Humane Animal Trapping

Iguanas are primarily a problem in South Florida, where they breed in great numbers. They litter boat docks, and rooftops, and sometimes get into homes and buildings.

Iguana Removal in South Florida

There are a number of problems that people who have iguanas using or living in their garden may experience. Iguanas are naturally herbivorous, which means that if you have a wide range of plants in your garden the iguana will often find many of these to be very tasty. Their jagged teeth will not only be ideal for tearing up plants, but if they are threatened then they can bite humans and domestic pets, and this can be painful and may require medical treatment.

Trapping and Snaring Iguanas

The two main ways to catch iguanas are by trapping and snaring them. Snares can be bought online and in some stores, and will generally be sold pre-loaded. The best snares will be those that allow a certain freedom of movement both in terms of the twisting and writhing, but will still hold them and prevent them from escaping. These should be placed in areas where the iguana, or iguanas in some cases will be sighted regularly, as they do tend to use the same paths. The trap should be checked regularly, and any iguanas caught should be carefully transferred into a cage.

The other option for those who have an iguana problem and want to do something about it themselves is to use a cage trap. These can be designed just to catch one animal at a time, or can be repeater traps allowing a number of iguanas to enter but won’t allowing them to escape. The positioning will usually be more important than using bait for these traps, but fruit such as mangoes or bananas are said to be successful bait.

Ever wonder where those squeaks and scratches during night time come from? It might be a sign that a house mouse is in your home. These small rodents can quickly infest your area if you don’t act on their invasion immediately.

How to Spot Signs of Rodent Infestation

Mouse Markings

The humid and dirty environment that mice live in causes their hair to be wrapped with oil. This becomes grease marks when they run around looking for food through the usual passageways that they take. They move by squeezing through holes and staying near walls which makes their hairs rub on these surfaces leaving visible stains.

A house that has a lot of mice living inside may have a lot of urine pillars. These are marks made from urine, grease, dirt, and other materials found in their hairs. Such materials get caught on their hair because they live close to each other and on top of their waste. But before you conclude a heavy infestation, you must look at other signs because a grease mark that gets rubbed constantly by the same mouse may create a urine pillar as well.

Unfamiliar Sounds

A house mouse is a very careful creature and by that i mean it checks its area diligently. They do this through the use of their senses except their eyes because it is weak when compared to others.

All throughout the night, mice explore and stay active. Their activity involves scratching surfaces like wood and cement to investigate the area and while they’re searching for leftovers. If you hear scratching sounds late at night, then it is safe to assume that a mouse is causing that.

Flexibility and agility allows a mouse to move around and in between cracks on walls. When they get to these areas they continue to move and make sounds which explains why you hear irritating sounds coming from the inside of your wall or ceiling.

Nesting

MiceSeeing a single mouse moving around your house may be a sign of infestation, because they generally live as families with a nesting area. The quickness of the house mouse allows them to move around and collect materials to build their nests in your home. Mice can build their nests anywhere, but usually these animals prefer a place that is quiet and strategically placed where they can collect food.

Water isn’t too much of an issue for these creatures because the liquid inside the food they eat is usually enough for them to survive the day. If they do feel thirsty, mice only consume as much as 3 milliliters of water and they’re good for that day. The hollow parts of walls, ceilings, floors are the most common nesting spots. Some mice are bolder where they build their nests under the refrigerator, stove tops, and even the cupboard.

If you find their nests, you can see that the materials they use to build it usually mimics their natural habitat as if they were living in the wild. Tree products are usually the materials they bring in, such as paper, cloth, and cardboard.

Once they have built their nest and the conditions are just right for them to thrive, their population can shoot up quickly without you noticing. One litter can have as many as eight mouse pups, which adds to 10 mice per litter on average. It can grow out of proportion if the owner doesn’t make the necessary moves to stop it.

Mouse Tracks

A house mouse when active can leave footprints, and when you trace these tracks you may be led to their nest, or to one of their routes. To make it visible, you can try and shine some light on a spot that you think mice have been travelling through and if you see little footprints then that is it. Mouse tracks don’t get wiped off easily. In fact, they may stay there for a couple of months which means it would be difficult to know if they’re fresh tracks or not. If you want to know exactly how fresh some of the tracks you found are, applying talcum powder on the spot might help. Spread it over the route you suspect mice are taking and observe if it reveals new tracks the next day.

Awful Smell

Along with the aforementioned signs above, if you get awful smells that are coming from urine and feces, then you clearly have a bad mice infestation. Traces of their strong smell are left as they move around your house, particularly near their nesting areas. The stronger the odor the nearer you are to either their nest, or where they move around.

Get That Mouse Out Of Your House

Mice infestations can easily get out of hand if ignored and pose high health risks for the humans and pets living inside the house. Urgency is crucial. To ensure full recovery of the house from the infestation, it is best to coordinate with a professional pest control firm for a massive house sanitation. This can be inconvenient, but is also the surest way to prevent another round of mice infestation.

Moles are ground-dwelling carnivores that prefer to eat insects instead of your garden plants. However, their underground tunnels can ruin your garden and lawn, and make easy access to your plants for other rodents.

Moles usually feed on insect pests, grubs, and soil organisms, including beneficial ones like earthworms. Moles dig deep. Their tunnels are usually at least ten inches underground unless they’re scanning the surface in search of a mate. Check your soil and lawn for their tunnels. Surface tunnels or ridges also indicate mole activity.

Moles are usually found where the soil is rich in organic material. Their presence in unusually high numbers may be due to a high population of soil pests and serves as a warning that all is not well with the soil health.

Damage caused by moles is quite possibly the most frustrating problem in the garden. Moles only become a problem when they invade lawns and gardens, tearing up expanses of green grass and uprooting plants. Because mole tunneling destroys grassroots, the ridges brown quickly. The most effective way to get rid of moles is to kill them with a trap.

Our animal trapping professionals are ready and waiting to help you save your lawn and garden from these destructive pests.

Identification

Homeowners most often notice opossums when they encounter them around garbage cans or in attics. They are known to damage lawns too, when digging for grubs. The opossum is the only marsupial in North America and is a relative of the kangaroo. Female opossums also have an abdominal pouch designed for carrying and nurturing young.

Opossums are not generally dangerous. Their main defense is “playing dead” or fleeing. Contrary to conventional wisdom, they are not commonly infected with rabies. They do, however, eat other pests like ticks and fleas.

Before taking control measures check local regulations, as opossums might be protected. If you aren’t sure of the infesting pest, or that you can humanely capture it, contact us for a professional evaluation.

Pigeons are filthy birds, causing disease and damage. Their droppings are known for triggering human slips and falls, as well as accelerating the aging of structures and statues. This makes it imperative to get rid of pigeons in highly trafficked areas.

Habitat

Pigeons are dependent on humans to provide them with food, roosting and nesting sites. They are commonly found around agricultural areas as well as warehouses, feed mills, and grain elevators. They are also commonly found in cities around parks, buildings, bridges, and other structures.

Damage & Risks

• Pigeon droppings deface and accelerate the deterioration of buildings and increase the cost of maintenance. Large amounts of droppings may kill vegetation and produce an objectionable odor. A flock of just 100 pigeons can produce up to 4,800 pounds of guano, annually.
• Pigeon manure deposited on park benches, statues, cars, and unwary pedestrians is an aesthetic problem. Around grain handling facilities, pigeons consume and can contaminate large quantities of food destined for human or livestock consumption.
• Pigeons located around airports can also be a threat to human safety because of potential bird-aircraft collisions and are considered a medium-priority hazard to jet aircraft by the US Air Force.
• More seriously, pigeons may carry diseases such as cryptococcosis, toxoplasmosis, salmonella, and more. Also, their droppings may harbor the growth of fungus, which causes histoplasmosis. Other pests may live on these birds including fleas, lice, mites, and ticks.

Pigeon Prevention

To prevent or get rid of pigeons, homeowners need to make roosting and nesting areas inhospitable. For proper pigeon control, fill in access to voids, and slope resting areas, and prevent landing by using devices. Scare balloons, plastic birds, or plastic snakes rarely work except for a very short period. Keep all food and standing water out of reach of pigeons. In commercial settings, discourage pigeon feeding.

If you discover pigeons roosting on your property, give us a call to discuss a proper course of pigeon control.

Raccoons are smart critters and are quite common in South Florida. They are attracted to food and garbage and are usually seen around dumpsters or garbage cans near restaurants, grocery stores, and neighborhoods. Raccoons are generally non-aggressive but will bite and scratch if cornered. Trapping is the most effective and humane control.

Since raccoons enjoy raiding trash cans, it’s best to use ones made of tough materials like hard plastics and metal. Cans should have tight-fitting lids and straps or clamps to help hold them shut. Finally, it’s recommended the cans be tied to a support or placed in a rack where they can’t be tipped over. Raccoons can cause structural damage as they try to enter buildings, such as attics where they like to nest, and they have an affinity for chimneys as well. Access to this area can be restricted through the purchase of a commercial spark arrestor cap or heavy screen wire secured over any openings.

Check local regulations for trapping and relocation requirements. If you have any questions or concerns, contact our professional animal trappers who are trained in resolving unwanted pest issues in a safe and humane way.

Raccoon Prevention Tips

The important proactive approach to preventing raccoon problems is to minimize access to food, shelter, and water. Preventing a raccoon problem and their associated property damage may require trapping and removing the animal.

Inspection

The first component of a prevention program is inspection. To determine what is required, the homeowner needs to be sure that raccoons are the culprit, and find where their activity is occurring. Evidence of raccoons on the property include:

• Damage
• Fecal droppings (scat)
• Tracks
• Seeing raccoons either roaming the property and entering or exiting a den site
• Garbage containers are overturned or opened by raccoons as they feed on food waste.
• Noises from raccoon activity such as movement on the roof or in the attic, especially at night since raccoons are nocturnal and are usually more active during hours of darkness.

Exclusion & Habitat Modification

Generally, exclusion is the most effective long-term method the homeowner can employ to help prevent raccoon damage. The following tips are helpful to recognize and help prevent raccoon activity in the attic or other parts of the home.

• Seal any part of the home where raccoons may gain access. Inspect large gaps, crawl space access doors, chimneys, gable ends, areas under the eave, areas under decks, and garage door openings. Seal or repair potential entry points. Tracks are often evidence there is raccoon activity in crawl spaces or under decks. Typical raccoon access points include holes about four inches in diameter or damaged siding, roofs, gables, or under soffits.
• Make sure vents in the roof or soffit are heavy-duty and animal-proof.
• Cut trees back 6’ to 8’ away from your home to prevent access to the roof.
• Install caps that cover the chimney or other roof vents.

Reduce Available Food Sources

• Keep trash cans clean and debris picked up.
• If practical, keep refuse containers inside the garage, and set out for pickup in the morning rather than the night.
• Keep tight-fitting lids on refuse containers. If raccoons are removing lids to get into the can, use a heavy-duty bungee cord or strap over the top of the can.
• Do not allow leftover pet foods to remain outside.
• If you have fruit trees, remove any fruit on the ground.
• Cover compost piles to prevent raccoons from feeding on food scraps
• Quit using bird feeders if you suspect they might attract raccoons.
• Raccoons in the garden may require an electrical fence around the garden plot.

Limit Available Water

• If raccoons are getting into a small fishpond or other decorative water pond, use wire mesh to cover the pond.
• Ensure that low spots where water pools are either filled in or drained.
• Make sure that downspouts direct water away from the house and other areas of the property so water doesn’t collect.

Swimming pools can be a special problem. If practical, keep the pool covered at night. If you notice raccoon feces in the pool, contact your pool maintenance company for assistance since raccoon feces may cause disease if the pool is not properly disinfected.

Trapping

Non-lethal traps may be necessary to prevent raccoons from using the attic or other parts of the house as a nest site. The most important trapping tip is to let a pest management professional do the trapping. Do-it-yourself-trapping programs may lead to problems such as bites, falls from ladders, and contact with raccoons and their wastes that can cause disease.

Repellents

There are many compounds on the market advertised as raccoon repellents, so consult your pest management professional before using repellents. Some are effective at repelling raccoons that are simply roaming in search of a new territory. However, a female raccoon with young in the nest is a much more challenging situation since she is not likely to be repelled from her nest and abandon her babies by simply using a repellent.

Contact us for expert advice on dealing with raccoons in or around your home or commercial building.