Recently had a customer absolutely certain there were squirrels living in her attic. I come out and inspect around, no animal sign aside from ground squirrel burrows in the ground. Is there any possible way ground squirrels will climb up the gutter and get into an attic? I was perplexed at the lack of sign from any animal when the customer was so certain something was living there.

Chipmunks and squirrels can crawl up and along gutters, brick, stone and wood siding. Once on the gutter rail area it is usually an easy find for them with some searching to get into a dormer corner, roof ridge, vent or a small opening or chew a spot in the soffit/fascia area.

I have seen lots of squirrels of all species going in some not so obvious places. Unless you are pretty experienced some of these spots can be a challenge to find and pinpoint.

I never thought Chippy's would climb up into an attic space until I witnessed it myself one day.

can they chew through the metal soffit vents? I assumed no, but not sure where else theyd get in

What kind of squirrel? Reds go low 95% of the time around here. Grays usually have an obvious hole around gutter/facia, but there are exceptions. Flyers can be tricky with just a half dollar size hole, 99.9% up high, but I've had a handful of ground entries over the years. I've never had a chipmunk in the attic and only five total in a basement, in 25 years. I find it interesting that some guys get house 'munks. 4 of the 'munks I took out out of one basement ran into a disconnected pvc dryer pipe and fell in, like a repeating trap.

not sure what kind. customer just said "squirrels" i could not see where they were getting in, didnt know if ground squirrels could be the cause

I usually placed a game camera or two in the attic. It It will reveal much more than the naked eye or cell phone will.

Unless customer saw the squirrels, don't just assume it is. Some of my squirrel calls have been mice, bats, rats, branch rubbing against house, raccoons and birds. Ask more questions, like day or night activity. Attic or between floors. Does noise stop when they knock on wall/ceiling. Old or newer home, both have their issues. Not every call is routine.

at this time of year people kick on their heaters and duct work rubbing/popping/expanding brings in a few calls.

Just because they say it's squirrels, doesn't mean it is.

A good customer interview is probably more important than looking for sign.

Brian is absolutely correct. Customers have no idea how loud mice can be and we get calls all the time for “squirrels” that end up being mice, just as an example.
We know what animals in our area could do that. (Noise in attic)
We know when they are active, where they are active, and what typical sounds they make. Take into account the season you’re in and what are you seeing at other houses. A call like this starts with a phone interview and then inspection. Charge for your inspection.

Squirrels go through aluminum like it's hard margarine. They will gnaw through hardware mesh, and even some galvanized metal.