Tag Archives: squirrel removal

Need Wildlife Pest Control? Here’s 4 Wildlife Pests We Know All Too Well.

So, you’ve heard scratching, gnawing, or flapping in the attic and decided you need wildlife pest control. So, what’s next? Well, you’re in the right place because Terminix Canada offers humane wildlife removal that works. This way, intruding wildlife can return to their natural habitat and away from your home – completely harm-free.

Our professional exterminators know everything it takes to remove wildlife pests from your home. To further convince you that you need wildlife pest control, these four pests are liable to attack, maim, and chomp with their germ-ridden mandibles when you least expect. Wildlife pests are athletic, crafty, dangerous, and dirty. All too often, they cause immeasurable damage to our homes and mayhem wherever they go.

Before you contact your nearest Terminix Canada branch, carry on reading to learn more about four of the most infamous rent-free intruders around.

We Regularly Perform Wildlife Pest Control For:

  1. Raccoons
  2. Skunks
  3. Bats
  4. Squirrels

1. Raccoons: The King Of The Concrete Jungle

Ah, the notorious trash panda. We’d revere raccoons’ resourcefulness if they weren’t so reprehensible.

These little annoyances have no problem making themselves comfortable on your property. Equipped with razor-sharp claws, raccoons fear no human and will attack if they feel threatened. Plus, raccoons are one of the leading animal carriers of the rabies virus.

What’s most irritating is their innate ability to cause a ruckus on our property. From inhabiting spaces in our garages and attics, to finding new and inventive ways to root through and destroy our green bins, raccoons are as efficient at being pests as Terminix Canada is at removing them!

The best form of raccoon control is preventing raccoon problems in the first place. By limiting access to food, shelter, and water, this is the best way to raccoon-proof your home. Naturally, these masked intruders are cunning and should you already have a raccoon infestation, hiring Terminix Canada’s humane raccoon removal service is the way to go.

2. Skunks: The Accidental Bullies

We kind of feel bad for skunks. They are harmless creatures in theory. However, in practice, people react to them like they were Jason Voorhees if his weapon of choice was stink spray instead of a machete!

Skunks only spray potential threats, and actually don’t view humans as such. However, they suffer from nearsightedness, and often mistake us for predators. This leads to most skunk spraying incidents.

Skunks’ poor eyesight also causes them to spray our pet dogs, because the stinky pests confuse canines for wolves and foxes. For dog owners, this is its own special kind of nightmare.

Much like raccoons, skunks will forage into our gardens and trash. Considering the damage they inflict on our homes, and the ability to make us smell like unwashed underwear, it’s easy to see why skunks are so detestable.

Best practices of skunk control include installing physical barriers. This will ensure that skunks can’t enter any holes near your property to create a skunk den. Additionally, you should remove any cover skunks could potentially use for harbourage. This includes brush, woodpiles, and shady vegetation.

3. Bats: The Heroes We Don’t Want

Sure, bats do a lot of great things for the environment. They pollinate flowers and disperse fruit seeds for starters. In fact, some plants depend primarily on bats for seed distribution. Additionally, bats feast upon insect pests, reducing the need for pesticides.

Nevertheless, we still loathe these rats-with-wings!

Maybe it’s because they’re hideous, utterly terrifying creatures, potentially carrying rabies and other diseases like histoplasmosis – an infection caused by breathing in spores that grow in bat droppings. Or it could be their proclivity to nest in our attics? All too often, bats enjoy the luxury of consistent temperatures in our attics, spawning more of their offspring until our homes play host to legions of flying threats.

When it comes to bat removal, you should always approach bat-proofing with extreme caution. In other words, you should leave bat control to a professional like Terminix Canada.

Exclusion is always the way to go when dealing with bats. Bats’ food sources are flying insects outside your home. You can’t remove their food or water source, so exclusion or relocation are your only options. Under no circumstances should you ever try to trap and release bats on your own.

4. Squirrels: Small, Yet Formidable Foes

One of the most common attic dwellers, squirrels are remarkable, yet infuriating little creatures. One of the most agile critters around, squirrels can rotate their feet 180 degrees and can run like superheroes at a 90-degree angle.

Boasting infamous sharp teeth that are constantly growing, squirrels can gnaw through roof tiles, wood, and electrical wiring with ease. Not only fast and super nimble, a squirrel’s peripheral vision is just as good as their focal vision too. This means removing them yourself is notoriously difficult.

What you can do however is remove any open diet sources, ensuring that no seeds, nuts, or fruits are within easy reach. This is one of the best preventative methods of squirrel control. Gutter guards can also help prevent squirrels from finding entry points into your home. Lastly, cutting back overhanging limbs is another effective method for keeping squirrels away.

However, if squirrels have already breached your perimeter, and you’re all too familiar with clicks, growls, and screams, it’s time to enlist the professionals.

Trust Terminix Canada For All Your Wildlife Pest Control Needs

Do you have a raccoon, skunk, bat, or squirrel problem? If your home is overrun with a pest or wildlife infestation, Terminix Canada provides humane wildlife pest control services from Halifax to Vancouver. We even offer emergency wildlife control for more pressing wildlife problems.

Not only will we humanely remove any current wildlife from your property, but we’ll take measures to prevent any further infestations. Visit our Branch Locator, find your nearest Terminix Canada branch, and give them a call today.

Need Help Removing Squirrels? Our Best Tips For Mitigating Squirrel Damage.

Removing squirrels, eh? Anybody who’s attempted this task knows just how difficult it is to get these growling small mammals out of your home and back into the wild. At first, with their big fluffy tails and perky ears, squirrels might seem like fun-loving animals that are too cute to be rodents.

In fact, squirrels are part of the scientific order Rodentia, just as mice and rats are. And just like this pesky duo, squirrels are more than capable of causing lots of damage and mess. If you’ve been wondering, “do squirrels chew wires?” the answer is yes. These rodents will chew on anything to manage the length of their teeth. They’ll happily chew through wood, electrical wiring, and the other infrastructure that makes your house a home.

Since squirrel damage can mean costly maintenance and repairs for Canadian homeowners, removing squirrels should take immediate priority upon discovering them. Carry on reading this blog to learn more about squirrels in Canada, identifying squirrel damage, and what you can do to mitigate the carnage that squirrels cause in our homes.

What Are The Most Common Types Of Squirrels In Canada?

Ultimately, squirrels are discovered all across the globe, with over 200 different species worldwide. The most common squirrels in Canada are Eastern Grey Squirrels, often intruding on homes throughout Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Quebec.

Elsewhere, Red Squirrels are prevalent in provinces like Newfoundland and Saskatchewan.  Whatever region you call home, it’s more likely than not that you have squirrels in the vicinity.

According to a May 2021 article by The Globe and Mail, the COVID-19 pandemic, and with it, fewer cars on the road, led to more home invading squirrels and a 30% rise in Toronto squirrel removal enquiries.

Identifying Squirrel Damage To The House (Backyard)

So we know that removing squirrels is your number one priority. Firstly, you’ll need to learn how to identify squirrel damage so you can prevent more destruction in the future. Envisage your backyard for a second. In short, there are several signs to look out for when it comes to identifying squirrel damage to the house.

  • Uprooted plants and flowers
  • Eaten nuts or fruits
  • Small, dug up holes
  • Damaged bird feeders, with chew marks. (Most often squirrels will damage the tray or container with seeds in their attempt to reach the contents of the bird feeder).

Identifying Squirrels In The Attic Damage

While you might think of squirrels as purely outdoor animals, they can also cause problems indoors. The following bullet points are signs that a squirrel may have made its way inside your home. Remember, it’s worth keeping in mind that squirrels in the attic or chimneys are a common occurrence. Keep an eye out for:

  • Chewed wires or damage to vents
  • Scratching, gnawing, or chewing noises
  • A musty urine smell or sightings of droppings
  • Holes in the roof

It’s also worth mentioning that rodents other than squirrels, namely mice and rats, can also cause some of these issues too. If you suspect any of these rodents have been causing mischief, and notice damage, it’s time to call Terminix Canada. Our humane squirrel removal and humane rodent removal teams use harm-free methods to get rid of squirrels and other rodents quickly and effectively.

Best Tips To Manage Squirrel Damage

When it comes to managing outdoor damage caused by squirrels, there are some preventative measures you can take. The first, which might seem obvious, is not to feed any animals, including squirrels that enter your yard. In short, if you feed squirrels, they’ll continue coming back, looking for more food.

Similarly, squirrels will often view the contents in bird feeders as a source of food – even if they’re closed off. That’s why you might find them damaged if you’re dealing with squirrels in your yard. To reduce encounters with the bird feeder, try bird feed that does not contain sunflower seeds, or pick the sunflower seeds out.

Additionally, since tree squirrels inhabit trees, it’s important to keep any branches that touch, or are within 20 feet of your house, trimmed. This will lessen the likelihood that a squirrel will enter your attic or home and begin to cause damage there. Luckily, professional contractors should be able to fix any squirrel damage inside or outside of your home once all intruding squirrels have been humanely removed.

Removing Squirrels Is What We Do Best. Leave Humane Squirrel Removal To Terminix Canada 

If you suspect squirrels in the attic or that a squirrel has managed to build a nest elsewhere in your home, contact Terminix Canada immediately. We specialize in solutions for residential properties so you can go about removing squirrels in a proper, efficient and humane manner. Ultimately, our humane squirrel removal service is the best and safest way for you to get rid of squirrels for good.

Are Squirrels Dangerous To Humans?

If you’ve ever wondered ‘are squirrels dangerous?’ you weren’t wrong to. A lot of Canadians often think these rodents are cute and don’t consider them a real threat. This, however, is misguided. At the end of the day, these bushy tailed rodents are exactly that – rodents! As such, squirrels carry the same kind of dangers that their mouse and rat cousins are known for.

Ultimately, squirrels carry diseases which can make squirrels dangerous. However, most of these diseases aren’t dangerous to humans, but some are and definitely warrant your full attention. Firstly, squirrels are covered in parasites and these can be passed to both humans and pets. With infected squirrels carrying Encephalitis, Lyme Disease, Salmonella and Tularemia, this makes it incredibly important to get rid of squirrels immediately. This blog will guide you through all the reasons you should consider humane squirrel removal, particularly with Terminix Canada’s help.

Do Squirrels Carry Rabies?

It’s true that any warm-blooded mammal like squirrels can carry or contract rabies. Nevertheless, rabid squirrels are incredibly rare. This is because rodents like these often die after contracting the virus themselves. Even though your chances of encountering a rabid squirrel are very slim, it’s still important to detect any rabies warning signs.

Rabies affects the central nervous system so you’ll spot changes in a squirrel’s behaviour. As with most rabies-infected animals, rabid squirrels will either be highly aggressive or unusually docile. To complicate matters further, squirrels may suffer the roundworm brain parasite that carries symptoms very similar to rabies. Ultimately, you won’t want to take any chances. Hiring humane squirrel removal for your home provides the peace of mind you need.

Do Squirrels Bite?

Again, rabid or dangerous squirrels are very rare. Therefore, the chances of you or your pet suffering a squirrel bite are very slim. This isn’t to say that squirrel bites don’t take place however. Squirrel teeth are constantly growing, which makes for a strong bite should they decide to attack. They will bite and attack if they feel agitated or threatened by human or pet behaviour.

For instance, mother squirrels are highly protective over their babies. If you attempt to disturb squirrels in the attic, you could face a squirrel that growls or squawks. Ultimately, squirrels use noises and their tails to either warn off predators or threats, or alert other squirrels of danger. Most of the time however, squirrels are afraid to get too close to humans. Just think about it for a second. The last time you visited a park and attempted to get too close to a squirrel, it likely bounded off faster than Usain Bolt and into the distance or up a tree!

The bottom line is, if a squirrel bites you pet, take it to the vet. A veterinarian will check if any wounds carry a rabies infection and whether any parasites exist that threaten both yours and your pets’ health.

The Danger of Squirrel Diseases

Squirrels are notorious for carrying parasites like fleas, mites and ticks. These parasites cause some squirrel diseases that are dangerous to humans.

Encephalitis – In mild cases, encephalitis causes fever or headache. However, in more extreme cases, it can cause confusion, seizures or movement issues.

Lyme Disease – This can burden you with a serious rash that could result in joint pain, severe headaches and even facial paralysis, if left untreated.

Salmonella – Salmonella bacteria are carried in squirrel droppings and this can cause severe diarrhoea, abdominal pains, and vomiting.

Tularemia – This can result in swollen lymph nodes and ulcers, as well as Leptospirosis, which has flu-like symptoms.

House Damage And Squirrels In The Attic

So part way though this blog, we’ve already established the answer to ‘are squirrels dangerous?’ But we haven’t spoken about house damage and the threat of squirrels in the attic or squirrels inside your walls.

Like we mentioned before, squirrels’ teeth are constantly growing. Therefore, squirrels cause serious structural damage to homes that isn’t easy to repair. Squirrels are able to chew through things like electrical wiring and insulation with ease. Believe it or not, squirrels have started house fires in the past from chewing on defected wiring.

The Best Way To Get Rid Of Squirrels

If you’re looking to successfully get rid of squirrels right now, you should hire a humane squirrel removal company like Terminix Canada. Before our technicians get to work however, it’s important that you remove any open diet sources like seeds, nuts or fruits. Installing gutter guards can also prevent squirrels from finding entry points into your home. Clipping any overhanging tree branches near roofing, removing any firewood and repairing foundational cracks will also help keep squirrels out too.

Now you’re in a position for professional squirrel removal, our technicians will get rid of squirrels in an ethical and humane manner using exclusion methods. Terminix Canada has provided squirrel control to thousands of Canadians coast-to-coast. Rest assured, our squirrel removal technicians always wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to liberate your home from the dangers that squirrels pose. Contact us right now, before your squirrel problem drives you nutty.