Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday Closed
By County: Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Summit counties
Critter Control provides premier wildlife control services in Cleveland, Ohio. We’re dedicated to the safe and humane removal of all nuisance animals from residential and commercial property in the city of Cleveland and the surrounding area, including Elyria, Mentor, Parma, and Strongsville. Our specialists are licensed and trained in the most advanced techniques in the industry, including the removal of bats, raccoons, squirrels, skunks, opossums, and more. We also specialize in future prevention of intrusions as well as damage repair.
With more than 30 years of experience in handling wild animals, we understand the danger that they present to the residents and businesses of Cleveland. Our top priority is to protect our customers by accurately assessing the intrusion and acting in accordance with our high standards of service. If you have a wildlife problem in the Cleveland area, contact our experts at Critter Control as soon as possible.
The streets of Cleveland are common homes for raccoons. The black-masked pests are known for knocking over garbage cans and raiding pet food bowls for meals. Raccoons also create den sites beneath decks or inside uncapped chimneys. A raccoon may also find its way into the attic to rest during the day and raise its young.
Raccoons will remove shingles and tear through walls to get indoors. Raccoons also can carry rabies, so it’s important that you never attempt to handle a raccoon.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Of the 14 species of bats in the state, the big and little brown bat have adapted to the urban environment of Cleveland. These species roost inside warehouses and homes in the crevices of attics, walls, and between rafters and roofing. If bats aren’t visible during the day, then listen for scratching and squeaking sounds at dusk when the pests are most active.
Bats in Cleveland are problematic, in part, because of the diseases they carry. Piles of waste beneath their roosts create structural hazards and risk of fungal infection. Bat saliva can transmit rabies, leptospirosis, and a host of other illnesses to humans.
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).
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.
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.
Though it may seem more common to see skunks in fields and meadows, they are no stranger to cities like Cleveland. In fact, these white-striped pests often den under buildings and decks or in basements in the area, as they prefer dark, warm places that offer shelter.
Attracted to homes and yards that provide ample food and water, a skunk will dig for insects and hunt for mice at night. Aside from their appearance, skunks in Cleveland are best known for their pungent spray. They only use this defense mechanism when they feel threatened, but the smell can linger for days.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Raccoons, squirrels, skunks, and groundhogs.
Spring and summer are the busiest times of the year. Winter is the slowest.
Feces and noises in the walls, attic, and chimney of the home.
Home repairs such as covering exterior holes that allow animals in.
At the first sign of an issue.
