It all starts with a pitter patter in the late evening hour. A hard days work followed by peaceful rest, ruined! “Maybe it is the furnace or water heater”, I suggest. I’ll go back to sleep. There is much to do tomorrow. The foreign sound starts back up again. This time the sound escalates into a loud bump. “That’s no water heater!” I acclaim. The sound then travels across the ceiling. My eyes are enlightened. It’s an animal! And it’s walking around in my home! The sound is real. The animal is real. What to do? Who to call? The animal travels across the ceiling, and then suddenly stops.
Late night sounds can be a nightmare all in themselves, add to that the constant worry and frustration of what it is and how it got there; not to mention the damage the animal has caused to the home. With our help at All Friendly we can get you back to a peaceful night’s rest and living in the comfort of your own home. Here is a few tips on what to do in case an animal decides to invade your home.
What Animal Could It Be?
Many homes are invaded by many different types of pests. These include: Raccoons, Mice, Rats, Squirrels, Bats, Snakes, and Opossums. Identifying which pest the home has can require some detective work.
1. Sound
Narrowing the target pest down to the sound of the noise can be helpful. For instance, a Raccoon will often make a large walking sound compared to the sound of a mouse quickly scampering across the ceiling with a slight scurry noise. Snakes can be obvious, imagine the static sound a television makes, it can be slight, long and drawn out. Bats can portray a flutter at times followed by a loud high-pitched squeaking sound. Squirrels are active during the daylight hours and at times the sound can be constant.
2. Visual
The easiest way to identify the pest is to actually see it. Nocturnal pests such as Raccoons and Bats come out at night. Bats can often be seen leaving the home around their entry points around dusk to feed on insects. With the help of a flashlight Raccoons eyes glow once spotted with the beam of the light. During daylight hours, Squirrels can be seen running along the gutter and then suddenly disappearing around their entry point into the home.
What To Do?
Here are many different ways to identify the pest problem.
Rodents: Look for rodent evidence in pantry areas of home. Chewings on food related items and rodent scat is a good indicator.
Bats: Simply position yourself and a family member on both sides of the home around dusk to see if bats evade the home.
Raccoons: Raccoons are good climbers and often times forget to wipe their feet before they climb onto the home. Look for paw prints and smear markings on gutters or utility outlets around the home.
Squirrels: Look for tree limbs that are too close to the home. If the limbs are within 10 feet of the home then you may have a squirrel problem. Squirrels also need an adequate food source. Oak and Walnut trees are particularly great food providers for squirrels and may increase the odds of the sound being a squirrel.
Snakes: Snakes shed their skin quite often. Look for snake skins in the basement or crawl space area and also along the foundation of home.
The Grim Reality: Animal Damage To Home
There are many different types of damage that nuisance pests leave behind. Structural damage to the home such as Raccoons damaging roof vents or roofing material such as shingles. Squirrels will often times chew on fascia and ruin fascia boards and water damage can occur to soffits if not replaced. Bats and Raccoons will also leave behind their feces which can result in an odor and also stain areas of the home such as ceilings. Squirrels can chew on electrical wiring which can result in an electrical fire.
Fixing The Problem?
Once the target pest has been identified the real leg work begins. We typically suggest calling a professional such as our professionals at All Friendly to help with this process. Our certified pest professionals can quickly lay out a step by step approach to humanely removing the pest and follow-up with a permanent repair. We certainly wouldn’t want the homeowner to make any mistakes during the removal process. Failure to completely and humanely remove these pests can result in greater damage to the home and leaving an animal trapped inside resulting in an inhumane animal death and further frustration for the homeowner. Contact us to visit with your local pest professional. At All Friendly we will quickly resolve your pest problem once and for all!
