Why do squirrels chew on electrical wires?

Are you experiencing frequent blown fuses or open circuits, or unexplained power outages? Do you hear scratching sounds coming from the walls or the attic? If so, there may be squirrels in your home chewing on electrical wires. One of the many questions homeowners ask when they see themselves chewing on wires is why squirrels do it. More importantly, how dangerous is this, how can we protect our home from squirrels, and how can we protect our electrical wiring? The answers may surprise you!

Reasons why squirrels gnaw on wires

Squirrels are perfectly adapted to chewing because their teeth are constantly growing. They need to chew to slow down this process as much as possible. As for other rodents, constant chewing helps to strengthen and sharpen their teeth, which is useful when trying to crack the shells of hard nuts and fruits.

The harm that proteins can cause

Squirrels love to gnaw on all kinds of wires, be it power wires, telephone lines, landscape lighting, or car engine wires. They pose a serious threat to all your electrical wiring. Not only that, they can spread disease due to the waste they emit. In any case, they can cause other types of damage to the home as well, such as peeling paint, tearing things, mold, mildew, and general mess.

It's important to deal with this nuisance when you see any signs of wire chewing because it can cause the connected device to not work or, worse, your home's power outage or electrical fire. These are certainly serious problems that deserve an explanation and a study of how we can prevent them from occurring in our homes. Squirrels are responsible for approximately 30,000 house fires in the US each year. They have also been known to burn down entire houses and even cut off electricity in an entire city (1). In one such incident in the UK, an entire £400,000 house was burned to the ground after squirrels gnawed through wires in its attic (2).

Protecting your home from squirrels

The fact that squirrels are most active in people's homes during the winter and spring seasons suggests that they are looking for warm, dry places, so they may be uninvited guests in your home. Look for common entry points through which the squirrel can enter your home. By blocking potential entry points, you will also protect yourself from other pests such as rats. Protecting your home from squirrels may require repairs to the roof, eaves, and soffits. Also, do not leave food sources outside your home, keep trees and bird feeders at a distance, and do not allow trees to grow within 8 feet of a building.

Protecting electrical wires from squirrels

Squirrels have a habit of chewing on hard objects, making metal wires an ideal target for them. This helps them control their ever-growing teeth. Wiring must be well insulated. The greatest risk comes from exposed wiring, so make sure there are no exposed wiring in your home. Replacing damaged wiring can be costly.

To prevent squirrels from chewing through your electrical wires, use conduits or pipes. Conduit is a long, rigid tube through which electrical wiring can be routed. They are usually made of flexible plastic, PVC or metal and are required if the wiring is exposed to the outside environment. Telephone wiring can also be placed inside conduits. Another option is to run the wiring inside the walls or underground, while providing waterproofing.

Motor wires can be protected with rodent tape and electronic deterrent devices that emit ultrasonic waves. If you are using such a device, a device with auto-standby and low voltage protection is ideal. This is especially important if your engine wiring uses soy-based rubber for insulation.

Other measures you can take

Another line of defense is to spray the wiring or conduit with hot pepper repellant. You can make your own by simply diluting the hot pepper sauce with water. This is only suitable for wiring inside the house, not for your car or truck engine! This is an easy and cheap method when you need a quick fix.

Now that potential risks have been identified, carefully inspect your home for signs of chewed wiring. Ultimately, if the presence of squirrels in your home is confirmed, you should immediately get rid of them by inviting a pest control team. The fire hazard is the only reason to show them the door and block all possible entrances! If your home is a haven for squirrels, it may be a last resort to use death traps to invite and kill them.

Take a look at some of our articles below.

• How to connect 2 amps with 1 power wire
• How to plug electrical wires
• Why do rats gnaw on wires?

Recommendations

(1) John Muallem, New York Times. Squirrel strength! Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/01/opinion/sunday/squirrel-power.html August 2013

(2) Daily mail. Oh nuts! The squirrels gnawed through the electrical wires... and burned down the £400,000 worth of £1298984 house. Retrieved from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-400/Squirrels-chew-electrical-wires—burn-luxury-000-2010-home.html, August XNUMX