Critter Control of Valdosta

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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.

Critter Control Wildlife Removal Process

Critter Control is here for you every step of the way in the wildlife removal process. From inspection to removal — and even exclusion and repair — we have the services you need to get rid of raccoons, rodents, and other nuisances fast. First, we identify the animal on the property, then use humane methods to remove the animal and secure weak points where more could enter. If damage has been done, we can make those repairs for a complete restoration. Contact a Critter Control office near you today.

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.

Raccoon Removal

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.

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.

Rat Removal

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.

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.

Squirrel Removal

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.

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 Removal

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.

Bat Removal

There are sixteen species of bats in Georgia. Some can live up to 30 years. Bats have different purposes that make them vital to the ecosystem. Some are pollinators, exterminators, and seed dispersers. If you’ve got greasy smudges around entry points on your home, foul odors coming from your attic, or stains on your walls or floors, you likely have nuisance wildlife in the form of a bat (or several). Don’t try to get rid of bats on your own, though. Some are on the state endangered list, like the little brown bat and the tricolored bat. Certain statuses require special knowledge when attempting to remove bats from your home or property.

Bats in Georgia are looking for a warm space to roost. Attics and barns make the perfect space, especially during maternity season from April to August. Bats cannot be removed or forced out during this time. Bats also look for areas near consistent food and water resources. They eat insects, so pole lights, stagnant water, and anything that attracts bugs will also attract bats.

The biggest problem with bats is the guano they drop in your attic, barn, or shed. They eat thousands of insects each night, so it is understandable why they poop a lot. They even poop while roosting upside down, letting the guano run down their bodies. Guano can grow mold spores that cause respiratory problems if inhaled by humans.

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.

Chipmunk Removal

Chipmunks in Valdosta are considered nongame wildlife, making it illegal to kill them. You probably don’t want to kill them anyway because they are so cute. Wildlife technicians can teach you ways to prevent them from causing a nuisance, such as digging up your yard, burrowing underground for up to 30 feet, stealing birdseed and some garden crops, and killing flowers and plants by eating the bulbs. Because they often build multiple entrances to their underground dens, the burrows can make your house, shed, driveway, and other structure foundations unstable.

They may be small in size, but they are hard workers. Chipmunks can gather 165 acorns in a day. They also need about 15 hours of sleep a day, so collecting that many nuts in just a few hours are significant. They store their finds in stretchy cheek pouches, like squirrels, because they are classified in the same group, rodents.

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 downspout or gutter. Critter Control will install gutter guards to prevent that from happening.

Snake Removal

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.

Armadillo Removal

In Valdosta, if you see an armadillo, it’s the nine-banded armadillo with a grey shell and tail. No other animal looks like the armadillo, making it easy to identify. Its behaviors are unique too. It has peg-like teeth and cannot move extremely fast. Although when scared, it will jump straight into the air, and when it lands, it will take off in a sprint. To cross waterways, the armadillo will either walk on the bottom or fill itself up with air and float across.

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.

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 Commerical Invading nuisance wildlife can wreak havoc on property. If left unattended wildlife and pests can cause costly property damage. Whether a residential property, apartment buildings, retail stores, office buildings, industrial plants, medical facilities, or warehouses, our trained professionals can handle any wildlife removal problem.