As we develop and grow Orange County, we can expect more encounters with wildlife. They have nowhere to go, so many decide to stay in our neighborhoods and business districts. Animals like raccoons, opossums, rodents, bats, squirrels, birds, snakes, skunks, lizards, iguanas and many more can be seen living in Orange County.
Wildlife becomes a nuisance when they violate boundaries and start damaging your home or office. It’s important to know what to do when this happens. In California, it is illegal to relocate animals. Removal of some animals is allowed only during specific times of the year. And no, you can’t keep it as a pet. The best thing to do is call professionals who can complete a thorough inspection, assess damages, remove the animal correctly and according to California laws and repair damages.
Below are examples of how our Critter Control process works for dealing with nuisance wildlife in Orange County.
The California gray squirrel is the one looking cute in your yard, scavenging for treasures like fruits, nuts, small bird eggs, seeds, garden crops, plant bulbs, leaves and grasses. Keep watching to discover where they are storing their treasures. It may be inside your home.
If you have birdfeeders, trees or gardens that produce food, you may experience the nuisance side of a squirrel, like when they decide to make your attic their home base. If you hear scratching and chirping in your ceiling or walls, it may be a squirrel. It may even be multiple squirrels.
Squirrels hoard food and materials for the winter months. They leave behind poop and pee and gnaw on things like wires, wood and drywall. Outside, they scratch and dent shingles, chew through siding, run across power lines, and create fire hazards by storing some of their hoards in vents, drains and pipes.
These cute, furry creatures must be controlled before they turn your home into a hazard. We can help get rid of squirrels.
Raccoons are nocturnal masked bandits that eat almost anything, including fruits, vegetables, meat and junk food. If they can find food and water on your property, they will build a nest nearby, often in your home.
Raccoons climb trees, spouting and chimneys to seek openings to your attic. They will also go underneath the home and enter through crawlspaces and under decks and porches. Once in your home, raccoons use their strong hands to rip and shred insulation, wallpaper, siding and drywall.
Outside, raccoons will dig up gardens, tear up sod searching for insects, and because they do eat meat, they may go after your chickens and ducks. You may catch a raccoon scavenging after dark, or you may hear them growling or squealing.
Raccoons hold fur-bearing status in California, so knowing the laws surrounding their removal beforehand is essential. Or call Critter Control. Our experts understand the regulations and have great experience removing raccoons from homes.
The house mouse, Norway rat, and the roof rat are the most common rodents in Orange County. The roof and Norway rats are known to break shingles as they run across your roof, causing electrical wires to sag and clog up drains and gutters with nesting materials. Inside the house , mice gnaw wires and chew holes through wood and drywall. They work their way into your pantry and chew through food boxes, ruining groceries.
Rats burrow underground, and sometimes, their burrows are under your home, making your foundation unstable. Rodents reproduce throughout the year and quickly multiply. Before you know it, you start seeing numerous trails of droppings, all of which contain toxins. It doesn’t take long to have an infestation of rodents.
We are here to help you get rid of your rat and mice problem.
There are several species of Orange County bats, all of which are protected by law. Bats provide environmental benefits but can also become a nuisance if they decide to roost in your home, farm building or office.
Bat guano is the most significant nuisance. Bats can eat thousands of bugs in an evening, leading to a lot of guano droppings. Bats even poop while sleeping upside down. The guano runs down over them, sticking to their fur. If you were to try and touch a bat, you would be handling their guano, which contains toxins so strong it can erode metal and, if inhaled, can cause respiratory diseases in humans. Call the experts for removal. It’s safer.
We have several snake species in Orange County. Most are harmless, but some may cause harm to humans and pets if bitten. When left alone, snakes typically do not cause problems, and they don’t damage a home. They do produce fear in most residents. There is no reason you should live in fear when we can quickly remove it.
The pros at Critter Control can even teach you how to recognize harmful versus harmless snakes.