Highly-prized and 4,400 feet above sea level lies the southern Appalachian Mountains, which for countless generations have provided thriving Eco-systems for all sorts of living organisms in Tennessee. As for wildlife, one might wonder which species of animal can survive at such a high elevation. Well, the answer is many.
Continue reading to learn some facts about the animals that live in the Smoky Mountains, and what to do if you are experiencing nuisance wildlife tampering in or around your Tennessee property.
Smoky Mountain Wildlife Control Nashville Tennessee 615-610-0962
Common Species of Smoky Mountain Wildlife
Some of the most common species of wildlife native to the Smoky Mountain range, including the Cataloochee and Cades Cove areas, are spotted skunks, red squirrels, eastern chipmunks, jumping mice, gray foxes, and even bobcats. But that’s not all! From the bare grassy meadows and big River to the ridge tops, high meadows, high forests, and everywhere in between, there are countless species of wildlife thriving all year round.
Birds and Bats
In the high meadow and high forest areas, it is common to see several species of birds and bats flying around at different parts of the day. During the daytime hours, you can spot magnificent birds, such as the American peregrine falcon, red crossbills, ravens, warblers, red-breasted nut hatches, and even snow buntings.
Of all the birds that are native to the Smoky Mountain areas, warblers are among the most widespread. Common species of warblers include the spotted warbler, black-throated blue warbler, magnolia warbler, Canada warbler, and black-throated green warbler.
At dusk and nightfall, you can spot Big Brown Bats flying around and darting for prey such as mosquitoes, flies, gnats, moths, and more. Gray bats and Indiana bats are additional species native to the Tennessee and southern Appalachian Mountain ranges.
In the Smoky Mountain Cataloochee and Cades Cove regions, you can also find wild turkeys. You might even catch a rare glimpse at the Saw-whet owl in the high forest areas!
Animals on Foot
If you are in the open areas of Cataloochee and Cades Cove, you can spot white-tailed deer, groundhogs, and raccoons. You might also see elk and black bears during certain times of the year. In fact, around 1,500 black bears call Smoky Mountain National Park home.
Although the Red Wolf used to also call the Smoky Mountain areas home, they are now extinct. We hunted them to extinction in the southeast part of the United States, and although there was an attempt to bring the species back to the Cades Cove, efforts were ineffectual. There are now no wolves in Tennessee.
Are you dealing with nuisance wildlife in or around your Tennessee property? If so, contact Smoky Wildlife Control at 615-610-0962 for TWRA licensed critter control services in Nashville, Tennessee, and its surrounding areas. We serve both residential and commercial clients with the most competitive prices around.
When you spot an opossum sneaking around your backyard, driveway, or front porch, you might get a little creeped out. Opossums are funny looking creatures, and the nighttime light reflects off their eyes in a way that makes them look almost possessed. This leaves many homeowners asking, “what’s the deal with opossums?”
Continue reading to review some frequently asked questions about opossums, including how to get rid of opossums in Nashville when they become a nuisance around your property.
Nashville Tennessee Opossum Removal 615-610-0962
Opossum FAQS You Need to Know
Whether you are experiencing heightened level of opossum activity around your property lately, or you have a passel of opossums taking shelter somewhere within your premises, you should be immediately motivated to get rid of opossums as fast as possible. Not only can they be highly destructive, but they are also common carriers of several transmissible diseases that can affect both people and pets.
Hopefully these frequently asked questions about opossums can help you quickly resolve a nuisance opossum problem, safely and humanely.
What Type of Animal is an Opossum?
An opossum is a marsupial, similar to a kangaroo. In fact, they are the only marsupial here in North America. They even carry their babies in a little pouch on their bellies. After 65 days or so, babies leave their mother’s pouch and climb onto her back, where they will take a free ride until they are old enough to fend for themselves.
Where Do Opossums Live?
The most common habitat for opossums here in Tennessee includes hollowed trees, abandoned animal dens, wide rock crevices, beneath porches, under decks, and even in dumpsters.
Do Opossums Use Their Tail to Hang Upside Down?
Due to media and cartoons, many people wrongly assume that opossums hang upside down from their tails. But this is not true. Opossums do use their long, rat-like tails for other reasons, such as balancing and climbing.
Our Opossums Dangerous?
Opossums are considered dangerous in the wild because they are known carriers of several transmissible diseases, such as rabies virus, leptospirosis, bacterial infections, and more. These types of diseases can be transmitted through saliva, blood, or even air. It is important to keep your pets accident all times against such diseases.
Will An Opossum Attack Me?
Although opossums are deemed dangerous, they are not aggressive animals. In fact, they are quite peaceful and docile, only likely to attack if they feel provoked, threatened, or if they are protecting their young. You have likely heard the phrase playing possum, which is derived from the opossum’s primitive instinct to drop and pretend they are dead in the presence of perceived danger.
How Do I Get Rid of Opossums?
The best way to get rid of opossums is to remove or obstruct access to the things they want on your property. This includes shelter, water sources, and food sources. Speak with a professional Nashville Tennessee critic control company for professional advice on getting rid of opossums, safely.
Are you experiencing heightened opossum activity in or around your Tennessee property? Contact Smoky Wildlife Control at 615-610-0962 for safe and affordable opossum removal in Nashville, TN and its surrounding counties. We serve residential and commercial clients.
Nuisance bat problems are often discovered too late because homeowners are not keen on the common signs of an infestation. If you live near wooded areas or bodies of water, it is safe to say that your home is in a prime spot for wildlife activity, which likely includes bats. This means that it is your duty to protect your home from pest and wildlife infestations before they can happen. Not only do bats carry several diseases and parasites, but they are also capable of causing an extreme amount of structural damage and biohazardous conditions.
It is equally important to catch a bat infestation as early as possible, before too much damage is done. The earlier a bat infestation is addressed, the less renovation and decontamination services are required. Bats like to roost in attics, which is why infestations can go unnoticed for so long. So, what can you do to protect your home from bat damages? You can start by learning how to detect bat activity in your home.
Continue reading to learn the common signs that indicate you have bats in the attic or other area of your home.
Hearing Strange Noises in the Night? IT COULD BE BATS.
Most Common Signs of Bats
There are various clues that indicate the presence of bats in or around a house. However, it seems that there are 4 specific signs that are the most obvious to spot. Here is what to look for if you suspect bats are living in your attic:
Bat Droppings (Guano)
If you have bats inside your home, you may see bat droppings near or around their entry points, such as windowsills, doors, roofs, decks, porches, eaves, and awnings. Bat droppings look similar to rodent droppings, but if you cannot spot them, you may be able to smell them. Guano gives off a particular odor that is often described to be similar to ammonia. You can also spot milky-white urine stains on window glass, masonry, siding, and more.
Flying Bats at Dusk
If you are consistently spotting bats flying around your house, particularly around sunrise and sunset hours, it is practical to assume they may be inhabiting your home somewhere. In this case, you would want to seek professional bat removal and control services to have a comprehensive inspection done for the purpose of confirming and resolving a possible bat infestation.
Chirping or Screeching Noises
If you are hearing chirping, chattering, scratching, or scattering noises in the walls, chimney, or other areas of your home, it could be bats. However, it could also be birds; so try to couple this particular sign with other bat-related ones to confirm that your issue is indeed bats and not birds. A professional Nashville wildlife control company can help you with this assessment as well.
Mysterious Grease Stains
Did you know that all bats have a layer of oil on their coats? This layer of oil collects dirt and debris, which causes them to leave behind grime and grease stains around the areas they use to enter and exit a home. If you see an odd opening with a stain around it, it could be an entry point for bats. Look for these openings on your roof, siding, walls, porches, patios, awnings, eaves, and more.
Do you need to get rid of bats in the attic or around your property?Contact Smoky Wildlife Control at 615-610-0962 for prompt and professional Nashville Tennessee bat removal you can afford. We are TWRA licensed and insured, serving both residential and commercial clients.
The most common species of fox here in Tennessee is the gray fox. Because of its mellow and pale color, many people often confuse gray foxes with coyotes. In fact, if you have been concerned about a coyote presence around your property, you may actually be spotting gray foxes. Now this doesn’t mean that you should turn the other cheek; gray foxes can quickly become a nuisance, especially because of their potent urine and excessive marking behaviors. Furthermore, foxes like to dig up yards and gardens, and can even pass along infectious diseases and parasites to dogs and cats.
Continue reading to learn some interesting facts about gray foxes in Tennessee, including how to get rid foxes when they start to become a threat to your property.
Fox Removal and Control Nashville Tennessee 615-610-0962
Top Facts About Foxes
Foxes are Related to Dogs
Foxes are part of the part of the Canidae family, which means they are distantly related to canines. But no, you do not want to make a stray fox your pet, as they are nothing like dogs. In fact, it is best to admire foxes in nature from far away, and to do your best to protect your property from nuisance fox activity.
Foxes are Omnivorous
Foxes are omnivores, which means they eat both plant material, like fruits and vegetables, as well as meat, like bugs, grubs, small and Fabians, small birds, rodents, and if available, even crayfish. When it comes to nuisance fox activity, this is a downfall because they will basically pillage your entire property for whatever grub they can find, whether that comes from your trash cans or your garden. To make matters worse, a single fox can eat 1 to 2 pounds of food on a daily basis, so you can rest assured that wandering fox is a hungry fox.
Not All Foxes are TRUE Foxes
There are 37 species of foxes in the world, but not all of them are considered true foxes. Of the 37 species, only 12 are categorized as a true fox species because they are part of the genus vulpes and Canidae family. The remaining 25 species of foxes are sub-species to these true fox species. The true fox species are the Red Fox, Arctic Fox, Bengal Fox, Blanford’s Fox, Cape Fox, Corsac Fox, Fennec Fox, Kit Fox, Pale Fox, Rüppell’s Fox, Swift Fox, and Tibetan Sand Fox.
Foxes are Covered in Whiskers
Most animals with whiskers grow them on their face, but foxes are special. They have whiskers on their face and their legs! There whiskers are important because they essentially work like a built-in navigation system or GPS. They help the fox remain alert to predators, hunt for prey, and find their way around their territories.
Foxes Can Climb Trees
Although we mentioned earlier, foxes are distantly related to dogs. But interestingly enough, foxes are quite similar to felines in terms of their climbing abilities. Not many people are aware that foxes can climb trees, which is why they are sometimes found on top of low level roofs and similar structures.
Foxes are Really Fast Runners
A fox can achieve running speeds of up to 45 miles an hour! That’s as fast as a car driving at regular roadway speeds! For gray foxes specifically, they can sprint up to 42 miles an hour, making them one of the faster fox species in the world. Take the red Fox for instance, which can achieve running speeds of up to 30 miles an hour.
Are you dealing with a nuisance fox problem on your property and need to get rid of foxes fast? Contact Smoky Wildlife Control at 615-610-0962 for prompt and professional fox removal in Nashville, Tennessee and its surrounding regions. We serve commercial clients, too.
Nuisance raccoons can be quite the destructive visitors to have night after night. From overturned garbage cans and ransacked pet food bags, to pried roof shingles, pet conflicts, and more, raccoons can create a large amount of damage in a short amount of time, and even pose safety and health threats against us and our pets.
Fortunately, there are some effective methods of wildlife deterrence that work to prevent raccoon activity and subsequent damages. One of these methods of raccoon prevention is using a repellent around your property. Not only is this method safe and humane, it is inexpensive and easy to do right from your home.
Continue reading to learn an Eco-friendly and humane raccoon repellent recipe that can be made using simple household ingredients.
Raccoon Control Services Nashville Tennessee 615-610-0962
Safety Tips for Using a Homemade Raccoon Repellent
After you make your homemade raccoon repellent solution, it is important to know how to use it properly. And be sure to wear protective gloves to avoid minor skin irritations. Once the recipe is complete, pour the solution into a clean spray bottle, large enough to hold about two liters.
Administer generously around the perimeter of your property, as well as, in areas where the raccoons have been frequenting the most (i.e. garage, trashcans, under the porch, tree house, etc.).
Repeat this process every three to four days, or until raccoon activity diminishes completely. Since the solution contains some ingredients that can be harmful to children, be sure to keep it out of reach when it’s not being used. As for the solution itself, check out the recipe below!
Mix one teaspoon of mild dish detergent with two quarts of water. Add the entire bottle of Tabasco sauce, followed by one small container of ground cinnamon and one small container ground cayenne pepper. The dish detergent, especially at such a small amount, will not have an adverse effect on plants and grass.
Instead, it helps the solution adhere to them, keeping your perimeter intact longer. Allow the solution to sit for a day or two, allowing the spices to merry. This will make the solution stronger. Be sure to not touch your eyes or other vulnerable areas since the recipe calls for heavy pepper sauce. Wear protective gloves and perhaps eye gear as well.
Contact a Nashville Raccoon Control Service if the Repellent Does Not Work
If you are still having a raccoon problem after using your homemade solution for a few weeks, it is in the best interest of your property to call a licensed Nashville TN wildlife control company for professional raccoon removal assistance. They retain the proper tools and training to provide safe and humane raccoon removal services at affordable prices.
Woodpeckers are an interesting breed of bird that have earned themselves a bad reputation among tenants, homeowners, and commercial property owners. Although highly beneficial parts of our surrounding Nashville, Tennessee Eco-systems, woodpeckers are a real nuisance for home and business owners. Not only are they noisy, but they also leave behind unsightly structural damage to homes, sheds, buildings, and even trees. If you are experiencing a woodpecker problem in Nashville, it is time to learn how to manage it safely and effectively.
Continue reading to learn more about woodpeckers, and how to get rid of them on your Nashville, Tennessee property.
There are three main reasons why woodpeckers peck: foraging for food, marking their territory, and chiseling for shelter. All three of these initiatives are carried out with a different type of pecking manner, the most damaging of which is excavating for shelter. Woodpeckers can cause an extreme amount of damage to siding and wood structures on residential and commercial properties with these pecking behaviors. They leave behind large, hollow pecking holes that are distinctive to woodpecker damage.
How to Get Rid of Woodpeckers Safely
Fortunately, there are some safe and simple ways to get rid of woodpeckers without harming or killing them. In fact, it is important to know that woodpeckers are protected by state and federal laws. It is illegal and highly immoral to trap, harm, shoot, or kill woodpeckers without the proper licenses. The only authorized personnel permitted to deal with woodpecker control is wildlife rescue contractors.
Bird Deterrents That Target Woodpecker Species in Tennessee
You have a few options, in terms of deterrents, when it comes to getting rid of woodpeckers. You can choose to use tactile deterrents, visual deterrents, or sound deterrents to thwart woodpecker activity on your property. All three of these methods are non-lethal to birds and other animals, and relatively inexpensive to purchase.
▷ Tactile Deterrents – There are products available on the market that are designed to adhere to woodpeckers down feather or fluff, preventing them from being able to fly or stay warm. These sticky repellents are not a good option since they put woodpeckers in danger and cause them to suffer. It is only recommended to use these products for extreme cases of woodpecker infestation. Examples of brands available include Bird Stop, Roost-No-More, and Tanglefoot Pest Control.
▷ Visual Deterrents – Also a much safer approach, visual deterrents tend to work very well. Things like aluminum foil or reflective tape strips are frightening to woodpeckers. Hanging strips of aluminum foil, or using products like Irri-Tape, can thwart woodpecker presence overnight. Hang them long enough to blow in the breeze for best results. Also consider hanging windsocks, handheld windmills, and even plastic owls.
▷ Sound Deterrents – Using sound machines that mimic common woodpecker predators, like hawks, can work well. The BirdXPeller Pro sound machine uses a woodpecker distress call followed by a Sharp-shinned Hawk call to scare woodpeckers away. Using sound deterrents works very well, especially when coupled with visual deterrents as well.
Looking for professional bird and wildlife abatement you can afford?Contact Smoky Wildlife Control at 615-610-0962 for prompt and professional bird removal in Nashville, Tennessee. We serve all surrounding areas with commercial and residential critter control and cleanup.
As children, we have wonderful memories of feeding the ducks at the park pond, or refilling our bird feeders with seed and nectar. Feeding wildlife on separate grounds is consequence-free; but now that you are a homeowner, is it really a good idea to be feeding wildlife from your own backyard? The answer sits on a spectrum, yet tends to veer towards, “no.”
Continue reading to learn why feeding wild animals can cause problems, and what you can do if you are already in over your head with nuisance wildlife activity on your property.
Wildlife Control Nashville Tennessee 615-610-0962
The Most Common Problems with Feeding Local Wildlife
The animals that are near your property likely include the usual species found here in Tennessee, such as birds, squirrels, raccoons, opossum, and skunks. If you live near wooded areas or bodies of water, then you can expect a much steadier frequency of animal activity. So, when you combine such locations with such species, you can open the door to a world of trouble if you choose to feed wild animals on your property.
Wild Animals Will Come Back for More
These animals are already on a hunt for food every night. And when they find a steady food source, they will remember it for a long time. This means they will cease to stop visiting your property, night after night. And what’s worse is that if they do not find the food that has been provide before, they will continue their search around your property for some. This leads to the consequences we mentioned before.
Wild Animals are Very Destructive
Not only will wild animals remember that your property is a sure source for food and continue to visit each night with more and more friends, but they will also cause a load of destruction. Animals like raccoons have human-like paws that allow them to grip, grasp, rip, and tear. With this advantage, raccoons will rip up lawns in search of grubs, pillage gardens for fruits and vegetables, and even try to access the inner parts of your home through the siding, roof, or garage. Once inside, the level of destruction only worsens; plus, it poses several health and safety risks since wild animals are known carriers of several infectious diseases and parasites.
They Will Make Your Home Their Own
So once animals know your yard is the place to eat, they will begin to help themselves to whatever else they want on your property. This includes shelter. They will make their nests under your porch or deck, in crawl spaces and attics, outdoor sheds and garages, and even tree houses and play sets! Log piles and stationary vehicles are other popular nesting destinations for animals like raccoons, skunks, and opossum.
They Carry Infectious Diseases and Parasites
The biggest threat that goes along with feeding wild animals on your property is the risk of being attacked or infected. As mentioned, wild animals are known carriers of diseases, parasites, and more. They are also capable of attacking curious pets and children if provoked, ill, or protecting their young. It is in the best interest of your home and family to not feed wildlife around your property.
If you insist on feeding animals, try to follow these tips:
☑ Use an animal-specific feeder, such as a bird feeder or squirrel feeder.
☑ Reduce the amount of food in warmer seasons when natural food sources are more abundant.
☑ Place the food in a centralized location to deter animals from walking across your lawn.
☑ If over-crowding occurs, spread out your sources to prevent aggressive or competitive behaviors.
☑ If you see an animal abandoned, injured, or behaving oddly, contact a licensed Tennessee critter control company, ASAP.
Is your lawn starting to look more like a war zone rather than a grassy pasture due to animal tunneling? If so, now is the right time to act. Otherwise, you can say goodbye to your green, glossy lawn forever. Animal tunneling is a common problem for homeowners in the Tennessee areas, especially those who live close to a body of water. Not only can tunneling activity destroy the look of your lawn, but it will also kill grass, crops, and plants. And the nuisance activity will only persist until someone intervenes.
Continue reading to learn which species of animal usually cause this sort of lawn damage, and what you can do to get rid of them, safely.
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Yard Moles and Groundhogs are Your Top Suspects
The two most common animals that practice underground tunneling are groundhogs and moles. Although voles and other species of wildlife are also known to exhibit the same behavior, their tunnels are not as noticeable from the surface.
Groundhogs, also known as woodchucks, create complex underground tunnel networks that contain separate entrances and exits. You can distinguish groundhog tunnels from other animals because they tend to be larger and wider, and have large openings around a foot wide.
Moles are subterranean mammals that have been biologically gifted with polydactyl forepaws, which allows them to dig intricate tunnel systems and search for grubs and worms. This activity causes above-ground lawn damage. You can tell you have a mole problem when your lawn has several tunnels that lead to mounds of dirt, known as “molehills.”
Critter Control for Yard Moles and Groundhogs
Regardless of whether you have moles or groundhogs ruining your lawn, it is a problem that must be dealt with as soon as possible. Not only will these tunnels damage your lawn, crops, and plants, they can also temp other animals to use them, such as mice and rats. The best way to get rid of a nuisance animal problem is to contact a licensed Nashville wildlife removal and control company for non-lethal animal abatement services. Never attempt to touch, trap, harm, or kill a nuisance wild animal. There are laws that govern this practice, which is why a professional should always be contacted.
Learn the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions asked about animal damages, as well as the cleanup and restoration services available to those who fall victim to a messy critter infestation. Scroll below to get started.
Animal Infestation Cleanup and Repair Services – Nashville Tennessee 615-610-0962
What Kinds of Damage Do Wild Animals Cause?
Animals such as pigeons, moles, rabbits, raccoons, bats, and snakes are popular deviants that trespass onto our properties and leave behind costly messes, inside and out. They dig up lawns and gardens, rip off roof shingles and siding, pry open door frames, rip down insulation, chew through electrical wiring, and soil everything in sight with urine and droppings. Consequences of such damages include saturated floorboards and sheetrock, urine stained ceilings and walls, terrible odors, flea and mite infestations, weakened structural integrity of attics and roofing, and much more.
Will Wildlife Leave Behind Diseases?
Wild animals pose several health and safety hazards to people and pets. Many wild animals can be carriers of infectious diseases like Leptospirosis and Rabies. Furthermore, animal droppings can contain harmful pathogens, like parasites, fungi, and bacteria, all of which can be harmful to both people and pets. Additional common diseases and illnesses that can be contracted by nuisance wildlife include roundworm, distemper, Bordetella, Histoplasmosis, Parvovirus, Adenovirus, Parainfluenza, ticks, lice, and several zoonotic and parasitic diseases.
Do Homeowners’ Insurance Policies Cover Wild Animal Damages?
Not many homeowners are aware that their insurance policy for their home covers wild animal damages and infestations; however, there are always clauses on which type of animals are covered in your plan, all of which differ greatly from state to state and company to company. So be sure to always check with your assigned insurance agent to be sure your policy is compliant with wildlife cleanup and restoration.
Keep in mind, however, your homeowners’ insurance may cover these animal damages, but the damages can still be very costly. Damage expenses can range anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. It is best to get an estimate from a licensed Nashville TN critter control company to better understand the extent of destruction in and around your property.
What Does Wildlife Cleanup and Restoration Do?
Cleaning and repair services for animal damages are comprehensive, and involve a long list of possible services. The services implemented will depend on the extent and type of damages. Standard services include waste removal, disinfection, sanitization, deodorization, louse fumigation, drywall and insulation replacement, and more.
Remediation may also include a final treatment applied with an atomizing mist machine that produces a fog of enzyme-based hazardous waste cleanser to ensure a property is 100% decontaminated. For additional information, consult with a licensed and insured Nashville Tennessee wildlife removal and control company for expert advice and service you can trust.
Local raccoon populations are not really Eco-beneficial like so many other native Tennessee species. For instance, bats play a major role in our surrounding Eco-system and even our local economies, as they help farmers fertilize and sell their crops, which stimulates the economy. Plus, bats are excellent pest control because they eat hundreds of thousands of insects, like mosquitos, every night! This also protects our crops and gardens, and boosts our outdoor comfort.
But when it comes to raccoons, they are not so great to have around. They have a lot of characteristics and abilities that set them apart from other nuisance animals in the state, including their high intelligence. If you are spotting raccoons in or around your Nashville, Tennessee property on a routine basis, you need to take back control. Get rid of raccoons before they can cost you time, money, stress, or worse, ailment.
Continue reading to learn the top 4 methods that are most effective for getting rid of nuisance raccoons, and how to get started on the task as soon as tonight!
Raccoon Removal Nashville Tennessee 615-610-0962
Why Raccoons are Bad News
Raccoons are very intelligent, and they have excellent memories. They will remember the location of a reliable source of shelter or food, and return there night after night, until the resources are depleted or no longer available. Their intelligence allows them to be creative and clever when attempting to enter buildings and structures. This is why raccoons are often successful at such, and often infest areas like attics, crawl spaces, wall voids, garages, sheds, barns, tree houses, and similar hidden areas of commercial and residential edifices.
In addition to their high intelligence and cleverness, you have to consider their anatomical features. Raccoons have long, sharp claws, but what’s more advantageous for them is the fact that they have dexterous paws, almost human-like, allowing them to do all sorts of things. They use their paws to open windows, tear through screens, turn doorknobs, pry off roof shingles and siding, and so much more. They are also known to dig up lawns in search of juicy grubs and earthworms, and pillage gardens and flowerbeds for all they have to offer.
If ever to gain access to your property, for instance the attic, raccoons create a massive mess that is highly unsanitary and structurally damaging. If this type of damage is not covered under your homeowners’ insurance policy, you might be paying for the cleanup and repair yourself. Then worst of all, raccoons are known carriers of several infectious diseases and parasites, including the Rabies virus, Distemper, Roundworm, lice, and more. These illnesses can be transmitted to both people and pets, making local raccoons a threat, full-circle.
How to Get Rid of Raccoons in Nashville
The wrong way to get rid of raccoons in Nashville would be to use any method that is unsafe, toxic, or harmful to raccoons and other animals. This includes shooting raccoons, or attempting to poison them with pest control products and chemicals. Not only are these against the law in most jurisdictions, it is very dangerous to both people and nature. Instead, here are the industry-accepted, best practices for Nashville raccoon control, in accordance with all local and Tennessee regulations that govern wildlife:
Environmental Modification
This phrase simply means changing your surrounding environment to divert raccoons away from your property. You see, raccoons are coming around because there is something, or perhaps a few things, that they are attracted to. If you remove or deny access to these things, you can thwart their interest and encourage them to move onto another territory. Remove all food and water sources, including pet food storage, pet food dishes, bird baths, and even squirrel feeders for the time being. Add chicken wire around your gardens, and cut down tree limbs that allow access to your roof. You can also apply a non-toxic raccoon repellent made from water, cayenne, menthol, spearmint, and cinnamon. Just be careful using this around areas where small children or pets play.
Giving Them a Scare
One of the safest and easiest ways to get rid of raccoons in Nashville is to scare them off. Try installing motion-sensed lights around the areas you’ve been spotting them, or even automatic sprinklers set to night mode. You can also place a talk radio outside, or a recording of dogs barking that goes off when it detects motion, like the new Alexa Guard feature on Amazon Echo devices. All of these things will make them think humans are around, and will frighten them away.
Trapping and Exclusion
To protect your home from nuisance raccoons, you will need to first block off all entry points to holes or hideaways that might allow raccoons entry. Then you will have to make any other necessary structural adjustments or modifications, such as tree trimming or removing a pet door, to ensure full security against raccoon intrusions. In addition to raccoon exclusion, you might also need to trap raccoons and remove them from your property in the case that you have raccoons in the attic. This is usually carried out using innovative supplies like cage traps, foothold traps, and body-gripping traps. Both raccoon exclusion (forcing them and keeping them out) and raccoon extraction (raccoon removal) are jobs that are best left in the hands of licensed and trained professionals who are properly equipped to do the job, safely and humanely.
Certified Raccoon Removal Service in Nashville, Tennessee Any Time or Day
Call Smoky Wildlife Control at 615-610-0962 for safe and affordable raccoon removal service in Nashville, Tennessee and all surrounding counties in the Greater Nashville and Middle Tennessee areas. We are a licensed and insured critter control company with hands-on experience in the wildlife trapping and removal industry. Not only do we offer a wide range of animal removal services, including cleanup and repair for animal damages caused by raccoons, but we also offer 24 hour emergency raccoon removal, property inspections, post-service follow ups, and free estimates. Just looking for some quick advice? We gladly provide that too, free of charge! Request a free quote, today.
Smoky Wildlife Control Nashville Tennessee 615-610-0962
