Moving into a newly built subdivision, relocating to the country or living in an urban environment brings us in touch with native wildlife.
Wildlife may be in or around homes because of food or shelter. Trash, composters or pet food left outdoors provides easily accessible food. Wildlife can enter buildings through chimneys and attics because of unscreened vents, or openings left by loose or rotten boards. Wildlife often search for safe den sites to give birth and raise their young from March to September, and again in the fall to find shelter for the winter.
Many wildlife problems are temporary and will resolve themselves with time. Animals denning in your house during the spring months have often found a safe and quiet place to raise their young. Once the young reach a certain age, usually by early to mid-summer, the mother almost always relocates the family to a new nest in the natural environment. You can animal-proof all possible entrances to your home once you are sure that all of the animals have left.
In other cases, there are sensible solutions. You can deal with most wildlife situations in a humane and cost-effective way by understanding natural animal behaviours, deciding your tolerance limits, animal-proofing your home and, if necessary, humanely evicting wildlife.
Click on the links below to find humane, cost-effective ways to prevent and solve common wildlife problems. (Links coming soon).
By topic
Why live-trapping is not humane
Evicting Unwanted Tenants
Animal-proofing your Home
Choosing an Animal Control Company
By species
Bats
Beavers
Chipmunks
Coyotes
Foxes
Mice
Rabbits
Raccoons
Skunks
Squirrels
Woodchucks (groundhogs)
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