Milwaukee Animal Control: Holiday Decorating Surprises

The holidays are always great. We reconnect with family and take some time out of our busy schedules for recreation and a bit of excitement. And best of all are those holiday decorations that help to bring the holiday spirit into the home. But after the holidays are over and those decorations need to be stored, the thought of harboring wildlife emerges. In fact, a number of Milwaukee’s animal control calls are made just around the time when people are opening their boxes of decorations and have discovered that what they thought was just decorations is actually decorations plus unwanted wildlife guests. Wildlife species will make their way into your Milwaukee home this holiday season as they crave the food and warmth it provides. And when you stash those decorations away they’ll snuggle up beneath and between them and create long term nests. Before you know it, you’ll have a really problematic intrusion situation on your hands. In fact, you may not even know until you’re ready to use them again next season.

How Your Decorations Become Wildlife Haven

Rodents are notorious for snuggling up beneath decorations. And sometimes they chew on the items making them unusable and costing you a trip to the store not to mention a few bucks. To make matters worse, rodents can also cause you and your family to become ill this holiday season as they carry diseases like leptospirosis.

Precautions that Will Help Keep Wildlife Out During This Holiday Season

Thankfully there are things you can do to keep wildlife out during and after the holiday season. If your decoration is a natural one (meaning a wreath made from branches and flowers or a tree) ensure that you check it thoroughly before bringing it inside. You don’t want to offer wildlife a free trip into your home. Do the same thing for boxes you have stashed away in the garage, attic or basement. Don’t make the mistake of transferring a family of rodents from a little traffic space such as the basement to a focal room like the living room. If you spot droppings or gnaw marks those are strong indicators that something is living in the box or nearby. [embed]https://youtu.be/j-Ru-lvvOtM[/embed] Large Yuletide decorations, like Santa and his sleighing team, are notorious for becoming homes for rodents so check inside them for nests before removing them from storage boxes. If possible, do this outdoors as a precaution. Take a similar approach with all other decorations that are large enough to host rodents.  When you are putting them away after the season is over, be sure to check for signs of rodent presence before packing them away. Edible decorations like chocolate Santa, candy canes and strings of popcorn will attract mice and rats so be sure to toss them after the season is over. Do thorough checks to ensure that none of these decorations end up hidden under a couch or a piece of furniture.  If food happens to get onto your washable decorations you should have them washed before storage. Ensure that your storage methods are intrusion proof. Avoid using cardboard boxes or bags as these can be easily chewed through. Instead, use hard plastic or metal-based bins that are unlikely to be chewed into by rodents. Ensure that the lids are tightly sealed and elevate them instead of placing them flat on the ground. The parts of your decoration that you decide to discard should be taken care of immediately. Do not leave these lying around outside as this may be an invitation for wildlife to move closer and eventually inside.

When You Need the Experts

If all your efforts fail; don’t worry, the experts at Skedaddle are ready to help you restore your Milwaukee home to its wildlife free status. Give us a call and watch as we apply our years of experience in the animal control business to work for you. When we are through, you’ll be able to enjoy our holiday comfortably.