Critter Control of Huntsville

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Critter Control Wildlife Removal Services

Not only can wild animals be extremely noisy and emit strong odors, but nuisance wildlife can also damage your house and introduce health risks to you and your family.

Critter Control provides professional wildlife control services in North Alabama. Our team of skilled professionals is trained to identify and handle a wide range of critters like raccoons, squirrels, bats, rats, mice, snakes, and birds.

Our wildlife experts provide safe and humane removal of all nuisance wildlife from residential and commercial properties. We prioritize the safety and well-being of our clients by employing humane and environmentally friendly techniques to address wildlife issues. Our long-term animal control solutions include animal trapping, removal, exclusion, and repairs.

STEP 1

Wildlife Inspection

During the inspection we try to ascertain how many animals there are, where they are located, and how they got in. Based on what you have seen, heard and smelled, we start the inspection where you have noticed signs of animal activity. Evidence of animals inside your home include nests, dens, feces, and animal tracks. We investigate the exterior of your home looking for possible entry points, any evidence of animal damage, tracks, fur, animal waste, or rub marks.

STEP 2

Removal

We use several methods to humanely remove the animal from your home. Depending on the species, the number of animals, and the condition of your property, we develop a custom wildlife removal plan. Humane wildlife removal strategies include animal traps, one-way doors, and repellents. Once we guarantee all animals are gone, we implement exclusion techniques. Exclusion techniques provide a safe, long-term solution to nuisance wildlife in your home. We create barriers to prevent animals from getting to resources. We only apply exclusions once we are sure all animals are gone from your home.

STEP 3

Exclusion and Repair

Wildlife will damage your home. Exclusion techniques repair any damage the animal causes getting into your home. Inside your home, animals build nests and dens out of readily available material. They will create runs through the insulation. Rodents will gnaw on anything including electrical wires and pipes. Animals can also spread diseases. We apply sanitation agents to clean up feces and urine. Mammals can host pests like fleas, ticks, and mites. Ectoparasite treatments exterminate those pests so you don’t become their next host.

Nuisance Wildlife in Huntsville, AL

Huntsville’s humid, subtropical climate, combined with a growing population of more than 200,000, means residents and business owners will encounter nuisance wildlife, including raccoons, mice and snakes, to name a few. Rather than attempt to remove a wild animal from your property, call your North Alabama Critter Control team. We provide nearly any Alabama wildlife service issue in Northwest Alabama with the help of our unique accumulation of expert knowledge. From raccoon removal to basic bird control, we conduct each job under the highest of humane animal-handling standards.

Most Common Wildlife Problems in Huntsville

Huntsville Squirrel Removal

Huntsville is home to three species of squirrels—grey, fox and the Southern flying squirrel. Squirrels often like to den in warm chimneys and attics. Please be extra careful if you happen to find squirrels inside your home during their breeding seasons, which run from December through March and June through August. Mothers raising young squirrels could become hostile if forced out of their shelters.

Inspection

Inspection

Wildlife specialists look for signs such as chewing on, in, or around your home, small openings leading to the attic or the crawl space, droppings, and debris like nuts or nesting material. Beams, wires, pipes, and insulation may all show signs of damage from squirrels.

Trapping and Removal

Squirrel Trapping

Live trapping or one-way doors are the most effective and humane ways to get rid of squirrels. One-way doors should never be used during birthing seasons (Spring & Fall), so our specialists will decide which is the best tool for the job. If we have to trap, we place traps strategically to safely catch the squirrels and check those according to state laws.

Repairs

Repairs

We can restore your home or office by squirrel proofing all entry points after we have removed the offenders. We can also clean-up the nesting sites and remove any debris, food, feces and soiled insulation.

Raccoon Removal

Whether in the city’s rural hills and caves, suburban backyards or urban residential areas, raccoons will make use of available resources to find food, water and shelter. Intelligent and dexterous, these animals are well-known for seeking out reliable food sources such as trash cans.

While it may be tempting to chase raccoons away from your trash, please leave removal to a Critter Control specialist. While it is extremely rare for Huntsville’s wildlife population to carry rabies, please keep in mind that raccoons can become aggressive when threatened.

Inspection

Inspection

During the inspection, we determine the severity of the raccoon infestation. We look for physical evidence like footprints in or around the home, stains from raccoon feces and urine. On the exterior of the house, we look for damage like scratches on boards, broken vents and screens, ripped apart shingles, destroyed soffits, and every possible entry point.

Trapping and Removal

Raccoon Trapping

Live trapping is one of the most efficient ways to get rid of a raccoon. Depending on the situation, a one-way door or excluder valve can be installed. An excluder valve works by allowing the raccoon to leave but blocks its reentry. The choice of device is largely dependent on the season and location of the raccoons on your property. Direct capture is not commonly used because raccoons are a rabies vector species. If we must trap, we place traps strategically to safely catch the raccoons and we check traps frequently, based on state laws.

Repairs

Repairs

We provide a wide range of repair and restoration services. We can repair raccoon damage like broken screens on vents and chimneys and broken boards on decks and porches. It is essential to apply cleaning agents and ectoparasite treatments on areas inhabited by raccoons.

Rodent Removal

Huntsville, like most cities across the United States, has plenty of rodents that are attracted to food and water sources. Not only does the city support populations of jumping, deer and house mice, but it is also home to both Norway and roof rats. It is imperative for home and business owners to deal with rodent infestations as soon as possible. Rats and mice can contaminate food and may cause diseases such as Salmonella. Effective rat control or mouse control requires a strategic trapping plan and comprehensive exclusion strategy.

Inspection

Inspection

During a rodent inspection, we thoroughly inspect your attic and provide a complete exterior home inspection. The most common signs of rodent activity are gnaw marks, feces, rub marks, nesting material, runs in insulation material, and small entry points.

Trapping and Removal

Rodent Trapping

A Critter Control wildlife specialist will create a strategic trapping plan to remove the rodents found in your home. Critter Control specialists may use snap traps and live traps to capture and remove mice and rats. Rodent trapping can usually takes between five to fourteen days.

Repairs

Repairs

The best way to reduce the possibility of letting unwanted rodents into homes is to seal possible entrances. Exclusion methods include caulking cracks in foundations, capping chimneys, and installing mesh covers over vents and crawl space entrances. We also strongly recommend a maintenance service. Rodents have front teeth that continuously grow, which means they can gnaw a new way back into your home.

Bat Removal

There are 15 species of bats in the state of Alabama; several of these, including little brown and big brown bats, may be found in residential homes and businesses. In Huntsville, bat problems fall into one of three categories: roosting bats, a lone bat in the living area of a home, and bats flying around the house. If a bat is identified in the living area of the home, it can be legally be trapped and removed.

Inspection

Inspection

We perform a full interior and exterior inspection and search for signs such as rub marks, guano, a strong scent of ammonia, and small openings. The most common sign is the accumulation of guano (feces).

Trapping and Removal

Bat Removal

The most effective and humane way to remove bats is by utilizing a bat valve in conjunction with a full home exclusion. A bat valve allows for bats to exit your home but not re-enter. We follow all local ordinances for humane bat removal. We will never abandon flightless pups in your attic.

Repairs

Repairs

After removing the bat valves, we seal the entrance hole(s) so bats can no longer enter your home. If there is substantial guano in your attic, you should consider taking advantage of our attic remediation services to remove the soiled insulation and replace it.

Opossum Removal

Opossums are common pests in the Huntsville area. Roughly the size of a house cat, opossums are the only marsupial native to North America. They have gray to white fur and rat-like characteristics, including a long snout, beady eyes and a long, furless tail. In Huntsville, these animals tend to keep to themselves and forage for food in the dark. However, they sometimes startle residents when they visit yards, garages and homes.

Inspection

Inspection

Opossums can be found inside attics and basements or outside under decks and sheds. Common signs include unique paw prints and feces. Opossums are docile and usually easy to spot.

Trapping and Removal

Trapping & Removal

Opossums can be lured into cages for live capture. If it is maternity season, we follow all guidelines for removing mother and newborn opossums. We will seal entryways into the building to prevent opossums from reentering in the future. Opossums can be kept from getting under sheds and decks by installing fencing around the bottom edges and burying the fence underground.

Repairs

Repairs

Broken screens on chimney and roof vents are replaced with sturdier materials, and we properly seal all entry points, including crawlspaces. We clean and deodorize areas of opossum activity. Exclusion may include eliminating sources that attract bugs, like nighttime lighting, stagnant water, and livestock poop.

Skunk Control

Striped skunks are found throughout the state of Alabama. These nocturnal animals enter yards in Huntsville in search of food sources and denning sites. Known for the stench of the sulfuric spray, skunks are notorious for digging up yards in search of food. If you encounter a skunk in your yard, please leave removing it to a trained specialist as these animals can become quite aggressive when threatened.

Inspection

Inspection

In addition to noting any pungent odors that signal the presence of a skunk, we will inspect the condition of your landscaping, as skunks are known for tearing-up lawns and shredding grass while hunting for grubs and insects. We will also inspect the perimeter of your building’s foundations and under decks, to locate burrows.

Trapping and Removal

Trapping and Removal

Never try to remove a skunk from your property yourself. Getting sprayed is a very unpleasant experience. Furthermore, these animals may carry diseases that can spread to humans and pets, such as rabies. Our specialists will use live traps to capture and remove skunks for you, or they’ll use a one-way exclusion device to evict skunks from their harborage areas. The most effective ways to control a skunk problem is exclusion and habitat modification.

Repairs

Skunk Control

The most effective ways to control a skunk problem is exclusion and habitat modification. Methods like sealing foundation gaps, replacing and screening broken foundation vents and installing hardware cloth (rat walls) around unprotected sheds and decks are the most effective and permanent ways to keep skunks out.
We recommend keeping pet food inside and securing any trash bins.

Chipmunk Removal

Chipmunks are most active in early morning and late afternoons in Birmingham. You’re most likely to notice chipmunks on your property from March to August. Chipmunks mate twice a year. The first litter of two to five kits is born in April ; the second litter in July and August.

Chipmunks do not hibernate. During especially cold moments of winter, they will stay in their extensive burrows where they have gathered a cache of food.

Inspection

Inspection

The clearest sign of a chipmunk infestation is the damage in your yard. Chipmunks create extensive burrows. Their holes are only 2-3 inches wide but can stretch 20 to 30 feet. Other signs of chimpunks include dug planted seeds, gnaw marks on tree bark, and destroyed flowers, stems, fruits, and vegetables. Chipmunks rarely enter homes so the signs of a chipmunk infestation will be in your yard. While it is unlikely a chipmunk is in your house, we will still look for any potential entry points.

Trapping and Removal

Chipmunk Trapping

One of the most effective ways to prevent chipmunk damage is to create exclusions around your home. Buried hardware cloth is a useful option to keep chipmunks out of gardens and flower beds. Additionally, you can use wire mesh to prevent chipmunks from entering your home. The wire mesh should be secured to any openings that a chipmunk may be able to squeeze through.

Chipmunk trapping typically takes 10-14 days; however, this may vary depending on the extent of the chipmunk intrusion. Cage traps with fine mesh can be effective with peanut butter as the bait. Additionally, you may use fruit, nuts, or seed to bait the trap. Live traps and snare traps can be an effective tools to remove chipmunks from your property.

Repairs

Repairs

Filling a chipmunk hole before a control strategy is not effective. Chipmunks will be able to dig the hole again.
Chipmunks can cause structural damage by burrowing under patios, stairs, retention walls, and foundations. If a chipmunk enters a home, it typically uses a downsport or gutter. Critter Control will install gutter guards to prevent that from happening.

Bird Control

There is such thing as too many birds on your property. Eventually, they will make their way on and into your home. They love to build nests in your eaves, chimney, attic, and gutters. If you’ve been seeing birds flying to specific spots in your home, they may have a nest nearby.

Birds leave droppings everywhere on your property. The droppings create unattractive stains. If you own a business, this is not what you want your customers to see. Their nests block vents and gutters, which can damage your home over time. While birds are not harmful, they are annoying. In Alabama, there are only three unprotected species of birds.

Meaning we can get rid of them without permits. They are the pigeons, starlings, and sparrows, all of which are non-native wildlife. If protected birds are causing damage to your home, we can obtain the proper permits from the Department of Wildlife before we begin our process.

Inspection

Inspection

We thoroughly inspect the area for things that attract birds, like harborage and loafing areas, as well as food and water sources. Also, we look for where birds may be entering your home or business. We also inspect for damage caused by birds, whether it’s by nesting, or by droppings.

Trapping and Removal

Trapping & Removal

After identifying the bird species, we may start by physically removing the species in question. In rescue situations, such as chimneys or basements, birds can be released on-site if the entrance has been secured properly. Occasionally, live traps will be used, especially if flocks of birds are involved. For persistent birds and larger flocks, several advanced techniques may be applied simultaneously including netting, spikes, ledge products, scare tactics, misting and more. The most effective method of bird control is prevention and exclusion.

Repairs

Repairs & Prevention

We can repair the damage that is allowing birds entry to your home, like broken siding, weakened gutters, rotted soffits and fascia. We can also install protective screens on chimneys and vents. We can also remove nesting materials and accumulated droppings, then clean surface stains. We can use netting over fruit and vegetable crops and water basins. Netting can also be used in car ports, building overhangs and food courts. We also install a large number of different types of roof ledge barriers too.

Snake Removal

Built on limestone bedrock dotted with caves, Huntsville, AL, provides the perfect ecosystem for snakes to thrive. Caves make ideal retreats for these cold-blooded pests to cool off during hot summer days. The rest of the time, snakes are often out and about around rural and suburban homes.

The best way to control snake populations is to remove potential sources of food and shelter. To eliminate potential food sources, take steps to control rodent and insect populations, such as maintaining clean living spaces and storing food in rodent-proof containers.

After rodent control, the most effective means of snake control is home exclusions and habitat modifications. Clearing yards of refuse piles and frequently mowing grass helps discourage snakes from making their homes in residential lawns. Sealing up cracks and gaps along exterior walls with fine mesh or caulk also proves effective.

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The Critter Control Difference

Trained Specialists Animal removal is a highly sophisticated job. As such, we vet and train our team members to ensure they have the knowledge and skill to remove any pest from your building. Our wildlife experts utilize advanced removal and exclusion techniques and damage repair.
Guaranteed Work Your satisfaction is always guaranteed. Critter Control® takes great pride in providing quality workmanship resulting in customer satisfaction.
Residential and Commercial Your satisfaction is always guaranteed. We provide reliable prevention from future intrusions. Resolving a nuisance wildlife issue calls for more than trapping and removing the critter. Our exclusion services offer immediate and long-term wildlife solutions.