Can Squirrels Chew Through Walls? What to Do (2026)

Mighty squirrels can tear through walls with surprising force, but knowing their tactics helps protect your home from invasion.

Mighty squirrels can tear through walls with surprising force, but knowing their tactics helps protect your home from invasion.

Find out if sneaky squirrels have invaded your home with these telltale signs of unwanted furry houseguests wreaking havoc overhead.

Squirrels cannot chew through galvanized steel, stainless steel, 1/4 inch hardware cloth, solid brick, or fully cured concrete. Their incisors, which grow up to 6 inches per year, can handle wood, plastic, aluminum, drywall, and vinyl with ease. But hard…

Squirrels love chicken feed as much as your chickens do. A single eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) can empty a feeder in minutes, contaminate the feed with droppings, and scare your hens. Worse, squirrels can chew through plastic feeders and…

Squirrels in trees are not the problem itself but a symptom. Squirrels live in trees naturally. The issue is when they use those trees as launch points to access your roof, attic, and bird feeders. Eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis)…

Getting a squirrel out of your fireplace requires patience, a clear exit path, and a chimney cap to prevent re-entry. Squirrels typically fall down an uncapped chimney or enter through a damaged flue. They cannot climb back up smooth metal…

Yes, you can get rid of red squirrels in your garage by sealing entry points, using live traps, and removing attractants. Red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) are smaller and more aggressive than eastern gray squirrels, and they will gnaw through wiring,…

Yes, a squirrel can chew through drywall, wood, aluminum, and even some metals. Eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) have incisors that grow up to 6 inches per year, and gnawing is how they keep them sharp and short. When those…

Yes, you can get a squirrel out of your wall using a one-way exclusion door, humane live traps, and strategic sealing of entry points. The key is to let the squirrel exit on its own while preventing re-entry. Do not…

Yes, you can keep squirrels away from your car with a combination of physical barriers, repellents, and habitat management. Eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) see parked cars as shelter, a food source, or a chewing target. Their incisors grow constantly,…