Locating Squirrel & Raccoon Entrances
The key to removing problem squirrels and raccoons is to find out how they are getting in a structure. Sometimes their entrances are obvious. Other times, not so much.
Today’s post shares two examples that show the importance of finding the animals’ entrances and the challenges this sometimes presents. One example concerns squirrels that had their main entrance under some gutter guard. The second example concerns raccoons getting inside the unit next door.
Both examples and their associated pictures and videos demonstrate that finding where the animals are getting inside is key. Detective skills are called for on occasion.
Squirrel Hole Under Gutter Guard
Gutter guards are great at keeping leaves out but they can be a challenge when dealing with nuisance squirrels.
As this picture shows, the squirrels have chewed past the back of the gutter and into the fascia. From there they have access to the attic.
In this picture the hole is obvious. But, when the gutter guard(you can see it removed in the top of the frame) was in place, this hole was not visible. You can see that in the picture below which is just to the left of the previous picture.
At some houses, the squirrels seem to enjoy the covered protection that gutter guard offers them. Any sort of overhead cover to protect against a surprise hawk attack makes the squirrels feel safe. Safe squirrels then have time and attention on their paws to do what they do best–chew.
Removing gutter guard to inspect for squirrel holes is not the most difficult job in nuisance animal removal. But, it still takes more effort to find the holes.
Please watch this video for a more detailed look.
Raccoon Entry in Unlikely Spot
Our raccoon example of a harder hole to locate had Ryan stumped for a short time.
He was called to a house that had loud noises in the attic at night. Suspecting raccoons, he went to the residence and looked around. He found a brick duplex.
On the back side of the unit where the complaint came from, Ryan found a hole in the wooden soffit. It was big enough for a raccoon and seemed like an obvious spot to set a trap and catch a raccoon. So he set a trap and put a camera on the hole to monitor activity. Do you know what he caught and saw? Nothing.
Despite seeing nothing at the suspected entry, the residents of the unit he was trapping still heard the night noises. This was not a case of the raccoons moving somewhere else. It meant they were getting in at another spot. The entry location needed to be found.
After some more questions, Ryan was informed that the other unit of the duplex had been vacant for a while. There had been no complaints of animal activity from this residence, but that’s only because there were no residents! Realizing that, Ryan investigated this other unit and found what he was looking for.
This storage shed built onto the back of the adjoining unit had a small hole at the bottom of the door: big enough for raccoons. But one would think the hole only led into the shed. As Ryan investigated more he found the shed led to the common attic. Mystery solved! It is odd to us that the shed’s rafters were open to the house, but that was the case. Good to know.
Please watch this video for a much better description.
Squirrel & Raccoon Removal | Akron, Canton, Kent Ohio
Finding the nuisance wildlife’s entrance hole is an important step in providing a comprehensive solution to an animal issue. The best spot to trap is at the entry hole-it is efficient and targets only the problem animal. This hole is also where the prevention steps/repair are focused once the animals have been removed. Both of the entry holes presented in this post need to be repaired to stop future incursions.
Frontline Animal Removal provides squirrel and raccoon removal for the metro area surrounding Akron, Canton and Kent Ohio. For residents of our area, we remove the problem animals and make the repairs to stop future animals from doing the same thing.
Give us a call today for all of your nuisance animal removal and repair needs.
