Valdosta is surrounded by wetlands, forests, lakes, rivers, and many other desirable environments for wildlife. As developers take away more of these habitats to grow the city with residential and commercial adventures, the wildlife is pushed out and into our neighborhoods. It can be exciting to encounter wildlife occasionally, like seeing a deer wander through your backyard. Too many encounters, however, can be annoying and sometimes alarming.
Georgia laws state an animal is a nuisance if it poses a threat to the public, damages property (or is about to damage property), and is otherwise causing a disturbance that prevents you from enjoying your property.
Nuisance wildlife in Valdosta include snakes, rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, opossums, armadillos, bats, rats, mice, chipmunks, moles, groundhogs, etc. Most of these animals are considered cute and playful. But they are constantly looking for food, water, and shelter, and they will disturb your property to ensure they have what they need to survive.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources is the authority that determines if it is a nuisance and how to remove it. Many nuisance wildlife removal plans require permits. Some wildlife is endangered and protected species and cannot be removed. The many different regulations are why DNR recommends calling a wildlife control operator for help.
Raccoons in Valdosta eat amphibians, reptiles, fish, rodents, birds, chickens, eggs, bugs, and insects. They also enjoy treats from your trash can and animal feed. They will eat just about anything.
Between April and June, raccoons give birth to up to five cubs. This happens in their nest, which may be on your property or home. They especially love attics and will break boards and screens to enter. Raccoons make annoying sounds, including howls, screeches, chirping, scratching, and knocking things over. If you’ve ever watched a raccoon, you’ve noticed their human-like hands that help them climb, grab, and dig. This can be bad when they damage your property by digging holes in your yard, tipping garbage cans, and scattering trash.
Raccoons also damage soffits, shingles, vents, and insulation. Their feces and urine pose a threat to homeowners since they can grow mold spores and carry dangerous roundworms for anyone breathing in the air.
Raccoons are major carriers of rabies in Georgia. They can infect you and your pets. For this reason, removing a raccoon from your property should be done by a professional.
Savannah ranked number one for rat and mice infestation. That may make you love Valdosta even more. But we are not immune and have our fair share of rodents. If there is a rodent in your Valdosta home or yard, it will likely be the house mouse, Norway rat, or roof rat. If you see one, there are others nearby. Please do not wait to get rid of rats and mice because they multiply quickly and often. One or two rodents can turn into 50 to 60 in less than a year. Rats and mice give birth three to five times a year and deliver five or more babies each time. Doing the math is scary.
Rats and mice can get into your home through holes as small as a quarter. Once inside, they chew on everything from wires and wood to carpet and groceries.
Rats and mice ruin more food than they consume, costing you a lot of money in wasted products. They also chew the carpet, insulation, wood, furniture, and anything else they find to add to their nest. They do not live far from their food sources, and as they explore their surroundings, they leave feces and urine trails everywhere. The feces and urine grow mold spores that, if ingested by humans, can cause illnesses.
Rats and mice are incredibly clever, especially when it comes to rodent traps. If something new shows up in their environment, they become very suspicious and cautious and avoid it altogether. That includes traps.
Squirrels in Valdosta are constantly hunting for their favorite foods, including nuts, berries, apples, bird eggs, grains, seeds, vegetation, and insects. If you have any of these on your property, you likely have a fox, Eastern gray, or Southern flying squirrel on your property.
While squirrels are fun to watch, they can wreak havoc on your garden, birdfeeder, electrical wires, shingles, vents, chimneys, and attic. They like to bring items from the outdoors to the inside of your home. They sometimes place these items in your vents, ducts, and other places that could be a fire hazard. They tear out your insulation and drywall to add to their nest-building materials.
Common damages caused by squirrels include rips, tears, dents, scratches on the outside of your home, siding, and spouting. Also, broken screens covering vents and chimneys, sagging electrical wiring. Squirrels will gnaw and chew on anything because they have a goal to keep their teeth filed. Their teeth are constantly growing, and if they get too big, it can be painful. They will even chew the bark off your trees, leaving them exposed and unsightly.
Managing squirrels in Georgia requires permits since the Eastern gray and fox squirrels are considered small game. Wildlife professionals can teach you many techniques to apply that control squirrel activity.
Georgia has one of the highest biodiversity of snakes in the country, with 46 species. Although snakes are primarily harmless, even venomous snakes, they invoke fear in over 20% of our population. They don’t cause any real damage to your property either. However, if you fear them and cannot enjoy your home or yard due to a snake, they are considered a nuisance.
You must be careful in removing snakes because some snake species are protected by laws, and some need special permits.
If a snake is on your property, you have rodents on your property. Snakes go where they can get food. You must take care of your rodent and snake problem simultaneously.
Armadillos are put into a class with sloths and anteaters. They have a great sense of smell but poor eyesight. They do not store food for colder months, making them vulnerable to freezing to death while out foraging for a meal. They prefer to eat insects and bugs.
If you have an armadillo on your property, avoid trying to remove it on your own. They have sticky tongues with hooks that can make it a bad experience. Nuisance behaviors include tearing up your yard looking for insects and digging burrows under your foundation, driveway, or other structures.
