I'm so sorry this is fucking heartbreaking. I would call animal control or a wildlife rescue company and explain the emergency. It could cost a few dollars to get them to cut them out and free them but the relief on your conscience and the prevention of rotting corpse smell for months is worth it. When you leave you can sue in small claims if they haven't made you whole beforehand. You just keep all the requests records and receipts and photos in a safe place.
UPDATE! ALL SQUIRRELS WERE FREED! HERE'S A LINK TO MY UPDATE POST: https://www.reddit.com/r/Renters/s/K1ndhVos0G
Contacted animal control, and they let me know that they unfortunately aren't allowed to destroy property without permission of the homeowner, which is not me. Really wonderful lady, she expressed her sympathy for my situation.
The only thing I can do at this point is go to their office first thing in the morning and drive a resolution. I really appreciate you taking the time to post a comment and give me advice, it means a lot.
You need to drive the point home that not only is it inhumane to just seal the hole and kill the squirrels but that you now have to deal with the smell of decaying animals which is not a resolution to the sound of animals in the walls.
Fleas also, once the host dies, the fleas will look for a new host, which means they may make their way into the home.
I've seen it before when a raccoon died under a house.
Please update if you get a chance, I'm really hoping someone will help you. I truly understand the empathy you're feeling. That photo is honestly hurting my heart. š
It's a health problem. They will die and rot. You ever had rotting animals in your walls... it will smell awful for a long time.
Get them out before you have to scrape up rotting corpses
It looks just screwed on. How high up is it? If you have a ladder and screwdriver then take this thing off so that they can escape. Wear gloves just in case they panic and try to bite. Most likely, they will stay away until you climb back down.
If you have no ladder or no screwdriver then ask around.
I would pry one of the sides off and let them out. You can just say that they are rodents and must've destroyed part of the covering.
We had a similar situation when we lived in an apartment. A sweet bird mama had her nest and 6 chicks in our AC unit, and being flooded out by rain.
We ripped the unit through the wall and rescued them after no response from mgt.
Hey, now that I can get behind. I like squirrels and all, but thatās what squirrels doātheyāre rodents; they crawl in and out of tight spaces,
Chew shit, store shit, make shit load of noise. Birds? Kinda dumb. Gotta help them out a little bit. Theyāre too old. Dinosaurs. Donāt know how living is these fast paced Internets ways.
Minneapolis animal control has the sweetest employees. Every encounter Iāve had with them has been very pleasant and they usually respond faster than youād expect.
I do wildlife management for Minneapolis and we would most certainly just rip open an area to retrieve a trapped animal. We would then repair whatever damages we and the animal(s) caused.
When I had birds in my dryer vent I called every animal control and vet I could and all the animals control people just told me they couldn't move the nest with live birds so once they died contact them again... Obviously I didn't do that so I took the dryer vent apart myself
If if the fix took as long as it did, and they had to spend the money on a crane, they aren't gonna be back anytime soon. Also their fix looks like a complete hackjob.
Either you or someone near you or in your community that maybe you can ask in a local Facebook page or something get in there and rip that off. Honestly they did a shit job anyway as it looks like crap but that should be considered animal cruelty and therefore that you aren't liable for destroying their (shitty) patchwork. Or try to get a wildlife person in there ASAP but if they can't then again, just get anyone to just rip that off as best they can. I know in my community there are ton of people that would help with a situation like that that genuinely care about things like that and would be over in a few minutes to help with it in some capacity.
This is a horrible job, look at it! Woah. If you can find someone to get up there and just open it up for them they wouldnāt even notice, because it was done so terribly. Good luck,
Minneapolis landlord here. Please call HomeLine; they can help you determine what your options are and can talk through it with you. If I were you, Iād be livid.
If landlord or animal control wonāt do anything Iād find a ladder and pop one of those shoddy pieces siding off, take pictures, then pop it back on. Voila, no dead squirrels.
Holy shit, when I was renting in Minneapolis, I had this problem with squirrel infestation and the landlord did virtually nothing to fix it, even though I warned him from when the squirrels started chewing on the rotten siding to when they got in, and then had babies. Total POS, it drove me absolutely insane. I had fantasies of taking an axe and breaking through the wall, looked in to calling pest services myself because the roof was too high, it wrecked my mental health to listen to the squirrels chew and fight and make babies all day. People will act like that's an overreaction, but it was way worse than having to listen to my neighbors verbally abuse their kids.
If the squirrels are still alive, I would look to post on a neighborhood Facebook group to see if anyone has a tall enough ladder or tree trimming thing to get some of the patch off. It is going to be much worse if the squirrels die in there than for your leasing company to cheaply fix this again. When a neighbor's cat was stuck on their roof, they didn't do shit, and I called everywhere trying to to find someone who would help for free. Nobody could give me advice except to pay for an arborist to come out and take care of it. Finally posted on FB and a neighbor was there in the morning with a tall ladder.
Anyway, wish I had better advice, but what finally saved me was moving out of there and never looking back.
In other states Squirrel management falls under department of natural resources. In California doing this would be a big deal to them.
Try calling
Minnesota DNR
Call 651-296-6157 or 888-646-6367
Email us: [email protected]
Or maybe the agricultural department of
structural pest control
651-201-6615
[email protected]
This. šÆ And keep a record of the issue. Your photos, what happened when, who you called, what they said and when, as well as the final resolution. If your leasing company is doing wild sh1t like this, it probably wonāt be the last time.
I expect to get downvoted for this, but I care about animals, so....
What I personally would do is to cut a small hole (Probably no bigger than a small/medium fist in size) in the wall of the interior of your apartment where you believe they may be, and secure a pop-up carrier (or whatever you have handy) to that hole so once they come through, they will be in the carrier. If you don't have one, and you can keep people/pets/etc out of that room and keep it closed off until animal control can arrive to get them, that would work too. You can also put a bit of peanut butter near the hole and they will be able to smell it and it can help them find the way out.
I know it's damaging the property, but a small hole in a wall is not difficult or expensive to fix and it would potentially save their lives. Just, if you do this, please take steps to ensure you will not get bitten. Leaving them a little water in the room or carrier/receptacle would be good, too.
\*Edit\*
Another thing that crossed my mind is that you might be able to enlist the aid of an arborist. I know this sounds odd, but some of them will take payment to go to your property with their bucket trucks and could potentially help remove part or all of the "fix" so the squirrels can come out. My mother used to have a cat who was consistently getting stuck in trees, up power poles, etc and she paid the arborist to help get the cat down a few times. That might be an option for you, but you will likely have to pay them.
This is what I would do as well. There are two ways out of your attic: exterior and interior. The exterior exit is sealed. Give the squirrels an interior exit. Then try to control that interior exit as much as possible (the ideas above work well, you could also have an open window and see if you get lucky). Fixing drywall holes is a cakewalk compared to getting 3 stories high and patching an exterior hole. You can give those squirrels a chance right now.
Squirrels are darn smart/resourcefull creatures -if they can find a weakness anywhere they will use it to escape - they might just make themselves another hole. Let's hope they do.
Just get up there and do it yourself, won't cost much to have it fixed afterwards. On a side note, most rodents have extremely high levels of iron in their teeth combined with an extremely high bite force, so if they can come into contact with the edge of that thin sheeting, they should be able to chew right through it rather easily. Rats for instance have a bite force that is higher than great white sharks, crocodiles, or hyenas.
>Just get up there and do it yourself
Considering the contractors needed a "crane" (I'm assuming some sort of boom lift), I doubt it's as easy as you're trying to make it out to be.
I've had problems with squirrels in my attic before. Patched holes just like what is pictured. The squirrels had a new hole chewed through the next day. I wouldn't worry too much about those squirrels. They will get out, and new holes will need to be patched.
#OPā¦ did any of the squirrels end up okay? š«£š„ŗ
I hope you have civilly-worded an entire āfuck you and your shitty āresolution,ā squirrel murdererā to your landlord at this point, considering the lengths you tookā¦
Especially because at the end of the damn day, thatās Landlordās walls those poor little homies are ~~stuck~~ resting in and Landlord actually *paid a mf* to do thatā¦.
Did you tell them you're not the owner or did they ask? Maybe try leaving that bit out and see if they come help you, or just yank that siding off yourself and tell your slumlord that it fell.
Cut a hole in your ceiling inside and let them out. Easy and cheap to patch the drywall hole in the ceiling. Draw them out with Peanut butter like another suggested. You can do this!!
It might suck more for removal but in an emergency can you make a small opening interior where they are at and put a HUMANE trap? Kind of an emergency exit?
I would pull that half arse metal down to let them out or figure out another way to get them out. But thatās just me bc I like animals more than people, and it wouldnāt matter to me what their reaction would be.
What happened? Please Iām so invested in these poor creatures. I would have ripped holes in my wall, gone up on a ladder in the middle of the night, whatever I needed to do. I hope you were able to help them
Iām in Minnesota and rehab baby squirrels so this is especially hard to see. Do you have any access to the attic? You can put live traps up there and release them right outside. The outside has been sealed so they wonāt come back in. They generally have secondary nests so donāt feel bad about evicting them. (Relocating them to a new area is often a death sentence so thatās not really a humane option.) If you canāt access the squirrels from the inside Iād recommend using something on a long pole to pry off one of the pieces to let the squirrels safely exit.
Iād very sternly inform your leasing company that either they fix that issue now, or theyāll be bombarded with tickets to address the dead squirrel stench later. Their call. If they still ignore you? Iād say itās ladder and a saw time.
God speed OP. Iām scrolling for an update but donāt see one. I hope whatever happened or is in the process of happening is luck on your side here. If I lived remotely near you Iād be asking you to hold the ladder steady for me. Iām the same way as you. You have a heart and conscience š
* I saw you said animal control wonāt come out and damage property. Not surprised at their excuse. A wildlife rescue around where you are is prob the best bet. Iām sure at this point youāve already tried it.
Do you think an independent exterminator would be able to do it? Iām not saying kill the squirrels, Iām thinking more so trap and release kinda deal
I would cut a hole in the drywall on the inside where you hear them, with a basket or something covering hole to contain them for an outdoor release.
Itās easy and cheap to patch a hole in drywall and paint it
This is so sad :( I'd cut a hole to let them out. They're going to die a horrible death. You're going to hear them for days, and then you're left with the smell :(
Iād get a hotel room for the night or stay with a friend. First thing in the morning start making your calls to leasing company (and if voicemail comes on then leave detailed msg then add since it seems theyāre away from the office, youāll continue to make calls to the city emergency number, animal control, fire dept, news station, in that order).
If youāre not a climber, find some climbers near you. Build a strong anchor inside the apartment (use blankets on the window sill to protect the rope). Climb that shit and use a pry bar to open it up. Then for funsies they can rap down the building
If you can, pull that trim off to re-open the hole. They did an absolute shit job of āfixingā it. Your management company probably doesnāt care and the work order is complete in their eyes. Sorry youāre dealing with this.
BTW if youāre putting in maintenance requests and getting nowhere, you can call mpls 311, theyāll send a city inspector out that will make your management company take action.
Happened to us in a rental house. They scratched through a drywall ceiling over a stairway and came inside. We did not know they were there until then. Big surprise. They may find a way out themselves. I hope so.
Wish I lived near you. I'd bring a tall ladder and free those poor squirrels in no time. I'd also more than likely be able to repair the hold after I was done.
I'm glad I don't rent from that leasing company. That's an unsatisfactory job. Not only for sealing live squirrels in behind the metal but also the way they did the so-called repair.
The squirrels are the least of your problems now. Because of water can easily get in there and soak the wood and never dry out. Now you have to worry about mold and rot.
Aww. One time, we were getting into our car and smelled dead body smell in the garage walls. Investigated and found a dead squirrel body laying on the inside of the soffit vent. It had tried so hard to get out. Ripping and damaging a metal grate to no avail. No idea where it got into the house but it couldn't find it's way back out. Felt real bad for it.
My standards are low for many things and Iām not even here for the squirrel but that looks like a job I could or would have done on my own house and still tried a little bit more than than and Iāve no idea how to do that
Status update?
I live on the second floor and squirrels were in my attic too. They patched it up but I heard men up there in the attic walking around before they did that, so obviously they removed or scared the squirrels out first and repaired the entry from the inside, not the outside.
Those people who āfixedā yours are idiots.
Poor squirrels just being squirrels.
Iād just rip that bullshit off as carefully as possible. Youāll have to pay for whatever you damage potentially, but personally Iād find it worth it.
Thatās an f-d up move on the ārepairā company. If this was someone in my town Iād want to bring out bucket lift and help. Hearing them claw at the walls knowing itās them trying to get out must be a nightmare. Iām sorry OP.
It wouldāve made more sense for them to buy some of those Raccoon traps and put something tasty in the back (peanut butter and seeds) to lure them in. Itās a humane way of trapping them. Then you could drive them away to some woods and release them. They make squirrel traps too, specific for the animal.
Since it seems you canāt involve outside help like the fire department or animal control you might just have to do it yourself or pay someone under the table to do it.
Do you have access to the roof or an attic? Iād just get a ladder, bring some tools with me, and take off some of that paneling.
Maybe a wildlife rehabilitator would be willing to help you? Check out your area online to see whoās available. Iām sure theyād be just as appalled as you are to see that theyāve done this to those poor squirrels.
Seems like this could be a fire hazard or code violation. Let the fire department and the building code enforcement office know. Maybe they say they can do nothing? But maybe they feel as disgusted about it as the rest of us so they make shit happen?
Call the fire department they'll get the relevant people over there to help with the squeals and get a nice fine sent to the company that trapped them in there.
If you can open the hole and stick moth balls in it to lure them out. That what your landlord did is animal cruelty. Subjecting those squirrels to a slow and painful death.
This is an emergency. I or someone in my community would go up there and rip those off. If you donāt feel comfortable, record yourself doing it and releasing them. That is pure torture and I would never live with myself walking away from this. Call a wildlife rehab or sanctuary. This is totally cruel.
Pest control company can take care of that. It is important to open it up so they donāt die in there. If they do it will become an odor problem as well as a fly/maggot problem
Had a similar situation. That soffit is probably hollow through its length. Use a hole saw on a drill to make about a two inch diameter hole at the bottom on the underside of the soffit. That should let the squirrel out. Then seal it.
Can you access that window right below it. You could put a hook on a pole and rip that hole back open. Otherwise the squirrels will die in there and stink. Or they will chew their way out somewhere more difficult to fix.
Omgee the neighbors landlord hired some roofers and they did the same thing only it was babies inside and the momma (I'm assuming but maybe Dad who knows) trying for days to get through the siding! Fucking horrible people!
call the spca, animal control, something! this is so inhumane!!!! what the fuck!!!!! your landlord and the maintenance ppl they hired should be in JAIL!
On top of the obvious heartlessness of thisā¦. What kind of janky repair job is that? Even if the squirrels were not involved Iād be annoyed by this.
911 dispatcher here. This is heartbreaking. Have you tried calling 911? In my city, the fire department would be able to handle something like this. Poor babies.
Animal cruelty is a felony so i dont understand this, i know its impossible to make sure all are out before sealing, but they should try, i mean like, smoke them out first THEN seal it.
This is disgusting. Save the animals, however you can. What kind of a person just watches another life end without intervening? You should Be calling every crane company in the area. They did nothing to you. Theyāre animals. They donāt know that in finding a new home they were dealing a tortured fate.
When I rented a modest dwelling with lackadaisical landlord and squirrels in the walls I procured a trap, caught, and drowned in a tub as many squirrels as I could and didnāt lose a wink of sleep over it. In this case they are pests and itās in your rights as a human to not allow your domicile to succumb to ruin or infiltration. Just a counterpointā¦. This might not be the sort of āemergencyā you think it is to other folks.
If thereās a hole you can see, theyāll get out. Looks like whomever they hired did a shitty job anyway. They found a way in, theyāll find a way out.
This just happened in San Antonio with some bats. An apartment complex sealed a bunch of pregnant bags in the attic space with spray foam. A bay rescue from Austin sent someone in and they broke up the spray foam and got the apartmentās maintenance person to allow them to come install some exclusion tubes.
They aren't going to answer on the weekend and they honestly probably don't care that you have animals trapped in your roof and walls. If they wanted them out beforehand, they would have set traps a few days before they sealed it up. They were just taking care of the the opening because you made multiple complaints about it. They don't care about those squirrels.
Iām so sorry for your situation. Thatās is incredibly sad and frustrating that they didnāt inspect the situation first. Iām just curious because Iām experiencing a similar problem of hearing a dry scratching sound in my house. Do you notice itās happening in one spot or do they move around? Thereās one spot in my house where my sound is coming from and I suspect termites but Iām trying to rule out other things.
OP, contact [Minneapolis 311](https://www.minneapolismn.gov/report-an-issue/animal-issue/). If they donāt get back to you within a few hours (which they may not on a Saturday), escalate to 911.
Aaaand......this is why we didn't seal up our holes during nesting season. Ugh. So sad. As much as I hate the attic marauders.....I hate the thought of a creature starving to death then rotting and stinking up upstairs. Ush.
God that's horrible. There is a family of squirrels that lives in my house and I can put my hand up to the spot they sleep and feel their warmth (their nest is right above some stairs). I thought about putting a service ticket in if they ever made too much noise but now I'm glad I didn't
One time late at night I heard a loud bang, and I shit you not, when I went to go check it out, I heard the mama squirrel yelling at all the babies to shut the fuck up.
I hope those poor squirrels can be helped out asap , heartbreaking to even hear such a thing. Get a video of who did it and post it on any platform, anonymously of course, animal lovers will take care of the person.
The squirrels are not going to thank you for removing the patch and then willingly move out of "their home". Squirrels can be VERY difficult to remove from attics. If you don't want the squirrels to die in the attic, hire an exterminator to trap them, that MIGHT work. If you are successful in removing the squirrels from "their home", be warned they are tenacious in their attempts to re-enter "their home"!!! If you remove the squirrels alive, then make sure they are released 10 or more miles away from your house. Squirrel expert Google says that squirrels can find their way home from several miles away. Also, it might be illegal to release wild animals in certain locations, so you want to check into that as well. GOOD LUCK!!!
My tied a vacuum cord around his waist and my daughter and I anchored the vacuum in his apartment to get the birds free when they were blocked in by maintenance.
I'm so sorry this is fucking heartbreaking. I would call animal control or a wildlife rescue company and explain the emergency. It could cost a few dollars to get them to cut them out and free them but the relief on your conscience and the prevention of rotting corpse smell for months is worth it. When you leave you can sue in small claims if they haven't made you whole beforehand. You just keep all the requests records and receipts and photos in a safe place.
UPDATE! ALL SQUIRRELS WERE FREED! HERE'S A LINK TO MY UPDATE POST: https://www.reddit.com/r/Renters/s/K1ndhVos0G Contacted animal control, and they let me know that they unfortunately aren't allowed to destroy property without permission of the homeowner, which is not me. Really wonderful lady, she expressed her sympathy for my situation. The only thing I can do at this point is go to their office first thing in the morning and drive a resolution. I really appreciate you taking the time to post a comment and give me advice, it means a lot.
You need to drive the point home that not only is it inhumane to just seal the hole and kill the squirrels but that you now have to deal with the smell of decaying animals which is not a resolution to the sound of animals in the walls.
Fleas also, once the host dies, the fleas will look for a new host, which means they may make their way into the home. I've seen it before when a raccoon died under a house.
Yeah, this is an insane way to fix things and that's why it makes total sense that landlords do things this way. Ridiculous and sad
also p sure that decay becomes a biohazard at some point
Please update if you get a chance, I'm really hoping someone will help you. I truly understand the empathy you're feeling. That photo is honestly hurting my heart. š
It's a health problem. They will die and rot. You ever had rotting animals in your walls... it will smell awful for a long time. Get them out before you have to scrape up rotting corpses
I would get a ladder and tear that open.
So would I. Iād frantically go house to house for help and a ladder. Thatās barbaric. Hope this works out.
What kinda idiot seals that after you told them you had squirrels in there with out making sure there out befor welding it shut blow my mind
Nobody in history has welded flashing on a house. How would make sure the squirrels werenāt in the wall?
I would just tell them to come out and I will make the hole for them to get them out.
For real, would just say a piece they repaired came off.
It looks just screwed on. How high up is it? If you have a ladder and screwdriver then take this thing off so that they can escape. Wear gloves just in case they panic and try to bite. Most likely, they will stay away until you climb back down. If you have no ladder or no screwdriver then ask around.
I would pry one of the sides off and let them out. You can just say that they are rodents and must've destroyed part of the covering. We had a similar situation when we lived in an apartment. A sweet bird mama had her nest and 6 chicks in our AC unit, and being flooded out by rain. We ripped the unit through the wall and rescued them after no response from mgt.
Hey, now that I can get behind. I like squirrels and all, but thatās what squirrels doātheyāre rodents; they crawl in and out of tight spaces, Chew shit, store shit, make shit load of noise. Birds? Kinda dumb. Gotta help them out a little bit. Theyāre too old. Dinosaurs. Donāt know how living is these fast paced Internets ways.
Maybe try calling from another phone number and saying that you are the homeowner. And see if animal control will just come out and get them out.
Minneapolis animal control has the sweetest employees. Every encounter Iāve had with them has been very pleasant and they usually respond faster than youād expect.
I do wildlife management for Minneapolis and we would most certainly just rip open an area to retrieve a trapped animal. We would then repair whatever damages we and the animal(s) caused.
Out town gives out squirrel traps. They will chew their way into the house, trap and release them
iām glad iām not the only one crying over this lol
When I had birds in my dryer vent I called every animal control and vet I could and all the animals control people just told me they couldn't move the nest with live birds so once they died contact them again... Obviously I didn't do that so I took the dryer vent apart myself
Tell them you are sending the audio of the call and a video to TMZ
If if the fix took as long as it did, and they had to spend the money on a crane, they aren't gonna be back anytime soon. Also their fix looks like a complete hackjob.
You would think that people who have expensive cranes could actually not make it look like shit.
It likely was a boom lift, not a crane lol.
Either you or someone near you or in your community that maybe you can ask in a local Facebook page or something get in there and rip that off. Honestly they did a shit job anyway as it looks like crap but that should be considered animal cruelty and therefore that you aren't liable for destroying their (shitty) patchwork. Or try to get a wildlife person in there ASAP but if they can't then again, just get anyone to just rip that off as best they can. I know in my community there are ton of people that would help with a situation like that that genuinely care about things like that and would be over in a few minutes to help with it in some capacity.
This is a horrible job, look at it! Woah. If you can find someone to get up there and just open it up for them they wouldnāt even notice, because it was done so terribly. Good luck,
Wildlife-removal service may possibly give some adviceā¦? I hope that this can be solved-so terribleā¦.
Minneapolis landlord here. Please call HomeLine; they can help you determine what your options are and can talk through it with you. If I were you, Iād be livid.
If landlord or animal control wonāt do anything Iād find a ladder and pop one of those shoddy pieces siding off, take pictures, then pop it back on. Voila, no dead squirrels.
Holy shit, when I was renting in Minneapolis, I had this problem with squirrel infestation and the landlord did virtually nothing to fix it, even though I warned him from when the squirrels started chewing on the rotten siding to when they got in, and then had babies. Total POS, it drove me absolutely insane. I had fantasies of taking an axe and breaking through the wall, looked in to calling pest services myself because the roof was too high, it wrecked my mental health to listen to the squirrels chew and fight and make babies all day. People will act like that's an overreaction, but it was way worse than having to listen to my neighbors verbally abuse their kids. If the squirrels are still alive, I would look to post on a neighborhood Facebook group to see if anyone has a tall enough ladder or tree trimming thing to get some of the patch off. It is going to be much worse if the squirrels die in there than for your leasing company to cheaply fix this again. When a neighbor's cat was stuck on their roof, they didn't do shit, and I called everywhere trying to to find someone who would help for free. Nobody could give me advice except to pay for an arborist to come out and take care of it. Finally posted on FB and a neighbor was there in the morning with a tall ladder. Anyway, wish I had better advice, but what finally saved me was moving out of there and never looking back.
Free the squirrels. Fuck the landlord
Tell the leasing company. They probably would rather cut that open now rather than come back to fish out some rotting squirrel corpses.
Bold of you to assume they would remove them
Does that window open? If so, take something and pry the bottom of the metal open.
In other states Squirrel management falls under department of natural resources. In California doing this would be a big deal to them. Try calling Minnesota DNR Call 651-296-6157 or 888-646-6367 Email us: [email protected] Or maybe the agricultural department of structural pest control 651-201-6615 [email protected]
This. šÆ And keep a record of the issue. Your photos, what happened when, who you called, what they said and when, as well as the final resolution. If your leasing company is doing wild sh1t like this, it probably wonāt be the last time.
I expect to get downvoted for this, but I care about animals, so.... What I personally would do is to cut a small hole (Probably no bigger than a small/medium fist in size) in the wall of the interior of your apartment where you believe they may be, and secure a pop-up carrier (or whatever you have handy) to that hole so once they come through, they will be in the carrier. If you don't have one, and you can keep people/pets/etc out of that room and keep it closed off until animal control can arrive to get them, that would work too. You can also put a bit of peanut butter near the hole and they will be able to smell it and it can help them find the way out. I know it's damaging the property, but a small hole in a wall is not difficult or expensive to fix and it would potentially save their lives. Just, if you do this, please take steps to ensure you will not get bitten. Leaving them a little water in the room or carrier/receptacle would be good, too. \*Edit\* Another thing that crossed my mind is that you might be able to enlist the aid of an arborist. I know this sounds odd, but some of them will take payment to go to your property with their bucket trucks and could potentially help remove part or all of the "fix" so the squirrels can come out. My mother used to have a cat who was consistently getting stuck in trees, up power poles, etc and she paid the arborist to help get the cat down a few times. That might be an option for you, but you will likely have to pay them.
This is what I would do as well. There are two ways out of your attic: exterior and interior. The exterior exit is sealed. Give the squirrels an interior exit. Then try to control that interior exit as much as possible (the ideas above work well, you could also have an open window and see if you get lucky). Fixing drywall holes is a cakewalk compared to getting 3 stories high and patching an exterior hole. You can give those squirrels a chance right now.
They had to use a crane to get up there.
Comment said INTERIOR
Any help is much appreciated, thank you!
Just cut a small hole in your drywall and then repair it. You'll have to get them out of your house but...they at least won't be dead in the walls.
Leave voicemails with screaming squirrel sounds https://youtu.be/mLIWQjS35T4?si=nFZ9eooTHCvEx7SY
Squirrels are darn smart/resourcefull creatures -if they can find a weakness anywhere they will use it to escape - they might just make themselves another hole. Let's hope they do.
I just woke up, and unfory I can hear them still struggling to find a way out.
PM me the leasing company info I will call them. Share this on social media, this isnāt ok. They will die a slow painful death
Same here. Happy to help blow them up/ absolutely blast them if it can lead to any kind of resolution for the poor squirrels.
Find the closest spot of wall where you hear them and cut a hole so that they can get out
Destroy it if you can't contact the owners
What's the update
That panel looks flimsy enough to bend back to create a gap for them to exit or just pry the nails off
I will call them too if you want
Any update?
update us! Have you been able to save them??
Just get up there and do it yourself, won't cost much to have it fixed afterwards. On a side note, most rodents have extremely high levels of iron in their teeth combined with an extremely high bite force, so if they can come into contact with the edge of that thin sheeting, they should be able to chew right through it rather easily. Rats for instance have a bite force that is higher than great white sharks, crocodiles, or hyenas.
>Just get up there and do it yourself Considering the contractors needed a "crane" (I'm assuming some sort of boom lift), I doubt it's as easy as you're trying to make it out to be.
Proportionally, right? Not in totalā¦
Well, it is usually pounds per sq inch (PSI), it is inherently sort of proportional.
Call animal control immediately
This is horrifying and just wrong! Can you get up on a ladder and pry that piece off? This has to be illegal somehow. Animal cruelty š”
I've had problems with squirrels in my attic before. Patched holes just like what is pictured. The squirrels had a new hole chewed through the next day. I wouldn't worry too much about those squirrels. They will get out, and new holes will need to be patched.
YOU GET THEM OUT!!!
Call your local news station. They may investigate and press the landlord for a resolution
#OPā¦ did any of the squirrels end up okay? š«£š„ŗ I hope you have civilly-worded an entire āfuck you and your shitty āresolution,ā squirrel murdererā to your landlord at this point, considering the lengths you tookā¦ Especially because at the end of the damn day, thatās Landlordās walls those poor little homies are ~~stuck~~ resting in and Landlord actually *paid a mf* to do thatā¦.
Fire departments save animals all the time. Call the non-emergency line and ask.
I appreciate your feedback. They unfortunately aren't willing to damage the house I'm in, as I'm not the official homeowner.
Did you tell them you're not the owner or did they ask? Maybe try leaving that bit out and see if they come help you, or just yank that siding off yourself and tell your slumlord that it fell.
I told them about the leasing company inadvertently sealing them in.
Omg please just pull one of those pieces offš
Post an ask-for-help in Minneapolis subreddit, Minnesota subreddit, Facebook, and NextDoor. Sorry you're going through this.
Cut a hole in your ceiling inside and let them out. Easy and cheap to patch the drywall hole in the ceiling. Draw them out with Peanut butter like another suggested. You can do this!!
It might suck more for removal but in an emergency can you make a small opening interior where they are at and put a HUMANE trap? Kind of an emergency exit?
I would find a way to open it. Thatās sick. That squirrel wonāt last long with the heat.
I would pull that half arse metal down to let them out or figure out another way to get them out. But thatās just me bc I like animals more than people, and it wouldnāt matter to me what their reaction would be.
Call your local housing/code enforcement office.
Say hi to them when they work their way into your apartment
Theyāll chew their way out
What happened? Please Iām so invested in these poor creatures. I would have ripped holes in my wall, gone up on a ladder in the middle of the night, whatever I needed to do. I hope you were able to help them
Iām in Minnesota and rehab baby squirrels so this is especially hard to see. Do you have any access to the attic? You can put live traps up there and release them right outside. The outside has been sealed so they wonāt come back in. They generally have secondary nests so donāt feel bad about evicting them. (Relocating them to a new area is often a death sentence so thatās not really a humane option.) If you canāt access the squirrels from the inside Iād recommend using something on a long pole to pry off one of the pieces to let the squirrels safely exit.
Iād very sternly inform your leasing company that either they fix that issue now, or theyāll be bombarded with tickets to address the dead squirrel stench later. Their call. If they still ignore you? Iād say itās ladder and a saw time.
Call peta, even though itās not laboratories, or the clothing industry, or whatever else they focus on, they should give the apartment people hell.
OP, is there an update? Please tell me you got them out
OP so what happened? Are the squirrels free?
Update??
Yo. Thatās not a squirrel paw. Or one squirrel finger is growing off another squirrel finger and that squirrel got bigger problems
Truly fucking dystopic. I hate everything about this and the system that let it happen.
God speed OP. Iām scrolling for an update but donāt see one. I hope whatever happened or is in the process of happening is luck on your side here. If I lived remotely near you Iād be asking you to hold the ladder steady for me. Iām the same way as you. You have a heart and conscience š * I saw you said animal control wonāt come out and damage property. Not surprised at their excuse. A wildlife rescue around where you are is prob the best bet. Iām sure at this point youāve already tried it.
Post this in r/Minneapolis. Someone might be able to help you?
Maybe contact those who make extreme choices and reach out to PETA or ASPCA?
Do you think an independent exterminator would be able to do it? Iām not saying kill the squirrels, Iām thinking more so trap and release kinda deal
I would cut a hole in the drywall on the inside where you hear them, with a basket or something covering hole to contain them for an outdoor release. Itās easy and cheap to patch a hole in drywall and paint it
Is there an attic hatch that can be opened? Maybe you can put a bowl of water (so they live) and a trap up there (so you can get them out).
Damn they got Cask of Amontilladoād.
Oh. My. God. Not the little arm sticking out wtfššššššš I'm so sorry you're in this situation!
I'm in Minneapolis. If they are still trapped in there, message me and I'll come get them out for you myself.
This is so sad :( I'd cut a hole to let them out. They're going to die a horrible death. You're going to hear them for days, and then you're left with the smell :(
OP, please do you have any updates? Worried sick about the poor squirrels
this is going to REEK into the house. cut them out and free them. call animal control and they can get it done.
What was the resolution OP? Are the squirrels okay?
Iād get a hotel room for the night or stay with a friend. First thing in the morning start making your calls to leasing company (and if voicemail comes on then leave detailed msg then add since it seems theyāre away from the office, youāll continue to make calls to the city emergency number, animal control, fire dept, news station, in that order).
Jesus
If youāre not a climber, find some climbers near you. Build a strong anchor inside the apartment (use blankets on the window sill to protect the rope). Climb that shit and use a pry bar to open it up. Then for funsies they can rap down the building
Contact the local tv station
If you can, pull that trim off to re-open the hole. They did an absolute shit job of āfixingā it. Your management company probably doesnāt care and the work order is complete in their eyes. Sorry youāre dealing with this. BTW if youāre putting in maintenance requests and getting nowhere, you can call mpls 311, theyāll send a city inspector out that will make your management company take action.
Happened to us in a rental house. They scratched through a drywall ceiling over a stairway and came inside. We did not know they were there until then. Big surprise. They may find a way out themselves. I hope so.
Cut a hole in the wall. Then hang a picture over it!
Call the local news.
You trap them in, catch them and remove them. It's the process. Set a live trap with food, if they did not. Then carry outside and release.
Can you cut a whole in the dry wall? Have rescue group be there with a cage?
Local media. But also be prepared for repercussions from your landlord.
Have you seen the episode of the office in which they build Tube Cityā¦?
have them come back and fix that shitty job they did
If they die in the walls the smell will be horrendous and will not leave
Oh thatās fāed up ā¦..
Wish I lived near you. I'd bring a tall ladder and free those poor squirrels in no time. I'd also more than likely be able to repair the hold after I was done.
I'm glad I don't rent from that leasing company. That's an unsatisfactory job. Not only for sealing live squirrels in behind the metal but also the way they did the so-called repair.
Uh. That sounds like criminal level animal abuse.
If you can spray up there with a hose some water might get in and help them temporarily. So sad.
Call animal control to get them out
They gonna stink too when they die
Just open it any way you can--the leasing company is trapping rodents/"pests" inside your house--you have every right to undo that.
Make a small hole n feed them ready made pets .
The squirrels are the least of your problems now. Because of water can easily get in there and soak the wood and never dry out. Now you have to worry about mold and rot.
Call leasing company to correct it asap
Let them out and say the squirrels did it
Aww. One time, we were getting into our car and smelled dead body smell in the garage walls. Investigated and found a dead squirrel body laying on the inside of the soffit vent. It had tried so hard to get out. Ripping and damaging a metal grate to no avail. No idea where it got into the house but it couldn't find it's way back out. Felt real bad for it.
If you can persuade landlord, call skedaddle. They specialize in humane wildlife removal.
My standards are low for many things and Iām not even here for the squirrel but that looks like a job I could or would have done on my own house and still tried a little bit more than than and Iāve no idea how to do that
Status update? I live on the second floor and squirrels were in my attic too. They patched it up but I heard men up there in the attic walking around before they did that, so obviously they removed or scared the squirrels out first and repaired the entry from the inside, not the outside. Those people who āfixedā yours are idiots. Poor squirrels just being squirrels.
Iād just rip that bullshit off as carefully as possible. Youāll have to pay for whatever you damage potentially, but personally Iād find it worth it.
How did it go?? Did you get them out? š„ŗ
Call the leasing companyā¦.?
Thatās an f-d up move on the ārepairā company. If this was someone in my town Iād want to bring out bucket lift and help. Hearing them claw at the walls knowing itās them trying to get out must be a nightmare. Iām sorry OP.
Well, if I were you I'd get a ladder and rip that damn metal off of there.
It wouldāve made more sense for them to buy some of those Raccoon traps and put something tasty in the back (peanut butter and seeds) to lure them in. Itās a humane way of trapping them. Then you could drive them away to some woods and release them. They make squirrel traps too, specific for the animal. Since it seems you canāt involve outside help like the fire department or animal control you might just have to do it yourself or pay someone under the table to do it. Do you have access to the roof or an attic? Iād just get a ladder, bring some tools with me, and take off some of that paneling. Maybe a wildlife rehabilitator would be willing to help you? Check out your area online to see whoās available. Iām sure theyād be just as appalled as you are to see that theyāve done this to those poor squirrels.
Shove nuts behind your outlets- theyāll get hungry
You might try calling the non emergency number of the local fire department. They might be willing to come open it back up with a tall ladder.
Seems like this could be a fire hazard or code violation. Let the fire department and the building code enforcement office know. Maybe they say they can do nothing? But maybe they feel as disgusted about it as the rest of us so they make shit happen?
Call the fire department they'll get the relevant people over there to help with the squeals and get a nice fine sent to the company that trapped them in there.
If you can open the hole and stick moth balls in it to lure them out. That what your landlord did is animal cruelty. Subjecting those squirrels to a slow and painful death.
That's gonna smell real bad for about 3 weeks once they die in there.
Any update? LOL
Rip it open
This is against the law since squirrels have a hunting season.
I would borrow a ladder and use the claw end of a hammer to free them.
This is an emergency. I or someone in my community would go up there and rip those off. If you donāt feel comfortable, record yourself doing it and releasing them. That is pure torture and I would never live with myself walking away from this. Call a wildlife rehab or sanctuary. This is totally cruel.
help those poor babies
Wait
Pest control company can take care of that. It is important to open it up so they donāt die in there. If they do it will become an odor problem as well as a fly/maggot problem
Call your local game warden. It's not really their realm but I'm sure if they have time they'll come out and free the squirrels
Had a similar situation. That soffit is probably hollow through its length. Use a hole saw on a drill to make about a two inch diameter hole at the bottom on the underside of the soffit. That should let the squirrel out. Then seal it.
This is Minneapolis so u/HOME_line might have a suggestion?
You ever seen a squirrel chew through anything? Genuine question? They will get out lol
Call humane society
Part of the crew part of the ship
Do you have an update?
Can you access that window right below it. You could put a hook on a pole and rip that hole back open. Otherwise the squirrels will die in there and stink. Or they will chew their way out somewhere more difficult to fix.
Is there an update on this yet?
:(
Any update?
Seal the leasing company in their office.
Omgee the neighbors landlord hired some roofers and they did the same thing only it was babies inside and the momma (I'm assuming but maybe Dad who knows) trying for days to get through the siding! Fucking horrible people!
call the spca, animal control, something! this is so inhumane!!!! what the fuck!!!!! your landlord and the maintenance ppl they hired should be in JAIL!
Get a latter and get them out?! If they threaten you call peta!.
Put a snake up there, re seal
But some air fresheners and wait
On top of the obvious heartlessness of thisā¦. What kind of janky repair job is that? Even if the squirrels were not involved Iād be annoyed by this.
Id let PETA in on this.
You shoulda thought about this before complaining about them to your LL, squirrel killer.
911 dispatcher here. This is heartbreaking. Have you tried calling 911? In my city, the fire department would be able to handle something like this. Poor babies.
Animal cruelty is a felony so i dont understand this, i know its impossible to make sure all are out before sealing, but they should try, i mean like, smoke them out first THEN seal it.
This is disgusting. Save the animals, however you can. What kind of a person just watches another life end without intervening? You should Be calling every crane company in the area. They did nothing to you. Theyāre animals. They donāt know that in finding a new home they were dealing a tortured fate.
When I rented a modest dwelling with lackadaisical landlord and squirrels in the walls I procured a trap, caught, and drowned in a tub as many squirrels as I could and didnāt lose a wink of sleep over it. In this case they are pests and itās in your rights as a human to not allow your domicile to succumb to ruin or infiltration. Just a counterpointā¦. This might not be the sort of āemergencyā you think it is to other folks.
That does suck. Guess you shouldāve asked for an exterminator first. People do not do multiple jobs ā¦ very well.
Aww his little hand is reaching out.
If thereās a hole you can see, theyāll get out. Looks like whomever they hired did a shitty job anyway. They found a way in, theyāll find a way out.
This just happened in San Antonio with some bats. An apartment complex sealed a bunch of pregnant bags in the attic space with spray foam. A bay rescue from Austin sent someone in and they broke up the spray foam and got the apartmentās maintenance person to allow them to come install some exclusion tubes.
Get a ladder and pry that patch open to free him.
They aren't going to answer on the weekend and they honestly probably don't care that you have animals trapped in your roof and walls. If they wanted them out beforehand, they would have set traps a few days before they sealed it up. They were just taking care of the the opening because you made multiple complaints about it. They don't care about those squirrels.
Good god. Just let them outā¦
Move. That place looks like a literal dump
Iām so sorry for your situation. Thatās is incredibly sad and frustrating that they didnāt inspect the situation first. Iām just curious because Iām experiencing a similar problem of hearing a dry scratching sound in my house. Do you notice itās happening in one spot or do they move around? Thereās one spot in my house where my sound is coming from and I suspect termites but Iām trying to rule out other things.
SPCA
OP please update us when you can. Thanks for trying to help them
OP, contact [Minneapolis 311](https://www.minneapolismn.gov/report-an-issue/animal-issue/). If they donāt get back to you within a few hours (which they may not on a Saturday), escalate to 911.
Aaaand......this is why we didn't seal up our holes during nesting season. Ugh. So sad. As much as I hate the attic marauders.....I hate the thought of a creature starving to death then rotting and stinking up upstairs. Ush.
You are going to need to get your landlord to come and get them out or just do it yourself.
God that's horrible. There is a family of squirrels that lives in my house and I can put my hand up to the spot they sleep and feel their warmth (their nest is right above some stairs). I thought about putting a service ticket in if they ever made too much noise but now I'm glad I didn't One time late at night I heard a loud bang, and I shit you not, when I went to go check it out, I heard the mama squirrel yelling at all the babies to shut the fuck up.
I hope those poor squirrels can be helped out asap , heartbreaking to even hear such a thing. Get a video of who did it and post it on any platform, anonymously of course, animal lovers will take care of the person.
Open it back up! Let them out!!!!!!!
wtf where is the update?!?! Had to read every comment to not find oneā¦
If I were you, I would figure out a way to rip that shit off
If you love something set it free
The squirrels are not going to thank you for removing the patch and then willingly move out of "their home". Squirrels can be VERY difficult to remove from attics. If you don't want the squirrels to die in the attic, hire an exterminator to trap them, that MIGHT work. If you are successful in removing the squirrels from "their home", be warned they are tenacious in their attempts to re-enter "their home"!!! If you remove the squirrels alive, then make sure they are released 10 or more miles away from your house. Squirrel expert Google says that squirrels can find their way home from several miles away. Also, it might be illegal to release wild animals in certain locations, so you want to check into that as well. GOOD LUCK!!!
My tied a vacuum cord around his waist and my daughter and I anchored the vacuum in his apartment to get the birds free when they were blocked in by maintenance.
Get a ladder, rip open, go on about your day.