Rodents | Wildlife

Rats | Mice | Squirrels | Raccoons | Opossums | Skunks | Snakes | Bats

House Mice

General Information: The house mouse is the most common rodent pest in most parts of the world. It can breed rapidly and adapt quickly to changing conditions.
Habits: House mice can breed throughout the year and can share nests.
Habitat: House mice live in structures, but they can live outdoors.
Threats: Micro droplets of mouse urine can cause allergies in children. Mice can also bring fleas, mites, ticks and lice into your home.

Prevention:

• Make sure all holes of larger diameter than a pencil are sealed.
• Mice can squeeze through spaces as small as a nickel. Seal any cracks and voids.
• Don’t overlook proper drainage at the foundation and always install gutters or diverts which will channel water away from the building.

Norway Rats

Habits: Rats are excellent climbers and often enter a home in the fall when outside food sources become scarce.
Habitat: Norway rats live in fields, farmlands and in structures. Rats are often found in woodpiles. Rodents can gain entry to a home through a hole the size of a quarter.
Risks: Rats can chew through wiring, causing fires. They also spread numerous diseases.

Prevention:

• Keep firewood stored well away from the structure.
• Remove debris piles. Seal any holes larger than 1/4 inch.
• Remove moisture and harborage sources.

Roof Rats

General Information: Roof rats get their name from their tendency to be found in the upper parts of buildings. Ranging in size from 6 to 8 inches in length, not including their tails, they have very poor vision and are colorblind. They do have extremely strong senses of hearing, smell, touch and taste.
Habits: Roof rats are known for the damage they cause by chewing on materials and eating stored foods.
Habitat: Roof rats can be found in the upper parts of buildings, and can also be found under, in and around structures. They only need a space of one-half inch to get into buildings.
Risks: Roof rats secured their place in history by spreading the highly dangerous bubonic plague. They support many ectoparasites and urinate on food.

Prevention:

• To prevent rats from entering a home, seal up any holes or cracks larger than a quarter.
• Remove sources of moisture and harborage.

Tree Squirrels 

General Information: Tree squirrels get their common name from the fact that they are found only in areas where there are trees. There are three representative species of tree squirrels: fox squirrels, gray squirrels and pine squirrels.

Habits: Fox squirrels are most active in the morning and late afternoon often burying nuts for winter use. They feed mainly on hickory nuts and acorns, but also eat the fruit of tulip poplar, maple tree seeds, corn bordering woods, berries, bird eggs and fungi.
Gray Squirrels are active year round, but most productive in the morning and evening on dry days. Gray squirrels feed primarily on nuts, especially hickory nuts, acorns, beechnuts and walnuts. In addition, they occasionally feed on maple or tulip tree seeds, fruit, opening buds and corn.
Pine Squirrels are active year round, especially in the morning and evening. However, they are sometimes active after dark as well. Pine squirrels feed on a great variety of seeds, nuts, berries, bird eggs and fungi.

Habitat: As their name implies, tree squirrels are found in several species of trees during the spring and summer months. In the winter months, they are known to invade structures and homes looking for a place to overwinter.
Threats: All three species of tree squirrels are considered a household pest because they frequently enter attics in the winter; however, they rarely pose a health threat to homeowners. Outdoors, these squirrels can cause considerable damage to electrical and telephone cables.

Prevention

• Seal all possible points of entry around the house including small openings and cracks around doors and windows.
• Screen vents and openings to chimneys.
• Keep food in airtight containers and dispose of garbage regularly.
• Keep tree limbs cut back 6 to 8 feet from the roofline.
• Inspect wires, insulation and walls for any signs of gnaw marks, which may indicate an infestation
• If you find feces, hear sounds of scurrying in the walls or observe other signs of an infestation, contact a Barry's Pest Control professional to inspect and treat the pest problem.

Skunks

General Information: There are many different kinds of skunks. They vary in size (most are house cat-sized) and appear in a variety of striped, spotted, and swirled patterns—but all are a vivid black-and-white that makes them easily identifiable and may alert predators to their pungent potential. Each female gives birth to between two and ten young each year. Skunks are legendary for their powerful predator-deterrent—a hard-to-remove, horrible-smelling spray. A skunk’s spray is an oily liquid produced by glands under its large tail. To employ this scent bomb, a skunk turns around and blasts its foe with a foul mist that can travel as far as ten feet (three meters).
Diet: Skunks are opportunistic eaters with a varied diet. They are nocturnal foragers who eat fruit and plants, insects, larvae, worms, eggs, reptiles, small mammals, and even fish.
Habitat: Nearly all skunks live in the Americas, except for the Asian stink badgers that have recently been added to the skunk family. Skunks usually nest in burrows constructed by other animals, but they also live in hollow logs or even abandoned buildings. In colder climates, some skunks may sleep in these nests for several weeks of the chilliest season.
Threat: Skunk spray causes no real damage to its victims, but it sure makes them uncomfortable. It can linger for many days and defy attempts to remove it.

Prevention

• Keep trash in fully sealed containers
• Fence off open areas
• Cap chimneys
• Trim overgrown shrubs and tree branches
• If you encounter a wild animal on your property, do not attempt to remove it on your own; contact Barry's Pest Control to determine the best course of action

Raccoons 

General Information: Raccoons in the northern parts of their range gorge themselves in spring and summer to store up body fat. They then spend much of the winter asleep in a den. There are six other species of raccoons, in addition to the familiar northern (North American) raccoon. Most other species live on tropical islands.
Diet In the natural world, raccoons snare a lot of their meals in the water. These nocturnal foragers use lightning-quick paws to grab crayfish, frogs, and other aquatic creatures. On land, they pluck mice and insects from their hiding places and raid nests for tasty eggs. Raccoons also eat fruit and plants—including those grown in human gardens and farms. They will even open garbage cans to dine on the contents.
Habits: These ring-tailed animals are equally opportunistic when it comes to choosing a denning site. They may inhabit a tree hole, fallen log, or a house’s attic. Females have one to seven cubs in early summer. The young raccoons often spend the first two months or so of their lives high in a tree hole. Later, mother and children move to the ground when the cubs begin to explore on their own.
Habitat: Bandit-masked raccoons are a familiar sight just about everywhere, because they will eat just about anything. These ubiquitous mammals are found in forests, marshes, prairies, and even in cities. They are adaptable and use their dexterous front paws and long fingers to find and feast on a wide variety of fare.
Threat: Raccoons are known to carry a number of diseases and internal parasites. The raccoon roundworm, an infection spread to people by the accidental ingestion or inhalation of roundworm eggs from raccoon feces, has caused increased concern in recent years. Roundworm infection can cause serious disabilities, and young children are thought to be most susceptible. Raccoons are also carriers of rabies. Damage to gardens may be relatively minor compared to the potential damage a raccoon can do to a house. Females in search of nesting sites may rip off shingles, fascia boards, or rooftop ventilators to get into the attic. Once inside the attic, insulation on walls may be torn up and displaced, and insulation on heating and air conditioning ducts may be ripped off and destroyed. Raccoons may begin using an area of the attic for a latrine, and the ceiling beneath may become stained with urine, accompanied by an objectionable odor. Ectoparasites may infest the attic and migrate to other parts of the house.

Prevention

• Remove all hiding places. This includes wood piles, rock piles and tree stumps.
• Seal any entry points under your front porch; cap chimneys.
• Close and secure your sheds and garage.
• Pick up pet food dishes from outside in the early evening.
• Make sure your trash is in a secure container and that it will not open if knocked over.

Bats

General Information: There are more than 980 species of bats worldwide with about 40 species found in the United States. The three most common species that enter structures are the little brown bat, the big brown bat and the Mexican free-tailed bat. For centuries, bats have been the subject of folklore and myths, often associated with witchcraft, haunted houses and evil. These myths still exist today and cause unfounded fear in many people.
Habits: Bats are nocturnal flying mammals that leave their roosts at dusk to feed and return to secluded dark places just before daylight. Most species are active during the warmer months and hibernate and/or migrate for the winter season. However, they do not fly in rainy or unseasonably cold weather. Big brown bats: Female big brown bats form nursery colonies in the spring and are joined by males in late summer. They leave their roost at dusk in a slow, fluttering flight to find food. They feed close to the ground on various insects including beetles, ants, wasps, flies and mosquitoes. Little brown bats: This species forms nursery colonies in early spring, then migrates south in autumn and hibernates in irregular clusters from September through April. They feed on insects, primarily flies and moths, and alternate their feeding with rest periods during which time they hang to digest their food. Mexican free-tailed bat: This species migrates to Mexico for the winter, usually leaving in late October and returning in March. They feed on insects, eating up to 1/3 of their body weight each night.
Habitat: Different bat species living across the United Stated roost in dark secluded areas of buildings and in naturally protected areas like caves. Big brown bats: This species commonly roosts in attics and church belfries, and behind shutters and loose boards. During the winter months, colonies travel short distances seeking hollow trees, rock crevices, drainage pipes, caves, mines and buildings to hibernate alone or in small groups. Little brown bats: This species roosts in tree cavities and crevices during the warmer months and seeks shelter in caves and mines to hibernate. Mexican free-tailed bats: This species usually lives in huge colonies where the young are raised. In the southeast and on the west coast, these bats can be found hiding in structures, but from Texas to Arizona they seek shelter in caves.
Threat: Bats can pose a serious health threat to humans if they are found inside a structure. Fungi that harbors in bat droppings can cause the lung disease, histoplasmosis. An accumulation of droppings should be professionally decontaminated and removed. A small percentage of bats are also infected with rabies, but may not show symptoms. Rabies can be transmitted when saliva or even the body tissue of an infected animal comes into contact with another animal or human. Therefore, it is important to seek medical attention if you’ve had any unprotected, physical contact with a bat. In addition, if an infestation develops, it is important to treat the area for bat mites and bat bugs, which will bite humans.
Prevention: Bats are protected by law in most states, so it is important to check with animal control or wildlife services for any regulations before bat-proofing the home. The best time to bat-proof is the start of autumn, when bats leave for hibernation. At dusk, homeowners should inspect the exterior of the home and observe where bats enter and exit. Common access points include attic louvers and under facia boards. It is recommended that homeowners seal any cracks or crevices with caulk and steel wool. Pay special attention to holes in the structure that lead to dark secluded areas, like attics and belfries. Also, screen attic vents and openings to chimneys, and install door sweeps. Exclusion is the only method to keep bats out long term. Homeowners should contact a Barry's Pest Control professional if an active bat infestation is suspected, as the problem often can not be controlled with do-it-yourself measures.