by SOS Wildlife Control | Aug 27, 2015 | Skunk Control
Skunks are mammals known to spray a liquid with a very powerful scent if they are feeling threatened. Skunks are usually 40 cm to 94 cm long weigh about 1.1 lb which is 0.50 kg. They are usually brown and white but can also come in brown and crème, there are two different types of skunks there is a stripped raccoon and there is also a spotted raccoon both these are very popular in Northern America. Another difference between a stripped and spotted skunk is their weight, a spotted skunk is quite heavier than a stripped skunk a spotted skunk is usually 18 lb which is 8.2 kg. Skunks are able to cause damage to our homes and they can be dangerous for us health wise. Therefore you will have to do a skunk control once you spot any skunks inside your home. Skunk control is necessary however often people don’t realize that they have a wildlife animal such as a skunk inside their homes, so they don’t do a skunk control until they see the skunk in their home. Here are a few ways to know whether you know you have skunks inside your home or not!
Signs of skunk in yard
Holes
Gardens and backyards are a great way to find out whether you have skunks inside your home or not. Skunks usually damage gardens by making holes. If you see random holes in your backyard or gardens there is a high chance you have skunks living with you.
Scent:
As I already said skunks spray a liquid once they feel threatened, the liquid they spray has a very bad smell and the scent doesn’t leave for a really longtime. You will defiantly know by the smell that there are skunks living inside your home / on your property. Unfortunately it has a terrible scent and takes what feels like forever to rid of it.
Damages:
You will have to do a skunk control immediately after you spot them in your house since they can be very unpleasant guests due to their spray. Skunks however are not capable of creating lots of damage but you will still want to put some money into doing a skunk control since they can be very unpleasant. The only thing skunks are capable of doing is damaging our gardens and making them look ugly. They can make holes in the grass making it harder for us to enjoy our backyards.
Skunks under porches is bad because they might spray while they are under the porch making it ten thousand times harder to get rid of the scent. Therefore you will still have to have a skunk control done. If you see them near your home, you would want to ask a wildlife control technician to do a skunk control service for you to prevent you being sprayed.
Skunks are not capable of creating lots of damage that is why sometimes people don’t care as much and don’t do skunk controls once they see a couple of them near their house. However even though skunks are not capable of causing lots of damage they are still capable of transmitting very dangerous diseases to you. Skunk diseases are pretty similar to raccoons, squirrels, and many other wildlife animals.
Skunk Diseases
Rabies:
Rabies is a disease that causes inflammation of the brain in warm blooded animals and humans. Rabies can cause death if it’s not treated and if you don’t seek immediate medical attention. Please be cautious of all skunks, especially sick looking ones, acting strange or foaming at the mouth. If you have a skunk on your property it is advised to call a professional for a skunk control service immediately. If you touch a skunk or your pet does contact your doctor or vet for a checkup to make sure you or your pet are not carrying the disease. Some common symptoms of rabies are fever, sore throat, tiredness, stiff muscles, nausea, headaches, and itchiness and tingling. Some die because of cardiac arrests and respiratory failure. Please read further on our Rabies in Wildlife article.
Hantavirus:
Hantavirus is a very dangerous and fatal virus that you can possibly get from a skunk. You will never want to encounter this virus so do a skunk control done by a professional to make sure that you will not get infected. Some symptoms that usually comes with this virus is fever, vomiting, nausea, headache, lower back pain, and muscle pain. This virus usually comes from the feces and saliva of wildlife animals such as the skunks. This can be a deadly disease so take it seriously and do a skunk control immediately, and it’s highly recommended that you do a skunk control done by a professional.
Parasitic diseases:
Like many other wildlife animals, skunks can also have parasitic diseases that can be very dangerous. Skunks can potentially have a parasitic disease that they can transmit to you. Parasites are living bacteria that can live inside you and cause respiratory and neurological failure. Do a skunk control immediately so that you don’t encounter any of these problems.
Some people will want to save money and spend money on other things rather than a skunk control getting done by a professional. Some simply think it’s a simple job and want to do it themselves. However skunk is the worst animal that you can do a removal on, because of their liquid spray. It is highly recommended that you contact a wildlife control professional to do a skunk control for you since they can be very frustrating. SOS wildlife control guarantees all work done and we provide have a 24/7 service.
Inspect:
Inspect your home and research on where the squirrels made holes and came inside you home from. This way it will make it easier to do a squirrel removal since they would usually come back out from the same way they came inside your home, and it would be easier for you to catch the squirrels.
Seal:
Try to seal any holes that you find in the interior and exterior of your home. Sealing the holes will prevent the skunk entering. However you may want to leave one of the most popular holes they come in and out from unsealed so that the animals can go out of your home once you are doing a squirrel removal. Only seal the final hole once you are sure all skunks are out. If one dies inside the smell will be worse than the spray.
Traps:
You can purchase traps, and you can put the traps at the holes the skunks have made. You need to check for different size of traps and check the local law as it is illegal in certain areas to trap and relocate the animal yourself. Once the skunks are coming out of your home they will get trapped in the trap, then you will have to release the animal at least a kilometer away from your home so that they don’t come back inside. Also you will have to check your local law for trapping animals.
For information on how we remove skunks in yards, skunks under porches read our Skunk Removal page
Call SOS Wildlife on 647-994-9453 for Skunk Control
by SOS Wildlife Control | Aug 26, 2015 | Squirrel Control
Last Updated: May 2016
Squirrels are often known for their size, quick feet, and climbing abilities, however you will not find this impressive rather a nuisance once you realize the damage they are capable of doing to your home. It’s important to exercise caution when around wildlife. Squirrels like other animals may become aggressive feel threatened and they are not very patient animals. Squirrels are capable of biting you and scratching you very hard, which could be extremely dangerous especially if the animal has a disease. Interaction with squirrels can be dangerous just as an English photographer found out when he wound up viciously attacked by a squirrel after he tried to take a selfie with a squirrel.
This is a perfect example of how a small interaction with squirrels can be dangerous. If this is their aggression in the outdoor space you can only imagine in the confined space of your backyard or attic. If you have squirrels in the attic we recommend you hire a professional for squirrel control measures to eliminate risks.
When squirrels do make their way into your home it can be frustrating. The best squirrel control measures is to contact a professional wildlife control technician in order to do a squirrel removal service for you. Sometimes people prefer to preform squirrel removal themselves which is not recommended, to avoid costs. They buy repellents and use DIY internet methods to try and remove the squirrel from the attic. Be cautious, as there may be squirrel removal products that are mostly gimmicks for your money on the market. Some may work for a few days but in many cases, squirrels usually return. There are several myths on how to conduct squirrel removal but usually none of them work as well as calling a pro. The time, energy, money and especially the frustration have lead many of my customers to call SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated. Contact a wildlife control technician for squirrel removal .
DIY Squirrel Control Tips
Here are some methods of DIY Squirrel Control that are commonly used
- Leave a portable radio outside all night so that the squirrels get scared by hearing the human voices so that they don’t try to come close to your home or garden.
- Sprinkle different spices and powders around your home so that the squirrels runaway because of the smell and or taste the powder or spices might have. Some examples would be red crushed peppers, Cayenne peppers, black pepper, cinnamon powder, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder and etc…
- Shred bits and pieces of soap. People say that the squirrels hate the smell of the soap and would runaway!
- Repellents – There are many squirrel removal products out there that you can buy that is guaranteed to get rid of your unwanted guests. Most of these are gimmicks and a simple way for people to spend their hard earned money on products that will not deliver the end result that they wanted. It may drive the squirrel away for a few days but they will come back eventually.
Take it from a professional, squirrels can be very destructive. You can try any of the above to try and get rid of the squirrels yourself but the best results are through a professional squirrel control service. The easiest and most efficient way to do a squirrel removal is to just contact a wildlife control technician like SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated to provide squirrel control services. For more information on our Squirrel Removal services read our Squirrel Removal page.
Call SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated 647-994-9453 for Squirrel Control Measures
by SOS Wildlife Control | Aug 20, 2015 | Uncategorized
Last Updated: May 2021
Professional Raccoon Removal Toronto mostly use the one way door method to remove raccoons. What is a one way door, you ask?
- One way doors are specially designed doors which allow the animal(s) to exit the property and not re-enter.
This raccoon removal Toronto method is very humane and does not include catching the animal in anyway. It involves blocking off all entryways to your home except one, the last unsealed entryway is where the one-way door is set up. The animal leaves through the door and cannot re-enter your home. This is the most humane approach and the animal returns to it’s natural habitat. This is the most common raccoon removal Toronto method, however it is not always suited to every job.
What do they do with the raccoons once they are trapped?
We have been asked on many occasion what do we do with the wildlife after we catch it.
As Ontario Law has very strict rules and regulations especially when it comes to wildlife. All raccoon removal Toronto must be humane with no harm to the animal. Once we snare and put the animal into a live cage, the animal is then taken and released a kilometer away from where it is caught.
These approaches sound very easy but it takes experience and knowledge of the animals to do it correctly. If there are babies involved it is different again as you have to remove the mother with a one-way door then remove the babies separately. Check our raccoon removal Toronto page if there are babies involved. Wildlife removal must be done in a humane manner with respect to wildlife. If you have a wildlife problem, call us at 647-994-9453 or email us at info@soswildlife.ca.
Do It Yourself Raccoon Removal Toronto
Although we don’t recommend it, If you wish to do it yourself you have to learn how to remove raccoons humanely. It is important to understand what to do with them once caught and know the law. If you do not use the correct humane raccoon removal Toronto method you may face a fine. You may think you will not get caught but read about Dong Nguyen, the man who hit three baby raccoons with a shovel as they destroyed his garden in downtown Toronto in 2011. He faced a $1,365 fine and 100 hours volunteer service in a animal shelter. Hiring a professional raccoon removal Toronto technician would have been a better approach. Read more on Dong Nguyen’s inhumane raccoon removal method. There has been a lot of cruel acts by people towards these raccoons which is very wrong, please don’t be one of them. If you do want to remove the raccoon yourself, take the time and research into humane raccoon removal Toronto methods.
Depending on where you live, check the local bylaws to see if you are allowed to relocate these animals. If so relocate the animal one kilometer away from where you captured it, into a green wooden area.
Be careful not to get scratch by raccoons as they may carry numerous diseases including rabies and roundworm found in their feces. Only handle their feces if it is wet, the spores are released when it is dry. Ensure to wear gloves and a mask. If you get scratched seek medical attention immediately. Read our Raccoon Removal and Rabies page for more information.
Do It Yourself Raccoon Removal Dangers
There’s a reason professional wildlife trapping companies exist. Do it yourself options for raccoon removal like trapping and releasing can risk you trapping a family or neighbor’s pet, or even worse a toddler. Be very careful before doing this and check the law in your area to see if it is legal to relocate a raccoon yourself.
Another sad inhumane raccoon removal method happened in Oakville in 2015, where a resident set rat poison around a tree to kill off squirrels and ended up killing 3 pet dogs and putting 3 more dogs critical condition.
These are both devastating stories so please be aware when initiating raccoon removal Toronto methods yourself. There are other risk factors involved. We really do highly recommend removing raccoons professionally, by someone who is trained in what they are doing. SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated provides efficient, professional and humane methods. We do not advise you to try live trapping, as this takes practice and should only be done by a professional. You don’t want to accidentally trap the neighbors cat or toddlers. Also remember there are strict laws of the sizes of the traps and the animals have to be relocated. If you are going to try this yourself please read up on the Ministry of Natural Resources Laws.
Call SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated on (647) 994-9453 for Raccoon Removal Toronto
by SOS Wildlife Control | Aug 12, 2015 | Animal Control, Human-Wildlife Conflict
Raccoon Control – Ukraine
The Ukraine army are planning to train baby raccoons as sappers to find explosives and sniff mines. This all stemmed from last spring when an officer rescued a raccoon from hunting dogs. The unit decided to foster him and named him Hook. They soon found him a girlfriend – Alice and the couple now live happily in the unit. However what the raccoons don’t know is that their offspring will be trained from kits (babies) to search for explosives and mines. It’s a combat engineering purpose and an unofficial raccoon control technique, which I personally think is very intelligent as raccoons are quick learners, very crafty, extremely adaptable and expert problem solvers. But asking zoologists some says yes they are smart enough, some zoologists say no, too aggressive and curious. But the future will tell if these black bandits can become sergeants.
Raccoon Control Toronto
Waiting on the raccoon fate is similar to Toronto and the new green bins that are being issued to tackle our human-wildlife conflict. Toronto has it’s own army of wild raccoons that troop around our city, enter our homes as they wish, take siege in our attics and obstruct our backyards. And we cant forget our urban cowboy the squirrel who are as bad. Toronto has taken measures to tackle the human-wildlife conflict with the new green bins with a twist handle which should stop raccoons opening them. Hopefully this will work as a raccoon control measure and stop raccoons having a one stop shop for food. Although the repercussions of this could see raccoons breaking into our homes and eating from cupboards, but as I said the future will tell. Maybe we should take inspiration from the Ukraine army and think further outside the box to help with raccoon control. As it is illegal to kill these animals, ideas to train them to help in other areas just like we use dogs is an idea. I am not saying this is ideal as I am all about leaving wildlife to be wild but the human – wildlife conflict in Ontario needs to be approached on some level. The Ukraine Army training them is inspiring and highlights there are answers to our conflicts.
Not to quote Suits but there are always options. “When you’re backed against the wall, break the god damn thing down!” 🙂
For more information on Ukraine’s raccoon army check out he article – “Ukraine’s Army to Train Raccoons as Sappers“. Until Toronto can reach an answer to our raccoon control problem you can call SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated who can look after your wildlife needs, we remove all animals humanely from your property and they are taken a mile away and released back into the wild. Check out our raccoon removal page for more information.
Call SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated for Raccoon Control: 647.994.9453
by SOS Wildlife Control | Aug 3, 2015 | Squirrel Control
Last Updated: May 2016
How to Remove Squirrels from your home
The presence of these mammals in the attic is a common problem. One of the common signs of infestation are the sounds of chirping, scratching and jumping around from above the ceiling. Once you have identified the squirrels, it’s time to have them be gone. There are multiple solutions to squirrel removal. The best solution for squirrel removal is to hire a professional. Experts like SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated are fully trained and have years of experience in squirrel removal. Throughout the years we have had many calls for squirrel removal and are very familiar with squirrel life cycle and habits. Most importantly, wildlife control technicians know the rules and regulations in wildlife removal.
If you hire SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated, we will arrive at your home, inspect the area and provide you with a thorough outline of what the problem is, the main entry points and the squirrel removal options you have. The next step (upon hire) is an attic inspection. This is a hands on approach and allows us to invade the animals space. We can identify if there are babies involved or if it’s only adults. The standard humane method for squirrel removal is with a one way door covering the main entry hole. All other entry holes are blocked. This ensures that the squirrel leaves through only the one-way door and cannot re-enter. This method ensures animals do not get locked inside a building and it greatly reduces the possibility of property damage. If we snare or trap the animal, the squirrel is then relocated one kilometer away in accordance with the law.
Depending on the time of year, there may be babies involved. If so, call a professional as the babies need to be removed and reunited with their mother who will relocate the babies herself. With babies involved, the technician seeks out the babies and removes them from the property. During the search of the attic the technician must be aware that the mother squirrel may be lurking in the dark. It is her instinctive nature to protect her young and may be provoked when they approached. Being attacked in a confined attic space is the last thing anyone wants! The mother squirrel needs to be chased out of the attic through an one way door or kept at bay in order to get to the babies. Once the technician have the babies, they will put them in an insulated heated box close to the one-way door installed. When the mother feels that it is safe she will come back and relocate the babies one by one to a pre-established den.
Do It Yourself Advice
If the animals pose no immediate threat to health and safety, then residents may choose to wait until the adults and any young have left the home or property, and then close the access point to prevent re-entry. Residents taking this approach must ensure that all young animals have left the nest or den, which normally means waiting until the young are weaned. It is not recommended to conduct do-it-yourself methods for wildlife removal, but if you must here are some tips that may help. Read up on your local wildlife legislation before attempting to do it yourself.
- If you think there is an animal under your porch or in your attic you should identify the entry point.
- Inspect the potential entry point after dark when the animal would have left to gather food
- Inspect for tracks or use a thin layer of sand/flour at the entrance if your ground isn’t suitable for tracks
- Identify the tracks by using a wildlife guide or Google image them
- Do not seal the only entry point and trap the animal. This is very inhumane, the animal may still be inside and die of starvation
- To humanely remove the animal yourself you can set up a bright light and leave it on through the day and night. You can also turn on a radio or other ongoing sound and leave it playing in the area. The animal will be discouraged from the light or noise and will eventually leave.
Never trap the animal yourself or set up your own traps.
Once you have rid the animal from your property deny them access to attractants, which can be food or shelter. Close up all entry points after you are 110% sure the animal has left. Keep all garbage and composts in secure containers or enclosures as those odors attract pests. For prevention tips against raccoon’s, squirrels, skunks etc. follow the guidelines and practical tips listed in our blog “Wildlife Proofing your Property“.
