Wildlife removal and animal control experts by Dr. Critter answers your questions about nocturnal animals, snakes, raccoons, squirrels and other wildlife removal.
Typical symptoms of an animal living in your home are scratching, chewing, or thumping sounds; squawking, squeaking or squealing sounds, particularly when babies are present; discoloration of drywall or ceilings; sudden electrical issues; flies gravitating to certain spots on your floors or ceiling; foul odors; damage to areas on the exterior of your home, particularly your soffit or roofline; animal droppings found in the interior of your home; or even seeing the animals themselves.
The best way to determine if an animal is present in your attic is to call a professional wildlife removal company to inspect your home. Animals leave different types of evidence and a trained eye may be necessary to make an informed decision. If you wish to diagnose yourself, a camera may be used to see what's happening.
Yes. Especially larger animals such as raccoons and possums, or if your insulation is lacking. It's still a good idea to call a wildlife removal company – even if an animal isn't entering your home, its often beneficial to take steps to seal potential entry points to avoid it from happening in the future.
Your best solution is to contact a wildlife removal company immediately. There are a number of animals that can reside in your attic, and a trained professional is often the only person qualified to determine the exact species and how to remove them. There are a variety of methods depending on what type of animal you're dealing with, but in most cases a combination of trapping and removing the animal(s), sealing current and potential entry points and cleaning waste materials in your attic are the best ways of correcting the problem and ensuring it doesn't happen again in the future.
Most common symptoms of a raccoon living in your attic include scratching or bumping sounds coming from the ceiling; crying sounds when babies are present; and in most cases, damage on the exterior, particularly to the soffit.
A wildlife removal company is the best path to go down to remove a raccoon from your attic. Raccoons can potentially cause a significant amount of damage to your ductwork, insulation, wiring and drywall if left alone in your attic. They will also cause damage to your soffit, roof and other ventilation areas on their way in and out. A professional wildlife removal company will not only be able to remove the animal from your attic, but also determine if there are babies present that also need to be removed. Finally, cleaning up the mess they leave behind, and repairing the entry points on the exterior of your home can help prevent this from happening again in the future.
Common signs of squirrels living in your attic include scratching sounds, particularly around the edges of the home during daylight hours, and most commonly at sunrise and sunset. Other symptoms may include small droppings in the attic, tunnels in the insulation, chewing evidence inside and outside – particularly around soil or sewer vents, and wooden siding near entry points. In extreme cases, squirrels may cause electrical, fire and flood damage if they chew on wiring or pipes.
A wildlife removal company will help you quickly and humanely remove squirrels from your attic. Squirrels are known causes of fire, water and electrical hazards in your attic and should not be taken lightly. A combination of setting traps, sealing points of entry around the exterior of the home and cleaning the waste they leave behind will not only remove the current problem, but help prevent it from happening again in the future.
Signs of bats include high pitched chirping, signs of their droppings (or guano) on the exterior of the home, particularly around entry points, a strong smell caused by their droppings and most commonly, physically seeing the bats flying around the home just before and after sunset/sunrise.
Bats in your attic can potentially be a hazardous situation. Removal of bats is accomplished through a combination of sealing holes on the exterior of your home – essentially bat proofing the structure – and installing bat eviction devices that encourage them to leave but make it impossible for them to return. Due to the intricate nature of bat removal, it is not something we recommend a home or business do themselves.
Common signs of rats living in your attic include scratching sounds coming from the attic, particularly at night. Other symptoms may include a large amount of small droppings in the attic, tunneling in the insulation that look like holes burrowed through loose fill insulation, chewing evidence inside and outside – particularly around soil or sewer vents, and wooden siding near entry points. In extreme cases, rats may cause electrical, fire and flood damage if they chew on wiring or pipes. "Staining" or "rub-marks" are often apparent around areas they commonly travel or enter the structure.
The best solution to rats in your attic is to trap and remove the animals, seal their current and potential entry points, and decontaminate the attic space. Rats living in your attic can cause a multitude of problems. The diseases they spread are well known, but rats can also carry fleas, tickets and other pests that end up in your home, not to mention the damage they cause by their constant gnawing on items in your attic. It is common to hear of house fires, floods, and electrical problems caused by rats chewing on wiring, pipes and other items in your home. While commonly treated by traditional pest control companies, additional services such as cleaning their waste and sealing potential entry points around your home are best left to a wildlife removal company.
Nocturnal animals that are most active at night include rats, mice, raccoons, opossums, and bats. Other animals that are more commonly active during daylight hours may be active at night – particularly if they have babies present.
Diurnal animals that are often most active during the day typically include squirrels, birds and raccoons. Other animals may be active during daylight hours even if they're usually more active at night, especially if they have babies they're caring for.
The only effective way to remove an armadillo from you yard is to physically remove the animal. Armadillos are a unique animal that require a unique solution – because they typically feed on worms, grubs and other subterranean food sources, baits aren't as effective as they are on other animals. Excellent results are achieved by building a series of fences or funnels to lead armadillos to a trap. Due to their hard exterior, armadillos often damage traps in an attempt to escape once caught – traps that are bought off the shelf are more often destroyed in the process, resulting in an escaped animal. Reputable wildlife control companies will use the highest quality traps that are able to withstand their attempts to escape. Additionally, armadillos are known vectors of Hansen's Disease, more commonly known as Leprosy – as they can bleed profusely when attempting to escape, it is safer to call a professional to lower the possibility of infection.
