Keep Your Pets Safe from Pest Diseases

Pets are like family to many of us, and we want to make sure they are protected against diseases and health risks. One of the many concerns homeowners throughout Canada have is wildlife infestations and the many dangers they can expose to families and pets.

Pet owners should always keep in mind that their pets should get their complete immunizations, as they are less likely to be infected with diseases the environment brings to their doorstep. If you own a pet, it is the responsible thing to do to get them their immunizations, just as how child immunizations are encouraged. You will shield them from the many possible diseases and infections they can acquire as they go outdoors, or even indoors.

Wildlife infestations bring with them many dangers and most especially parasites that could be transmitted to your pets. For example, mice droppings can be poisonous to your pets, and their urine can cause leptospirosis. Exposure to water sources mixed with rat urine will put people and pets in a dangerous, and sometimes lethal situation.

Birds bring with them mites especially when they start nesting. These mites will look for better sources of food and can cling to your pets, and may give them irritations and wounds if not taken care of.

Raccoons, bats and skunks are also probable carriers of rabies. Rabies has been known to kill pets for many years, and avoiding wildlife infestations in general will reduce the risks favorably. Pets are domesticated animals and have weaker immune systems compared to wild animals, and if your home is infested with one, you will have to take precautions and do what you must; and that is to seek help and remove the wild animals in your property.

All wild animals bring with them many possibilities of different illnesses your pets can harbor. Being infested with these animals is unsafe as you never know what these nuisance wildlife can bring inside your property.

Being pet owners, you must know that every animal has its place. Protecting your pets and family does not necessarily mean you have to exterminate the animals sharing homes with you. Humane wildlife control companies like Skedaddle, offer humane ways in the removal of these wildlife creatures from your home and offer services such as exclusion to help you, your pets and the wild animals get on with your everyday lives without giving risks to each other. If you happen to have wildlife infestation and hope to remove it, choose the humane way. Choose exclusion from Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control.

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Animals You Shouldn’t Keep as Pets

You have plenty of options as to what kind of animal to have  as a pet. Dogs, cats and other domesticated animals are popular options. However, certain people prefer exotic animals, these may seem like a novel choice, but particular animals are not suitable to have as domestic pets.. They may cause damage to your property or transmit viruses, bacteria, germs and diseases.

Bats

Bats are not ideal pets because they have sharp teeth, may transmit rabies and bring other diseases that may infect you, your pets or anyone in your home. These animals also leave a trail of guano and urine that are not only foul smelling, but may also spread disease. They may also damage walls, wirings, and the exterior and interior of your home when they build a den to raise their young.

Skunks

Skunks may seem like cute animals to keep as pets, but these creatures release a foul odour when they feel threatened. It may take days to remove the awful smell when it sticks to your skin and clothes. These animals may also bring disease, bugs and bacteria into your property.

Raccoons

These creatures have a mask-like facial feature, powerful paws and beady eyes. These animals may seem harmless at first when they rummage through your garbage, but they do not make good pets. Raccoons become aggressive when they feel that their young are in danger. They may bite and scratch you, resulting in injuries or transmission of rabies.

Their powerful paws can also damage property by tearing through walls, roofing, insulation and wires. All these will increase your energy and repair bill. Raccoons also bring all sorts of bugs and germs that may cause diseases.

Foxes

Foxes may seem like good pets because of their physical similarities to dogs. However, these animals are dangerous, especially if you have small children at home. It is possible to tame these creatures up to a certain extent; however, they are not trustworthy.

Wolves

Keeping a wolf as a pet may seem like a good idea, but these animals have wild instincts that are impossible to tame and domesticate fully. These creatures hunt when they are hungry, play when they want to and sleep whenever they feel like it. They will not make good pets because they act on instinct purely.

These are some of the animals that you must not keep as pets because of their wild nature. You may tame them up to a certain extent; however, their instincts will prevail in the end. When you find any of these animals in or around your property, hire an expert animal removal specialist to prevent an infestation and intrusion.

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Skunks: 10 interesting facts about these striped animals

Skunks are very well known for their pungent spray, but there's more to these striped animals people don't know about. Skunks may vary in colour, and may be spotted or striped. They belong to the family of Mephitidae, and the most common, the striped skunk, found in Canada is called Mephitis mephitis.

Skunks are just as interesting as others in animal kingdom. There are many things about them that makes even these pungent little critters special. Let us take a look at some of them.

1. Skunk's chemical spray is not their normal gas release. The spray is actually produced by two anal glands, is highly repellant, and comes in a limited amount. Skunks cannot spray all the time; they need time to replenish the substance produced by the glands.
2. Skunks warn their predators by squealing or hissing, pounding their claws to the ground and uncurling their bushy tails. They even perform warning dances. This is to intimidate predators and shoo them away, conserving their spray and minimizing the risks of being preyed upon while the glands are out of substance. They can shoot a target within ten feet.
3. Skunk spray contains thiols which are sulfur-based compounds. This makes the spray highly flammable. The spray can cause nausea and temporary blindness, depending on the intensity and to the level of exposure to the spray. It may also take several weeks or months for the odour to go away completely.
4. They are excellent diggers but poor climbers. Their short legs are ideally for digging. They burrow dens and may take refuge under houses' foundations, sheds, decks and porches. They are unable to climb onto a roof and get into an attic.
5. Skunks are nocturnal animals. Since they forage at night, they are more vulnerable to terrestrial attacks compared to daytime hunters. This is also the reason why skunks have evolved to produce an effective anti-predator spray.
6. Skunks are docile animals and are less likely to pick fights themselves. They are even willing to share their dens with other skunks, unless there is a mother skunk caring for her kits.
7. Male skunks usually mate with multiple females. Their mating season starts by the month of February.
8. Skunks have a very developed sense of hearing and smell, although they have poor eyesight.
9. A skunk litter may be composed of 2-10 kits. The mother protects the young and will aggressively defend when threat is sensed. The babies will continue to live with their mothers until the fall season.
10. Skunks can carry rabies. Since they are nocturnal, skunks seen in daytime are suspected to be carriers of rabies, especially if they act uncharacteristically. However, mother skunks also forage by day to find food for their young, so not all skunks that you see roaming around by daytime are guaranteed carriers of rabies.

Skunks are not all bad. They do what they can to survive, and people need to see that they have their own roles in the balance of our environment. They belong to the wild, and if some of them get astray and somehow wound up being in your property, find a wildlife control company that offers humane ways like Skedaddle. You will not only save your family's life, but the lives of these creatures as well.

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Controlling Wildlife Damage | Skedaddle Wildlife Ottawa

Unfortunately you cannot always prevent urban wildlife from invading your home, despite the many preventive measures you may have implemented. Urban wildlife infestation creates many headaches for homeowners like you. Wildlife such as raccoons, squirrels, bats, and mice wreak havoc once they have infested your home. The damage they can cause range from mangled soffits, vents, and damaged windows, broken locks, chewed out electrical wirings, and even spreading ticks and fleas. There are ways you can control the damage incurred by urban wildlife.

How to Control Wildlife Damage

The goal of any wildlife control program is to limit damage inflicted by animals in a humane, environmentally safe, and practical manner. A majority of wildlife control expert companies implement methods based on the biology and habits of the animals that cause damage. By customizing damage control methods based on the nature of the animals that caused them, damage control makes sure that the animals involved are humanely removed.

The key to effective damage control is determining the kind of animal that caused the damage. One can easily determine the type of animal by simply observing the damaged area. Feeding indicators are very similar across various species; it would take droppings, burrows, nests, or food storages to determine the exact species of the animal that damaged your property.

Once the species of the animal has been determined, wildlife removers then proceed to implement the appropriate damage control method. Improper implementation of damage control methods may harm or even kill wildlife. If harmed, wildlife is more leery about future damage control methods. Improper use of traps and poison baiting techniques do more harm than good. Here are a few damage control methods you and your wildlife company can implement:

Exclusion

Physically removing the animals or keeping them away from property is one of the most common and preferred methods. It is also one of the most effective and permanent solutions to wildlife control. Exclusion can be inexpensive or costly, depending on the materials used and how much of it is needed. Fencing your home to keep deer, raccoons, and squirrels away is far more expensive compared to protecting your garden from birds using a net.

Habitat Modification

Modifying your home or the animals’ habitats is an inexpensive and long lasting damage control method. By implementing habitat modification, you limit access to shelter, food, and water, the basics that animals need to survive and breed offspring.

Frightening Devices

Using devices such as horns, bells, recorded sounds, clappers, whistles, lights, reflectors, and other similar devices help keep animals away as well. However, these are less effective if the animal already built a den and has given birth to their young in your property. For instance, there is little you can do to keep a mother raccoon away from its babies. Frightening devices are more effective for prevention that exclusion. 

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Wildlife Entry Points: Soffit

Wildlife find soffit vents to be one of the perfect entry points to your home. Read on to know what repairs and additions you can do to your soffit to prevent entry of wildlife animals.

During winter, wild animals tend to find places to hole up where the temperature is more bearable. Unfortunately, attics and ceilings seem to be the perfect spot for these animals to spend the season in. They become your uninvited house guests. The cold season is long enough for you to bear these animals, especially when they start mating and breeding. They become annoying and they disrupt your regular home life. Damage to property almost always comes with the invasion of these furry friends. Preventing these wildlife animals from entering your home is your best bet.

Some animals such as squirrels and raccoons tend to gnaw on your house’s exterior features. They create entry points where there are weak spots on the wall. Even small holes are potential entry points because these furry animals are able to squeeze through even the smallest of spaces. Other entry points include soffit, attic vents and chimneys. Given that there are a lot of possible entry points around your home, take the time to inspect all sides of your walls, as well as all vents and chimneys. Note all repairs that need to be done. Before working on the repairs, make sure that there are no more animals living in your attic or between walls. If you close and repair entry points when there are still animals co-habiting with you, the potential problems are larger. They can cause damages to your walls, insulation and wiring that may cause a fire later on.

Inspect all soffit vents around your house. The soffit is that part of your exterior that is similar to ceiling of your interior. Soffits refer to the underside of the extended roof. Soffit vent covers are available in most hardware stores. You can buy and install these yourself by screwing the covers to the soffit board. For added protection, you can staple cloth or wire screen (available in hardware stores, the ones that are half an inch (1.3cm) that you can easily attach to the vent covers. Just make sure also that your vents are secure in place. Some animals are able to loosen the vents and screens when poorly attached.

When in doubt about your DIY skills (or lack of), call for professionalhelp because they know what and how things should be done to keep those animals out of your property.

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