Questions about The Animal Movers and our Humane Pest Control

"I hear something moving around in my attic. What could it be?"

It could be one of several things.

If you're hearing something running swiftly around the attic or the soffit, it is likely a squirrel.
If you hear heavy walking or thumping sounds, it is likely a raccoon.
If you hear something scratching or chewing inside the walls or in the attic, it is most likely mice.

"How would you go about removing raccoons or squirrels, along with their young, from my attic?"

If wild animals have moved into your attic, we will install a one-way door over the hole they've made to enter. This will allow the mature animals to get out of the attic, but will bar them from re-entry. We will then physically enter your attic to remove any young left in the nest. The young animals are placed in a box near the exterior of the one-way door, allowing the mother to find them when she exits. She will then remove them to an alternate den site. Once we're certain the wild animals are gone, we will remove the one-way door and repair the damaged area.

Wild animals, especially those who have young offspring, can be dangerous when cornered or threatened. You should never try to remove any young animals by yourself, as this will provoke even normally skittish mothers. Contacting professional wildlife removal experts is the safest solution. The Animal Movers have a tried-and-true method for the removal of wild animal pests such as squirrels and raccoons, and can do so humanely and without incurring further damage to your home.

"How do wild animals get into my home?"

Wild animals are creative and persistent when attempting to find a site in which to build their nests. These are the most common ways in which they will attempt to get into a building:

Down the chimney
Through a wall vent
By tearing off or chewing through a roof vent
By pushing back the soffit
By chewing a hole in the roof or plumbing mat
Through a window, outside door or garage door that has been left open

"What prevents wild animal pests from simply moving back in again once they've been moved out?"

Before we set up a one-way door at the wild animals' entry site, we will perform a thorough inspection of your house to find any other locations the animals might attempt to use as re-entry sites. We will recommend the repairs necessary to keep any wild animals from getting back in. These might include screening some soffit, screening the roof and wall vents, screening the chimney or screening the perimeter of a deck or shed. As every house is unique, the repairs necessary will vary from situation to situation.

"How would you remove a skunk from beneath my shed or deck?"

We would dig a trench and place a galvanized screen, attached to the base of the shed, into the ground around the shed's perimeter, reaching between six and ten inches deep and extending eight inches out from the shed at a ninety-degree angle. We cut a six-by-eight inch hole in the screen to install a one-way door, allowing the skunk an avenue of escape, then bury the remainder of the screen. If the skunk has any young under the shed, they will have to be removed first before the removal of the mature animal. Dealing with skunks can be quite difficult, so if you have one living beneath your shed, you should call the wildlife removal pros at The Animal Movers.

"Why can't you just trap the raccoons and take them away?"

A trap will only catch one animal at a time and must be checked frequently. The one-way door system will allow all wild animals in your dwelling to get outside and will not allow them re-entry. This makes it a more efficient and humane system for wildlife removal.

In addition, the Ministry of Natural Resources does not permit raccoons to be relocated more than one kilometre from the site at which they were found. Raccoons relocated to a more distant point will often have difficulty adapting to their new surroundings, which decreases their chance for survival. If the relocated raccoons are ill, or are carriers for a disease, they may potentially spread said disease to a healthy existent raccoon population, increasing the number of sick animals in the area dramatically.

In the GTA, the raccoon population is so large that trapping and relocating raccoons that have made a den in your home is especially inefficient. Your time and money would be much better spent on making repairs that will ensure the raccoons cannot get into your home at all, rather than simply continuing to remove the ones that do. There will always be raccoons walking on your roof. We simply repair any damage so they cannot get back into your home by the same entry point.

We will only use a trap when there are wild animals that have made their way into an area in which a one-way door would not be effective. This includes places such as the main area of the house, the garage or other areas with multiple exits or walls that are prohibitive to the installation of the one-way door mechanism.

"There is a raccoon or skunk digging up my lawn. What can I do?"

The wild animals digging up your lawn are only there because there are grubs in the lawn, providing them with an easy source of food. If this food source is removed, the wild animals will no longer have any reason to dig up your lawn. We recommend that you call your lawn care company to treat the lawn for a grub infestation. Eliminating the source of food will eliminate the problem.

"Why is it necessary to remove the wild animals from my home?"

An infestation of wild animal pests can result not only in damage to your property, but also in health risks to yourself, your family, and your pets. Wild animals living in your home can:

Damage the roof, causing it to leak, which may result in water damage and mold growth inside your home.
Damage your house's insulation, which will result in a hike in heating and cooling costs.
Damage your house's wiring, resulting in both expensive repairs and a potential fire hazard.
Diminish the resale value of your house.
Leave a strong, unpleasant odour of feces and urine.
Cause sleepless nights as a result of their noise.
Aggravate the allergies of anyone with sensitivity to animal spoor or dander.
Carry and transmit disease.

In addition, any wild animals that have made their way into a portion of your home, such as your attic, may find their way into the actual house, where they will pose a physical danger to your family and your pets.

"Are raccoon feces dangerous?"

If handled improperly, raccoon feces can be a health hazard.

Check out our videos showing humane wildlife removal practices