Wildlife Removal
Wildlife Removal Services
Go beyond hiring just a trapper. Focus on making necessary repairs to keep nuisance wildlife out of your Cleveland, OH, home. We have a variety of animal control solutions to fit your needs.
- Mice- We specialize in mice and rodent-proofing homes. We do more mice than all insect pests combined!
- Rats- Rats can be the most complicated animal to remove from Cleveland, Ohio homes. Luckily, we are your local experts!
- Squirrels- There are plenty of old homes for squirrels to live in around Lakewood. And we have the experience to get them out.
- Chipmunks require trapping. We place trap boxes outside to collect them over a two-week period.
- Bats– The only allowable method of bat removal is bat exclusion. We perform this service April 1st through May 15th and August 1st through October 15th.
- Skunks- Do you have skunks living under your porch or shed? We install inground fencing around the structure. One-way doors let the skunks out but not back in. No trapping or killing!
- Woodchucks- We provide nighttime burrow treatments as a simple alternative to trapping.
Testimonials
We are the only 5-star rated animal removal company in Cleveland with over 500 Google reviews!
Wildlife Control Cleveland Cost
Squirrel Trapping
- $100 Per Animal Caught
- $200 To Repair The Entry Point
Skunk Exclusions
- Measure the Perimeter of the Structure for an Estimate
- Add $100 to Remove the One-Way Door in 2 Weeks
- Mouse and rat control service costs begin at $400 plus tax for a three-visit plan. Comes with a 90-day warranty.
- Bats require a pest diagnosis visit. An estimate will be provided once this is performed.
- Groundhog trapping starts at 500$ plus tax. Nighttime burrow treatments start at $400 plus tax.
- Two-week exterior chipmunk trapping starts at 700$ plus tax. Additional time can be added for 200$ per week.
Squirrel Removal
Our squirrel removal specialists will set traps over the entry point outside to ensure no squirrels are inside. Traps are also placed outside the entry point to catch them as they try to get back inside. We leave the traps for a week. Then we seal the hole and guarantee nothing will return to that spot for two years.
Skunk Removal
Our skunk removal specialists install inground fencing around the structure’s perimeter (where skunks den). A one-way door exclusion device is set over the entry point. These remain for two weeks to allow all skunks to exit. Then, we remove the exclusion device, and complete the repair. Comes with a two-year guarantee.
Deterring Visiting Animals
- Exclusion or habitat modification is your best bet.
- You are more likely to catch opossums or the neighbor’s cat by setting traps on the ground.
- Instead, try removing the food or water that is drawing them to your yard in the first place.
- Remove excess vegetation that piques their interest and gives them a hiding spot.
- If you can, use fences, screens, and other barricades.
- Apply a repellent product for wildlife control.
Removing Wildlife Nesting On Your Property
- Trap grey and red squirrels, woodchucks, and raccoons nesting in and around structures.
- Skunks, bats, and flying squirrels can be excluded with one-way doors.
- Do not block entry points before removal. Animals can cause more damage by trying to get back inside.
- It is best to set a trap over the entry hole. That way, they must go into the trap to get out.
- Small rodents like chipmunks, rats, and mice can all be removed with snap traps.
- The only wildlife you can use toxins against are mice, rats, voles, and moles.
Wildlife Repair and Exclusion
Perform repairs once problem wildlife is removed from the structure. This stops neighboring animals from inhabiting the newly vacated shelter.
- After squirrel removal- We bend sheet metal to cover the hole. In most cases, we can paint the repair to match the surrounding area.
- Mouse proofing- By far, this is our specialty. Look no further if you need your home sealed against mouse entry.
- Rat proofing- You might need a plumber to make repairs when you have sewer rats. Use us to seal the outside, screen sump pump lids, and install drain strainers.
- Animals living underneath decks and porches- Choose from Dig Defence or trenching L-shaped hardware fabric as in-ground fencing options.
- Bat exclusions- You have to seal up every hole larger than 2/3″ from knee height.
Learn More About Wildlife In Ohio
Frequently Asked Questions
Skunk holes are 3-5 inches wide. If they were larger, predators could get to them. Do not look for skunks to be in a concrete basement. Stone foundations with dirt crawlspaces are vulnerable. Unless the opening is more than 3 inches off the ground, they will leave a divot at their entry point under structures. Look for one half-circle entrance around the structure’s perimeter and a burrow in the ground. Old groundhog burrows are the largest holes you find skunks using.
Mating season is in February and again in March. Babies are born 62-75 days later or May- June. They are weaned from their mother within 60 days. Then, they begin to hunt with their mother. There are usually 3-5 young per litter.
Natural deterrents such as motion-activated lights or sprinklers can help dissuade skunks from entering your property. Additionally, maintaining a clean and tidy yard, securing trash cans, and removing debris can reduce the likelihood of skunks and other wild animals seeing your property as an attractive habitat. Water features such as ponds can attract wild animals. Skunks can enter your yard to feed. Perform insect and grub control to your lawn. Control mice with exterior rodent bait stations or traps. Remove pet food. Animal repellents can be effective short term. In the long run, they need to be reapplied and can become costly.
We recommend deterring animals by securing fencing or installing an inground fencing system. This can be done around porches, decks, sheds, and along fence lines. Lakewood Exterminating installs Dig Defence or trenches hardware fabric into the ground. Call us for an estimate!
Leaving pet food outside can attract skunks and other wildlife to your property. Skunks are omnivores drawn to easy food sources, including pet food. We recommend feeding pets indoors or promptly removing food dishes after outdoor feeding to prevent attracting skunks. Ideally, you will want to remove any food sources available to skunks in your yard. Since skunks eat many mice and grubs, another control method is to perform exterior rodent control and grub control in lawns.
We always want our customers to know that odor-removing products might not fully remove skunk odor. Many factors come into play when deodorizing. Skunk spray can get into curtains and other fabrics. Depending on the situation, there could be a level of customer involvement. Our webpage, “How To Remove Skunk Smell,” has a recipe for furniture and household items.
The best way to remove the skunk smell is to locate where the skunk was sprayed and then treat it directly. A bleach solution can be used on concrete, such as a driveway. In some cases, skunks spray in inaccessible areas. You will need a professional to apply a product in an atomizer mister sprayer. We apply highly effective professional products with the proper equipment. Just keep in mind that there could be some things you will need to do with our service. Laundering curtains in one example. Repeat applications might be necessary, especially if the spray is under a structure where we cannot access it directly.
Finding a nocturnal animal outside during the day is cause for alarm. Many times these animals can be sick or have rabies. If you find any animal behaving abnormally, please contact your city’s animal control agent. Sometimes, mother skunks need a break from their young. As a result, they can be found away from them during the day. So, you may want to hold back calling animal control if they are not causing a disturbance.
Skunks are good at making themselves known. Most people notice skunks by odor. Be aware that just because you smell skunk doesn’t mean a skunk is on your property. Skunk odor can be noticed from far away. Also, animals that have been sprayed could be dragging the odor close to your home.
You also want to determine if the skunks have a den on your property or are visiting. Look for small divots or dug-out areas along fence lines and around the border of your home. This will tell you if skunks are traveling into your yard. Then, look for divots leading under decks and other structures. This will tell you if skunks are living under these structures. Generally, these divots are around hand width. Larger divots or dug-out areas could be from groundhogs. If you find these around structures, use a strong light to inspect for burrows.
Another sign is funnel-shaped damage in lawns. Imagine a skunk digging its nose into the ground for a grub or worm. There could be a few or many. Depending on how much food is for them and how many skunks are feeding.
These are the main signs of a skunk infestation on a property. You may also look for footprints. Another good sign is looking for the white/black hairs stuck to things like porch lattice or fences.
Squirrels are persistent creatures full of instinct. Red squirrels are often called red devils. This is because of their reluctance to go into traps and destruction they cause trying to gain access to structures. On the contrary, flying squirrels can be easily removed with one-way doors and repairs. Trapping squirrels and repairing structures is the best way to control them. There are other techniques that can work. These are less fool-proof and unreliable.
Strobe Lights:
The Evictor is a good example of a strobe light to repel wildlife. The website claims that the lights are too bright for squirrels’ eyes and disrupts their natural living. Each light costs over 150$. You simply hang it up and plug it in. Each unit covers a 15′ by 20′ area. The only problem we see with this is that squirrels do not always live in your attic. The nest is usually just inside the entry point. If the squirrels are nesting close to the exterior wall, the light might not affect them. This is because they are more in the soffit than the attic. Nonetheless, it could help in certain circumstances. The cost could become higher to cover an entire attic than a professional squirrel trapping service with repair.
Coyote Urine:
Our friend at Accuflow Seamless Gutter comes across many squirrel nests while installing gutters. While he does not trap squirrels, he uses coyote urine to expel these rodents from their nests. That way he can make the repair and install his new gutter system. It does seem to work according to the Owner of this company. While we have never tested this, there are reports that coyote urine is effective in repelling squirrels.
Animal Repellents:
While wildlife removal professionals rely on surefire tactics, repellents have some use for us. If you block a squirrel out of their home, they can be destructive trying to get back inside. We use Rodent Detour and Rat Out Gel to keep squirrels that avoid our traps from chewing around our new repairs. There are other sprays that can change a rodent’s behavior. These are temporary and usually need to be reapplied. We recommend using these products if squirrels are gnawing on things on or around the home.
Other Things That Scares Squirrels:
You should see how fast squirrels run through our back yard! Nothing scares a squirrel more than a territorial dog! You might also want to consider motion activated noise makers or sprinklers. We like the Orbit Yard Enforcer.
If you trap an animal, some municipalities will remove them and return your trap. Most municipalities/ city animal control will not provide service for animals inside your home. It is also unlikely that they will do the trapping for you if you have an animal in your yard. Most city animal control services are limited to dead animal pick up, removal of animals that you have trapped, and the management of stray dogs and cats. If you have a raccoon in your chimney or an animal in your attic, you must hire a wildlife removal company in Cleveland, Ohio. This is also true for groundhogs and skunks living under your shed or porch.
We recommend contacting your city’s animal control department when dealing with oddly behaving/ injured wildlife or domestic animals. Wildlife removal companies do not deal with domestic animals like dogs and cats. Find out what services your city offers. If they cannot assist you, we recommend hiring a professional trapper.
City of Cleveland Animal Control Services
The City of Cleveland, Ohio, responds to calls concerning sick and injured wildlife, stray animals, and vacant properties attracting wildlife inhabitants.
Any complaints about vacant properties attracting wildlife should be directed to Building & Housing at 216-664-2007.
The City of Cleveland Division of Animal Care & Control offers ‘nuisance’ wildlife trapping from May 1 through October 31. This includes skunks, groundhogs, opossums, and raccoons. From our understanding, they will remove wildlife you catch. Place the cage traps outside in the morning for removal. They will return your trap, or if you are renting their traps, they will switch the trap out. They do not go inside houses, and they do not set the traps for you. Another company removes caught skunks. So, there could be a fee to remove any skunks on your property.
Please call them at 216.664.3069 for more information. This is also the number to call for injured and stray animals.
On the City of Cleveland Animal Control Website, they have a form for renting cage traps for a 20$ deposit.
Cuyahoga County Board Of Health
If you are dealing with rats coming into your home through the sewer, we recommend calling the Cuyahoga County Board of Health for Rodent Control. They will come out and apply rodenticide to the sewers and follow-up on the application.
Cuyahoga County will respond to calls for rodent complaints. This is mainly for mice and rat infestations outside. The application is basic for infestations in your yard. But it is a free service. They recommend calling a pest management professional if the problem persists.
Lake Erie Nature And Science Center
Contact Lake Erie Nature and Science Center at 440-871-2900 for guidance with non-nuisance wildlife. This includes finding orphaned litters of bunnies or an injured bird.
Other Animal Control Service Nearby Cleveland
Lakewood Animal Control (216) 529-5020
Rocky River Animal Control (440) 356-5636
The City of Rocky River does not provide wildlife trapping services at this time, however, will respond to reports of sick /injured wildlife.
Bay Village Animal Control (440) 871-1234
Westlake Animal Control 440-892-3150
Covered traps should always be used. Place a trap cover over a cage trap like the Tomahawk Pro 107SS. Or use a PVC tube trap. Put dirt on the bottom of the cage. This can attract grubbing skunks. If you catch a female, you can save some of that dirt. Use it in traps during the breeding season.
Figure out how skunks will approach the yard. Set the traps with the wind carrying the lures to these spots. Just do not set the traps too far upwind. When something is caught, you will want to approach the traps at this angle. So give yourself room. Quietly speak to the skunk when approaching them. Shooting them in the chest with a pellet gun is preferred. Skunks spray when shot in the head. Lakewood Exterminating euthanizes skunks with CO2.
Traps are best set over entry points. Catching skunks that do not live on your property is a difficult task. Wandering males have a wide range. They might not visit regularly.
What to Bait Traps With?
Go for two to three different baits. Implement taste, visual, and smell components. Wildlife Control Supplies sells Rosebud bait. This seems to be the best. Make sure you wear gloves because it will stick to your hands. Sadly, it doesn’t smell like roses. Put it on a marshmallow, and throw a banana or honeycomb in. If desperation hits, try some fried chicken.
Surprisingly, groundhogs do not only come out of their dens in early February. July is woodchuck dispersal month. This is when the young leave their home to find their own home. This is when most of the problems occur with groundhogs.
List Of Animals That Must Be Euthanized Or Released On Site In Ohio:
- Raccoon
- Skunk
- Beaver
- Coyote
- Red or Grey Fox
- Opossum
List Of Animals That Can Be Euthanized Or Released Off-Site In Ohio:
Can You Release A Trapped Animal In The Metroparks?
Taking trapped animals to a public park to release them is illegal in our area. Knowing this fact is not enough to stop most people when they do their wildlife control. Keep in mind, too, that wild animals carry many disease pathogens. When you place a caged animal inside your vehicle, it will most likely defecate. Regular disinfectant will not destroy the parasites that are excreted inside your trunk. Then, afterward, will you place your groceries in that same spot?
Releasing an animal outside its home range will prevent it from returning to your property. Many people imagine there is a magical farm where all animals live in unity. This is simply not the case. When you trans-locate an animal, you are taking away its shelter. On top of that, the animal has no idea where to find food and water. Generally speaking, animals do not get along with each other. Local animals rarely tolerate trans-located animals of the same species. This is especially true for squirrels and raccoons. In this case, the newly introduced animal usually gets violently murdered by the other animals.
Euthanization:
We euthanize nuisance wildlife using veterinary-recommended practices. This eliminates the negative effects imposed by the other two methods.
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