Looks like this fall is going to be a busy season for squirrels. Flying squirrels seem to be becoming a nuisance early this year. The mild winter of last year and a good crop of acorns may be to blame. The same story can be told about the grey squirrels.
If you are hearing noises in your attic, note the time you are hearing them. Gray squirrels are most active from dawn to dusk. Flying squirrels throughout the night. Mice can be anytime.
If you are unsure what you are hearing try hitting the spot you hear the noise. A mouse will usually freeze, squirrels typically will run. Flying squirrel droppings are easily confused with mouse droppings.
In these tough economic times more and more home owners are trying to tackle squirrel problems on their own. The problem is that many fail to do the job correctly, and educate the squirrel in the process. A Grey that is educated can be a very difficult animal to capture. Some home owners are successful with gray squirrels. I have yet to meet a home owner that has been successful with flying squirrels. My typical do it yourself clients have done battle with the flyers for two years before they call me. Flyers normally leave in the spring and return in the fall. The only way to remove them permanently is to close off all possible entry points into the home. They will chew in but tend to chew less than the typical Grays.
Finding nuts in your attic? Grey squirrels do not normally bring many nuts into the attic. Flyers on the other hand will have a cache of nuts somewhere. You may even here them dropping the nuts down a wall during the night. Sometimes these caches of nuts can be three feet deep in a wall cavity. White footed mice will also store nuts, yet not in such abundance.