What do you do if you find a skunk under decking, or a skunk under a porch or even anywhere on your property? First step is to keep a safe distance as a skunk can spray up to 10 ft. The smell is vile and it is difficult to remove.
A skunk under decking is very common as it is a nice isolated area for them to make their home, but it’s important for you to remove them as they will keep returning to that den. You may first realize you have a skunk by it’s smell, its very potent, or you may see it entering and leaving at night, either way it’s best to call a professional for skunk removal.
How to know you have a Skunk Under Decking
Four ways to identify if you have a Skunk Under Decking is sight, damage or odor.
Sight
The easiest way to know you have a skunk is to spot it. You may see it entering or leaving however this could be rare as they are very skilled at staying hidden. Skunks are nocturnal and they enter and leave mainly at night.
Damage
You can also identify a skunk problem by the damage they cause. They often will destroy things that gets in their way in their search for food. They will knock over garbage cans, break glass, and destroy property. The longer you have a Skunk Under Decking the more damage they will cause. Having a skunk for two weeks will cause a lot of damage to your property.
What to do if you have a Skunk Under Decking?
Eliminate Attractants
Other ways you can resolve a skunk problem without trapping the animal is to eliminate whatever is attracting the skunk to your property – garbage, pet food, assess your house for weak points where they may enter.
There are several risks when conducting do-it-yourself skunk removal and you may spend a lot of time and money on gimmicks that work only temporarily. We really do highly recommend hiring someone to remove skunks professionally. We do not advise you to try live trapping.
Read our Skunk removal page to learn how we professional remove skunks. The most humane way is using a one-way door as there is little to no human-wildlife interaction.
Prevent future Skunk Under Decking
To prevent future animals entering your home, SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated provides wildlife prevention for your home. Wildlife Prevention will help keep them out and is a long term solution. Read our Wildlife Prevention page for more information.
Call SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated for Skunk Removal
Toronto GTA is choc full of squirrels whether it be squirrels in the park, squirrels in neighborhoods and squirrels on your property. We receive a lot of calls from distressed GTA homeowners and business owners about squirrels in the attic, squirrels in the wall, squirrels in the chimney, squirrels in the vents, squirrels in the yard stealing bird seeds or pet food. They are everywhere. In this blog we will discuss common GTA squirrel removal problems, in relation to squirrels in your home. We will provide information about squirrels and their characteristics to help you understand why they enter and what options you have.
Squirrels are quite common in Toronto and have become a huge problem not only in the GTA but across the whole of Ontario. As we continually destroy wildlife’s natural habitat they have no choice but to adapt to our residential areas.
Squirrels are very destructive urban mammals in the GTA, along with raccoons and other wildlife. Squirrels are determined to get food and shelter which could potentially be a costly problem if they enter your home. Squirrels have a variety of skills that allow them to exhibit a variety of behaviors, most revolving around the basics: foraging for food and seeking shelter. Several squirrels in some areas have simply lost their fear of people. In some municipalities, it is against the law to feed wildlife as this encourages the squirrels to lose their fear. If they imprint on people they may become dependent and eventually could come into harms way because of this.
Squirrels are a lot stronger than what they look with claws that pierce bark. These little guys are more than capable to defend themselves so do not corner them.
How to Remove Squirrels
The primary approach is using a one-way door. This involves little to no interaction with the squirrel. A one-way door method works by out technicians closing all entry points on your home that the squirrel is using except one. The last entry hole which is usually the main entry hole is where the one-way door is set up. The structure of it allows the squirrel to get out but cannot re-enter.
If there are babies involved then it is more complicated and you have to call a professional for squirrel removal to remove then reunite the family. Read more on our article Baby Squirrel Removal. Do not trap the animal inside your home as this is inhumane and illegal!
There’s a reason professional wildlife removal companies exist. Do-it-Yourself options for squirrel removal like trapping and releasing them elsewhere leads to the risk of you trapping a family or neighbor’s pet, or even worse a toddler. Be very careful before doing this and look up what laws and regulations apply to your area when you relocate a squirrel yourself. Please be aware when removing squirrels yourself there are other risk factors involved which is why we highly recommend using a professional for squirrel removal and any wildlife control!
GTA Squirrel Removal Experts
We specialize in nuisance wildlife control. We remove unwanted wildlife from homes and businesses, and solve conflicts between people and wild animals. From home inspections to preventative repairs, wildlife trapping, we solve critter problems with professional expertise.
Call us today at 647-994-9453 for Toronto GTA Squirrel Removal
Removing raccoons from your home or property is a commonly requested service, especially in Toronto GTA. Ontario has a large population of raccoons so it’s safe to get your home checked and proofed. Your property is the perfect shelter for a raccoon with heat and food supply. While good for the raccoons, this is almost always a nuisance to homeowner and property owners!
The most common raccoon complaints we receive from customers are:
removing raccoons from attic
removing raccoons from chimney
removing raccoons from crawl space,
removing raccoons from yard
removing raccoons under porch
Raccoons can be loud, cause damage to the building structure/contents and can be dangerous for your health with the diseases they carry. It is important to have them removed professionally, humanely and effectively.
Common Times for Raccoons to Enter your Home
Raccoons can enter your home anytime of the year but they are more likely to do so during spring and winter. During the winter period it’s more difficult for raccoons to find food and shelter making your home very appealing. In the Spring, raccoons give birth to a litter of 3-7 babies. The mother scouts several dens before choosing one, the attic of your house or under your porch is a nice secluded area that is a common spot for them.
Raccoons are quite large animals compared to squirrels and other wildlife animals that come inside your home. Since they are heavier you will hear loud thumping rather than scratches if they are in your attic. If it’s a family of raccoons consisting of a female adult raccoon and a litter of her babies living up in your attic, you will hear the baby’s unique whining and crying
Removing raccoons from your home
Raccoon removal once you find the raccoon is recommended because they can be very dangerous and damaging. Getting rid of raccoons involves scare tactics, baiting, cages, although we do not recommend this unless you are a licensed and trained professional. Wildlife can be quite aggressive when under threat so be careful and remember that raccoons can carry several diseases dangerous to humans like rabies and roundworm. If you are getting rid of raccoons it’s strongly recommend you use a professional like SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated.
Call SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated at 647.994.9453
It is very common in Toronto GTA to see squirrel-human interaction. People find amusement in watching squirrels sitting in the park watching them run around and climbing up trees. Watching wildlife from afar can be relaxing pastime, but sometimes the interactions are not wanted and people are not pleased with it at all.
If you’re faced with a squirrel on your property, then it’s very likely that you want the squirrels removed! But getting rid of squirrels can be a difficult task without the proper knowledge and experience. That’s why a lot of people just contact professional wildlife technicians like SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated to conduct squirrel removal for them. To figure out how to get them out, you need to find out how the squirrels get in in the first place. Once this is determined, then you can plan how to get them out.
The preferred and common method professionals usually use a one-way door. A one-way door is a door installed usually at the main entry point. All other entry points are sealed which allows the animal to exit and not re-enter only via the one-way door. This is the most humane squirrel removal method and involves no human wildlife encounter. In certain conditions, depending on the type of situation in play, snares are use. There is no one size fits all solution to getting rid of squirrels, but conducting humane removal with minimal contact with wildlife is the ideal squirrel removal method.
Once you get rid of the squirrel, repairs on any weak points to the property is recommended to ensure you have no further unwanted visitors. SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated will advise you on what areas are in need of attention.
How do squirrels get into your home?
Knowing a little about squirrels will help you understand. Squirrels are fairly intelligent mammals who can find weak spot on your property. They can rip open soffits, open vent hole, open walls, gable vents, and other roof vents. There are various different ways on how squirrels are able to come inside your home which can be mind blowing once you find out the exact measures they have taken. They are very good climbers, very strong and have agile paws. These traits make it easier for them to climb into your house, or rip soffits or vents and make their way into your attic. They are not one bit scared of heights as they are amazing climbers. Getting rid of squirrels can be tricky, but once they are in your home you should remove them immediately before they cause too much damage.
Some homes may have bigger holes and easier accesses to inside the house. Any ripped soffits or damage on the exterior wall makes it easier for squirrels to enter your home. If you do not fix the weak areas and wildlife proof your home, you may need squirrel control more often to make sure there are no squirrels returning to live inside their house. Once one squirrel lives in a house they leave behind their scent which attracts other wildlife and predators. It is advised when you remove squirrels you should clean that area extremely well. If you’ve had a squirrel in the attic check your attic insulation to see how badly it’s damaged and have your attic restored to its clean state. Wildlife proof your home! If you don’t want to hire a professional, take all the wildlife prevention methods you can yourself to prevent further unwanted critters entering your home. Houses with lots of tall trees surrounding them are higher at risk of having squirrels living in their home. Trim the branches from your house and check for any holes in your roof or soffits regularly throughout the year to ensure there is no wildlife in your home. Read our blog Signs that wildlife are living in your home. Check for these signs and try to remove anything that makes your home attractive to wildlife.
As mentioned previously, squirrels usually come in your attics by torn open soffits, open vent hole, torn open wall, gable vents, and other roof vents. You will want to seal any holes and or openings, but in doing so, you need to make sure you don’t trap the squirrel inside as this is cruel and is illegal. When sealing entry points, close all holes except for the one way entryway. Leave this opening open so that the squirrel will be able to get out. If there are babies involved you will have to contact a professional to remove the babies and their mother. Read our squirrel removal page for info on baby squirrel removal.
Call SOS Wildlife at 647-994-9453 for getting rid of Squirrels
October 1st is Raccoon Appreciation Day! This is an effort to highlight the benefits the little critters have to our city. I always read (and wrote myself) how over populated Toronto is with raccoons, how we don’t even know how many raccoons we have in the city, but today I will talk about the benefits of having them in our wonderful TO.
The raccoons have managed to thrive in our urban centers and rural communities by adapting to our habitat. They are very intelligent and from a distance lovable creatures. They are not just the garbage stealing, pet food eating bandits we portray them to be, they do provide an important role to the city and the ecosystem. They help distribute seeds from what they forage and maintain “healthy” populations. As I said we do not know numbers but they are plentiful and far from extinction. Raccoons are also beneficial to humans because of their consumption of pesky insects and mice. They eat worms, frogs, snails, berries, nuts, seeds and as we know garbage, compost and backyard vegetables and fruits. From a distance they are an enjoyable and lovable animal and I am happy to have them around and the mice gone!
They are the most easily recognized mammal in North America with their distinctive black markings, fox-like face and bushy tail!
Entertainment Value
And we cannot forget the total entertainment value these little guys provide us. As a wildlife blogger raccoon and squirrels are the two wildlife critters that are featured constantly in Toronto news. They are constantly surprising us with their intelligence or amusing us with their tricks.
The entertainment in Toronto alone! Raccoons are always featured in headlines,on signs and social media!
How can we forget Conrad the Raccoon! Today we salute Conrad! RIP
Raccoons are a large part of the Toronto GTA lifestyle. As they adapt to our habitat we have to adapt to living with the critters. However as much as we give out about the raccoons, the city would not be the same without them!
Fun Fact: Did you know raccoons have five fingers on each paw. Their paws are so nimble they can unlace a shoe, unlatch a cage and climb ladders
How do squirrels get into your home?