As a popular Southeast tourism destination and a high population mean plenty of resources for animals to flourish year-round. The high elevation brings weather patterns to the area that differ from those in surrounding cities. Wild animals may move into homes during cool and snowy winters or warm summers.
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.
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.
We have at least 16 bat species in Tennessee. While most bats like to live in the caves and trees in the forested areas, some choose to live in your attic or barn. Bats tend to live near their food and water sources. So, if you have bats, then you also have a good source of insects and water.
Bats eat thousands of insects an hour. They can eat half their body weight in insects every day, which is why they are a huge benefit to the environment. Bats can be loud, and the guano they leave in your home smells terrible. It can also stain and corrode wood and metal due to the uric acid it contains.
Bats are a protected species due to threatening diseases spreading through colonies. There are specific laws regarding the removal of bats, like they cannot be removed or even harassed during the maternity season, which is typically from late Spring to early Fall. We can help with your bat problem.
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.
Raccoons in Gatlinburg have adapted well to urban life. They have hands that allow them to open doors, tear trash bags, climb trees and chimneys, and steal crops out of your garden. They can reach through wire fencing to grab chickens and roll sod to dig for insects underground.
Raccoons will break wood, screens, and anything else if it helps them enter your attic, basement, crawlspace, or area underneath a deck or porch. They often create multiple nests in a six-mile radius, which they will travel to look for food.
Raccoons will reportedly enter your home through a pet door if left open.
Once inside your home, females will go to great lengths to create a nest where they will give birth to a litter of pups (peak of breeding season in in February). Removing raccoons can be dangerous. They may bite if they feel threatened. If the raccoon that bites you has a disease, you are at risk of being infected. We can get rid of your raccoon troubles.
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.
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
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 and Mice Pest Control in Gatlinburg
Gatlinburg rodents include roof rats, house mice, and Norway rats. Because mice only need an opening the size of a quarter and rats need one the size of a golf ball, there are many opportunities for them to enter your home.
Rats typically burrow underground rather than in your home. However, burrowing under your home or other structures can cause damage to the foundation, making it unstable. Rats run along your roof, damaging shingles, gutters, siding, and more. Mice do most of their work inside, chewing wood, walls, cabinets, groceries, carpet, and more.
Where this is one rodent, there are others. They multiply quickly and often, having multiple litters a year. The sooner you call Critter Control, the better. Calling early can mean the difference between having one family of rodents versus an infestation.
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. Rodent trapping can usually takes between five to fourteen days.
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 in Gatlinburg
Gray and fox squirrels are the most common in Gatlinburg. Squirrels in our area are often called ground, tree, or flying squirrels. You can see squirrels everywhere you go in Gatlinburg. They are in abundance here and are always hunting for food and materials to build a nest for colder months.
They are collectors looking for the proper storage spot, which is often your attic. Squirrels also enter your home during breeding season which typically happens December-February and May-June(Opens in a new window).
Squirrels like to eat nuts, grains, seeds, leaves, bark, bird eggs, fruits, and vegetables. If you have those on your property, you likely have a squirrel problem.
Squirrels make a mess once inside your home. They rip insulation, scratch flooring, chew wires, and will use sentimental items to create a nest if they find it available in your attic. Before this happens, call us. We can assess the squirrel activity at your home before they cause damage or after.
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.
Squirrel Trapping
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.
Skunks are a common pest in Bentonville, Fayetteville and the surrounding NW Arkansas area. These animals are known for foraging for food in trash bins and pet food bowls. They’re also profound and efficient diggers, and can mutilate an entire yard in a single night searching for grubs. They’re distinctive black and white fur, and their pungent odor that can linger for days, are unmistakeable. If you happen to cross paths with a skunk, do not try to scare it away. Please also remember that skunks
can carry rabies; therefore, it’s best to let a professional handle removal for you.
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.
Wildlife Problems in Gatlinburg
Tennessee defines a nuisance animal as wildlife that poses a threat to humans, is causing damage to your home or property, or is persistently annoying. Our state keeps track of wildlife nuisance reports. Gatlinburg and all of Sevier County have their share of nuisance wildlife, according to the 2019-2020 report. Last year the following animals caused damage to a homeowner’s property throughout Sevier County: 174 on bats, four on beavers, 35 on birds, seven on opossums, 118 on rodents, 119 on raccoons, eight on reptiles, 34 on skunks, and 379 reports on squirrels.
While each of these animals has a purpose and is beneficial to our ecosystem, they can also destroy the exterior and interior of your home. They can create significant hazards for you and your family. We have been called to remove animal nests from ductwork, chimneys, vents, and even gutters.
Nuisance wildlife critters are not pets who stop long enough to take a nap on the front porch. They are in survival mode most of the time, seeking food, water, and shelter. Many will break and enter your home to find a place to nest. Others will steal your pet’s food, garden crops, and small livestock. Over time, it can feel like the wildlife has taken over.
At Critter Control, we get rid of nuisance wildlife with our inspection, removal, and repair process. Below are examples of how we handle some of the animals in the list above.
Nuisance wildlife experts provide:
- Safe and humane animal removal practices
- Quick and efficient services
- The right equipment and tools to handle all wildlife removal jobs
At Critter Control, our experts are:
- Licensed and insured
- Extensively trained on wildlife habits
- Up to date on permitting and trapping requirements in Tennessee
Other Common Wildlife Issues
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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 Commercial
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.
