Raccoons may be cute from afar and in YouTube videos, but you don’t ever want to deal with one on your property. Don’t be fooled! These curious and mischievous creatures can easily infest your home — and once they do, they may never want to leave. Rather than having to deal with wildlife removal services after they’ve already moved in, it’s better to prevent raccoon activity altogether. If you want to avoid calling animal control for a raccoon removal, you should follow the raccoon prevention tips below.

Raccoon Prevention Tip #1:  Don’t neglect your landscaping

You may think you only need to concentrate on protecting your house itself, but your landscaping may provide an easy route for raccoons to get inside. They’re actually pretty good climbers, and if you don’t keep your trees trimmed back, they could form a raccoon superhighway that leads straight inside. You should cut your trees back at least six to eight feet away from your home (and specifically, the roof) to block this pathway.

 

Raccoon Prevention Tip #2:  Seal it up

Even if you’ve trimmed your trees, it still may be possible for a raccoon to get onto your roof and in the attic. From there, the easiest way in is through the chimney. Don’t give these little bandits the chance to get inside! Be sure to cap your chimney and roof vents to restrict access. You’ll also want to seal other spaces in your home through which a raccoon could wriggle. These include crawl space accesses, deck gaps, and garage door openings, among others. You should seal these entry points or have them repaired as soon as possible. Even if you don’t think a gap is big enough for a raccoon, don’t take a chance; they’ve been known to get through holes that are just four inches in diameter!

 

Raccoon Prevention Tip #3:  Lock away trash and food

Stereotypically, raccoons are depicted as dumpster divers. But this image really does hold true, as open food or trash containers are a huge draw for these critters. Your trash cans and recycling bins should have tight or locking lids and should be kept as clean as possible. Don’t leave trash or food outside, and be sure to cover up compost piles. You may want to rethink those bird feeders, too! Cover sources of water like ponds and swimming pools, as well.

 

Raccoon Prevention Tip #4:  Get an inspection

The best way to avoid calling raccoon animal control is to have your home inspected on a regular basis for pest activity. This can help you to identify vulnerable parts of your property and take action to make sure raccoons don’t move in. And if you think they may already have done so, an inspection can give you a definitive answer. If your inspector spots damage or tracks, or hears their typical noises, you’ll likely have to take further action to get them out — and keep them out — of your home.

If you think you have an infestation or wild animal problem, you’ll need help from the Animal Control Specialists. For more information, get in touch with us today.

Discovering that you have pests in your home can be unnerving. Sometimes, in their haste to remove these intruders, homeowners will make errors that could harm the animals or create even worse problems in the long term. That’s why if you are in need of pest control, you should hire wildlife removal services. Here are just three of the mistakes that you should avoid when dealing with unwelcome nuisance wildlife:

When dealing with household pests, don’t…

• Try to catch them yourself:  The term “wildlife” is not a misnomer! These animals are unpredictable, and just because they’re fuzzy and look cute does not mean that they’re harmless. They aren’t domesticated, so they won’t understand that you don’t mean them harm. If you spot a squirrel, raccoon, skunk, chipmunk, opossum, or any other type of animal in your home, do not attempt to touch it. When animals become stressed, they often get aggressive. Don’t risk an animal attack. If you see such an animal around your home that’s acting strangely, you should call animal control. And if you find any sort of creature in your home, call a wildlife removal specialist.
• Seal off their point of entry:  Instinctively, you might think that if you see an animal exit your home, you should seal up the hole so they can’t get back in. But if you’re dealing with a mother squirrel, skunk, or raccoon, doing this may create a huge problem. Squirrels have litters twice a year, with very few months in between breeding seasons. And while raccoons give birth only once a year, they usually make their nests at the last minute, which makes homes and other buildings seem very attractive for this purpose. Animal exclusion barriers can keep animals from burrowing under your house or deck, but if they’ve already gotten in, don’t seal up the hole after the fact. This could end up killing these baby animals. Instead, call an expert to assess the situation.
• Trap and relocate them:  A lot of homeowners think that trapping an animal and relocating it is a humane action, but the opposite is actually true. When you bring a wild animal to an unfamiliar environment, it’s not that likely to survive, much less thrive. Plus, this doesn’t actually fix the problem and other creatures can still potentially find their way inside your home. It’s much better to use a pest control professional to remove them and add features like animal exclusion barriers to ensure the issue won’t keep happening.

Whether you need squirrel, skunk, or opossum removal or want to find out more about our animal exclusion barriers, we’re here to help keep animals outside where they belong. To set up an appointment, contact Animal Control Specialists today.

As a homeowner, you want to do everything you can to keep uninvited guests from invading your home. Unfortunately, most wildlife animals have a different agenda. From nesting in chimney flues to burrowing in your basement, nature’s critters have a knack for finding their way into your home. Here are some of the most common issues we see in suburban wildlife control, and what you can do about them.

Wildlife Removal from Attics and Chimneys

If you hear a constant scurrying or scratching in your attic or around your chimney, chances are you’ve got a rodent infestation problem on your hands. These creatures taking up residence in your home might be anything from raccoons or squirrels to mice or rats to bats or birds. Not only are they annoying, they can damage the interior of your home, and possibly even introduce fleas into your living space. The ways that animals get into your house are many, but getting them out requires the help of wildlife removal services.

Wildlife Removal from Lawns and Gardens

There’s nothing more frustrating than putting a lot of time and effort into your yard, only to have it torn up or eaten by nuisance wildlife. Skunks in particular tend to burrow near homes, and since they can shoot their sulfur-smelling defense mechanism as far as 10 feet into the air from their anal glands, they’re not an animal you want lingering below your bedroom window at night. A wildlife removal service can help to rid these animals from your yard and prevent them from coming back.

Dead Animal Removal

What’s that smell? It could be a dead animal decaying somewhere within the walls or ventilation spaces of your house. Locating and removing these animals can be difficult, especially since many species habitually seek out dark, enclosed spaces before their deaths. However, our animal control experts will know where to look and will help get rid of that bad smell for good.

Taking care of animal issues as soon as possible is the best way to prevent nasty smells or structural damage. Furthermore, you can take preventative steps to stop them from coming back again. Contact us today for more information on how we can help keep your home free of unwanted animal visitors.