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Problems Caused By Nuisance Wildlife

Nuisance wildlife has become the unofficial taxonomy for animals like squirrels, skunks, opossum, raccoons, coyotes, deer, and other urban critters who come into conflict with people. Depending on your locality, the term could also refer to other wildlife from rattlesnakes to woodpeckers, and even beavers. Advancement of urban development into forest and woodland areas has brought wildlife ever so close, but having a skunk under the porch or a woodchuck digging up your yard, is certainly not anyone’s idea of fun.



On the part of most property owners, "nuisance wildlife" means an animal that is destructive or menacing. According to a 2001 report by the U.S., Beavers, woodchucks, squirrels, and other species cause millions of dollars of damage to roads, bridges, dams, and electrical utilities. Here are some of the problems that these unwanted visitors cause for the property owner:

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  1. You’re treated to endless scurrying and scratching, gnawing, and pattering sounds, in early morning or daylight hours, from hidden places in your home. This is common with squirrels.
  2. After they have nested in your attic, squirrels leave balls of torn insulation, cardboard, and dried leaves and twigs behind.
  3. Opossums pose a health risk to your domestic animals like cats and horses as they have been found to transmit a serious disease known as Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM) through fecal contamination of feed and water.
  4. When bat guano accumulates in an attic overtime, it will become a large concentration of bat feces and start to produce mold spores, which can cause lung infections and respiratory illnesses like Histoplasmosis.
  5. Raccoons, opossums and woodchucks cause heavy damage in gardens and farms, where they feed heavily on crops or dig up your bulbs and seeds.
  6. They jeopardize your health by aiding the spread of disease. Raccoons may serve as host to disease-causing pathogens, including trichinosis, tuberculosis, round worm, infectious enteritis and coccidiosis.
  7. They chew on your electrical wiring and insulation, sometimes, irredeemably.
  8. Skunks will dig up lawns and gardens searching for insect larvae and grubs, and leaving holes in your yard.
  9. They leave you a pile of faecal material to remember them by.
  10. They rummage through your garbage can and generally leave a mess in your yard per visit.
  11. They chew on your wooden structures and leave holes in them; squirrels especially gnaw compulsively on wood to file their front teeth.
  12. The acidic faeces of pigeons eat away gutters and other metal structures, erode stone buildings, and burn lawns.
  13. They cause lingering odours in your attic, which only go away with severe treatment or simply over time.
  14. A squirrel’s nest in the attic fan poses a fire hazard when the movement of the blades is impeded and the motor overheats.
  15. They tend to die in the darndest places – like in a tight corner inside your attic. Getting them out of there could take a whole lot, plus the odor is unrivalled.
  16. Aside from other diseases, raccoons and skunks are primary carriers of rabies – a lethal brain infection that infects humans when they get bitten by these animals.
Many times over, home owners are the ones that inadvertently welcome nuisance animals into their stead. Some people even find watching them a pleasant activity initially, but all that changes when their destructive impact starts to show up in the house or garden. Needless to say, they very easily overstay their welcome.

Wild animals will take any chance they get to enter your property, but in order to not attract them by your own (in)actions, a couple of simple solutions will be proffered here. The biggest enticement for raccoons, skunks, opossum, and even bears in your area, is “food.” Eliminating the food source usually gets rid of most night visitors early enough before they decide to take up residence with you.

Common sources include dog and cat food left outside, either at your house or a neighbor’s house. Feeding pets indoors will easily remedy this problem. Another common food source is unsecured garbage and compost piles. Storing garbage in secure containers or buildings will solve this problem. When their food source is removed, most nuisance animals will move on. You should also block the common entry points for nuisance wildlife in your home, after ascertaining that no animal is already in residence. Such places include outbuildings and the space under decks and houses.

If all these fail, then you may need to call in the wildlife management professionals in your area to tackle the problem for you.

Read more about how to take care of your wildlife problems with my educational articles - I've written about everything from if baby wild animals are cute to what an exclusion barrier is. Learn if it is safe to handle wild animals with bare hands, the best bait to trap a wild animal, and different causes of bad odor in a house. Find out how to determine if there are baby wild animals in the attic, and if you should feed a baby wild animal you found. I can let you know if a wild animal in the attic will have a nest of babies, if repellents will get a rodent out of the attic, and everything you need to know about Removing wild animals in the attic. Read my advice about how to get rodents out of the attic and if a rodent in the attic will have a nest of babies. I can let you know what animals like to live in attics, if animals in your attic will damage insulation, and How to know if you have a wild animal in your attic.

Find out if wild animals make good pets, learn about the green anole, and if moth balls or ammonia are effective repellents. Learn how to get animals out of the chimney, why woodpeckers peck on the house, and the rists of animals chewing on electric wires. Find out what wildlife rehabilitators do with wild animals, how you should clean wild animal waste within your attic, and what to do if you find an orphaned baby wild animal wandering about. I can show you how to get wild animals out of a wall, how to get rodents out of a wall, and how to trap, to get rid of, and to keep away voles. Read if more rodents live in urban or wild areas, and how to remove an animal living under a house. Read about the most common types of animals that live in attics, how to get an animal out of a tree, and where you should relocate a trapped animal. I can let you know the best bait to trap a rodent, and if it is legal to trap a rodent. Learn how to track wild animals, how much nuisance wildlife removal cost, and the Dangers of Animal Corpses.

Find out if a pest control company will remove a rodent, most common types of animals that poop on or in buildings, and how to clean rodent feces out of your attic. Read everything you need to know about a connibear trap, if the city or county animal services will help wiht a wildlife issue, and if repellents will get a wild animal out of a chimney. Learn Read about what wild animals like to live in chimneys, what animals chew on electric wires, and what you should do with a wild animal after you catch it. Read about the diseases wild animals carry, how to Dispose of Dead Animal Carcasses, and how to get a dead animal out of your car. I can show you how to keep wild animals out of your garbage cans, what to do about a cage-shy wild animal, and the best brand cage trap. Learn how to remove honey bees from a house, the tools a nuisance wildlife operator needs, and if relocated wildlife thrive or have difficulties surviving. Learn how to remove an animal stuck down a wall or stuck in a dumpster, and if a high pitch sound deterrent machine is effective. I can show you how to use a snare pole, the different types of rodent snap traps, and how to deodorize your house from a dead animal. Learn the symptoms of a sick wild animal, what to do about a trap-shy rodent, how to keep wild animals out from under a shed or porch, and what to do about a rodent on the roof.

I can show you the first steps to take if you hear Scratching sounds in Attic or walls , what to do if you find a nest of rodents in the attic, and what equipment is needed to trap a rodent. Read what to do if you find road kill, all about the Exotic reptile species found in the world of Florida, and if repellents get wild animals out of an attic. I can show you how to remove wild animals from your chimney, let you know if relocated rodents survive, what wildlife rehabilitators do with rodents, and my best advice for how to keep animals away from your property. Learn if all wild animals have rabies and how to know if you have rabies. Learn how to hire an effective wildlife control professional, and if you should ever use poison to solve a wildlife problem. Read my thoughts on whether you should hire a pro or remove wild animals yourself. Learn if wild animal feces are dangerous to touch or breathe, how to keep frogs out of your pool or house, and how to catch a wild animal with a snare pole. Learn about the risks and benefits of using poison, if rodents enter a building through the plumbing, the types of animals that eat your plants, and if animals chew on water pipes.

I can explainhow rodents communicate using pheromones, the most common types of animals that eat your pet, and how to keep wild animals out of your garden. Read about the kinds of problems caused by nuisance wildlife, wht to do if you find a nest of wild animals in the attic, where you should relocate a trapped rodent, and if mothballs or ammonia help repel rodents. I can even tell you the problems that monkeys cause for people. Learn the property modifications that will keep down rat populations, the rat's mating habits, and how to get a wild animal out of a live trap. Learn some ways to kill a wild animal in the yard, how to kill voles, and everything you need to know about integrated pest Control. I can show you how to keep wild animals out of your house and your garden, as well as out of the attic. Find out what it takes to become a nuisance wildlife control operator, and how to make and use a one-way door to remove animals in a house. Find out the common causes of bad odors inside a house, if home owners Insurance pay will pay for animal damage, and how to remove and replace insulation in an attic. I can show you how to inspect your home to find entry points used by animals, some humane ways to kill a rodent, and how to keep away feral hogs. Learn what to do if a rodent got inside your house, the diseases rodents carry, and some humane ways to kill a wild animal in a cage. Learn why animals Die inside a House, if homeowners insurance will pay for rat damage, and how to repair different types of wildlife Damage and Entry Holes.

Learn if the city or the county animal services will help with a wild animal issue, if rodents make good pets, how to keep rodents out of your garden, what kinds of animals destroy gardens, and how to use one-way exclusion funnels to remove rodents. I can show you how to keep rodents out of your garbage, how to remove a rodent stuck in a dumpster, and what kinds of animals dig up your yard. Read all about Cuban tree frogs in Florida, how to get rid of a dead animal in the Air Conditioning Ducts, everything you need to know about a one way exclusion door, and what to do if you find a dead dog. Learn about Canine Distemper and other Wild Animal Diseases, the most common animals that dig up the yard the difference between pest control and wildlife removal, and the rodent's natural diet. Learn what to do when an animal dies under your House, how to find and remove a dead rodent, and if a wild animal that is active during the daytime is rabid. Learn if any nuisance wildlife are dangerous to humans, if rodent feces are dangerous to touch or breathe, what kind of damage do rodents cause in an attic, and other animals, too, and how to cut a dead animal from inside a wall.

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