If you started hearing scampering overhead sometime around January, you're not
imagining a pattern: late winter is one of the two peak seasons for squirrels
moving into Marietta attics. Understanding why helps you catch it early, before
one squirrel becomes a litter.
Late winter is nesting season
Georgia's gray squirrels have a breeding cycle that puts one major nesting push in
late winter (roughly January into February) and another in late summer.
During those windows, females go looking for a warm, dry, protected place to give
birth and raise young, and a heated attic is far more appealing than a tree
cavity in the cold. That's when your house goes from being ignored to being prime
real estate.
Why Marietta homes are easy targets
The mature tree canopy across Marietta and Cobb County is the setup. Branches
overhang rooflines and give squirrels a direct path onto the house, where they work
the construction gap along the fascia, worn vent screening, and gaps in the soffit.
Older homes with weathered rooflines offer even more openings.
The winter risk isn't just noise
A nesting female means babies are likely on the way, so a single squirrel in
January can be a whole family by spring. Meanwhile they're gnawing to keep their
teeth filed down, and squirrels chewing on attic wiring is a documented fire risk.
The contamination from droppings and nesting builds up the whole time, too.
Catch it early
If you're hearing daytime activity overhead this winter, it's worth an inspection
now rather than after a litter arrives. The fix is the same either way (inspect,
remove all the squirrels including any young, then seal the entry points) but it's
simpler and cleaner before the family grows.
Hearing squirrels in your Marietta attic this winter? Call Marietta Wildlife Removal at
(678) 693-3668. We answer 24/7.