Critter Control of Spokane

Raccoons are plentiful throughout Washington state. Although they prefer to live in the woods near a stream, they have adapted well to living among the humans who have spread into their habitat. It is not uncommon for raccoons to be seen in the urban and suburban parts of Spokane.

Their populations have grown considerably because of hunting and trapping restrictions because there are few predators in populated areas and because of the food humans supply to them. Raccoons are not great hunters, but they will eat about anything they find, making populated areas an easy place to find a continuous supply of food from trash cans and pet food left outside.

Raccoons are wily, strong, and determined animals that can easily rip through your roof to make your attic its home. Their hands have thumb-like digits that can claw and tear their way into your home. And, once inside, the damage they do can be even more serious and costly.

Raccoons are mostly solitary animals. Chances are, if you have a raccoon, it is a female looking to raise her young.These nuisance animals are not subtle. The telltale signs include a hole in your roof larger than one a squirrel or rat might make. They are most active at dusk and dawn, so they will also create a bit of noise thumping around. In addition, their footprints are pretty distinct and can easily be recognized by a Critter Control technician.

Raccoons like to create a singular place to use as a bathroom, so you can expect to find a pile of feces. Roundworm is a common parasite in Washington state raccoons that can cause illness in pets and people.

Critter Control rids your house of your resident raccoon by live trapping and returning it to a more natural, wooded habitat. If there are kits, they will be transported with them. If the kits are too young, a wildlife rehabilitator is called in to help.

Never try to get rid of a raccoon on your own. They become aggressive when cornered, especially if kits are present. In addition, they are carriers of rabies and parasites. Other viruses and bacteria that are of concern to both people and pets include canine distemper, canine parvovirus, salmonella, tularemia, and leptospirosis.

Rats and mice are one of the worst infestations one can have because of the costly damage they create, the health risks they pose, and how quickly they reproduce.

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) describes rats and mice as intelligent and quick to learn. Once a mouse or rat discovers a good navigation route, it will remember it. Good for these rodents but bad for people when they are using these routes to get into our pantries.

Over 70 species of mice and rats are found in North America. The house mouse, Norway rat, brown rat, and roof rat are the most common rodents found in urban and suburban residential and commercial properties. Rodents are thought to be originally from India and began to live among humans as far back as 4,000 years ago. From India, they spread to Europe and were brought to the U.S. aboard ships in the 1600s.

The incisor teeth of rodents grow continuously throughout their lives. They are voracious gnawers because that is their way of keeping these teeth at a manageable length. This trait is what makes them so successful at gnawing their way into homes. Once comfortably inside, they will continue to gnaw pathways, chewing through wood, floorboards, and even electric wires, creating a fire hazard.

These gnaw marks are one of the sure signs of a rodent problem. Other signs to look out for are feces and urine in your pantry, drawers, and counters, and greasy smudge marks left behind along walls and floorboards where they travel often. By the time you see an actual mouse or rat, you could already have an infestation, as these creatures are nocturnal and like to move about under the cover of night.

Depending on the size of the infestation and where the rats or mice are nesting, your wildlife technician will put together a custom plan for eradication. The process can take anywhere from seven to ten days. Once rats and mice are gone, the gaps through which these rodents entered will be sealed. Then repairs and sanitation can take place.

Most people think of squirrels as cute, energetic, and bushy-tailed animals. They are found all over the world except Australia and Antarctica. Opinions about squirrels differ vastly. There are those who think they are adorable and love to watch them in the park or even feed them. Then there are those who only consider them a nuisance.

Even though we don’t think of them as rodents, squirrels are in the rodent family but in a different suborder than rats and mice. They are closely related to prairie dogs, chipmunks, and marmots. Unlike rats and mice, which are nocturnal, squirrels are diurnal. They are active by day and are most active at dawn and dusk.

There are more than 200 species of squirrels categorized into three types. Tree squirrels make nests in trees. Ground squirrels dig systems of tunnels underground, and flying squirrels live in tree holes or in nests they make in crooks of branches. It is a myth that flying squirrels can fly. They spread a muscle membrane between their legs and body to glide up to 160 feet in the air, making it look like they are flying.

Squirrels are all around us, so it’s hard not to have some on your property. The trees around us contain the acorns and other nuts in a squirrel’s diet, and the trees provide them with a home and cover from predators.

It isn’t a far stretch for squirrels on your property to come inside your house. Your home is a safe haven from predators and a warm home for them and their young in harsh temperatures.

Signs of squirrels in your attic or chimney include

• Scurrying and squeaking noises in the walls early in the morning and again at dusk.
• Squirrel droppings in and around the house.
• Chewing damage on the outside of your home on the roofline, soffits, or shingles.
• A foul smell coming from the attic, chimney, or crawlspace. If a squirrel has made a nest in your home, the smell of the accumulation of urine and feces will penetrate into your living area.
• Yard damage, such as a dug-up lawn or bulbs, chewed bark, and eaten fruits and vegetables from the garden.

If you suspect you have squirrels in your house, it’s imperative to get rid of them as quickly as possible because the damage they create is costly and sometimes dangerous. They will gnaw on wood, tear insulation to use for their nests, and chew on wires. In addition, they will defecate, and this causes rot as well as a health issue. Squirrels also carry parasites such as ticks, mites, and fleas that can infest your home.

Few mammals have been as misunderstood as bats. They are extremely beneficial to our environment and economy, yet they instill fear and horror. The theory is that bats appeared on Earth about the same time as dinosaurs, about 65 to 100 million years ago. There are around 1,300 bat species worldwide. They account for about one in every five mammals living on the planet, yet they are mostly invisible to us.

Bats live on almost every continent, but there are only about 15 species living in Washington state. All of them are insectivores. Bats can eat up to 600 to 1,000 flying insects, such as mosquitoes, beetles, and stink bugs, in just one hour. They also help farmers by eating tomato hornworms, cucumber beetles, and earworms from our crops.

In the rainforest, bats pollinate the flowers of countless trees important to our continuing existence. And in Africa, the baobab is an important ecosystem that depends almost exclusively on bats for pollination. Without bats, the baobab ecosystem would collapse. Bats are also key to maintaining pollination for many of the foods we love: bananas, mangoes, cashews, dates, avocados, and much more. All in all, the U.S. pollination of agricultural crops by bats is valued at $10 billion and $3.7 billion in pest control services per year, according to biological diversity.org.

Bats are all around us in Spokane and every other city in the nation. Because they are nocturnal, we may not notice them. And it’s hard to notice them when they decide to roost in your chimney or attic—or behind shutters. While we love the good bats do, they pose health risks when roosting in our homes.

Bats don’t have the physical capability to create an entrance into our homes, but they do take advantage of the weak spots that exist. Once within our walls, the guano they produce is the real danger as it carries parasites and can cause disease.

Signs of bats include an ammonia smell of their urine, smudge marks along areas where they fly in and out, and squeaking noises within the walls. Bats are federally protected and cannot be harmed. In addition, their young, born in spring, are helpless until fall. So if you have bats in your attic, fall is when you can get rid of them. Critter Control will install a one-way door or bat valve that lets the bats fly out but does not let them return once the bats have left. The bat valve is removed, and the entryway is sealed.

Even though skunks prefer to live and forage in open fields, pastures, and farms, they have been a growing presence in urban and suburban areas because of the loss of habitat and the easy accessibility of food in populated areas. Spokane is a popular place for skunks because of the city’s proximity to the Spokane River.

Known for their stinky spray, skunks can cause damage to homes. They tend to dig burrows under porches and sheds. When burrowing for food or shelter, they can damage foundations, electrical wiring, and plumbing. A skunk’s spray is also capable of ruining outdoor furniture or equipment. Because they are nocturnal, you may not see one, but their odor will let you know they are nearby. And, if you smell their musk day after day, it probably lives nearby.

Skunks are the most common carriers of rabies, so no homeowner should try to get rid of a skunk on one’s own. They are also carriers of distemper, tularemia, and leptospirosis. On the less dangerous side, when your dog gets sprayed, the scent can last for days.

Critter Control specialists will humanely trap and relocate the skunk to a more wooded habitat. Critter Control will also repair any damage caused by the skunk and get rid of the odor. Skunks are opportunistic animals, and another skunk will move right in, so exclusionary measures should be taken. Mesh and other fencing around decks and porches can keep your home free from skunks and other burrowing animals. Skunks are docile and like to avoid conflict. Keeping a motion-sensitive light on is an effective skunk deterrent.

In the vast majority of circumstances, birds add to our outdoor quality of life in addition to helping our environment by pollinating plants, eating pests, fertilizing the soil with their droppings, and spreading seeds. But there are some bird species that, because of their habits and loss of natural habitats, wreak havoc on homes, agriculture, and city buildings.

From individual woodpeckers hammering on houses to entire flocks of starlings, geese, and pigeons descending on lawns or building tops, birds can become a nuisance and a health hazard.

Bird poop contains uric acid, a corrosive element that, in large quantities, will mar the paint on buildings and corrode metal on roofs and bridges. All in all, birds cause millions of dollars in damage annually to roofs, ventilation systems, cars, and machinery. Bird poop and feathers can also clog gutters and vents, causing water damage to homes and commercial properties.

House sparrows and starlings are not native to the U.S. Imported from Europe, they become aggressive and force more docile species out of an area. When congregating in large numbers, they will also remove an entire year’s fruit off of a tree, an especially damaging outcome for the many wineries in Washington state.

Bird poop poses health and accident risks as well. Their poop on sidewalks is a slip hazard. And, through their poop, they can pass on parasites. People can also contract diseases such as histoplasmosis and cryptococcosis by breathing in the dust created when cleaning dried droppings.

It’s nearly impossible to eradicate flying birds. Critter Control employs exclusion methods depending on the species and type of property that eliminates bird access to nesting and roosting areas. Our specialists recommend barriers such as bird netting, bird slides, and capping chimneys, among others.

Finding a snake in your home or office is not a common occurrence, but it does happen. Snakes are cold-blooded animals. The only way they can regulate their body temperature is through their environment. If too hot, they find a cool place. If too cold, they look for a warm place to hang out. They also require moisture.

Finding snakes in the yard is a natural occurrence, but there are several circumstances under which they will come inside. One reason a snake will choose to come indoors is to regulate their temperature. In winter, they might find your home nice and warm. In summer, one might slither into your cool, humid garage or under your porch.

Another likely reason a snake has come into your home is that they smell food. Snakes have forked tongues that they flick in different directions to smell their surroundings. They also have small holes in front of their eyes that sense the heat given off by warm-blooded prey, and the bones in their jaws pick up the vibrations from scurrying animals. All of these effective ways of sensing food will bring them into your home or business if you have a rodent problem.

Unlike nuisance wildlife that create holes to get inside or leave obvious signs such as mouse poop on the counter, snakes are more subtle. If you see a snake slither inside and then lose track of it, or if you just suspect you have a snake in your home, it is important to get rid of it quickly, even if it is not a venomous snake. A snake will attack your pet if provoked. More pets are bitten and killed annually by snakes than humans.

Signs you might have a snake in your home include:

• Seeing a shed skin along a wall
• Slither tracks on a dusty basement, garage floor, or in a crawlspace
• A new strange scent
• Unexpected noises coming from floorboards or lower walls where one might be hiding and laying eggs
• Any evidence of previously seen mice is gone

Regardless of whether the snake is venomous or harmless, it’s important to call a professional who can locate and humanely get rid of the snake. Equally important to getting rid of the snake is having a technician check for rodents, as they can cause costly damage, contaminate food, and transmit disease.

Moles are the bane of many homeowners who love their lawns and garden beds. Many people believe moles are rodents, but they are small mammals that spend most of their lives alone and underground in their tunnels. In addition to homeowners, they are considered to be a nuisance in ballfields, golf courses, horse pastures, and farms.

Although moles can cause damage to lawns and to the roots of plantings in the course of tunneling, they do serve the beneficial purpose of aerating the soil and eating many destructive insects. In addition, they eat earthworms. When tunneling in your garden, it is the earthworms they are after.

Because moles spend most of their lives underground, you may not see one to know you have a mole problem. Signs of a mole problem include large molehills, ridges from tunnels, and spongy ground.

It’s hard to get rid of an animal you cannot see. Mole tunnels are so extensive that you do not know where underneath your lawn the mole actually is. DIY treatments are mostly ineffective and best left to professionals who can rid your lawn of moles and then institute exclusion methods so garden beds and other areas can be protected from future recurrences.

Because voles also live most of their lives underground, many think they are similar to moles, but they are not. Unlike moles, voles are small rodents whose diet consists of vegetation. In addition, they like to live in large burrow complexes as part of a colony of voles. But like moles, voles also damage lawns and gardens by eating the roots, stems, and leaves of plants.

Voles look more like mice and are active all year round, day and night, so the damage they can create on your property is ongoing. Also, they are prolific breeders, producing five to 10 litters per year with three to six young per litter.
Vole signs include spongy soil under your feet, holes in the ground, and collapsed plants. Identifying voles can be tricky, but a Critter Control technician can help.

Like moles and voles, gophers spend their time building complex underground burrow systems. Gophers are rodents found most commonly in the midwest and western regions of the country. They are herbivores and can eat about 60% of their weight in vegetation every day. They are rarely seen above ground but will cause significant damage to lawns and gardens from below, even damaging underground electrical wiring or drain lines.

Gophers also breed profusely and can have as many as 18 pups annually. Born blind, they are dependent on their mother. Once they gain their vision, they are mature enough to live on their own.

Gophers can carry rabies and are aggressive. Critter Control can evaluate your situation and create a plan for its humane removal.