Keeping Wildlife Out of Your Home

Your home is the perfect place to relax, enjoy the warmth of being inside, and take shelter from the elements. Without a place to call home, you’d be pretty hard pressed to find a place to nestle down and get cozy. Unfortunately, wildlife pests see your home in the same way you do: a warm cozy little place to shack up for the night, or the week, or the rest of the month. This is why many homeowners have had to deal with certain wildlife finding their way into their homes. Critters such as squirrels and raccoons are the most common culprits, bringing with them a whole slew of potential problems such as disease-carrying ticks, and a tendency to gnaw on anything they can get their paws on. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to prevent these unwanted guests from entering your home, and here’s a quick look at them.

Keep your Garbage in Check

Wildlife is attracted to garbage, so it’s a good idea to make sure you consistently clean up your garbage both inside and outside your home. Keep indoor and outdoor garbage cans properly sealed at all times and clear any garbage that may be laying around your home or in your yard. Ensuring that Garbage is kept in check is your first step in preventing wildlife from being attracted to your house.

Block off all Entry Points

Critters can get into your home through even the smallest crevices and spaces, so a good strategy to keep them out is to block off any and all openings your house may have. It can be tedious work, but the reward of not having any live animals inside the walls of your home, or in your basement is well worth it. Some common entry points to look for are missing foundation vents, loose siding, and broken windows. Mice and rats are the number one pests that can easily find their way into your home seeing as they are able to squeeze through even the smallest of openings and spaces.

Don’t Feed Animals

Feeding backyard or neighbourhood animals is like putting a giant glowing sign up on your house that says “free food here”. If animals begin to associate your house with being fed, they are far more likely to return time and time again in hopes of getting more food. If they can’t find what they’re looking for outside your home, they will likely try to search inside instead. Should they happen to find their way inside your home looking for food, make sure you are not accommodating them. Avoid storing food in areas that are easily accessible to invading critters such as on shelves in your basement or in a crawlspace.

Of course, the best way to avoid having a critter problem in your home is to prevent them from entering in the first place, but if all else fails and you are stuck with unwanted guests you ‘re the best course of action is going to be calling a professional pest control service to help get rid of them.