DIY Tips to Prevent Wildlife from Invading your Home

Wildlife infestation is a common problem for many homeowners and commercial establishments as well. Infestation brings a lot of destruction, whether it’s caused by skunks, raccoons, squirrels, mice or rats, bats and birds.

While wildlife infestation can be troublesome to property owners, we need to understand what drives their behaviour in order to stop them. It is, therefore, important as a homeowner to recognize that urban wildlife need shelter to survive so taking proper measures to make your property seem less habitable and accessible for them is the place to start.

It is better and easier to keep animals away than dealing with an infestation. The process of sealing your house against these infestations is called exclusion.

The main objective of exclusion is to prevent these wildlife from entering or gaining access to your home, be it your roof, foundation, or walls. Here are some things you may want to check and do to perform an effective exclusion:

1. Trees and other plants can be used to gain access onto your roof, these branches should be cut back to make it more difficult and impossible for these innovative creatures.
2. Cover window wells with wire mesh that have openings small enough to prevent skunks from falling into them. Commercial grates and plastic covers are also great options.
3. Cover your chimneys as well, or make sure they have a cap. A cheaper alternative to commercial caps would be mesh hardware cloth.
4. Check your house for possible entryways. Seal these away with a sturdy and hard material secured tightly so they cannot be used to enter your home.
5. With your fences, you can bury a wire mesh under it about a foot under because wildlife that are experts in digging will have a lesser chance of entering your yard.
6. Check your roof for soft spots or holes. Repair these and make sure to check it regularly as these are the most common means of access to your attic.
7. Avoid attractants as much as possible. Try not to feed your pets outside and make sure your garbage bins are secured and aren’t easily toppled over. One of the most destructive urban wildlife species are raccoons, which are experts in opening your garbage cans. Raccoon removal can be quite a pain, so it’s better to prevent them from seeing your property as a source of food and a place to have their young.

A protected home feels a lot safer to live in. Don’t wait for the first infestation before you make a move. Whether it’s a bird, bat, skunk, rat or raccoon removal, it requires a lot of knowledge and effort to do, not to mention the risks you may be getting into. Prevention is important so don’t hesitate to get started. Sometimes you just need extra help and don’t have the time or resources to do the job and that’s what the professionals from Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control can provide.