The Dangers of DIY Wildlife Control

Most urban dwelling wildlife is cunning, clever and well adapted to living amongst humans. They have mastered the art of breaking and entering, and know just how to sneak into your home to find food and shelter. Keeping these unwanted guests out of your North York home requires diligence, determination and an effective humane wildlife control strategy. Many homeowners attempt to carry out their own DIY wildlife control because they believe it is more cost effective, but in the long run, incorrect or dangerous DIY wildlife control can be more costly than employing a professional.

Safety First

In order to ensure that wildlife doesn’t find a way into your house, you need to locate and block all potential entry points, including holes in the roof, vents, and chimneys. This makes DIY wildlife control tricky for homeowners who lack the necessary equipment and experience to safely climb ladders and scale roofs. Blocking entry points on roofs and repairing damaged vents or chimney caps is not a job for your average DIY enthusiast. Roofs can be steep and hazardous, and one wrong step can send you tumbling to the ground, so it is not advisable to climb on your roof unless you have the appropriate experience, safety equipment, and training. Snow and ice in the winter makes scaling your roof even more dangerous. Wildlife can be dangerous, especially if cornered or threatened. Most small animals that you need to remove from your attic or basement might be no match for you but that won’t stop them from attacking. They can bite, scratch and inflict serious wounds that can become infected. Many animals also carry diseases, bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Removing an animal from a den or nest that it has made in your house is not a simple task, especially if the animal has babies. In order to remove it safely, without causing stress, injury or provoking an attack, you need to have appropriate training and an understanding of animal behavior. Clearing out animal nests and waste can also be hazardous, and should not be carried out without the proper equipment. Breathing in small particles from rodent droppings, urine, saliva or nesting materials can cause illness and you need to be extremely careful. [caption id="attachment_16286" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Trail cameras can be a useful tool to determining a wildlife problem.[/caption]

Property Damage

Wildlife has no regard for your property. They will destroy anything in their path in their quest to build a nest. If your DIY methods do not remove them successfully, you could end up prolonging the infestation and give them time to cause huge amounts of property damage. Just because you don’t hear an animal in your attic for a few days, don’t assume you have successfully evicted it from the premises. Before you seal up an entry point into your home, you need to be absolutely sure that there are no animals, especially babies, trapped inside. Trapping wildlife in your home can have expensive and disastrous consequences. The animal can cause untold damage in its bid to escape or be reunited with its young. Once you have successfully rid your house of unwanted wildlife, you need to ensure that they do not return. Animals like squirrels and raccoons are very resourceful and determined. Merely getting them out of your attic and cleaning up is not enough to guarantee that they will stay away. Entry points need to be properly sealed to prevent future intrusions. An animal control expert will know exactly how to do this. Experts, like Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control, can remove animals humanely from your property without causing injury or damage. They are trained to climb on roofs and crawl around in attics and basements, and they have all the necessary safety equipment. DIY is a great hobby but DIY animal control can be a costly exercise and to save yourself from stress and frustration be sure to call in a professional for all your humane wildlife control needs in North York.