Winter Animal Problems

Winter Animal Problems

Winter is coming to the Chicagoland area. As it does every year, it is going to drop in temperature, and snow across the land. Animals in the area are looking for places to live and hunker down during the winter months in order to escape the cold air. Here are some ways that wildlife can find ways into your home and what you should look for this time of year. If you think you are being invaded by an animal call a wildlife removal service immediately! Do not attempt to remove the animal yourself; you could be placing yourself and your family’s life in danger!

Raccoons

Raccoons are the peskiest creatures that could be affecting your home during the winter months. Raccoons will damage your roof or soffits in order to get into your attic to find shelter from the elements during the winter. While in your attic these creatures can chew through electric wires, damage insulation, destroy items stored there, and use your attic as a bathroom.

Raccoons will take advantage of any hole in order to get into your home. Even a small roof opening can give them the ability to tear a bigger hole to gain access to your attic. Raccoons can also get into your chimney. They can then find access to the main floors of your home through the open flue. If you are hearing scratching noises in your home, random rustling sounds in your attic or scuffling up your chimney call a local animal removal specialist in your area. Raccoons can be dangerous, especially a female raccoon protecting her young. Do not try to remove a raccoon by yourself!

Squirrels

Squirrels do not hibernate, so they actively seek shelter during the winter. When squirrels are jumping from tree to tree looking for acorns and other nuts, this will allow them to have access to your roof and chimney. Because of their small size, and impressive chewing skills. There a couple of things you can do during the winter that can make it harder for a squirrel to get inside your home:

  1. Identify All Problems– By sealing up all the openings you’re; preventing animals from getting inside and also potential water leaks on home.
  2. Replace Damaged and Rotten Wood – If there is any rotting or soft wood on your home, it makes it easier to get in. You can repair those areas which will make it more difficult for an animal to chew their way inside.
  3. Screen Your Vents – You can screen your chimney, bathroom fan, stove vents, peak vents, and other access vents outside with a wire mesh screen. This is one of the best ways to protect yourself from all animals invading your house this winter.
  4. Tree Trimming – Cut your tree limbs back 12 to 15 feet from the house which can prevent squirrels jumping onto your home or on your roof.
Even though Opossums are generally not a health risk, take care of these animals as soon as you can to prevent damage to your home

Opossums

Opossums can be nasty creatures, especially when they are threatened or protecting their babies. Opossums don’t have much fur, and what they do have, does not protect them well against the colder elements in Illinois. They are susceptible to frostbite on their tails, ears, and toes. This means that they need to build a den in order to brave the cold winter months. There are a few places that these dens will be located:

  • Shed and garages
  • Debris piles on your property
  • Holes dug by other animals in your lawn
  • Underneath a deck, patio, or stoop
  • Abandoned appliances and vehicles

Since opossums are nocturnal, they usually stay in their den all day. However, they are always moving around. They might have more than one den in an area. That is why sometimes it is hard to tell if an opossum is occupying a den. You might hear sounds at night, but they might go away and come back periodically depending on when the opossum moves. Do not try and remove an opossum by yourself; they can be extremely aggressive since their only two main methods of defense are showing their teeth and playing dead. Rely on an animal removal service in your area in order to ensure that you can remove the opossum safely from your home.

 

Animal Trackers Wildlife is your local animal removal specialist company started by two guys who grew up in the Northwestern Suburbs of Illinois. They have been safely removing animals from homes for over 17 years. They are always ready to help protect you and your family from invading wildlife during the winter. Call us today and let us help you now!

Business Animal Removal Wheaton

Business Animal Removal Wheaton

Running a business is hard, having to deal with animals invading your business is more difficult. There are several reasons why having animals living inside the building of your business is bad, but how to get them out discretely is more of a challenge. Animal Trackers Wildlife has been helping business owners deal with their animal problems for years. Knowing the delicate nature of businesses we can take care of the problem with minimal interference. So if you have a problem with squirrels, raccoons, skunks, opossums, or feathered friends. Call us, and we’ll take care of it.

Commercial Animal Removal Wheaton

For commercial businesses, animals inside tend to distract customers if not scary. Animals inside your commercial business give you a very negative stigma. Customers will think that your company does not care about its property or customers. Removing them discretely is as important as removing them. Discrete animal removal is a common service that we provide our Commercial Customers. Making sure that your clients never knew the animal was there in the first place is key. Of course, if the animal is loose inside, quick animal removal is also essential. Our expert trappers can quickly capture the animal and remove it once on scene.

Industrial Animal Removal Wheaton

For industrial businesses, animal removal is a little different. It is not the presence of the animal that causes the most disruption, but the damage the animal and nesting can cause. Animals can claw and chew the walls, wires, and pipes of businesses. They also tend to gather natural nesting materials which pose a potential fire hazard. Capture and removal of the animal is critical but making sure that the damage they caused is exposed and the mess they create is cleaned up will help to ensure that your business doesn’t suffer.

Best Animal Removal Wheaton

Animal removal is not just about getting the animal out of the building but making sure that they can’t get back in. For some animals, this is about relocating, but for all, it is about making sure they can’t get back in. Identifying their entrance point and then sealing it so that they can’t get back in is key. Animal Trackers not only can remove the animals, but close any entrance that they used, or could use. So for the best animal removal make sure to give us a call!

Animals in Springtime

Animals in Springtime

With the mild winter, animals are starting to already to become more active. This can lead to problems due to myths and misunderstandings. Animal Trackers Wildlife would like to help you get to know which of theses facts are true and which are false. Taking a moment will help make sure that you keep yourself safe, and any woodland critters that found their way to your home.

Birds Wheaton

One of the biggest myths about birds is that if a baby falls out of a nest to not touch it. The truth is the parents will not abandon a baby bird if you touch it to put the baby back in the nest. In fact, you would make the parents grateful as they do not have a way to get their little ones back to the nest to keep them safe from predators. That being said, do not disturb the nest too much. If the nest is disturbed too much or too often, the parents will be scared that a predator had found the nest and might abandon it then. A nest around your home can be fun to watch. Keep a distance and use a camera with a long zoom, or binoculars to look at the nest from a distance.

Raccoons Wheaton

Raccoons do not hibernate during the winter, though they do store up fat as if they were. Raccoons usually wait out the cold days in their den or your home. Coming out on warm days to look for food. There are two types of raccoons you might have. A single male raccoon, or a female raccoon who might have young with her. Females are the ones that are more troublesome to deal with, as they can be fiercely defensive of her raccoon babies. Young with these females are typically nine months to a year old and can move about themselves. If you see a baby raccoon, do not approach. Call Animal Trackers Wildlife and let them know you saw a baby raccoon and let the professionals take care of it.

Skunks Wheaton

Skunks are a problem for winter. Where there is one skunk, there are usually more. Skunks tend to group in the winter, sharing body heat during the cold winter days. If you discover a skunk den, then you have found a world of trouble. Stay clear of the opening and make sure that you do not disturb the den. Call Animal Trackers Wildlife as even a miss spray can have a smell that lingers for days.

Opossums Wheaton

Opossums have the hardest times during the winter, and you are more likely to encounter a dead opossum then a live one if the winter has been exceptionally cold unless they made a den inside your home. Opossums have thin hair and none on their ears or tail. If you see an opossum in a shed or outside, do not approach. Opossums will go into a shock-like state that makes them seem like they are playing, but this state lasts 40 minutes to 4 hours. At any point, the opossum can wake up and will bite and scratch at you if it does. Leave the area and come back an hour or two later a few times, if the opossum hasn’t moved during that period, it is most likely dead. Removal of dead animals is just one of the many services that Animal Trackers Wildlife provides, and can make sure that there wasn’t another animal around that could cause you more trouble.

Best Animal Control Wheaton

With over 20 years of experience in nuisance wildlife removal, you can be sure that when you call Animal Trackers Wildlife, you will be calling the best. Brandon and Tony will make sure that your bird, raccoon, skunk, opossum or other nuisance wildlife problem will be taken care of. So if you’re having an issue with anything with wings or listed on our other pages, call and get them taken care of quickly!