In Richmond, nuisance wildlife encounters happen daily. They are the animals that threaten humans, damage property, and interfere with your peace. Virginia has established rules on capturing and removing nuisance wildlife. Rather than take the risk of violating nuisance wildlife laws, you may want to call professionals for help. 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 quickly get rid of raccoons, rodents, and other nuisances.
Virginia wildlife found to be nuisances include raccoons, rats, mice, squirrels, bats, skunks, snakes, opossums, groundhogs, and hundreds of species of birds. We identify the animal on the property, then use humane methods to remove the animal and secure weak points where more could enter. We can make those repairs for a complete restoration if damage has been done.
The squirrel most likely to succeed at inhabiting your attic is the flying squirrel. But we also have multiple species of fox squirrels, gray squirrels, and red squirrels in Richmond. As rodents, squirrels spend most of their time collecting foods to store for winter months. They enjoy fungi, nuts, seeds, flowers, fruits, berries, insects, and bird eggs. They will even eat bark, although it is not their first choice.
Squirrels are known to dig holes in your yard to store and retrieve foods. They steal garden crops and chew bark on ornamental trees. If you have a bird feeder, you will likely need to refill it often since squirrels will clean it out before the birds can. Squirrels chew electrical wires, wood beams, and walls inside the home.
Squirrels’ teeth continually grow and can create pain. To prevent this, squirrels gnaw on things, including house siding, shingles, mesh screens, plastic, and anything wood. Squirrels will make a small hole much bigger by chewing. You do not want holes in your house. We can get rid of your squirrel problem and repair damages.
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. The best squirrel control is exclusions. By squirrel proofing all entry points after we have removed the pests, we guarantee your house is protected from squirrel pest infestations. We can also clean-up the nesting sites and remove any debris, food, feces and soiled insulation.
Seventeen bat species(Opens in a new window) exist in Virginia. The bats that may be roosting in your attic in Northern Shenandoah are the big and little brown bats, evening bats, and Brazilian free-tailed bats. When you know you have a bat or colony of bats in your home or other structure on your property, call an expert for help. Bats are one of the most legally protected wildlife due to decreased populations caused by diseases, wind turbines, climate change, and deforestation.
Virginia law states you cannot “harass, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, collect, etc. endangered or threatened species.” Do not make the mistake of trying to get rid of bats alone and end up in legal trouble. Most species of bats in this area are non-game protected. If bats are a nuisance on your property, an expert wildlife controller can discuss your options.
Wildlife technicians have humane ways to remove bats from your property. More importantly, they do so without violating laws, such as the ones that apply to mating and maternity season. Removing or tempting bats to move between May and August when babies are born and learning to survive is illegal. You can begin the removal process only when the babies can fly out of a roost on their own, often in mid to late August.
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.
Raccoons in Richmond wear a permanent black mask. They have a bushy striped tail and nimble hands and fingers. Don’t be distracted by their cuteness. They are nocturnal thieves that will do what it takes to get something to eat. And they will eat anything. Raccoons like insects, chickens, pet feed, table scraps, trash, garden crops, bird eggs, and much more.
Raccoons can be destructive to the interior and exterior of your property. To get into your attic, they look for any possible entry. If there is a small hole, they will make it bigger. If it’s a vent, they will rip it out. Once inside, they will rip out insulation, chew on wires, and stain your walls and floors with feces and urine.
Outside, raccoons will dig holes in your yard, searching for insects. They will climb your chimney and spout to get to your roof, causing damage to siding, shingles, and more. We can help you get rid of your raccoon problem.
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 start raccoon control by blocking and securing the raccoon entry points 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.
The house mouse, field mouse, Norway rat, and roof rat have adapted well to Richmond rodent life. Mice tend to live indoors, even though they will scavenge for food outdoors. Norway rats typically burrow tunnels near your home. They have been known to burrow through insulation.
Rats and mice can enter small holes, like the ones necessary to run wires into your home. They also enter through torn screens, cracks around windows, pipes, vents, chimneys, and damaged wood. They are on the hunt for food, water, and shelter. Rodents will eat pet and human foods as well as dog feces. These tiny creatures can do a lot of damage to your property. One reason is that they multiply quickly, and in less than a year, you could have a severe infestation.
Damages caused by rats and mice include chewed wires, clogged pipes, vents, drywall holes, feces and urine trails along baseboards and on counters, and ruined groceries. Let us help.
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.
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.
The best rodent control is to stop the pests from getting 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.
Skunks and opossums are different species, but their nuisance behaviors are identical and eerily like raccoons. One difference is that skunks and opossums typically change living habitats after a few weeks. Both animals use vacant dens in your yard, the attic, crawlspace, basement, or area under a porch or deck for shelter. They are very messy and will destroy everything in their space.
A recent report about a family in Albemarle County educated many on the dangers of an opossum dying in your water well. It can contaminate it, causing high levels of E.coli and coliform. Drinking it will lead to severe health issues.
Skunks and opossums crawl through insulation, ductwork, vents, and pet doors, searching for food. If they need to make an entry bigger, they will. Both eat insects, small rodents, fish, garden crops, eggs, and human and pet food. They raid compost piles and trash cans. After all that eating, they will leave piles of feces and urine in their dens.
When skunks and opossums feel threatened, they will hiss, growl, and screech, and both release a musky-smelling fluid that can take days or weeks to fade. One difference is that opossums play dead when frightened. Wildlife control specialists are extensively trained to get rid of skunks and opossums, and they understand the local, state, and federal regulations for nuisance wildlife removal.
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.
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.
Skunks and opossums are different species, but their nuisance behaviors are similar to raccoons. Unlike raccoons, opossums typically change living habitats after a few weeks. Opossum use vacant dens in your yard, the attic, crawlspace, basement, or area under a porch or deck for shelter. They are very messy and will destroy everything in their space.
A recent report about a family in Albemarle County educated many on the dangers of an opossum dying in your water well. It can contaminate it, causing high levels of E.coli and coliform. Drinking it will lead to severe health issues.
Opossums crawl through insulation, ductwork, vents, and pet doors, searching for food. If they need to make an entry bigger, they will. Both eat insects, small rodents, fish, garden crops, eggs, and human and pet food. They raid compost piles and trash cans. After all that eating, they will leave piles of feces and urine in their dens.
Opossums can be found inside attics and basements or outside under decks and sheds. Common signs include unique paw prints and feces. Opossums are docile and usually easy to spot.
Opossums can be lured into cages for live capture. If it is maternity season, we follow all guidelines for removing mother and newborn opossums. We will seal entryways into the building to prevent opossums from reentering in the future. Opossums can be kept from getting under sheds and decks by installing fencing around the bottom edges and burying the fence underground.
Broken screens on chimney and roof vents are replaced with sturdier materials, and we properly seal all entry points, including crawlspaces. We clean and deodorize areas of opossum activity. Exclusion may include eliminating sources that attract bugs, like nighttime lighting, stagnant water, and livestock poop.
We recommend keeping pet food inside and securing any trash bins.
There are 13 species of snakes classified as needing conservation in Virginia, including some king, rattle, pine, earth, and crayfish snakes. For the most part, snakes are harmless. Virginia has only three venomous snakes, with the copperhead being the most common in Charlottesville. Timber rattlesnakes and canebrake rattlesnakes are prevalent in other areas of Virginia.
If you have snakes in your home or property, you also likely have a rodent problem. Snakes preferred food includes rats and mice. Eliminating rats and mice from the property will also get rid of snakes. Because snakes often create fear in humans, call an expert for help in removing it.
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.
Birds are an important part of our natural environment in the area.
Birds may be beneficial, neutral, or harmful to man’s interests, depending upon time, location and activity, and certain birds (sparrows, woodpeckers, waterfowl, pigeons and black birds) are more likely to become pests and require bird-proofing and bird control. Pest bird situations that require bird control and bird proofing include:
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.
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.
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.
Squirrels, bats, raccoons in attics. Mice, rats, opossums in crawlspaces, walls, basements.
Most animals are active spring through fall. Rats, mice, opossums, and raccoons are active all year.
Noises in the attic, walls, crawlspaces, and basements. Droppings in the kitchen, basement, or attic. Chew or claw marks on areas of the home.
We should be called at the first sign of recurring activity, when droppings are visible within the home, or if wildlife has made a habit of visiting the yard.
