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Squirrel-Proof Gutters: Shut Down the Squirrel Highway
To you, a gutter carries rainwater. To a squirrel, it’s a covered walkway with a view, leading straight to the softest spot on your house. Let’s close the highway.
How squirrels use your gutters
- Travel: from a tree branch or downspout, along the gutter, to the roof.
- Entry: the roof return — the boxed-in corner where the roof edge meets the gutter — is the #1 squirrel entry point we see in New Jersey. It’s often hollow and easy to chew.
- Behind the gutter: a small gap between the gutter and fascia lets them reach rotting wood and chew in.
- Nesting: leaf-filled gutters make a decent squirrel bed.
How to squirrel-proof gutters
- Seal roof returns with galvanized steel mesh or metal flashing — not foam, not plastic. Squirrels laugh at foam.
- Close the gap behind the gutter where the fascia is soft or chewed.
- Add gutter guards so they can’t nest in the gutter itself. Bonus: fewer clogs.
- Put guards on downspouts if squirrels climb them.
- Trim branches 6–8 feet away from the roof — squirrels are excellent long jumpers, not superheroes.
- Look twice a year with binoculars for fresh chew marks at the corners.
Already chewed?
Chewed fascia and roof returns let in water as well as animals. We repair the wood and reinforce it with steel — see wildlife damage repair and squirrel damage to soffits and fascia.
Watch: how we seal animals out
What to look for
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- Rodent Exclusion
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- All pest questions, answered
Squirrel & raccoon guides
- Squirrels in the Attic: 9 Signs and What to Do
- Noises in the Attic: Squirrels, Rats, Mice or Raccoons?
- How Raccoons Get Into Attics (and How to Stop Them)
- Raccoon in the Chimney: What to Do (and What Not To)
- One-Way Doors: How Squirrel & Raccoon Exclusion Works
- Squirrel Damage to Soffits, Fascia, Vents and Wires
Our wildlife services
- Squirrel Proofing in New Jersey
- Raccoon Proofing in New Jersey
- Animal Proofing & Wildlife Exclusion in New Jersey
- Chimney Animal Proofing & Chimney Caps in New Jersey
- Wildlife Damage Repair in New Jersey
- Animal entry point sealing
Common questions
How do I keep squirrels out of my gutters?
Install gutter guards, seal the roof returns and the gap behind the gutter with metal, and trim branches 6–8 feet away from the roof.
What is a roof return?
The boxed corner where the edge of the roof meets the gutter line. It is the most common place squirrels chew into NJ homes.
Do gutter guards stop squirrels?
They stop squirrels nesting in the gutter, but not chewing into the roof corners. You need both guards and sealed roof returns.
Can squirrels chew through gutters?
Rarely through the metal gutter itself, but easily through the wood fascia and soffits behind and above it.
Schedule today
Call 973-510-2585, text us or request a free quote online. Silver Bullet Pest Control is licensed and insured in New Jersey.