Destructive animals today are those that interfere the most with human life and produced items, especially food, and without the modern industries that control such animals like mice and rats, there would be massive and expensive consequences all around the world. The good news is that many items and services are available to help contain these destructive animals, to either prevent them from entering a home or business, or to relocate them humanely or simply kill them. Animal removal services are available around the nation and may be called by concerned homeowners or business owners to get rid of destructive animals, which may also include raccoons and opossums, which can spread disease like rabies, scatter trash everywhere, or even attack and harm pets and young children who encounter them. Wildlife control may be called for bigger destructive animals like raccoons or even stray dogs or coyotes, and for smaller destructive animals like rats, everyday people can acquire the right items to fight back, and hire contractors to make a house less inviting to rodents. What can be done?

On Animals

Why are rats, mice, and raccoons such an issue? An animal does not have to be a “man eater” like lions or sharks to be a problem. In fact, it has been determined by the National Pest Management Association that rats and mice regularly consume or contaminate a whopping 20% of the world’s food supply, and without current pest control methods, that figure could climb all the way up to 50%, which could cause disaster in many parts of the world. And even if they are not getting into grain silos, these rodents are in issue in urban areas, where they spread disease through their bites and the fleas that live on them. In the United States, Chicago, New York City, and Washington, D.C., in that order, have the highest rat populations out of all American urban centers. Recently, calls about rats have become more common: a 61% increase has taken place in Chicago, a 129% increase in New York City, and a 174% increase in San Francisco. Rats also breed very fast, due to their short lives and large litter sizes, and if an environment suits them, one with a lot of hiding places and food such as the contents of Dumpsters, they can easily expand a population to a massive scale. What can be done to keep rats and mice, not to mention squirrels, out of the home and public buildings?

Destructive Animal Control

Where the law allows it, homeowners and commercial building owners can set up traps and poison to simply kill rats and mice that get into the home and dispose of the bodies. Specialized poison pellets are commercially available that will kill rats and mice once they eat them, although homeowners should take extreme care that children and pets, such as dogs, do not eat those poisoned pellets themselves. Rat traps, such as the classic model that snaps a lever down on the animal’s back, are also options. These traps may also work on squirrels that have broken into the home, and there are poison methods for killing gophers that are damaging a lawn or farm, although citizens should bear in mind that sometimes, killing wildlife like gophers is illegal. A person must check local laws first.

Non-lethal methods for removing squirrels in the attic or mice in the walls are also possible. Bait can be set in cages, once a rodent gets inside, the cage closes and the animal inside can be relocated, such as in a nearby forest. What is more, a home can be made squirrel proof if contractors are hired to get the job done. Special glue or paint can be applied to the wooden walls of the house, mainly on the outside, that deters squirrels who would want to break in, and a homeowner can trim away the tree branches that allow squirrels to reach the attic. Squirrels already in the attic can cause great harm; these unwanted rodents will chew on electric cables and plastic pipes, causing expensive damage to these utilities. Contractors and other crews can remove these squirrels, not to mention remove the nests that they build in the home’s air ducts. This can fix an issue with the air conditioning.