So you may be contemplating tackling your wildlife problem by
yourself. I know you want to save some money and think that it couldn't
be that hard to take care of that squirrel in your attic anyway, right?
You might think twice after you know the facts about what can happen if you get it wrong!
In many states it is illegal for property owners to take, kill, sell
or keep wild animals or birds without proper licenses or permits. You
could be fined or serve jail time for such actions.
The health risks associated with handling wildlife and the waste they
leave behind is great. Not knowing how to protect yourself and prevent
you from getting these diseases could have very serious consequences to
your health.
With so many "Home Remedies" and "internet Solutions" available
today, it is no wonder that this bad advice results in so many
unfortunate outcomes for the wildlife intruders. These are just a few of
the common animals that the Do It Yourselfer attempts to control. The
consequences are normally not a great outcome for the animal or the
person attempting to capture them.
What can happen if I institute the wrong control methods?
Squirrels
If a female squirrel is captured and removed that has young,
the baby squirrels will move around the attic in search of their
mother. Often they will fall down between walls and become trapped. Once
trapped, they will scratch and jump trying to climb out. If they are
not removed, the squirrel in a wall will die. A squirrel trapped in a
wall must be removed within a couple days before they die of
dehydration.
A squirrel trapped in a fireplace is a problem that many
people have and get free advice to open the fireplace door and the
outside door to let it out. Bad idea. That squirrel doesn't know where
the front door is! If instead it chooses to go downstairs, how many of
your things is it going to damage trying to find its way out? Squirrels
chew on curtains, window frames and doors when trapped inside a house.
To remove a squirrel from a fireplace, it requires much more than simply
opening the doors and shooing it out.
Decided to stop feeding the birds because the squirrels are using the feeder?
Squirrels often get aggressive when you stop feeding them and may rip
through your window screens trying to get into "the place" that the food
comes from. They may also attack you if they have been fed over a long
period of time.
Patch the hole assuming the squirrels are out. You "think"
they are all out and you repair the hole that they used to gain
entrance. Well, maybe they were not all out when you repaired the area.
Now you have a squirrel trapped in the attic. It will chew and gnaw its
way out of the attic and further damage the structure. It will find its
way out; it is just a matter of time. It may find its way into the
house!
Catch the squirrel in the attic and let it go in the backyard. This didn't solve the problem and may only make the squirrel more determined to get back inside the building.
Groundhogs/Woodchucks
Setting a cage for a groundhog or woodchuck and capturing a skunk.
Many times when a cage is set, a non-target animal will enter the cage.
These cages are placed on the ground and easily attract skunks, cats,
opossums and other yard invaders. When you catch a non-target animal
such as a skunk, what are you going to do with it? Are you going to risk
getting close to it and getting sprayed? What if a raccoon gets caught
in your cage? Raccoons can reach through a cage and grab your clothing
and any part of your body they can reach!
Raccoons
Removal of raccoons that are nesting in the attic. So you
set a cage and caught that raccoon. Does it have babies that are left
behind in the attic? Is it nursing? Is it legal to relocate it? What
will happen if you relocate it and there are babies in the attic or
crawlspace? Are they going to have to be cut out of the attic or wall
now that they have fallen down into it?
Raccoons nesting in the chimney. Mothballs, radios tuned to
talk radio and "lighting a fire" can all end with serious consequences.
Lighting a fire can burn the female raccoon and kill her babies by smoke
inhalation. A radio creates curiosity and a raccoon in a chimney may
open the damper and enter the home. Mothballs can be eaten and cause the
raccoon to die in the firebox causing a very unhealthy removal
situation.
Removal of raccoons that are nesting in a crawlspace.
Closing up the crawlspace door "hoping they are out" traps more raccoons
in crawlspaces than any other control method. If you don't know if they
are out or not, you cannot make an accurate decision to seal the area
up. Professionals have tricks to provide assurance that the animals are
out before it is sealed up again. If a raccoon dies in a crawlspace, it
often dies in an area that is difficult to remove. They just never die
out in the open where removal is easy.
Skunks
I have a skunk in my trap and now what do I do? Now you have
a real problem on your hands. You have a skunk in a wire cage and if
you get close to it, you will get sprayed. You can get rabies from this
skunk spray. Do you know how to tell if a skunk has rabies?
A skunk has fallen down my window well. Skunks often fall
down window wells due to their poor eyesight and their constant head
down attitude while walking. Now that the skunk is in your window well,
it must be removed. Occasionally a juvenile skunk will fall down a
window well and then its mother will jump down after it. Now both of the
skunks are trapped and the mother will start digging to get out. In
most cases the skunks cannot get out of the window well and some will
die if they are not found in time to save them. When you attempt to
remove a skunk from a window well, it will spray you. The skunk is
cornered and it feels in danger. A skunk in danger will result in
spraying you. There is no easy way to remove it and you cannot shoot it
as that will cause it to immediately spray. The bottom line is that
anything you do to remove the skunk will cause it to spray.
I have a skunk under my porch. Skunks commonly live under
porches and raise their young. You could set a trap and catch it, but
then what are you going to do with it? Can you legally relocate it or do
you have to put it down? Remember, you can get rabies from a skunk
spraying. If you capture the mother skunk, how do you know that all the
babies have been removed? Dead skunks under a porch are not something
that you want to deal with.
Moles
Trapping moles and no catches. Anyone can buy a mole trap,
but not everyone is a mole trapper. Many homeowners buy a trap and set
out to catch the lawn damaging mole with little or no success. Now all
they have is a trap they can use as a paperweight and more damage to
their lawn. Trapping moles is frustrating if you do not have any
successes. Traps can be dangerous to children and pets if set
improperly.
Baiting for moles in your lawn. There are numerous baits on
the market that are "supposed" to kill the mole. Most of these baits are
not effective and are expensive. You could spend 50 bucks and still
have the moles tearing up your lawn. How much do you want to invest
before your problem is under control? These baits are poisonous and you
leave them in the ground for children and pets to uncover.
Bats
I have bats in my attic. You want to wait until they all fly
out and then seal it up. Are they all out when you see the last one fly
out? Or is it a female colony and have left their babies behind while
they are out seeking food? If bats are improperly evicted, young bats
can come inside the home or building and fly or crawl around. If these
bats are rabid, you could be bitten and contract rabies.
I have bats in my chimney. You could light a fire and chase
them all out right? What happens when those bats come out of the
chimney? They know that your home or building is their home and they
will find another way into their home. You will kill the bats that are
in the chimney if you light a fire. They may also fly down into the
fireplace trying to escape the heat.
I have a bat flying around in my house. Bats commonly enter
houses when they become disoriented or lost. Finding this bat is like
finding a needle in a haystack. Once you find it, it must be tested for
rabies. The tough part is finding the bat in the first place. If the bat
is found on the floor, do not pick it up as it may not be dead. Bats
found on the ground are often rabid and if not dead they will bite you!
call Ants To Bears Experts 719-495-5996.
