Wildlife Identification
Bats
Habitat:
Most home dwelling bats consist of small brown or big brown colonies.
Signs:
Scratching sounds or feces that keep appearing around the home. Average hole size: 1/2 inch wide and 2-3 inches long. However, bats can enter holes as small as 1/4 inch. The primary entrances will be darkened from the rubbing of their bodies against the edges of the hole.
Damage:
Minimal damage except for feces and urine. Bats causes no damage to your lawn.
Beavers
Habitat:
Beavers are the largest rodents in North America. They are mainly aquatic.
Signs:
Most damage occurs just before the winter months. Beavers build lodges in ponds, dens and dams in streams, and cut down trees.
Damage:
Beavers stockpile tree limbs, grass, cattails, and cornstalks below the surface of the water before it freezes. Beavers cause flooding that may wash out roads, damage septic systems, and kill valuable trees in low-lying areas.
Raccoons
Habitat:
Raccoons can be found in both wooded and urban environments. They are highly adaptable and can live in trees, chimneys, sewers, attics, under sheds, and porches.
Signs:
- Average hole size 4 inches in diameter.
- Heavy movement in the attic during the evening & early morning.
- Bird-like chirping noises emanating from the flue during the spring months when the young are born.
- Attic vents are the most common entryway.
- Dark smudge marks made by the raccoon’s body oil rubbing off on the wood or metal flashing.
- Feces on the roof.
Damage:
Typically, raccoons don’t damage houses except for creating an entrance. They tend to peel the sod off the soil to get grubs. Raccoons will often create toilet areas, which may be found inside or outside the house.
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Chipmunks
Habitat:
Chipmunks prefer environmental edges such as rocks or wood piles.
Signs:
- Noises along the eaves or baseboards.
- Average hole size 1-1.5 inches in diameter, clean around the edges and straight down.
- Chipmunks rarely enter buildings. When they do, they tend to center around the stoop or eaves.
Damage:
Like any rodent, chipmunks can chew wires, and corners of wooden buildings, and burrow under pool liners. They will eat bulbs and vegetables.
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Moles
Habitat:
Moles will dig at all times of the day because their activities are not governed by the sun.
Signs:
- Soft, mushy grass, trails, erratic burrows on the lawn & dirt mounds.
- Moles rarely come to the surface.
- The tunnels they dig tend to be about one inch in diameter and one inch wide.
- Moles will dig under streets and other flat stone structures.
Damage:
Moles damage the grass by separating the roots from the topsoil, causing the grass to die.
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Grey Squirrels
Habitat:
Grey squirrels generally inhabit urban and deciduous forests.
Signs:
- Noises in the walls and attic. Sometimes scratching in the walls and scurrying above the ceiling. Often, the noise will occur in the late evening or early morning. Noises in the cellar or fireplace may also occur.
- Average hole size varies from 1.5 to 3 inches in diameter.
- Typically, the holes will be found at the corners of the eaves, under overhangs, and around vents.
Damage:
Most damage will be at the point of entry. Another sign is that a small hole in the ceiling appears and gets larger each day. Damage to the lawn is generally minimal.
House Sparrows / Starlings
Habitat:
House sparrows and starlings typically inhabit trees and buildings.
Signs:
- Mites coming into the home.
- Average hole size 1-1.5 inches in diameter.
- Droppings will appear as a white smear.
Damage:
Their nesting material can be unsightly and possibly a fire hazard. Their droppings can cause significant dismay. Lawn and garden damage is minimal.
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House Mice
Habitat:
House mice typically inhabit houses, wood piles, debris, or trees.
Signs:
- Noise in the attic or walls, sometimes quite loud.
- Average hole size 1/4 inch in diameter.
- Mice can enter almost anywhere.
Damage:
Mice can chew wires, eat food, and deposit feces and urine. They cause minimal damage to the lawn or garden.
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Opossums
Habitat:
Opossums have adapted very well to suburban environments.
Signs:
- Their odor, if present, is most noticeable during the winter months.
- Average hole size 3-5 inches.
- They will seek out any secluded spot to nest. Being poor diggers, they typically take over a den abandoned by a skunk or woodchuck.
Damage:
Opossums are not known for causing damage; they are often mistaken for white rats.
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Rabbits / Cottontails
Habitat:
Cottontails are commonly found along the edges of fields, in brush piles, fence rows with long grass, and in backyards with extensive landscaping.
Signs:
- Cottontails are most active at dusk, dawn, and during the night.
Damage:
They spend most of their time eating. In the spring and summer, cottontails eat flowers and vegetables. In the fall and winter, they damage twigs and bark from trees and shrubs.
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Rats
Habitat:
Rats can be found anywhere there is water. They consume about 1.5 ounces per day.
Signs:
- Rats are rarely seen.
- Food is eaten but not completely.
- Holes along the foundation.
- Average hole size minimum 1 inch in diameter.
- Rats drag their tails (mice do not).
Damage:
Like any rodent, rats can chew wires and eat food. Beyond that, damage is usually minimal. Rats may also kill birds and rabbits.
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Skunks
Habitat:
Skunks prefer to live along the edges of forests, fields, woods, and streams. They have adapted very well to urban environments.
Signs:
- Skunk odor.
- Average hole size 3-5 inches in diameter. Juvenile skunks may make smaller holes.
- Entry is typically at ground level. Skunks usually enter and exit through the most remote or secluded areas of the structure.
Damage:
- Skunks do not cause structural damage to buildings. Their primary impact is the odor they introduce.
- They may create small holes in the lawn a few inches apart when foraging for grubs.