Maryland animals find their way into our homes all the time. Sometimes they are looking for food or shelter from the cold. Sometimes they are merely looking for a place to hide from predators. If you have a critter getting into your attic or barn and you're not sure what it is, there are some simple ways to identify them. You can check and see if they left tracks in the snow or dirt and use the power of deduction to figure out the type of animal it is.



Lots of Baltimore animals can take up residence in your attic or barn. While they most animals aren’t exactly dangerous to you, it can sometimes be hard to clean up a mess one has made your space their home. Bats, squirrels, rats, foxes, and any number of small animals can easily squeeze into your attic and build nests.

First, if you are suspicious it might be a Maryland squirrel you can look for telling signs. If the squirrel is in your attic, you can look for destruction. They will chew on the wooden beams, tear the plastic coating off wires, and destroy whatever else they can find. They will also dig small holes in your yard which might accompany tracks. If you hear scratching or chewing inside your attic that's a good indicator as well.

Balitmore squirrel tracks are distinctive because they have four front toes and five hind toes. The tracks will look like the animal has been hopping. The tracks that squirrels will leave behind are only about half an inch big. Their back feet are longer than their front ones. If they are running on a firm surface, the tracks will look like dots, and if they are in mud or snow, they’ll look like tiny handprints.

If you do have Maryland squirrels in the attic, then you will want to get them out before they can destroy everything. The chewing and urination will be hard to recover from. Here are a few tips to help get them gone. Seal up any small holes they may be getting into your house. They can squeeze through any hole the size of a quarter. So, when you are looking for the holes to seal up, think small. You'll want to leave one hole, so they can get out on their own. You'll know it because it will be bigger and usually chewed on. You can put a live trap at that location to catch them coming in or going out. Once you have them all out and you've examined the attic to make sure you don’t have any next, then you can just seal up the last hole with a piece of wire mesh. Another suitable material you can use to seal up squirrel holes is metal flashing.

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