page. If it is lighter and comes in the morning, read the squirrel removal page. In Cypress, where fast-built subdivisions sit right next to woods and the Cypress Creek corridor, the page on raccoon removal in Cypress covers that side of it. To have the attic checked for young before anything is sealed, call 713-775-8799.
Sources
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Nongame and Other Species: tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/hunting/nongame-and-other-species/
Questions people ask about baby animals in the attic
How do I know if there are babies in my attic?
Listen for sounds that change through the day. With raccoons, you may hear chirping or chattering from one spot, and heavier movement at dusk when the mother leaves and before dawn when she comes back. With squirrels, the noise is lighter and comes early and late in the day. The surest way to know is an inspection of the attic before any work starts.
Can I put up a one-way door myself in the spring?
Michael would not, not before someone has checked for young. A one-way door works by letting the animal out and keeping it out, which is exactly the problem when babies are still inside. The mother gets locked out and comes back through a new hole. Check first, get the young out with her, then put up the door or seal.
How long do baby raccoons stay up in the attic?
Long enough that waiting it out rarely makes sense. A mother keeps her young in the den for weeks before they follow her out, and the damage, the droppings and the noise grow the whole time. It is usually better to get the family out together as soon as you know they are there, then seal and repair the attic.
Will the mother try to come back after the attic is sealed?
She will try if she knows the spot, and so will other animals that pick up the scent. That is why the seal matters as much as the removal. Michael closes every opening with metal and hardware cloth that raccoons and squirrels cannot chew or pull loose, and he fixes the places they tore. A closed attic is what keeps them out.
