Some houses have ridge vents as part of the ventilation system, allowing moisture to escape and help reduce the build up of heat in the summer. Ordinarily, an animal can enter a ridge vent when the end cap falls off. In the picture to the right, the nail head shows a small gap at the base of this ridge vent end cap.
This photo shows that even when the cap is secure, a gap can still exist that is large enough for mice to enter.
Animals that typically enter through ridge vents include:
- red squirrels
- flying squirrels
- bats
- mice
Secure the open ends of a ridge vent using exterior caulk coupled with hardware cloth, copper stuff-it, or Xcluder™ material to add rigidity. Although a rodent can gnaw through copper stuff-it, it is more flexible than the stainless steel Xcluder™. Whichever product you choose, neither will have the rust problem that steel wool has.
