Nuisance Small Mammals

See the table at the bottom of this page for common problems and recommended solutions

This article addresses come common issues related to nuisance small mammals.

Most homeowners take it personally when encountering nuisance wildlife problems. They think the animal is being malicious. We already know that people/neighbors don’t respect personal property or boundries. So we put up fences, lock our doors/windows, and install expensive security alarms to keep people out. But we expect wildlife to “know” that they aren’t welcome and are more reluctant to take similiar measures to restrict their access to our property.

Wildlife aren’t being malicious. They have merely found an element they need for survival (food, water, shelter, space, etc). Sometimes their behavior is only seasonal (defending young/territory). By identifying what is drawing the animal to the property or causing the nuisance behavior, it is easier to draw up a plan to permanently correct the problem.

In many cases, by the time a homeowner discovers a nuisance wildlife problem and begins to seek out solutions, the offending wildlife have already been conditioned that their actions can safely be repeated. The longer wildlife is allowed to continue their actions, the longer it will take to recondition them. Unfortunately, the homeowner who allowed the squirrels to nest in his attic for 2 years is usually not willing to wait 2 days to correct the problem. But they’re also not particularly open to paying a pest control operator $80-$150 to fix a problem they can do for free (and much more humanely/effectively).

Trapping Is Not A Quick Fix

Most homeowners immediately want the animal removed and relocated, which they feel is a quick solution for them and they believe it is a humane alternative for the animal. Animals are attracted to your property for one of many possible reasons; these might include food, shelter, water, and safe nesting sites. Convenient access to any of those elements will mean that other wildlife will eventually come looking for the same. Trapping wildlife does not guarantee that your problem is solved; it only resolves the problem once but it will continue to happen again.

There are 5 important elements that should be considered before trapping and relocation is attempted:

• Many localities require that any wildlife traps be checked at least every 24 hours, and have imposed fines on violators.
• More than 50% of relocated wildlife do not survive. In an unfamiliar environment, they do not have an established shelter site, food source or territory.
• If you trap an adult female, there is a high probability that she is caring for young who will starve without her.
• Most jurisdictions do not allow the relocation of wildlife and require that pest control operators destroy trapped wildlife. This is usually accomplished by shooting, drowning, suffocation or injection with commercial solvents such as acetone.
• Unless the situation that initially attracted the animal is corrected, then the problem will only be repeated as other wildlife are drawn to the property.

Wildlife will continue to repeat a behavior such as living in a attic or raiding trash cans only when it is relatively easy to do and only while they feel it is safe. For example, attics are an ideal source of shelter, especially when problems such as deteriorating fascia boards make it easy to get in. Attics are warm, quiet, dark and protected. Animals no longer feel hidden and safe in an attic when a radio blares for several days and lights are left on continuously. They will begin searching out a new nesting site elsewhere within a matter of days.

Reconditioning the offending wildlife is much more effective than removing it from the property and much more humane than destroying it. But in order to be effective, this must be followed by correcting the situation that initially attracted the animal. By teaching one nuisance squirrel to stay out of your attic, he’ll also continue to defend his territory (your yard) from invasion by new squirrels.

Common Issues

By identifying what is drawing the animal to the property or causing the nuisance behavior, it is easier to draw up a plan to correct the problem.