Discouraging Unwelcome Guests
People often
invite wildlife into our yards and yards without realizing it, by providing
easy, secure, and consistent access to food and shelter. By following the
suggestions below, you can help discourage un-welcome guests from your homes
and lives, in a way that is safe for you, your companion animals, and
wildlife.
-
Attracted by food
- Attracted by shelter
-
“Eliminating” problem wildlife without harming them
Attracted by food:
Wild
animals are attracted to easy sources of food. Often, once the source of
food is removed, the wild animal will leave, seeking an easier source. There
are many ways animals can acquire food from us and several easy ways to help
eliminate the potential sources. Do not directly feed the animals. Wild
animals that are fed by humans may become nuisance animals! Once fed, they
will often begin to expect food and can become aggressive or invasive in
their attempts to get it. 
Remove
obvious sources of food, such as pet food, ripe fruit or vegetables that are
on the ground, open compost piles, and 
dirty
barbeque grills. Store food in animal proof containers or secured indoors;
make sure to close pet doors and windows at night so that wild animals
cannot get inside. Place bird feeders out of reach of ground animals and
wrap metal sheets around the bird feeder poles to keep out raccoons and
other climbers. Secure trash can lids so that animals cannot get into them,
clean out and securely cover containers (such as peanut butter and yogurt)
so that wild animals are not attracted to the trash or recycling bins, and
cut up six pack rings and other plastic items that animals can get caught
in. Eliminate plants the animals are attracted to or use wildlife
repellants or stiff wire netting that has larger mesh; do not use traps,
poisons, or bird netting (click here for more information on why).
Place animal secure netting over fish ponds, so that wild animals cannot eat
the fish.
Wild
animals also need shelter. Houses and insulated structures are particularly
attractive, especially when compared to a tree or den, as these structures
are warm, insulated, dry, secure, and don’t move. Hence a good way to deter
wildlife is to prevent intrusion and eliminate all possible shelters. First,
prevent intrusion into your house, shed, garages, and other structures.
Check for and seal up common entry points including roof vents and spaces,
plumbing vent pipes, chimneys, foundation openings, roof-fascia interfaces,
cellar and crawl space door and interfaces, and window wells. Block, cover,
and seal these entrances by using galvanized ¼” or ½” wire. Trim tree limbs
away from the house to keep animals off the roof and attic and place metal
sheets on the corners of the house to prevent raccoons from climbing up. If
this doesn’t work, you can
set out rags
soaked in ammonia (they hate the smell) near entrances.
Next,
protect the areas under a porch, crawl space, and shed by blockading
entrances and holes, and constructing a barrier to protect from burrowing.
The best barrier is made by digging a 1-foot by 1-foot trench around the
base of the structure. Then attach ¼" or ½" wire mesh or hardware cloth to
the wall or side of the structure. Extend the wire down into the trench and
bend the bottom of the wire to the outside. The wire will then form an “L”
with the bottom leg extending to the outside about another foot. This buried
L-shaped barrier keeps animals from digging under the structure. Then
eliminate other shelter areas, that might be more attractive than a tree or
den, such as debris, burn piles, brush, rocks, and wood and lumber piles.
“Eliminating” problem wildlife without harming them
Once
established, wildlife might not want to leave. Make sure that your human
neighbors are also not providing food or shelter. If they are established in
you house or another shelter, one way doors can be installed.
However, before doing so, first ensure that babies are not being trapped
inside the enclosures. Additionally ideas include
playing
loud music or having motion activated noise (such as sirens), shining bright
lights or using motion activated lights during the night, and/or using
motion activated water jets during the day and night to deter wildlife
(especially nocturnal visitors).
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