It’s certainly not a surprise that animals can cause quite the headache to many property owners. Animal damage repair costs can be cumbersome and the time that takes to complete such repairs can be lengthy. Let’s not forget having to deal with contractors, the living conditions during the repairs, and the cleanup after construction. Unexpected costs aside, the timeliness of such damages can’t be predicted, leaving many property owners desperate and stressed.
How to Avoid Animal Damage Repair Needs:
Here are very basic but extremely effective tips to keep your home from becoming a den for wildlife:
Be proactive in surveying your properties for visible structural damages such as holes, cracks, openings, etc.
Be proactive in identifying animal trails, droppings, and signs of animal life in your property, including attic space, basement, and under porches.
Be cautious and tedious with cleanliness. Keep all foods both human and pet food, contained and sealed.
Keep property off clutter and leaves. Maintain front and backyard trimmed, grass cut, and all leaves raked.
Keep pantry clean and free of opened food packaging.
If at any point you recognize a damage, or animal trail, there are several DIY methods available, but while the internet is full of inexpensive and sometimes free options and solutions, they don’t always provide effective results. Some of the most important things you can do is to identify there is an animal in your property. You should certainly clean the area and keep it hygienic for yourself and your family as many wildlife carry easily spreadable diseases. You can survey the area and find their “home” which is usually a designated area where they sleep, collect food, and keep their family. It is never recommended to try and remove any members of wildlife on your own. If they’re still on your property at the time of discovery, you should not try to catch them on your own. Aside from causing you physical harm, they could cause a lot of damage to your property, rip and chew through electrical cables, and dig their claw through walls, floors, insulation, etc. You should always seek professional services if the animals are present, and if there is a family with their babies. In Ontario, there are strict laws in place in protecting wildlife. These laws are in place to ensure wildlife are treated fairly and humanely. Anyone endangering the life of a member of the wildlife or inhumanely treating an animal can not only be fined up to $5000, but they can also be charged with animal cruelty under criminal law. The cost of animal damage repairs, legal fines, and potential physical harm all lead to one easy solution, which is to contact professional wildlife technicians.
While wildlife may be the more common invader, you could also have rodents and other pests like bedbugs and cockroaches infest your property. These smaller but equally destructive animals could cause permanent damages to your property that could easily drive the existing market value property down. The health risks they pose on humans, as well as their ability to multiply extremely quickly are the reasons why pests should also be taken very seriously. Small droppings, sour smells, tiny footprints could all be signs of an existing or growing mice problem. Cost of animal damage repairs aside, both wildlife and pests can be jeopardizing to healthy living/working environments.
Damages and Damage Repairs
Here are some examples of what animal damage repair costs could be in Ontario:
Insulation: $1 a square foot
Vapor Barriers: $0.70 a square foot
Drywall/Plaster: $9 a square foot
Hardwood Surface Scratch repair: up to $40 per tread
Hardwood Floor Staining and Varnish: up to $50 per tread
Shingle replacement/repair: $275-$750 per square foot (plus the cost of materials)
Concrete crack/hole repair: $250+
Professional Home Disinfection services: start at $500
Electrical Cable replacement: start at $100
Aside from having to fund hefty repair bills, finding reputable contractors, having to spare required time for estimates, work, clean up, and having to relocate family (if required) due to hazardous situations are all stressful but absolutely controllable. Take early action, recognize the signs, and contact
the professionals. DIY options can provide permanent solutions for minor infestation cases, but may only provide short-term solutions for bigger, unidentified problems. Don’t put yourself your family at risk. Contact our technicians who are able to provide a broader assessment, and provide effective results.
Animal damage repair costs are no joke, and we take wildlife and pest control very seriously. We handle all infestation situations with professionalism and provide wildlife removal services the most humane way possible. Our technicians use the most effective methods in the most humane manners. Our technicians are professionally trained, friendly, and professional. They are able to understand animal behavior, as well as traits. They can help identify entry points and offer advice on repair techniques. Don’t let animal damage repair costs to become a headache and a nuisance to your family.
At SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated, we provide superior wildlife removal services for residential, commercial, and industrial clients. Let us help you solve your wildlife problems. Taking action before it’s too late will help eliminate animal damage repair costs. We can easily be reached at 1-800-981-0330. Don’t wait and call us to schedule an appointment for a thorough inspection to help evacuate all your unwanted wildlife guests in the most humane way possible.
Call SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated 1.800.981.0330!
What does Toronto Wildlife Removal mean? To us, it means saving our clients from unwanted visitors (a.k.a urban wildlife), and humanely bringing the visitors back to their natural habitats. Both in the City of Toronto and in the Greater Toronto Area, wildlife can be a nuisance to many residents, business owners, and industrial/agricultural environments.
What is Wildlife?
Wildlife traditionally refers to non-domesticated animal species. Wildlife can be found in all ecosystems, in both urban and rural sites. Common wildlife animals found in the GTA are birds, pigeons, skunks, snakes, raccoons, squirrels, opossums, and bats. Most times, these animals will behave in hostile manners when aggravated, and can be considered as dangerous and sometimes infectious.
Wildlife & Human Co-Habitance
In most cases, wildlife and humans can co-exist in urban areas. While everyone goes about their businesses, conflicts do arise at times. As weather gets cooler, urban wildlife starts seeking shelter. Raccoons, squirrels, pigeons, and bats may settle in attics, between walls, and chimneys; causing significant damage and health hazards to homeowners. Skunks could hide under porches or decks and spray house pets or unwary residents. Human-wildlife conflict does arise frequently in Toronto.
Fall is a peak season for Toronto wildlife removal needs as many animals start looking for food and shelter from the fast approaching cold weather conditions. This is the time to wildlife proof your property to avoid unwanted visitors. Usually finding warmth and food in or around a structure. Wildlife such as raccoons and squirrels easily get acclimated to their new habitats, often bringing their dependents with them. Removing wildlife in humane manner requires very specific skill-sets as well as in-depth knowledge of all the animals. Although there are many DIY solutions available for all wildlife removal needs, one can never predict the results of these projects. Trained technicians can understand animals’ behaviors, predict their motives, and even know their next moves. Trained technicians can also tell if wildlife has been breeding, where the babies may be, and if wildlife has or is suffering from any injuries. Most importantly professionals have the proper gear, equipment, and animal storage and removal tools to avoid any harm to you, to the animals, or to themselves. At SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated, we ensure your safety, as well as the safety of the animals. Our trained wildlife control technicians help relocate wildlife as per Environment Canada’s guidelines. We ensure the animals are injury and stress free during this process. We try to use one ways doors as our first solution. This involves no wildlife human interaction but if this option is not suitable we use wildlife friendly cages where animals are transported comfortable and free of restraints to their new, natural environments.
Toronto wildlife removal services have become a necessity for many home and business owners as urban wildlife number are on an increase. Due to the quick adaptability and fast- breeding nature, wildlife quickly adjusts to their new environments and they promptly pass this knowledge down to their offspring, creating a smarter generation of unwanted guests. Once an animal has established a home, they like to keep it. Any female offspring raised here, will also want to return to the same place to have their own litters. Given many of the wildlife are extremely intelligent, it is quite possible for this to take place. For many reasons aside from the simple attachment issues, it is very imperative to remove all wildlife as soon as possible before it becomes a matter of a serious infestation problem.
How to Avoid Toronto Wildlife Removal Services
Lock up all recyclables and garbage in animal proof bins, ensure lids are securely closed at all times
Take garbage and recyclables out often
Remove any and all uneaten pet foods from pets’ bowls, remove all bird feeders at night
Caution neighbors against wildlife feeding, contact your local council if problem persists
Survey the structure of your home regularly, be aware of all cracks and holes and ensure proper measures are taken to fix these deficiencies
Keep your home clean and organized, don’t leave opened packages of food out or overnight
Keep your yard tidy by removing all unnecessary items and debris. Mow your lawn, and rake leaves regularly
Ensure doors and windows are closed, as most wildlife are superior climbers
Screen entry points and maintain fencing
Our Approach to Toronto Wildlife Removal
While there are different approaches trained technicians can use such as no trapping, or lethal trapping; we like to use the One Way Door or the Live Trapping method at SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated. This method allows use to trap the wildlife to ensure successful captivity, but it also allows us to inspect the animals to ensure they are uninjured before releasing them back into the wild. If animals are captured at the time of birthing/nesting period, we place them in protected boxes and ensure they are located to a safe environment, no further than 1 km away from the location of captivity, as per provincial guidelines. We provide the Toronto and GTA residents, humane wildlife removal services.
Wildlife Fun Facts:
On the mammal IQ scale, raccoons rank higher than cats, and just below monkeys
Squirrels are extremely intelligent: they are known to put elaborate bogus food burying display to deceive onlookers. The purpose of this fake burial is to trick potential thieves: other squirrels
Skunks are nocturnal. They sleep during the day and look for food at night
Opossums have remarkable ability to find food and remember its source. When tested for ability to remember where food it, opossums scored better than rats, rabbits, and dogs. They can also find their way through a maze faster than rodents and cats.
At SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated, we provide superior Toronto Wildlife Removal services for residential, commercial, and industrial clients. Let us help you solve your wildlife problems. We easily be reached at 1-800-981-0330. Don’t wait and call us to schedule an appointment for a thorough inspection to help evacuate all your unwanted wildlife guests.
Autumn is a beautiful time of year in Toronto, with the leaves changing colour, the weather cooling down a bit, and signs of wildlife running around parks collecting food for hibernation. However, Halloween is the time of year you can find raccoons and other wildlife lounging around for treats. If you see a raccoon or any wildlife such as squirrels or skunks around this time on your property, we strongly advise you to assess your home to see how it stands against wildlife intrusions. Assess your property for entry holes, or weak areas where it is possible for wildlife to get through. Nuisance wildlife are now searching for shelter for the winter.
Raccoon Fact: Raccoons are much less active with the cold weather and will sleep for longer periods of time
October is the perfect time to wildlife proof your home as snow hasn’t yet fallen and there are no raccoon babies.
Baby Raccoons
As it is October there will be no baby raccoons which simplifies that raccoon removal process. When babies are involved, raccoon removal involves a the mother first needing to be removed, then the babies who are then reunited.This process is not necessary during the fall season due to the fact that it is not their baby season. Read more on baby raccoon removal here.
Check any overhanging trees and trim branches to restrict access to your roof. Put your garbage bins in a garage or secure with a bungee cord to restrict access. Remove any food scraps around your home, and place pet foods inside. Don’t overfill bird feeders. Stopping wildlife from being attracted to your property is step one
Fixing any weak areas of your home
Assess your home for weak areas. Replace any broken, weakened or missing roof tiles. Check all soffits and vents. If heat is escaping from parts of your home, fixing this will not only reduce energy costs but will not attract unwanted critters. If they can’t find any weak areas they will move on. If anything is torn open or got holes big enough for a raccoon can enter then you may already have wildlife in your home. Do not seal them unless you know there is no wildlife inside. You can either do this yourself but calling a professional is recommended.
Unfortunately your Halloween pumpkins might also attract wildlife to your property, but if you wildlife proof your property they will be restricted from getting in the property. .You can wildlife proof your property yourself or you can hire a professional like SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated to do it for you. Doing this now will save you money in the long run. It is more convenient to prevent a raccoon from entering now than removing it in the middle of the winter when there is snow on the ground. Do not climb on an icy roof to cover holes yourself as this is dangerous, you may risk falling.
Denying raccoons access in the fall gives them time to search for another appropriate living space. If they are found and removed during colder months, their chance for survival is threatened.
Cities are chock-full of raccoon problems with Toronto and the GTA being no different. This blog discusses the common raccoon problems for Toronto GTA homeowners. The information provided outlines their behavior and characteristics to help you understand your options.
Raccoons are quite common in Toronto and have increasingly become a problem not only in the GTA but throughout Ontario as well. Raccoons have no natural predator to keep their population in control and as we continually destroy their natural habitat they have no choice but to adapt to our residential areas. The most common raccoon problems include:
Raccoons can be destructive urban mammals. Their strength alone, combined with their determination to get food and shelter make for a potentially costly combination. Raccoons 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. They are very opportunistic animals especially when it comes to meeting their basic needs. They have nimble fingers which allow them to open garbage bins to seek out food. The City of Toronto has introduced new green bins to tackle this issue, you can read further about this on our blog here. Even with the new bins, raccoons adapt very quickly, so it is still a good idea to stay alert. I came home from work one day to find a raccoon in my bedroom. He had opened the balcony door and went into my room. I had a pizza box on my desk and it was tumbled over and the remaining pizza was gone. I found the raccoon behind my bed. I opened the window and left the room closing the door behind me. He left shortly after. Food attracts raccoons! Dog or cat food left outside is pretty much an open invitation to a raccoon, and they may even come in through a pet door to get to the food. Raccoons in many areas have simply lost their fear of people. They are very strong and can defend themselves, in some cases, even against big dogs, so do not corner them. Never corner a wild animal!
How to approach your raccoon problems
One of the most commonly used methods is trapping and relocating. Trapping is were you cover all entry holes the raccoons use except one. A one-way door is installed so the raccoons can exit and not reenter. One they have exited, the final entry-hole is closed. If there are babies involved, different precautions must be taken. The mother raccoon must be removed first in order for the babies to be moved into a insulated heated box which is placed near the hole. The mother raccoon then returns to the babies, relocating them into a new safe site. Never trap a wildlife animal in your home as this is inhumane and illegal. For wildlife removal services, we recommend calling a professional to ensure safety, humane practices and professionalism.
There’s a reason professional wildlife trapping companies exist. Do-it-yourself options for raccoon 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. If you decide to conduct it on your own, check to see what laws are in place regarding wildlife trapping and relocating. It is illegal to kill raccoons in Ontario. There was a very sad case in Pickering where someone set up snares which killed a litter of baby raccoons, one by one. A resident of Pickering had a baby raccoon enter their garden struggling to get out of the snare. It was reported and a $1000 reward for information on the culprit was placed. See the link here. Another Ontario resident set rat poison around a tree to kill off squirrels and ended up killing 3 pet dogs and putting 3 critical ill. It was lucky no children ate the poison. So please be aware when attempting to solve raccoon problems yourself, as there are other risk factors involved.
Professional Raccoon Removal
SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated 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 measures, wildlife trapping, we solve raccoon problems with professional expertise.
Ontario is and has been facing human wildlife conflict. Constantly, wildlife are breaking into people’s property resulting in wildlife being mistreated treated by humans. From our experience, it is very sad to see what some people are capable of doing to animals, but fortunately there are still a large population of people who respect wildlife and promote humane treatment.
Wildlife, like raccoon’s, squirrels, skunks, and opossums all exist in Toronto, bringing a little bit of nature to the hustle and bustle of the city. With food readily accessible in trash bins and gardens plus the disruption of their natural habitat, we can hardly blame them for helping themselves as they adapt to an urban lifestyle. Toronto has become overpopulated with wildlife in the city as there is no natural predators to keep a balance which the reason for a human-wildlife conflict. So why are these animals not being killed to resolve the human-wildlife conflict? Why are these pests removed from our homes and released a mile away?
We believe and support in humane solutions and so do Ontario legislation. Ontario has strong animal welfare legislation, enforcing strong laws and tough penalties. In Ontario it is an offence to cause or permit distress to an animal.
“Our goal is to ensure that Ontario’s animals are protected and treated in the humane manner that our society expects” Ministry of Natural Resources, 2015.
According to Ontario rules and regulations, to even own a trap that can catch anything bigger than a rat is illegal. Any device big enough to kill a raccoon or the use of poisons to kill these wild animals could also end up injuring someone else including pets. The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) recommends hiring a licensed professional to trap and remove the animal.
Trapping is a common practice of urban wildlife management in Toronto, but the most effective way of controlling nuisance wildlife like raccoon’s, skunks, mice, rats, or squirrels is prevention. Preventing wildlife from entering your home can be much more effective than live trapping.
Toronto Human Wildlife Conflict
The large population of wildlife in Toronto can be associated with the introduction of the green bins a few years ago. The green bins provided the animals with a one stop shop for food which seems to have correlated with the increase in wildlife population.
To tackle this problem the government are providing Toronto residence with the next generation green bin which is larger, more sturdy and has improved animal resistance features. You can see the new bin below and the size difference in comparison to the older green bin. We should see this bins fully introduced later this year / early 2016.
Below is a video of the new green bins put to the test with raccoon’s. I have to be honest when these bins were first introduced I was very skeptical as raccoon’s are very intelligent. I guess they will have to be put to the test so we can find out!
Although this is a humane step the City of Toronto has taken to tackle the city’s wildlife problem, this alone is not enough to deal with Toronto’s wildlife problem. Recent talks by the City have further recommended “human behavioral contributors to urban wildlife issues.” to help mitigate the wildlife conflict. This still has to get approval from the full council and it will be about addressing the human behavior to urban wildlife issues rather than implement programs that attempt to control wildlife populations.
Educating people on their behavior is a great step in learning how to deal with human-wildlife conflict. This humane response would involve compassion and respect and preclude cruelty and avoid suffering or injury to the animals. Educating the public to understanding the animals’ characteristics and needs and learn how to wildlife proof your home and property will help us take a non-lethal approach leading to a peaceful coexistence. Urban wildlife is an important element of the city life and it is important to appreciate the diversity of these animals. When they are prevented from being a nuisance, they can add an important aspect to living in the city.
The Fur-Bearer Defenders, an organization who promote co-existence with wildlife will be on Wits and Pieces on Rogers Television in Ontario tonight from 7 to 7:30 pm! They will be discussing Toronto’s wildlife conflict, the City of Toronto’s plan for managing this conflict, and answering any questions viewers may have. Please watch and get involved as everyone’s views and opinions may help resolve this issue!
