For many, the idea of rodents in their home is the stuff of nightmares. Rodents like rats and mice are notorious home invaders, living alongside humans all over the world. They are especially problematic because they chew on housing structures and wires, contaminate food in the kitchen, leave excrement wherever they go, and make scuttling and squeaking noises at night. Though rodents can make their way into virtually any structure when motivated, there are things everyone can do to rodent-proof their home.

The key to rodent-proofing is simple: while you can’t necessarily make your home impenetrable, you can remove the desire of rodents for getting inside, which is the most effective prevention method possible.

Eliminate Food Sources

The number one attractant for rodents is food, so if you can eliminate alluring smells and easy meals, the critters won’t be drawn to your home. Here are the most common sources of food that attract rodents:

• Bird feeders
• Dog food kept outside or in the garage
• Pungent garbage
• Fruit trees

Even if all of these food sources are well-sealed, if they give off strong smells, rodents will be drawn to them. Getting rid of enticing smells of food is the first step to deterring potential rodent pests.

Removing Shelter Spaces

The other thing which could persuade rodents to stick around is an abundance of perfect rodent dens or shelters. Make sure none of the following spaces are available for curious rodents:

• Open garages
• Outdoor clutter/trash
• Branch piles
• Firewood piles
• Overgrown trees/shrubs overhanging the house

Any cover rodents can find on the ground will entice them to make your house their home. They especially love big piles of clutter because these afford them plenty of space, protection, and concealment from natural predators and the weather. If they manage to find these spaces, they may get the idea to try to make it inside the house.

Sealing Up Gaps

Finally, don’t make it easy for a rat or mouse to stroll into your house. Shockingly, rodents can fit through any crack or gap in the house only a ¼” big, so your house may not be as secure as you think. Some of the most common spots rodents use to get inside homes include:

• Gaps in garage door/side doors
• Cracks in windows and frequently-used doors
• Chimneys
• Areas around pipes and air vents
• Soffits and eaves
• Attic vents

If there are any cracks or crevices in your home, you’ll want to seal those immediately. A rodent would much rather squeeze into your house than spend time gnawing its way in.

Even if you take all of these steps to make your home as least appealing as possible to potential rodent invaders, they could still chew their way in if they are motivated. When this happens, and you discover rodents in your home, don’t panic – call Critter Control serving Ft. Lauderdale immediately. With decades of experience in nuisance animal control, we are the industry leaders in thorough, humane, professional rodent control. Time is of the essence in a rodent invasion, so call us today for your free consultation at 954-467-6067.

Many people seek bat extermination once they identify a problem in their homes. However, killing bats or even forcefully removing them is illegal. Due to the importance of bats on the environment, they are a protected species. If you believe you may have a bat problem, it’s critical you reach out to professionals who know how to ethically and legally handle your issue.

Bat Risk Factors

Having a bat in your home can be incredibly stressful and dangerous for both your family and your home’s structure. The bats may use your attic or chimney as shelter and cause some damage in the process. The damage they leave in homes typically stems from their living habits, as they don’t normally chew holes or rip things apart.

Bat guano, or droppings, carry fungus spores for Histoplasmosis. If dry droppings are agitated, they can crumble and the spores release into the air.

In addition to the droppings, bat urine seeps through the insulation, particle board and ceilings in your home. It can cause some damage to the insulation, but also leave an awful smell. You’ll know urine is an issue if you smell a strong ammonia-like odor coming from your walls or ceiling.

Using a Professional

Because there are such hefty legal implications on bat treatment, we urge you to use a professional. After your free  consultation, we will develop a plan that works for your needs and repair any damage done due to the infestation. Give Critter Control® serving Ft. Lauderdale a call at 954-467-6067 or contact us online for a fast, free estimate today.

You may be thinking, “Did I just here a noise coming from inside my living room wall?” In all likelihood, there could be some mice making a nest there. Your house provides the best possible shelter for mice, and they can thrive with the safety, climate control, and nutrition it offers. Although inside walls may seem like a strange place for mice to live, it is actually perfect for them. Mice like dark, tight spaces to hunker down in the daytime because it makes them harder to find. It also makes them hard to remove, but it is not impossible to get rid of mice in your walls.

Know the Signs

First, it is important to identify that the critters living in your walls are in fact mice. Here are some clues which can help you nail down the culprit.

• Sounds: small squeaking noises, tiny paws scuttling, faint scratching
• Feces: small, oblong brown pellets
• Tracks: front feet have 4 toes, and back feet have 5; will likely appear near entry point of the wall
• Chew Marks: signs of gnawing on baseboards, drywall, or furniture
• Smells: urine/feces odor near the walls, perhaps also the smell of dead mice trapped in the wall

By noticing one or more of these signs, you can determine if indeed the creatures living in your walls are mice, or maybe something larger.

Forming a Plan

Now that you’ve positively identified the mystery animals in your walls as mice, you must form a plan for getting the pests out of your home. Normally, this means betting that the mice come out of the walls at night in search of food. Many people will place traps along the wall where the mice reside, or in other places where they have noticed signs of mice activity. But, things can get complicated if it turns out that mice have died inside the walls – they need to be removed quickly to avoid horrible smelling odors, the spread of bacteria, and damage to the structure of your house.

The Total Mice Control Solution

If you have mice living in your walls, eradicating the pests, cleaning the mess, and repairing damage can be a gargantuan task. Let the experts at Critter Control® of Ft. Lauderdale take care of the problem for you. We know that each situation calls for a unique solution, and we are well-equipped to handle any mice infestation, no matter how severe. Call us today for a free consultation at 855-501-7119.

The first thing to understand about raccoons is that despite their cute, fuzzy appearance, they are among the most cunning and resourceful nuisance animals. They are known in suburban areas as ransackers of trashcans, thieves of outdoor pet food, and intruders of attics. While garbage and pet food problems are mainly just a nuisance, having raccoons in your attic is a much bigger issue. If left undisturbed for too long, they could cause some serious damage to your home, especially when giving birth to babies.

Raccoon Mothers

Often raccoon mothers will attempt to invade attics in the late winter or spring after they have mated in order to find a safe place to give birth and raise cubs. Because the gestation period of raccoons is a little over two months, many raccoon invasions from April-June will involve mothers giving birth in your attic.

Raccoon kits (or cubs) are helpless for the first few weeks of their life. They are born incapable of seeing and hearing, and will remain that way for about 3-4 weeks. The mother will stick by them to raise them until they are fully weaned about 16 weeks later.

Removal Issues

The tricky part about removing a mother raccoon and her kits from your attic is that trapping is only half the solution. Unless you are willing to wait a couple months for the time when the raccoon cubs can move around on their own, setting a trap in the attic won’t get the job done.

If you do set a trap in the attic and catch the mother raccoon, it is extremely important to check for any kits as well, since they cannot survive without the mother early in their lives. A thorough raccoon control job involves getting all the raccoons out of your attic, and safely relocating the family.

Animal Control Professionals

The Critter Control® experts in Ft. Lauderdale are happy to help you get the raccoons out of your attic. We understand how much damage raccoons can do to homes and the seriousness of the situation.  Furthermore, we promise to always use the most efficient tactics to solve the problem as quickly as possible, while still adhering to legal regulations and keeping your family safe. Give us a call today for a free consultation at 954-467-6067.

Because people find squirrels to be cute with their bushy tails and disarming personality, the critters can become emboldened to interact more and more with humans. Often, this can result in squirrels hanging near certain houses where they are sure to find food, whether it is in exposed trash cans or bird feeders. Sometimes they even move in with you and carve out a space in your home for themselves, oftentimes the attic.

Squirrel in the Attic

It is completely obvious why squirrels would want to move into your attic, with the great protection and seclusion it offers, but how in the world do they get in?

Squirrels are relentless creatures, and when they set their mind to something, they will try their best to get it. That means they will go to great lengths sometimes to make it inside your attic. They frequently target gaps in the roof as an easy way in, but they can also create holes for themselves in soffits, chimneys, and vents. Chewing through wood is no problem for a squirrel, and they can use their little paws to pull apart other, weaker materials like insulation.

What They Do Up There

Once inside, squirrels will quickly aim to build nests. A common motivation for a squirrel to gain access to your attic is that it wants to give birth in a controlled environment. Squirrels most often will give birth in the fall and spring months, so watch out for any squirrel pups if you go to investigate during these times.

To make their nests, they will gather materials like insulation on which to rest their young. Squirrels will also use insulation away from their nest as a toilet, which can cause significant damage to the attic and insulation. In addition, they will chew on just about anything to take care of their teeth, which could damage many of your possessions, and even the structure of the attic itself.

Squirrel Control Professionals

If you have a squirrel turning your attic into a nest, don’t try to handle the animal on your own. Squirrel pups cannot survive on their own without their mother, so it is important for the health of the animals to leave removal to the pros, like those at Critter Control® serving Ft. Lauderdale. Humane treatment of animals is one of our top priorities, so you can be sure that you are getting the highest quality of wildlife control service when you hire us. If you have any questions about squirrels in your attic, or if you want us to come check out your situation, call us today at 954-467-6067.

If humans live somewhere, rats will be soon to follow. Even though the average lifespan of a rat isn’t that long, they can create an infestation in your home in the blink of an eye because of their rapid breeding habits. The key to fighting a rat infestation is stopping it before it gets out of control.

Rat-Proof Your Home

Make your home as unattractive and inaccessible to rats as possible to prevent them from coming in the first place by following these steps:

1. Keep Your Home in Good Shape – if your home is older and cracks and seams are beginning to show, you will want to do some repairs. Otherwise, rats and other small critters can gain access.
2. Maintain Your Yard – Keep tree branches trimmed away from your house to make sure rats cannot use them to access your roof. In addition, keep bushes and landscaping neat and maintained so that you’ll be able to easily detect if a rat has been snooping around.
3. Eliminate Food and Water Sources – Most often this means don’t leave out any food easily accessible to rats, like in open trash cans. Also make sure there are no plumbing issues which could easily supply rats with water.
4. Careful Vigilance – If you have a sneaking suspicion that rats could be moving into your house, you will want to keep your eye out for telltale signs such as the following: rat tracks, droppings, grease marks, scuttering noises, and chewed furniture, wires, or pipes.

By taking this advice, you will be well-suited to prevent a rat infestation from snowballing out of control.

Professional Help

Should you find a rat infestation in your attic or walls, know that there are professionals out there who can deal with this problem. Critter Control® has been a leading provider of nuisance wildlife control for 30 years. We know that rat infestations are not to be taken lightly and require both the necessary tools and experience to be handled properly. Call us today at 954-467-6067 for a free consultation, or simply to ask any questions about our rat control services.

Who still uses mothballs? You may have seen them on an old TV show or smelled their strange odor at your grandma’s house, since they were used much more commonly decades ago. Though they may seem outdated to many, some try to repurpose them as rodent repellent, albeit unsuccessfully.

Original Function of Mothballs

Mothballs, per the name, are little chemical balls that you put in a closet or wardrobe to keep moths from eating holes in your clothing. Typically, they are used for out-of-season clothing that you store for long periods of time.

Mothballs are round discs of solid pesticides with the active ingredient naphthalene, camphor, and paradichlorobenzene (dichlorobenzene). At room temperature, these solid discs release vapors that are toxic to moths and moth larvae, eliminating them or deterring them from the area. Eventually, the ball would be totally used up as it turns into a gas and needs to be replaced.

Don’t Use Mothballs for Rodent Control

Mothballs are frequently suggested as a deterrent in both indoor and outdoor areas. These solutions are ineffective, dangerous to humans and pets, and illegal in some cases.

Mothballs contain naphthalene, but the small quantity in mothballs is insufficient to effectively deter rodents, and the smell rapidly dissipates. The smell can be a deterrent in large enough quantities, but will not prevent rodent infestation, on top of health risks.

Mothballs are commonly made of naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene, both of which are toxic to humans and have detrimental health effects. Accidental mothball ingestion is common in children. Fumes from naphthalene mothballs can escape into the air and can cause respiratory problems. High levels of fumes can accumulate in closed areas, and improper use of mothballs can lead to long-term exposures to people and pets. Medical issues as a result of mothball naphthalene poisoning include hemolytic anemia, methemoglobinemia,  and in rare cases, kidney damage.

For these reasons, mothballs should not be stored in closets, crawl spaces, attics, basements, storage chests, garment bags, or other spaces excluding airtight containers.

Get Professional Rodent Control

The best way to end your rodent infestation is to trap and remove the pests. The professional technicians at Critter Control® has decades of experience in animal removal, and have all the tools and technologies to assess and solve your rodent problem. Call us today for a free consultation at 954-467-6067.

Maybe you’ve seen a rat scurrying along in your house, and maybe you haven’t. But those rat droppings in the attic didn’t come out of thin air. Whether or not you still have rodents in your house, what the rat or rats leave behind needs to be dealt with.

The Dangers of Rat Droppings in Your Attic

You may think it is no big deal to leave the rat pellets in your attic insulation. After all, you can’t even smell them. Before you choose to ignore the feces, consider a few potential problems that rat droppings can cause:

• Leakage into nearby walls and ceiling, causing disgusting smells and damage
• Insulation damage
• The attraction of more rodents to your house

Of course, a larger rat infestation can do more damage than a single rat. They could tear up insulation to make nests and leave behind more feces and urine. In some cases, you will need to replace all of your attic’s insulation and do a thorough clean-up job to sanitize the area.

Rat Feces Clean Up and Disinfection

In the case of rat droppings in attic insulation, cleaning the mess immediately is not the best option. To be most efficient, we will extricate all rats from your house and rat-proof it to make sure they can’t find a way in.

Then, depending on the severity of your rat invasion, we will determine whether you can just get rid of the soiled portions or if it is better to replace the attic insulation entirely.

Professional Rat Removal

Fortunately, you do not have to do this alone; Critter Control® serving Ft. Lauderdale is here to help. We believe in offering comprehensive wildlife management and rodent control, which not only includes removing any nuisance critters from your house but also ensuring that they don’t come back and restoring your house to its pre-critter condition.

You do not have to go to another company to fix your insulation- we are fully qualified to do that as well. We have all the equipment to clean up rat droppings in existing insulation, as well as the necessary materials to replace insulation when needed.

Call us today at 954-467-6067 if you think you may have rats in your attic and receive a free consultation and inspection!

 

You may have heard scurrying noises or faint squeaks up in your attic but chose to ignore it for a while. After recognizing this several times, you decide to go check out the situation to find that not only is there a squirrel living up there, but it has recently had a litter of kits.

Squirrel Breeding

This scenario is not as farfetched as it first may seem. The most common squirrel in Florida, the Eastern Gray squirrel, can breed twice a year and has a gestation period of 44 days, and can have anywhere from 1-8 kits in a litter. That is a relatively short period of time for reproduction, and you may not realize that a squirrel is living in your house for a couple of weeks or more.

Squirrel Nests

Eastern Gray Squirrels typically build nests during the breeding season. Squirrel nests are typically built high between strong tree branches, inside tree cavities, or near the base of tree trunks.

Your house is the perfect place for a squirrel to give birth and raise its young. It is much safer and more secure than any nest they could make in the wild. Larger predators can’t hunt them if they are hiding in your attic. Food is readily available around your house, especially if you live in a suburban or wooded area. It makes sense why a squirrel would seek out the fortress that is your attic to protect its litter and itself.

Once inside your home, common nesting areas include chimneys, attics, and wall cavities. A squirrel infestation is a threat to the structural integrity of your property. Squirrel nests and gnawed electrical wiring present a fire hazard. In addition to causing building damage, squirrels are capable of spreading disease through their waste.

What Does a Squirrel Nest Look Like?

A squirrel’s nest looks like a large clump of twigs and leaves. The interior is hollow and measures eight inches in diameter on average. Nesting materials are typically lined with leaves, grass, moss, and shreds of bark. The exterior shell of the nest is woven together with sticks and leaves for insulation.

Getting Rid of Squirrels

If a squirrel has built a nest in your home, you need to remove the squirrel and its nest. Clearly, these animals should not be in your house, but what do you do with them?

Squirrel kits should not be separated from their mother because they can’t survive on their own. The best way to make sure they get out of your house is to trap them and seal up any access points they could have made into your attic. Because there are babies involved, it makes the process a little bit trickier. Calling a professional like those at Critter Control® serving Ft. Lauderdale is your best bet for humane squirrel removal. Once all squirrels are gone, clean-up and nest removal can be accomplished.

Expert Assistance

The professionals at Critter Control® are the industry leaders in pest control and animal removal services with over 130 locations across North America. We care about treating all wildlife as humanely as possible, so we have developed CritterSafe solutions to protect your home and the animals throughout the removal process. Call us today for a fast and free estimate at 954-467-6067.

What are those strange noises coming from the ceiling? Something smells a little strange… What happened to these walls?

If any of the above thoughts have crossed your mind, it is possible that you could have an unwanted house guest such as a squirrel, opossum, rat, or even a raccoon. This article will outline what makes a raccoon a potential culprit and will help you determine if, in fact, you do have a raccoon roommate.

Raccoons: Intelligent and Agile

Many of the aforementioned pests pose comparable threats to your home, but the raccoon is unique in its craftiness and abilities. It has an unusual sensitivity to things it touches and is adept at handling objects. Research has shown that raccoons can remember how to do complex tasks like opening locks after a few attempts. They are a highly intelligent species, with long memories and quick learning capabilities. This makes them well-equipped for finding ways into your home, whether it is climbing a nearby tree and dropping onto the roof or loosening a soffit gap to squeeze inside.

The Common Signs

You will often notice the following signs for nearly any pest invasion:

• Scratching, scampering, or squeaking noises from the attic
• Odor from feces
• Damaged infrastructure including beams, walls, floor
• Pets acting unusual

But a careful observer can figure out if the pest is a raccoon by paying attention to the quality of these signs. Since a raccoon is the largest animal home invader, the sounds of movement will be stronger and seem heavier like walking as opposed to scurrying. Also, noises are more likely to be heard at night, since raccoons are nocturnal. They will also make more ominous sounds, like growling or grunting instead of squeaking like a smaller invader. If you go up to the attic, you will see larger, almost dog-sized feces. Also, be sure to check the exterior of the house to look for any entry points. If it seems like a cat could fit through it, it was likely made by a raccoon.

Critter Control Professionals

No matter what the attic pest is, it will cause similar problems for you if it remains in your house too long. While some homeowners will feel confident to handle the problem on their own, save yourself the time and worry by calling the experts at Critter Control® serving Ft. Lauderdale. Especially in the case of an elusive raccoon, trapping can be a headache and relocating may be illegal, so let us take care of the critter for you. Call us today at 954-467-6067 for a free consultation.