Tulsa, where Route 66 begins, sits in the center of Tornado Alley, between the edge of the Great Plains and the foot of the Ozark Mountains, along the Arkansas River. With geography like that, you know the wildlife population is impressive. Some of the wildlife, anyway. Like every other city in America, nuisance wildlife has found its way into our neighborhoods and our homes and businesses.
We see raccoons, bats, rats, mice, skunks, opossums, birds, moles, armadillos, and many others. If any of these animals are causing problems on your property, call us. Critter Control has a three-step process that ensures a thorough inspection, humane removal, and repair of damaged areas.
Critter Control 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 damages exist, we can make those repairs for a complete restoration.
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.
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.
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.
Raccoons seek food, water, and shelter, and Tulsa offers numerous environments that offer all three. Raccoons are intelligent, nimble, and determined. They use their hands to open trash cans, dumpsters, pet food containers, other containers. Because raccoons like the nightlife, we use that to our advantage when
removing raccoons from your home or office.
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 & Removal
Live trapping, or one-way doors are the most effective and humane way to remove raccoons. 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
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.
Rodents like rats and mice are everywhere. They can squeeze their bodies through almost anything, no matter how small. The Norway and roof rats and house mice are common in Tulsa. They search for food, water, and shelter. Your attic, pantries, basements, sheds, garages, and even under your stove are a few places we’ve found
rodent infestations.
Here’s how we handle rodent removal:
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.
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.
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.
Flying squirrels, fox squirrels, and Eastern gray squirrels can be seen scavenging streets, yards, parking lots, playgrounds, and parks in Tulsa. In a matter of seconds, they can travel from the top of a tree across power lines to your roof and into your attic, scavenging for food and materials to build nests. They can create a lot of damage along the way.
Here’s how we help
solve your squirrel problem.
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 & 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
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.
Although Oklahoma bats consume thousands of mosquitos in one night, they are loud and like to reside in your attic or the ceilings and eaves of buildings.
Whether it’s the
brown bat or the Mexican free-tailed bat, if they are living in your attic or chimney, they are causing damage. Their guano is so toxic it can corrode metal and wood. The bat droppings accumulate, and some floors cannot hold the weight.
Bat guano grows fungal spores that you can inhale, and that leads to Histoplasmosis. This is a preventable problem if you call us as soon as you notice bats on your property.
Here’s how we handle
bat removal:
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).
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
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.
If you notice bird droppings around your home or inside your home, you may have a
bird problem. Birds love to make nests in eaves, gutters, vents, chimneys, and attic. They spend hours collecting the right materials to build a nest that will last. When they are not building, they are roosting or perching and dropping poop that can grow fungus. Whether a woodpecker, pigeon, or starling, each bird can cause a certain amount of damage to your property. Here’s how we handle bird removal:
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 & 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 & 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.
Out of
forty species of snakes native to Oklahoma, only seven are venomous. Identifying snakes is not that easy. It’s hard for many people to know which ones are dangerous. Even when you cross paths with the friendliest snakes, you may get frightened. While most snakes are harmless, many locals have a phobia of them and want to get rid of them quickly. Removing snakes from your property should be done by professionals.
Here’s how we handle
snake control:
Inspection
Snakes are excellent at avoiding detection. We inspect your home for potential entry points and look for signs like snake skin and feces. Because a snake typically enters a home hunting for food, our wildlife inspector also looks for signs of a rodent infestation.
Removal & Control
Depending on the location, we can set a live trap or direct capture. Exclusion is the most effective way to keep snakes out of your home. If rodents are present, it is essential to exterminate the rodent infestation. Their presence will continue to attract snakes.
Armadillos present little danger to people. They greatest danger they pose is to your landscaping. Controlling the animal can protect your lawn and garden and the integrity of structures like decks and driveways on your property.
Trapping an armadillo can be difficult. Habitat modification and exclusions are extremely effective in removing armadillos from your lawn. Water your garden beds in the morning because armadillos prefer loose soil. Armadillos are nocturnal, and the soil will have dried out by the mid-afternoon.
Skunks typically invade yards in search for food and a safe place to burrow. Sheds, porches, and foundations make ideal burrowing locations which can lead to structural damage.
If skunks are on your property, approach cautiously. When threatened, they can spray up to 10 feet away. Skunks are the primary reservoirs of rabies in Oklahoma.
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
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.
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.
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.
Safety
Guaranteeing the safety of both humans and animals is our number one priority. Our wildlife specialists are trained to protect our human customers and keep everyone safe while ensuring the animals we are removing for you are handled using the most humane tools and techniques.
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.
Tulsa Wildlife FAQ
How much does Critter Control cost?
There are a number of factors that determine pricing; location of the animal (i.e. - chimney, attic, crawl, wall void, living area), condition of the animal (i.e. - sick, aggressive, dead), location and condition of the property and time of year (i.e. - weather condition, offspring present?). Generally speaking, pricing will vary by location and species for just the animal removal and that pricing usually does not include the entry repair.
What are some common wildlife issues people face in Tulsa, OK?
Raccoons, squirrels, snakes, armadillos.
Other Common Wildlife Issues