Living With Urban Wildlife - Part 2 of 2

By Matthew Grady

In part 1 of this series, I gave helpful hints on how to deal with bat and raccoon infestations in your home. But those aren’t the only pesky creatures that get forced out of their natural habitats and into your house. In part 2, I’ll offer helpful and easy techniques for keeping skunks and squirrels from striking fear in your heart and causing damage to your home.

Skunks

These critters get the award for being the most unpleasant animal in the neighborhood. Most notably known for their strong smell, skunks face an extreme loss of habitat in suburban areas. When woodlots are developed, the loss of trees and other natural shelter forces skunks to live under decks, sheds or even houses. If these animals are left alone they pose very little threat or inconvenience to humans. It is when other animals threaten the skunk that they unleash the potent odor that is their calling card. Skunks often spray domestic animals when they feel threatened - a big problem to say the least! Anyone who has ever had to bathe a skunk-sprayed dog knows how unpleasant this experience can be.

The Solution

There are several things you can do to prevent skunk problems. If you have skunks in your yard it is best to try and figure out why they are there. Is there habitat for them? Is the skunk living under your shed? Your deck? If so, they must be evicted and the shed must be skunk-proofed.

Is there a food source for the skunks? Are the skunks attracted to your trash barrels? Are they eating grubs from you lawn? If this is the case, a product called Grub-X can be applied to your lawn to kill the grubs. Eliminate the food source and cozy habitat and you’ll eliminate the skunks.

Squirrels

There are two common problems with squirrels in urban areas:

1. They fall down your chimney.
2. They chew their way into your attic.

It is simple to keep squirrels from falling down your chimney. Just cap it! As mentioned in part 1 of this series (in the bats section), a stainless-steel cap will do the trick. Also, make sure your damper is closed when the chimney is not in use.

As for squirrels in attics, there are two main methods of preventive maintenance you can practice. Doing both will drastically reduce the chances of getting squirrels in your attic.

Trim back those tree branches! A squirrel cannot chew a hole through a roof if it cannot get on the roof in the first place. Keep all branches trimmed back at least 10 feet from the edge of your roof at all times. In some situations a squirrel can climb up the corners of houses or scurry across power lines but they prefer to use tree branches. In these cases trimming back the branches will at least make it more difficult for squirrels to get on your roof.

Clean those gutters! Gutters collect acorns and other nuts. That makes them irresistible feeding troughs for squirrels and other rodents. A gutter that is full of leaves and nuts is like a welcome mat for squirrels. While they're up there on your roof they will chew a hole in your fascia board (board that the gutter is nailed to) and set up shop in your attic.

Keep up with the maintenance of your home. Replace rotted or old attic vents and/or other areas of wood-rot damage on your roofline and you’ll make great headway at keeping squirrels from entering your house.

Enjoy Suburban Wildlife!

Even though wild animals in the suburbs can sometimes cause damage to homes and headaches for homeowners, they can also be very entertaining and enjoyable. Once your home is properly secured you can take measures to safely attract certain types of wildlife to your property.

Bird feeders can be placed on decks and throughout the yard to attract different types of birds and squirrels.

Bat houses can be built and installed in backyards to attract bats in the summer months. Building and installing a bat house is a great project for the whole family to get involved with.

Like it or not, wild animals are in our suburbs to stay. Take the necessary precautions to secure your property and then enjoy these curious creatures. Teach your children about the crafty wild animals that live in your neighborhood and how they have adapted to their ever-changing habitat. Animal watching can be a family activity you’ll enjoy for years to come.

Matthew Grady is Owner of Bat Guys Wildlife Service, a wildlife & squirrel removal company serving Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Bat Guys is fully licensed to perform wildlife removal and rid your home of squirrels, skunks and more. Visit them online today at http://www.batguys.com. © 2007, All Rights Reserved