How to Hire a Professional to Remove Bats

In today’s fast growing world, people have so many more options and choices in almost all areas of life; it can even be overwhelming for some. These choices can range from furniture and electronics, to many Do It Yourself items that can be assembled by yours truly. DIY projects are becoming more and more popular these days as people look for ways to save money by not having to hire a professional to do whatever the work may be, some things though we should continue to leave to the professionals. Most people have assembled a piece of living room furniture at one time or another but I guarantee most have not performed surgery; we tend to leave that to the pros. It goes without saying that somethings you are better not doing yourself, in this blog we are going to explore the options that one has when performing bat removal in Melbourne and Palm Bay Florida and the recommendations we have for solving whatever issue you may have.
As we briefly talked about, there are certain things that need to be done by professionals due to the skill required to complete the task, the equipment needed for completion, or perhaps the danger involved in the job. We are here to educate the public on these matters and our area of expertise is in wildlife removal, especially bat removal. Let’s clear the air real quick and say we never recommend doing it yourself when dealing with a bat issue in your home or business, this is a job for the professionals. If you are currently dealing with an issue of your own, do not attempt this and please call a professional wildlife removal company to help out, we don’t want anyone getting sick or hurt. We will also tell you that there are many things to look out for when hiring a professional company and we want to help make that choice as painless as possible by giving a few key things to look for before hiring anyone, let’s take a closer look.

License and Insurance

Whenever considering hiring a bat removal company, or any company for that matter, always make sure they are licensed and insured, this will give you the peace of mind knowing that you and your home are protected in case of damage, injury, or anything else that may go wrong. Never and we repeat never hire a company that is not licensed and insured, you are only putting yourself at risk and we never recommend this option. There are plenty of companies out there that are not licensed and insured and although they may be able to perform a bat removal without a hitch, if something were to happen or if they were to damage your house, you would have no way to deal with this. Making sure a company is licensed not only gives you the peace of mind knowing your home is protected when getting work done on it, but this also ensure that the company that you hired is perform the job in a safe humane way using best practices. As the saying goes, “There is more than one way to skin a cat” and this is true in the wildlife industry as well. There are safe and effective ways of removing bats from a home and there are dangerous and ineffective ways of doing it, hiring a company that is licensed and insured will make sure best practices are used. We said earlier that you want to hire a company that performs humane bat removal but what exactly does that mean? Let’s explore and take a closer look.

It is the middle of the night, you are sound asleep until a loud thud jolts you awake, you are not sure where the noise came from or what made the noise. Quietly listening, your suspicions are soon realized when the sound of claws comes from above your head, and you know that somewhere, there is a raccoon in the attic.

Many people experience this exact scenario in their own homes every week around Melbourne Florida, but many are unaware of just how common this is and how many people are affected each year with this, and ask any of them, it is no pleasant experience. Raccoons in the attic are a definite problem in and around the central Florida area, chances are is you live or even visit here, you know or have met someone who has had this problem. Thankfully there is an entire industry dedicated to help solve this ever increasing problem one house at a time.
It is important to understand first and foremost that when dealing with any type of wildlife, especially raccoons; it is always recommended to get licensed professionals to safely and humanely remove the animal rather than attempting to do it on your own. They are referred to as “wildlife” due to the fact that these are wild animals that can sick, diseased, aggressive, and are certainly unpredictable, especially when they feel threated which is certainly always the case.

I take that back, any wildlife, not just raccoons in your attic can be very destructive quite quickly, this problem is nothing to mess around with; if you are hearing noises in your attic then you should call a wildlife removal company ASAP and have someone come and inspect whatever the issue might be. We are focusing in this blog however on raccoons in particular, and like we have explained, there are a variety of ways that raccoons can cause property damage to a home in no time at all. Some of these include damage to roofs, soffit and fascia, gutters, as well as all the damage that can be done inside the attic. They are known to commonly leave large amount of droppings in attics which can pose a serious health risk to anyone living in the house, this usually results in attic restorations to remove any bio hazardous waste that could be potentially dangerous. Needless to say, raccoons in your attic are a serious problem and need to be dealt with immediately.
There is lot to know when it comes to dealing with different kinds of wildlife and how to approach the unique situations that each of them can cause, but our desire is to educate the public on these common problems facing our communities. There are many ways an individual or homeowner can be proactive when it comes to wildlife, and over the next several sections, we hope to explore five signs that raccoons are in your attic in Melbourne Florida, and how you can easily determine if there is a problem or not. We hope this is educational and enlightening to anyone facing this problem or anyone wishing to learn something new.

I Hear Noises in my Attic

Every house makes noise in one way or another; wildlife noises however will be very distinguishable from common “house” noises. It is not too often that some creaking boards sound like claws or a tail dragging against drywall.
When these noises start to occur in someone’s homes, the first and most common issue that arises is being woken up from sleep throughout the night. Not every person are a heavy sleeper and usually at least one person in a home will be unable to sleep while something is crawling around in the attic. It is common for people to assume the animal will come and go and so they brush off the noises and give it a few days to see if the animal comes back. This is most definitely the wrong move, when there are noises in the attic, the best thing to do is to immediately call a wildlife removal company and get them out there. From our years of experience, we can tell you that if there is an animal in your attic, it is most likely setting up shop and has no intention of moving out unless you force them to. Let’s continue to explore some more easy ways to see if you might be dealing with raccoons.

Damaged Soffit and Roof

Every house is slightly different but there is a fair amount of common ground between different styles of home, they definitely almost always have a roof and some type of soffit which allows the attic to ventilate excess heat and moisture. Now between the two, raccoons get into the attic most often through the soffit, but they are strong enough to rip through shingle and plywood when motivated enough. Soffit is a much weaker material and is manipulated much easier by the raccoons. The above picture shows an area of a shingle roof house where a raccoon has gained entry in through a piece of soffit that has been pushed up, creating an opening which in turn becomes their front door. If you go outside your house and see an area of your soffit that looks similar to this, we highly recommend calling a wildlife removal company ASAP because you are probably not far off from hearing noises in the attic. Sometimes if you own or live in a large house, some of these areas called roof returns will be impossible to see from the ground and will require someone going onto the roof for a closer inspection. Whenever this is the case we always recommend calling professionals to do the dangerous work rather than risking your own health and safety.
So far we have briefly explored two simple signs that you have raccoons in your attic, but there are still a few we want to cover in this blog post. In the next section we will take a look at some common signs that you have raccoons from inside the attic.

Urine and Droppings in the Attic

We have reiterated this many times throughout the blog, but we must start this section off again by addressing the need for upmost safety when concerning these issues. Urine and Raccoon droppings scattered throughout your attic is a very good sign that you might have raccoons in your attic, but BE CAREFUL, these can be very toxic to breathe in so when dealing with these issues, it is recommended to leave it to the professionals to properly inspect and solve the problem in a safe way for you. Raccoons are notorious for nesting in people’s homes, it is almost always a female raccoon that has babies or is preparing to have babies. They break in, create their nest, and get ready to settle in for the next months while their babies grow and become strong enough to leave on their own. During these months, it is common that over time the mother and babies will deposit a large amount of droppings and urine on top of the insulation that exists in the attic, this is turn can make it dangerous to go into the attic and can even create health hazards within the home.

When this occurs, what usually needs to happen is the raccoon removal must be performed to remove the raccoon safely, and then a team needs to go in a remove all soiled insulation and sanitize the attic space before it does not pose a health risk. The amount of insulation that needs to be removed will vary on how bad the problem was and how long it was going on for. A small amount of insulation may be all that’s needs and sometimes every square in must be removed; we will discuss attic restoration on some of our later blog posts. Summarizing though, any kind of animal dropping inside the attic is a tell-tale sign that there is an animal in the attic and it’s time to call a professional wildlife removal company.

It sounds like Baby Raccoons

So far we have looked at and explore several different tips on how a homeowner can be proactive and try and determine if they are dealing with a raccoon problem. We have talked about different things to look for on the outside of the house and also what we can look for on the inside of the attic to help us paint a picture of what is going on. We talked about some common noises that point to raccoons such as clawing and scratching noises as well as loud thuds but there are others that can point to the same conclusion.

Baby raccoon noises are another very simple way to know and understand that there is definitely something going on up in your attic that needs addressing. Like we have previously discussed, the reason raccoons go into the attics is primarily due to females having babies, and like a good mother would do, she daily takes care of her young but providing for them while doing the same for her. This means that there are times when mama has to leave the babies alone while she leave and scavenges, which can leave the babies confused and scared. When frightened or scared they doing what most mammals do, they cry and they whimper, usually in a very high pitch as they call out for their mother. If you hear any type of cry or whimper coming from the attic or soffit of your house, you almost certainly have baby raccoons in your attic and mama is somewhere close by. If this is the case, immediately call a professional and have them come out and complete and inspection.

Neighborhood Reports 

We all understand that in today’s world, people don’t seem to be as personable or approachable as they used to be, even next door neighbors won’t know a thing about each other. With this last tip on signs that raccoons are in your attic, we challenge each and everyone one of you to break the mold and go have a conversation with people in and around your neighborhood, it’s a great way to socially network the old fashioned way, and it helps strengthen the community as a whole. We recommend doing this because you will be surprised at what you can learn from your neighbors, and if one of them is reporting raccoon problems, this is a sign that you probably also have a problem. When a mother raccoon is preparing to have babies, she will create several different nesting sites to make sure she has back up plans if things go badly at any one of her nesting sites. This commonly means that in neighborhoods where raccoons frequent, multiple homes with be broken into by raccoons on the same night, often it is the same female raccoon scouting out new potential nesting sites. For this reason we say to ask around to see if any of your neighbors are dealing with any issues and if they are, it gives you an opportunity to be proactive and possibly deal with the issue right away, and you might make a new friend in the process, that’s what we call a win win.
It has been our pleasure making this blog post for the public to read and be educated on some signs that raccoons are in your attic, we hope this has been truly educational and we look forward to putting out much more content on raccoons as well and all other wildlife we deal with in the great state of Florida, until next time.

Living in Florida comes with a price

 The central Florida area is one of the most travel-worthy destinations in the world due to the many vacation destinations such as resorts, theme parks, and miles of beautiful beaches on our coastlines. However amazing the State of Florida is, living here is a whole different animal from visiting for a week-long vacation on the beach. Permanent residents in Florida have without a doubt several challenges that they face each year, the summer heat, hurricane season, and animals in the attic. With a temperate climate and mild winters, wildlife is able to flourish in Florida year round. Residents are always dealing with some wildlife issue usually in the form of some nuisance animal such as many different types of rodents, which is why we have the desire to educate the public on how to deal with these critters.

There are many different animals that would fit under the larger category of a “rodent”, however in this blog we want to focus on the animal that is often viewed as the most destructive and most difficult rodent to deal with, the common rat. There are several different varieties of rats that live and thrive in Florida, and they are often called by several different names i.e. (roof rats, river rats, palm rats, etc.). 

Although these are all interchangeable names, the preferred term in the animal removal industry is roof rats. Why are they called roof rats one might ask? Simply put, the name refers to how these animals one way or another get on top of a structure roof and find entry inside the structure, leaving someone with a critter in the attic, a very unenjoyable situation.

It might be hard to believe or even understand how an animal can first get on to the roof and them somehow find a way inside, do roofers leaves holes in roofs? This is a tricky question because if a roof is installed properly, there are no entry points that will allow water to get inside the house; this however does not mean that there are not holes for animals to find their way in. If you do know what you are looking for when looking at a structure, it doesn’t take long to see just how many ways a small animal is able to find its way inside and start to nest or live inside of the structure. Over the next several sections, we will attempt to explore in detail some of the more common areas on homes and other structures that allow animals to gain entry and how to deal with these issues that so many people face.

Florida Roof Rats 

We previously touched on the fact that even with a properly installed roof on a person’s house, there are still “holes” or natural construction gaps that allow certain animals to enter a home. These construction gaps are found on every home and structure in one way or another, it is important to know that depending on the type of roof a person has, these can change. The most common types of, all these roof styles have similar areas that animals gain entry. These areas include but are not limited to roof returns, damaged soffit, and many types of attic vents. Roof returns refer to the area on your roof where two or more sections of roof meet and join one another. This typically happens with a section of roof overhangs another section of roof and can result in a natural gap that leads into the attic. Soffit refers to the vented paneling that is installed on a home’s under eave in order to allow heat and excess moisture to escape from the attic space.

These are the most common areas that rats get into attic spaces. What we typically see in this industry is the larger and more intricate the design of the roof is, the more roof returns and gaps there will be. The simpler and less “cut-up” the roof is, then this will be easier to animal proof.

You might be asking yourself, “Ok, I understand how an animal gets into an attic from the roof, but how are they able to get onto the roof in the first place.” Florida roof rats are incredible climbers, if you can imagine watching a squirrel climb and move through a tree, and then you can get an idea of what a rat is capable of as well. There is a large misconception about how athletic a common rat really is due to the fact that they are reclusive and nocturnal, so humans do not see them as often. Do not be fooled however, pound for pound, a roof rat is one of the most athletic and adept animals in the world and when push comes to shove, it is almost impossible to keep rodents from being able to get on to the roof. Overhanging trees, screened in enclosures as well as gutters and electrical lines act as highways allowing rats and other critters access to the roof. Once on the roof, if the house is not properly sealed then it is only a matter of time until a curious critter finds its way in.

This picture is a perfect example of a large hole on a home that leads directly into the attic. This picture shows a roof return with several missing pieces of white vented soffit. This hole was most likely created during a high wind scenario where the soffit was ripped out, creating a hole for an animal in the attic, turning this area of the roof effectively into the front door to their home, which is your attic. We are focusing on rats in this blog but keep in mind that a variety of wildlife go exploring on peoples roofs and this hole in particular is big enough not only for roof rats, but for raccoons and other animals as well. This is a scenario where the homeowner usually needs to have this fixed soon to prevent anything getting inside.

Why are there Animals in my Attic? 

There is a huge problem in Florida with critters getting into people’s attic spaces as well as other parts of their homes, but there is no simple answer to the question of why.

Florida is a large state with a large population base…simply put there are a ton of homes and in recent years there is no sign of construction slowing down in the Sunshine State. Central Florida has a significant amount of undeveloped land still to this day that is rapidly being developed into shopping plazas, new neighborhoods, schools and new communities popping up. Recent reports show that Florida is not only a vacation destination, but people are coming here to live and grow roots, resulting in a high demand for more construction. Unfortunately this means that natural wildlife habitats are being destroyed and developed at an astounding rate. Undeveloped land in Florida is almost always teaming with life, small animals, large animals, fish and game all utilize nature and when humans take that away from them, they are forced to migrate and move or else face death. Survival instincts are present in every life form on the planet and rats are no different, when their homes are destroyed, they don’t just roll over and die but they move and set out to find a new home and place to live. This forced migration usually drives them into nearby neighborhoods where they find dozens of house just waiting for them to come on in and set up shop. We see in this industry that areas that are rapidly developing will usually have a high percentage of rodent activity due to the development.
Another factor to consider as far as construction goes is Florida’s weather, we have an extremely favorable climate for wildlife and our mild to non-existent winters allow construction and development to continue year round unlike many other areas in more northern parts of the country. Even though we are a very warm state we do occasionally have a cold front come through for a couple days and drop temperatures below freezing. Years of experience in the industry have taught us that animals feel the cold the same and you and I, and when it does get cold or we have a snap freeze, animals are quick to start seeking out warm areas to nest in and take shelter. The insulated properties of an attic offer a perfect safe haven for them to stay warm, dry, and protected until the weather becomes more favorable. The simple truth is there is no one reason why animals get into the attic, there is no one reason why they do anything, and they are wild animals and can be unpredictable. The important thing to understand is not why they are doing what they are doing, but what you can do to prepare for these issues and prevent any rats or other critters getting into the home.

What can you do?

In this blog we have tried to give the reader a basic understanding of some areas of the wildlife removal industry and an education on how and why animals get into people’s homes. Although there is still so much more we could write about and will do so in later blog posts, this post just scratches the surface of the animal removal business and we look forward to writing and educating more in the future. We have taken the time to give you key reason why this industry exists i.e. (natural construction gaps, Florida’s development, weather patterns, etc.), but we also want to briefly inform you on what steps you can take now in order to protect you from nuisance wildlife and the problems they can cause.
The first step that we recommend a homeowner take regardless of any existing wildlife issue is to call a professional wildlife removal company out to conduct a thorough inspection. This will allow them to inform you of any potential red flags that they see on your homes exterior and will also allow them to inspect your attic and determine if there is any evidence of animals in the attic. We stress that a homeowner call a wildlife removal company and not just a generic pest control company, who normally specialize in bugs, not rats. This will give you the peace of mind knowing that the company you hire knows exactly what they are doing. We also recommend NOT WAITING! Preventative maintenance and protection will always be less expensive than dealing with a problem after the wildlife has already gotten into the structure; this will save you money and a serious headache. We NEVER recommend trying to do this type of work in a DIY style; it usually involves getting into dangerous areas and working from heights off of ladders which can be very hazardous if not properly trained in safe techniques. It is better to leave it to the professionals who do it professionally, the quality of the work will be better, no health risk to homeowners, and wildlife removal companies will almost always warranty their work, again giving you peace of mind.
This industry, especially in Florida is not going anywhere, there will always be wildlife out there and people will always need homes to live in, making for a seemingly never ending struggle between man and beast. We are so thankful though that we have been able to shed light on this industry and hopefully have educated people on these issues and can point people in the right direction if they are currently dealing with an issue or seek to prevent something in the future. We will continue to post informative material on construction techniques to properly seal houses and structures, exclusions techniques for a variety of animals, and how to properly, safely and humanely trap animals that have gotten inside homes and attics. We hope this blog has helped and look forward to getting more material out there for everyone to read.

How long can it take to trap and capture squirrels?

Eraticators animal removal is dedicated to resolving your squirrel problem in the most efficient and safest way possible, however the length of this time to resolve the many potential problems varies; each squirrel trapping attempt is unique in its own way. There are multiple considerations that can affect how long it takes to trap the squirrels. Squirrels are one of the quickest mammals on land, so catching them can be quite tricky.  They have some of the best reflexes, but squirrels can be outsmarted by us using all sorts of traps.

What Type Of Traps are Used?

Trap Mounted on a Hole

If you are needing to trap a squirrel because you are hearing noises in your attic, this is the most common setup to get rid of the squirrels. Isolate the primary entry/exit hole, and mount a repeater trap, which catches all the squirrels at once as they exit. This trap is humane and has been used for many years to catch squirrels.  They have been used for many years to catch squirrels because they offer the quickest and safest method of squirrel trapping.  This squirrel trap can catch within minutes or days, squirrels like to move around a lot so the trap usually works pretty quickly. Eraticators has all of the equipment and expertise to make this process very quick and affordable compared to many other pest removal companies.

Multiple Traps Bolted to a Soffit Opening or Attic Opening

In many cases, there is a wide hole that may have been chewed or broken open. When a technician mounts multiple traps over the hole, with nose type cones attached to them, they will catch all the squirrels as they come out of the side area of the attic where the soffit is.  These traps work great by covering a larger area and work just as quickly as the repeater traps used to catch squirrels. If you hear noises in your attic, then see some larger holes in your soffit, this may be the correct squirrel trap for you.  It is not an easy task to set these up, that is why we recommend Eraticators Attic Animal Removal to come out and have it done right.  

Cage Trap Mounted on Roof Outside your Attic

In some instances, there may be no way to set a repeater trap to help solve the issue.  Many times it is best to set multiple cage traps on the roof, near the entry holes to your attic. We make sure the cages are secure and the squirrels will be trapped in a very safe and effective way.  Many people will go to town trying to buy multiple traps, but many times doing it on your own may prove to be costly and time consuming.  You have to know where to set them, and what to use to lure the squirrels into the trap. Cage Traps can be useful if there are no other options as they are usually the least efficient traps used to capture and rid yourself of squirrels in the attic. Eraticators have the top experts in the industry with excellent reviews.  We service Brevard County and beyond.  Call us today for a free quote!

Before undertaking the reduction control of squirrels, it is important to check with the local wildlife or conservation agency because some species are threatened or endangered or protected.

Wire screen cage-style box traps (such as the Kage-All® Small Animal Trap) are the most appropriate live capture and release trap for squirrels. Wire-screen cage-style traps are more durable than those made of sheet metal. These traps are best left to the experts, but if you have to use them, please give us a call first.

For best results, traps should be pre-baited for several days with the doors secured in an open position; when the bait is readily taken, the traps can be reset and baited. Baited sets are the most widely acceptable and sure-fire of trap sets for catching nuisance squirrels in your home or attic.

Blind sets are most successful in the taking of squirrels. For example, if the squirrel is inside the building and is using only one or two small entry holes, a live trap can be fixed across the openings, leaving the squirrel no option except to enter the trap to leave the area he has been hiding in.  Open trail sets are generally ineffective due to the cautious nature of squirrels. When faced with a trap in its path, the agile squirrel will usually find a way to avoid the trap. They are not going to be forced into anything. Many times traps will not work so its time to call in the experts.

Be certain all the target squirrels are removed prior to the repair of the entry hole or holes. A squirrel can do extensive and unnecessary damage in its efforts to escape or return through a premature repair job so it is best to call the experts at Eraticators before it’s too late!