Description: As its name implies, this species has a grey back and tail. The flanks are sometimes reddish. They have small ear tufts, which are un-often noticed. The tail is 19-25cm long. The female had 3-4 litters per year, each litter can produce an average of 3-8 young.

Squirrels can cause a great deal of damage in loft spaces, from the gnawing of beams to serious damage to wiring or pipe work. Squirrels gather insulation in order to build nesting sites in the loft space, staining of the ceiling can sometimes be visible from their urine. If you suspect you have squirrels in your loft call Search UK to book a professional loft survey.

Control methods available for squirrels include, cage trapping or spring trapping with the use of mk4 fenn traps, shooting can also be carried out as a last resort.

Squirrels in loft spaces should be either cage trapped or spring trapped, as the use of poisons in loft space areas will only course secondary infestation of other pests such as blue bottles and maggots, plus the bad smell of a decaying carcass could create an unpleasant odour which may last for weeks. Any squirrel captured must be humanely dispatched and not released to prevent trap shyness and re-infestation.

How to control grey squirrels: Cage traps, fenn traps, (poisoning not advised in domestic properties) dray poking, shooting.