During the winter, wild animals need to find shelter to protect themselves from frigid temperatures, snow, ice, and wind. Houses are ideal. Animals frequently find small gaps and squeeze through them or create openings by chewing and scratching through the siding. These are some of the species that are most likely to take up residence inside Connecticut homes during the winter.
Squirrels
Squirrels can fit through small gaps or cracks and enter attics. Once they find a way to get in, they can wreak havoc. Squirrels frequently chew through drywall and insulation, and a squirrel that chews through an electrical wire can start a fire that can damage or destroy a house.
Rodents
Mice and rats also seek protection inside houses during the winter and chew through structures and wires. In addition, mice and rats often make their way from the attic to other parts of the house in search of food. If they get into your house, they might go through your cupboards and chew through packages of food.
Bats
Bats often spend the winter hibernating in groups in an attic. If you don’t go up to the attic and see them, you might be completely unaware that a colony of bats have taken up residence. Bats can leave guano, or feces, in an attic. Their droppings can carry diseases that can affect both humans and pets.
Raccoons
In the winter, Connecticut homeowners frequently discover that they have raccoons living in their attic. Raccoons can damage a house’s structure and leave waste behind. They can also react aggressively if a human approaches, and they sometimes carry rabies.
Get Help with a Winter Pest Problem
If wild animals move into your attic during the winter, you might hear unusual sounds, such as scratching or scurrying. You might also notice an unpleasant odor from the waste that critters leave behind.
You might be tempted to try to catch or drive out wildlife yourself, but that would be a mistake. If you don’t have the right training and equipment, your efforts will most likely be unsuccessful. The animals might panic, cause more damage to your house, and scratch or bite you. Since wild animals sometimes carry illnesses, that’s not a risk you want to take.
The professionals at Anderson Wildlife Control can handle the issue. We have experience excluding many species of wild animals from Connecticut homes. In addition, we can find the entry point that the animals used to enter your house and make repairs so you won’t have to deal with the same problem over and over. Contact us today to get an estimate for wildlife removal.