Keeping the animal pests away from your home doesn’t have to be difficult. There are simple solutions you can try to keep them from damaging your home.
Raccoons, opossums, and skunks can make havoc for many homeowners, and all three of these relatively large critters can be a real nuisance to homeowners in the rural and suburban areas. These animals can make themselves very comfortable and happy in your basement or crawlspaces under your home. And in addition to the mess they can easily make, all three of these animals can carry harmful diseases. They can carry these diseases through the fleas as well as ticks and other parasites that they may be carrying. Most of the areas do have restrictions regarding the capture or killing of these animal pests. You will need to check with your local department of Fish and Game or you can look into your city animal control agency for the control regulations or your area.
The key to discouraging skunks, opossums and raccoons from nesting under or around your home, and also from nesting under your porch area, you need to keep the foundation vents in the best possible repair and to make sure to block any other large opening around your home that will allow the easy access of these animal pests from entering.
The best way to drive these animal pests out of your home is to place mothballs, strong lights, or pans of ammonia under your home. You will also need to remove the food sources from the yard, such as pet food that you may have lying around and water dishes. You will also need to place trash in garbage cans with the lids being securely locked. Keep in mind that raccoons are very agile climbers, and it can be very easy for them to open these lids. They may nest in the attic or under your home. The best way to keep these raccoons off your roof is to cut back over hanging limbs that may be over your home.
With squirrels, there are several different species that are across the country, squirrels do fall into two main groups. These groups are the tree squirrels and there are the ground squirrels. These squirrels can do a considerable amount of damage to your gardens around your home. They also can carry and transmit diseases through fleas that they may be carrying. The tree squirrels can often nest in attics, your wall voids, and your dropped ceilings in your garage and outbuildings. The ground squirrels will typically burrow in the open fields or vacant lots. But it is likely that they may occasionally burrow under a deck or detached shed that is in your yard. The tree squirrels will usually enter your attic through a torn vent screen and any other existing openings around the eaves of your home. They are also capable of gnawing holes to gain access into your home. The way to discourage squirrels from entering home is to block entry points into your attic or any other nesting area. You will need to repair any gnawed holes as soon as possible as you find them. You will need to wear gloves, and clean up the nesting sites and wash the area thoroughly with ammonia or use an anti-bacterial household cleaner. Make sure to trim back any overhanging tree branches from your home or you can install squirrel guards to your tree trunks and any other major branches that you have around your home.
