Leggetts Wildlife Service

Problem Prevention

Many animals are always looking for better dens or homes. Unfortunately some animals decide to make people's homes into their dens. We've provided a few suggestions for minimizing the possibility of an animal intruder taking up residence in your home.

Bird Feeders: While bird feeders are nice for bird watching they do tend to also attract other wildlife such as raccoons, squirrels, opossums, and even skunks. During the winter months bird feeders become a suburban raccoon's Try to position the bird feeder further away from your home, and purchase types that are gravity feeding units with guards that prevent animals from climbing.

Garbage Cans: Make sure to secure the lids with plastic cords and that the garbage cans are a durable metal or plastic.

Pet Food: Try not to leave any excess pet food on your porch or walkway.

Vents: Make sure attic fans and vents are screened with additional hardware cloth to keep out squirrels and bats.

Trees: Keep branches of trees cut back at least three feet from the roof.

Chimneys: Cover all chimney vents with chimney caps. Raccoons love to have babies inside of chimney flues and have no problems climbing up or down.

Exterior Doors: Keep garage and shed doors closed during the night to help prevent unwanted visitors.

Caution: Never approach a raccoon, opossum, or skunk during daylight hours. These animals are nocturnal and will only be up during daylight hours because of sickness or disease.

1. If it is a wild animal, attempt to kill the animal without damage to the skull.

2. If the animal is domestic, insist that the offending animal be penned and observed for at least 10 days to see if it gets sick or dies.

3. Cleanse the wound as quickly as possible with soap and water.

4. Keep the dead animal cool, but do NOT freeze it.

5. Always call your Doctor!
He or she will make a decision as to what treatment and/or shots may be necessary based on the type of animal; whether or not the animal escaped; whether or not the animal might have felt provoked; the type and location of the bite; and whether rabies is likely in the area. You may be required to deliver the animal carcass to a veterinarian for processing and shipping to a laboratory for analysis.