When you think of roof damage, you usually think of leaks caused by heavy rainfall or debris that collides with the roof via highspeed winds.
While storms can cause serious damage to your roof, you should also be worried about your neighbors…
No, not Jim next door. The wild animals that live right outside your home!
Animals That Can Damage Your Roof
When you live in suburban neighborhoods (such as the many across Connecticut), running into wild animals can be a regular occurrence. You might be thinking to yourself:
“I’ve never seen a wild animal on my roof before though.”
However, certain wild animals are sneaky enough where they will explore your roof without you knowing — until you see the damage they leave behind.
Common wild animals that can be found on your roof include raccoons, squirrels, opossums, chipmunks, birds, bats, and a whole slew of insects.
How Animals Can Ruin Your Roof
The roof of your home is meant to protect your home from Mother Nature’s harsh weather conditions. Roofs aren’t meant to handle constant contact with animals (or humans) or their methods of trying to get inside of the roof to the attic space.
Wild animals like squirrels, raccoons, and opossums will use their paws and teeth to create openings in the roof. Whether the animals get inside of your home or not, the damage will then be susceptible to roof leaks which will lead to wood rot, mold, and a shortened lifespan of your roof.
Birds and bats can also cause damage to your roof simply by nesting in troublesome areas — like in roof vents. Nests (and the actual animals nesting) can block the flow of air in and out of the attic space. A lack of proper airflow can damage the structure of the roof during periods of extreme temperatures.
How to Prevent Animals From Damaging Your Roof
You can’t just put a sign on your roof that says “No Entry.” Therefore, you have to follow some preventative measures:
- Trim back any trees and shrubbery with branches that hang too close to the roof. (Overhanging trees act as a bridge from nature to your home.)
- Add anti-bird spikes to the edges of your roof to prevent birds from landing here.
- Have mild roof damage repaired ASAP to prevent wild animals from using this as an easy access point to your attic space.
- Perform visual inspections of your roof for not only damage but also to look out for any animals nesting.
For those experiencing roofing problems because of wild animals, make sure you contact your local pest management specialists to explore the best prevention methods.
In addition to pest control, contact your local roofer to have them perform an inspection of your roof and repair any damage these wild animals may have caused.