Nuisance Animal Trapping and Control

Nuisance Animals

Nuisance animals are wild or feral animals who are not wanted in a given location but who are treated a little differently than the vermin we call “pests.”

In general, animals classified as nuisance wildlife must be humanely removed from a building or property. Usually, this means trapping and removing them unharmed and releasing them in a suitable area. In other cases, it may mean sealing them out of a building once we know they’re not inside.

Sometimes, when a trapped animal is sick or injured, it can’t be transported and released. In those cases, we have to put the animal down humanely. But whenever possible, the goal is to trap and release an animal unharmed, far enough away that it will no longer create a nuisance.

Some of the more common nuisance animals we deal with are:

Squirrels

Squirrels are higher-class rodents than their closely-related but less popular relatives, the rats. There are many species of squirrels, but the gray squirrel shown at the right is one of the more common ones.

Most times, squirrels don’t cause any problems. They live in trees, eat nuts, and don’t bother anyone. Some people consider them cute, and others even feed them. They actually can become rather friendly when they’re fed regularly, and many people find their comical antics entertaining.

But when squirrels figure out that the attic of your house is a much more comfortable home than a hole in a tree, they’re not so entertaining anymore.

When squirrels get into homes, they cause all kinds of havoc. They contaminate the home with their droppings and parasites. They damage the structure of the home itself when they gnaw on siding, sheathing, roofing, and other building materials. by their clawing and chewing. If there’s anything stored in the attic, squirrels will gnaw at it, claw at it, pee and poop on it, and generally destroy it. Finally, squirrels can disrupt utility, cable TV, internet, or phone service and even create fire risk when they chew on electrical wiring.

In summary, squirrels running around outside may be cute, but squirrels in your home are menaces that need to be trapped and removed. We provide professional squirrel removal and squirrel-proofing services throughout our North Texas service area.

Raccoons

Raccoons are stocky, intelligent, primarily nocturnal animals who are easily recognizable by their distinctive coloration, their “masks,” and their ringed tails. Although many people think they are “cute” and harmless, they tend to be unfriendly and will readily attack when cornered. They are powerful animals that can cause serious injuries, so they should not be approached by anyone other than a trained animal control specialist.

Raccoons are susceptible to several zoonotic diseases, including rabies, which is another good reason to leave them alone. Rabid raccoons may appear docile or even friendly in the late stages of the disease, leading unsuspecting people to believe that they might be someone’s lost pet. Children, especially, may be moved to “help” rabid raccoons that they believe or simply lost. Children should be taught to leave raccoons (and other wild animals) alone for their safety.

Even healthy raccoons create a significant nuisance when they rummage through garbage pails and dumpsters, or even worse when they take up residence in attics or chimneys. They contaminate the home with their bodily wastes and parasites, cause a fire hazard when they get into chimneys, and can cause damage to stored items and the house itself when they get into attacks.

We provide human raccoon trapping and removal, as well as raccoon-proof chimney caps, throughout Dallas, Fort Worth, Euless, and most of North Texas.

Opossums

Opossums are marsupials, mammals whose females possess a pouch in which very young offspring are nursed and carried. The opossum on the right is just a baby; adult “possums” can grow as large as 15 pounds (although five or six pounds is more common).

Opossums have rat-like tails, dog-like jaws, opposable thumbs on their hind feet (among the few non-primates to have opposable thumbs), and cat-like whiskers, leading some to describe them as looking like they were created from spare parts.

Opossums are relatively harmless animals who seldom cause problems, even when living in populated areas. They’re rather beneficial because part of their diet is composed of rodents and other pests. They only become a nuisance when they decide to take up residence in homes, garages, sheds, and other buildings, where they contaminate the areas with their filth and cause damage to stored items.

We provide trapping and control of squirrels, raccoons, opossums, and other nuisance wildlife throughout our North Texas service area. We also offer attic insulation replacement to remove the animal filth, as well as to restore the lost insulating efficiency due to the damage that nuisance animals do to insulation by tearing it up. Please contact us or call us at 817-589-1632 for more information or to schedule an appointment.

We’re here to help! Simply call 817-903-9109 to discuss your pest problem.

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