Raccoons

Raccoon Deany

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It was a Sunny, 90 degree day in Salt Lake City, Utah. Chris and I went to a job site that had raccoons in their chimney. It is very common for female raccoons to get into attics and chimneys with their young because the male raccoons will attack and kill their babies. That is why it is important to make sure you have chimney caps and that your roof is not damaged or has any potential holes where wild animals could get in.

These types of jobs are my favorite, but they can also be very dangerous. The owner was sick of the raccoons and wanted them out immediately. In this case, we had to snare the raccoons, drag them up and out of the chimney and put them in cages.

Chris first snared two babies out and handed them to me. I had to hold them down with my weight on the roof because they were pretty strong. As I’m trying to hold them down and get them into the cage, Chris pulled out the mother. This mother raccoon was very vicious. It was hissing, shaking, and flopping around all over the place.

Chris had her snared pretty good, but she whipped around and somehow slipped out like Houdini and got loose. We both froze in terror hoping she wouldn’t attack us but luckily she fell off the roof, making a big crashing noise in the bushes, and then ran off to another neighbor’s house.

After that horrific moment, we got the rest of the babies out and sealed off the chimney so no more raccoons could get in. The owner was very pleased and happy that they were finally out.

Raccoons

105 Pound Raccoon Removal Queen

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Chris and I did our weekly wildlife jobs together and had to go down to Provo to remove a dead raccoon out of a chimney. This is why you buy chimney caps to avoid this type of problem.

At the time, I had never been to a job where you had to remove a dead animal. I was curious how this job would turn out (I am currently studying to be a police officer and a Crime Scene Investigator).

We arrived at the house, and the owners lead us to the basement where we immediately were invited by a dead, decaying smell up our noses. We got all of our equipment and started the project. Of course, I had to do it because Chris is this big, tall man that wouldn’t have been able to reach up into the chimney to get the raccoon out.

I am a 19 year old girl that is 105 pounds so it was quite obvious who would be the lucky winner. I had to wear a full body jumpsuit with gloves, goggles, and a facemask to ensure I was fully protected from any diseases.

Then, the fun part started. I crawled into the chimney, reached up, and grabbed a nice chunk of a slimy, maggot filled raccoon leg. I looked at it like it was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. Chris was about to throw up and insisted I throw it in the garbage immediately and to stop playing with it.

I had absolutely no problem removing the fleshy body. I guess I have a sick, unique gift for that. I continued removing the body and we ended with a nice chimney sweep to ensure all hair, maggots, and feces were gone.

When we finished, we got up onto the roof to measure for chimney caps. When we got to the entrance of the chimney, there was a bodiless raccoon head staring at us. You could see its spine and brain from where it got decapitated.

More than likely it had gotten attacked by a male raccoon, leaving the owners with a nice welcoming stench. We took some pictures and then threw it to the ground to put in the garbage. When it hit the ground it made a splat noise. It was still a little fresh. I was very proud of myself after that job.

Wild Animal

Animals Affected by Floods

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Rat (7)

 

Tropical Depression Bill left flooding in its wake throughout the central United States, endangering lives and property, but the floods affected wild animals as well.  Large reptiles such as alligator snapping turtles and alligators were flushed out of their normal habitats and residents have reported seeing them strolling across their lawns.  Other wild animals, like rodents, raccoons and skunks have had to seek out higher ground when their habitats are flooded, causing a few more run-ins with humans than normal.  And, the smaller wild animals are quickly followed by larger predators, like coyotes.  Officials from Oklahoma to Louisiana and Texas are reminding residents to avoid direct contact with wild animals that have been displaced by floods.  Do not feed these wild animals, because they will encourage the animals to remain in the vicinity of this new food source instead of returning to their natural habitat and their normal foods.  Wild animals who have been displaced do not understand when people are trying to help them, and will scratch and bite to protect themselves.  Do not handle any wild animal, do not feed them, and try to avoid roadways near flooded areas to reduce chances of disturbing or hitting wildlife seeking higher and drier ground.

Flood waters will carry snakes into residential or business areas.  Rats, mice or chipmunks will seek out dry attics or the walls inside homes or other structures.  Skunks, opossums or raccoons may be forced to leave their dens and they will seek out dry areas in crawlspaces or in garages.  In many areas, the local officials are busy responding to calls of alligator sightings, displaced deer herds, or bears that are affected by the floods, and cannot immediately respond to calls about raccoons or rats.  Allstate Animal Control has a network of licensed, experienced nuisance animal control technicians who can help you.  If you have wild animals that have been affected by the floods in your home, on your property, or around your family, pets or livestock, contact Allstate Animal Control at 1-888-488-7720 or allstateanimalcontrol.com to schedule a service call right away.

 

Rat

Rat in Window Well

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“Mom!  Mom!  There’s a rat in the window!”  Not exactly what a mother wants to hear while she’s busy cooking, feeding a baby in a high chair, and caller ID says her mother-in-law wants to chat.  Once again, just when a parent feels everything’s under control, something happens to bring everything to a screeching halt and toss chaos back into the mix.

Sighing and slightly freaked, this busy mom turned off the burner, checked the oven, made sure baby was secure and had enough on the tray to keep her occupied for a moment, and headed outside to face whatever nature had in store.  Sure enough, her three children and a couple of neighborhood kids she didn’t even know were in her backyard were gathered around the window well that led into her basement office.  They weren’t just gathered, they were actively prodding whatever it was with sticks.  Sticks were confiscated, and nerves were steeled as she looked down.  A large rat lay dead in the window well, amongst the rocks and debris the children had tossed down there over the summer.  It looked like it may have died of natural causes, and a while ago, judging by the degree of decay.

This wasn’t the first time this had happened.  A few years prior, a skunk had fallen in the window well and couldn’t get out.  She had tried for a while to tempt it out, by putting a long piece of wood from the shed down in there, hoping it would climb back out.  It just scared it and the skunk almost sprayed in the window well, which would surely have resulted in a horrible smell throughout the basement, if not the whole house.  Fortunately, she ended up calling Allstate Animal Control, and they got the skunk out of the window well.  That was the year they got the metal grate coverings.  Apparently, the openings were wide enough to let a rat fall down in there and breathe its last.

Mom quickly assessed the situation and got everyone moving: dead rat in the window well should be removed as soon as possible so it wouldn’t bring smells and bugs into the yard and house, neighbor kids were sent home, her children were sent inside to wash up and finish feeding baby, while she finished cooking dinner and called for dead animal removal.   She had enough to deal with.  The thought of crawling down in the window well to remove a dead rat was just not on her to-do list, and she knew Allstate Animal Control would take care of it soon enough.

She allowed herself a quick, satisfied smile, knowing that once again she’d successfully dealt with yet another problem.  Then, she heard a crash from the kitchen and knew it was going to be a long night.get rid of rats

Bats, Snakes

Bats and Snakes and Construction

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Bat (1)snakesAs municipalities ramp up for spring and prepare for upcoming construction projects, leaders are discussing how bats and snakes may affect construction projects, including roads and bridges.  White nose syndrome has taken a massive toll on the bat population in America, particularly in the northeast, prompting U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to explore placing northern long-eared bats on the threatened or endangered species list.  Lawmakers in Michigan and other states are petitioning for more time for public comment before USFWS makes their decision, because they say construction jobs are at risk if these bats are designated as threatened or endangered.  Implementing further protection laws may place “undue economic burden on regions impacted by white nose syndrome,” by putting construction projects on hold or eliminating the projects altogether.

This week just north of Washington State, at Boundary Bay in Canada, construction workers repairing a dike unearthed over 500 garter snakes hibernating under the rocks.  Construction was halted as the harmless snakes were gathered up in bins and buckets and delivered to British Columbia shelter, and shelter employees treated those snakes who were unintentionally harmed during construction work.  These snakes are due to be returned to the site in the spring, after the construction is done, but it’s a stark reminder how construction work affects local populations of snakes and other wildlife.

Mining companies may have to abandon mines where bats hibernate.  Electrical providers, road construction crews and oil companies laying pipeline may have to conduct surveys and bat relocation efforts before cutting down trees in which the bats roost.  Construction of buildings and roads will be halted or put on hold when snakes are unearthed.  Road and bridge construction crews may need to carefully work around bat populations.

It is a difficult and delicate balance, between the needs of human populations and the needs of our local wildlife.  There is no question that jobs are at risk, and so is the habitat of these wild animals.  Taking it one step further, when construction projects unearth snakes or disturb delicate bat populations, these wild animals are forced to seek shelter elsewhere, and sometimes that is a home or warehouse or office building.  That is where Allstate Animal Control comes in.  The wildlife trappers and technicians who work with us are local to you.  That means they are most familiar with the wild animals in your neighborhood, the federal and local laws protecting those animals and dictating how they are to be handled, and they have the experience and skill to humanely remove bats, snakes and other wild animals out of walls, attics, chimneys, crawlspaces or wherever else the animals have gotten into.  It is up to our lawmakers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine how best to protect both construction needs and jobs as well as our wildlife.  It is up to Allstate Animal Control to remove wild animals out of your home or property and keep them in their natural habitat.  It’s better for your safety and health, and it’s better for the safety and health of these wild animals.

Pigeons

Dangers of Pigeons

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pigeon removalHere at Allstate Animal Control, we’re well aware of how clever and interesting pigeons are, but we also know of the various dangers of pigeons.  Pigeons bring in disease-carrying bugs, create messy nests and roosts in the eaves and roofs of buildings, destroy attic insulation, attract mice, rats and bugs, leave pigeon droppings all over the sides of buildings and anything below.  The high content of uric acid in their droppings is so caustic that it weakens wooden joists, concrete and other building material.  Pigeons have been to blame for bridges weakening to the point of collapse.  Paul Gascoigne, known as Gazza, described another danger of pigeons.  The former England international footballer and football manager, dubbed as the “most naturally gifted English midfielder of his generation”, once  begged out of training because of an incident with a pigeon.  He’d arrived at the stadium early and offered to help a ground staff employee get rid of a pigeon off the White Hart Lane roof.  He climbed up onto the roof and successfully chased the pigeon away, but then fell 30 feet from the roof.  He was lucky, ending up with no broken bones, but a wicked large bruise down the side of his body.  Animal trappers are definitely used to the risks of getting rid of animals from unusual or high places.  Gazza was lucky, but it’s a good thing he wasn’t facing an angry raccoon mama on top of that roof.  Pigeons are dangerous enough, apparently.

Wild Animal

Utah’s Mild Winter and Wild Animals

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Raccoon (2)The entire country has seen weird weather patterns so far in 2015.  Unusually mild and warm in some places, freezing temperatures and dramatic amounts of snow in other areas.  Mother nature is tricking wildlife, and we should be prepared for the impact.

In Utah, the weather has been so relatively warm and mild that daffodils and tulips have already started to bloom in early February.  Bears are already waking up from hibernation.  We’re not seeing as many bald eagles in Utah, likely because they didn’t need to migrate as far south this year.

Utah’s wild animals are much more active this time of year because of the mild winter and early food sources.  A bumper crop of nuts or berries and other food sources also means a “bumper crop” of wild animals in Utah, like mice, rats, squirrels, pigeons, sparrows, opossums and other birds.  More of the smaller wild animals will attract more predatory animals, like raccoons, skunks, coyotes and snakes.

Let’s not forget the impact of a low snow-pack level.  Not only has Utah been relatively warm, but it’s also been relatively dry.  Lower snow fall means Utah may face drought conditions this year.  In a drought, the natural food and water sources dry up, and shelter becomes more scarce.  We may see more wild animal-human conflicts in Utah as wild animals migrate into residential areas in search of easier food and water and shelter.

Whether Utahans are cheering or lamenting the unusual weather, the smart move is to prepare for unusual wild animal activity.  Allstate Animal Control can set up an inspection for homes, offices, warehouses, church buildings, schools, stables or other outbuildings.  An inspection will reveal if you already have a problem with a wild animal, if there are things around or on your property that will attract a wild animal, and what prevention methods are best for you.  If you already have a problem, Allstate Animal Control sends out technicians who remove dead animals, repairs animal damage, sanitizes the area in which wild animals have lived, trap animals, gets rid of wild animals, and installs exclusion materials to prevent wild animals from returning to your building.  Contact Allstate Animal Control today at 1-888-488-7720, or at allstateanimalcontrol.com.

Skunks

Skunk in the Window Well

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Redoing your lawn is hard enough without having to deal with a skunk in the window well, what started out as normal Saturday morning, with raking leaves pulling weeds and tearing out old grass, turned into a smelly, week-long disaster. About a month ago my wife complained that the grass was dead, plants were rotting, fence was outdated, and the deck and lawn decorations were sundried and cracking; it was time for a full lawn makeover, or so she said. I didn’t think it was such a good idea until my oldest daughter, Charity, wanted to go out with a boy on that same day, then it was in full swing, an all hands on deck situation. Everyone had a job and there would be NO fourteen year olds going on a date. I know my wife would have shut my plan down if she didn’t want a new lawn as badly as she did.
My oldest son Mikey and I set to work on ripping out the old chain-link fence while my wife and youngest son Andrew started ripping out the plants (it was more my wife, Drew is only four but he did his best to help), Charity and her sister were assigned to chip off the old stain, and repaint the deck. When she wasn’t mumbling about how stupid and unfair it was, I think Charity secretly had a good time; until she found the skunk. She was getting a drink from the hose on the side of the house, to do this she had to bend over right near the window well, right where he was trapped, and afraid. We didn’t know what had happened when we heard her scream but it didn’t take us very long to smell it.
Now, we had two problems; one: my daughter was LIVID and smelled like skunk butt, and two: we had a skunk in the window well that we couldn’t get out. It was obvious that picking it up and carrying it out wasn’t plausible, unless Charity did it since she had already been sprayed, but there was no way on Earth she was going near anything but a bath in tomato soup, so instead we tried to build it a ramp. We put on our hazmat suits (doctor masks, goggles, leather gloves, and head to toe clothing) and carefully slid a plank down into the window well. Knowing fully well skunks aren’t exactly renowned climbers, we attached small pegs it could use to climb up and out with.
Unfortunately, this plan failed and none of us were brave enough to try and put a trap down with it, and remove it if he was caught. After a week of no luck with the creature, we decided there was only one thing we could do, I got my .22 and handled the situation. Our house, and daughter, stunk for quite a while, Charity hasn’t forgiven me yet for the incident, but we’ll never forget the family bonding we had when we found the skunk in the window well.

Wild Animal

Winter Storms and Wild Animal Problems

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The winter storms that have pummeled the East coast have certainly disrupted life for all of us, from thousands of canceled flights, to having to shovel the driveway several times a day, to braving icy and snowy roads to get to work or school.  But, the harsh winter conditions have challenged some wildlife populations and made life easier for other wild animals. Long periods of deep snow mean death to the weak and sick among raccoons, skunks, opossums, deer, rabbits and birds, especially the weaker or sick animals. Food is more difficult to find, which provokes wild animals like raccoons, skunks, opossums, foxes and coyotes to wander through residential and commercial areas in search of easier food and water sources.  People are more likely to have run-ins with wild animals who seek out the warmth of spaces under homes and other buildings.  Raccoons, squirrels, pigeons and rodents get into warm attics or walls and hunker down from the cold.  Ground-dwelling animals, like voles, gophers, groundhogs or moles, enjoy deep snow since it insulates their burrows and protects them from being spotted by predatory animals like coyotes, skunks, raccoons or owls.  Deep snow right now might result in higher rodent populations, more vole problems in the spring, which will in turn attract their predators once the snows have melted.  So, between shoveling the driveway and de-icing your car, you might want to be proactive in taking care of the wild animal problem you might not even know you have until they start to damage your home, car or yard.  Contact Allstate Animal Control at 1-888-488-7720 or visit our home page at allstateanimalcontrol.com to schedule an appointment with a wild animal specialist.  Wildlife Trappers will visit your home or business; inspect your building for signs of wild animals, wild animal damage, or weaknesses in the structure that allow animals to enter your building.  They will remove wild animals and install materials to prevent them from getting into your walls, attic or crawlspace.  They can even remove the dead animals that have died under your home or outbuilding, or in the attic, or walls, chimney, basement or crawlspace.  They will clean and sanitize the area and make it safe for your family.  Violent winter storms are difficult enough to endure, you don’t want to deal with a wild animal problem on top of everything else.

Voles

Vole Problem

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get rid of volesvole_bodyWe’re seeing a lot of voles in Utah this year, especially in Park City and throughout Summit County.  While we’re unsure of the cause of the explosion of vole population in the area, we can take care of the problem.

Often, our customers don’t realize they have a vole problem.  They assume they either have gophers or groundhogs (also called woodchucks), or they think they have mice.  When people don’t correctly identify the animal causing damage in their yard or getting into their home, they don’t know the correct ways of getting rid of that wild animal.  In order to accurately identify the animal causing problems, experts with Allstate Animal Control looks at the type of damage, animal droppings, and any other tell-tale signs.  They then have the correct materials and methods to catch or trap the animals, get rid of them, and can often identify what has attracted the animals to your home or property.  Knowing why wild animals come to your house or yard means Allstate Animal Control can help you prevent them from coming back.

A vole looks very similar to a mouse, with a few exceptions.  Voles aren’t as sleek as mice, they have a shorter, hairy tail, smaller ears and eyes than a mouse, and a slightly rounded head.  They are like mice in that they are prolific breeders.  A single vole can have about a hundred babies per year.

Voles are omnivores.  While they prefer to munch on small plants, bulbs and roots, they will also eat dead animals.  The most obvious vole damage is a network of burrows or tunnels across a lawn with small exit holes that are usually about the size of a nickel or quarter.  Unlike gopher holes or mole holes, voles don’t leave a mound of dirt surrounding their exit holes.  You may wonder why you have trails of dead grass criss-crossing your yard, or why flower bulbs aren’t blooming, or why small bushes or young trees have been girdled at the base.  It’s likely the work of voles.

Voles won’t just stay in the yard, though.  They’ll burrow under crawlspaces, sometimes get into the walls of a building, or invade a garage if conditions are right for them.

Like most rodents, if you see a vole or vole damage, you probably have many more that you don’t see.  It’s important to be proactive, get rid of the voles as soon as you’re aware of the problem, or the problem will quickly become more serious.  Call Allstate Animal Control at 1-888-488-7720 or visit the home page at allstateanimalcontrol.com.