Critter Library
The Most Common Furry Friends
Meet the different furry friends who have been making themselves at home in your attics, walls, basements and more.
Raccoons
Raccoons are as destructive as they are cute. They will do everything it takes to settle in your attic. Whatever it takes, they'll get inside your house through the chimney or chew their way through siding, gutters, roofing, and more. What puts raccoons in a league of their own is how dangerous they can be. Not only are they aggressive (especially if they have babies), but they create large, compact piles of feces and urine called latrines - and these may actually be extremely toxic endangering your family and pets. Additionally, their constant chewing and digging can seriously damage your home. Once they enter your home, you'll probably hear them and identify them right away. If you address the issue as soon as possible, you should be able to remove them and prevent re-entry before they cause too much harm.
Rats
Rats are widespread in DFW - in fact, we rank as the 10th rattiest city in America. Due to the fact that they will nest, breed rapidly, and spread a variety of diseases, we have no choice but to remain on high alert for these furry buddies. One thing about rats is that they're not shy. Other pests may be too big or too afraid to make their way into your home's common space, but not the rat. The rat will enter your pantry and take any food they want. A not-so-fun fact about rats is that they urinate every 3-5 steps they take, so their bellies are constantly moist and greasy. Two tell-tale signs of rats are the slick, yellow trails they leave behind and their small, black droppings. Rats will eat wires, gnaw through insulation, and make a mess - they're not hard to detect, but it's essential to get rid of them ASAP, or you'll end up with a difficult infestation to remove.
Skunks
Skunks are one of the more unpleasant animals to have wandering your property. In order to get food, they will dig big dens in your flower bed - usually up against the foundation or an outdoor AC unit. While skunks are unlikely to force their way into your attic or walls, but they will undoubtedly move into the crawl area under your house. Since skunks are nocturnal, you may not even see them. They can, unfortunately, leave behind an unpleasant smell in your house or yard that is difficult to ignore! While a one-time occurrence may be a skunk passing through the neighborhood that happened to spray near your home, a recurring smell or the presence of a large den are strong indicators of skunk(s) taking up residence on your property.
Squirrels
Another adorable, furry pest that frequently resides in the attic and walls of your home is the squirrel. The difference between them with raccoons or rats is that they are much cleaner and less harmful which is a good news. The bad news is that they are significantly quieter, making it harder to initially notice their presence. The best way to tell if you have squirrel roommates is to check for nesting in your attic or crawl space or to look for holes they have eaten in your siding, roof, or eaves. Also, squirrel teeth never stop growing, so they have a constant need to chew and grind down their teeth - so listen for scraping noises in your crawl spaces, walls, and attics. Once squirrels are gone, if you have your home sealed up tightly and you effectively killed their pheromones and biological markers via “fogging,” you shouldn’t have to worry about them re-entering your home.
Opossums
Opossums are like the polite cousin of the raccoon. They will dig through your trash just like raccoons, but they are less messy once they get inside (no dangerous latrines to deal with) and slightly less destructive. They're not looking to chew everything up to build a nest; they're just simply looking for a safe, warm, dry place to curl up with their family - and your attic or garage is a home run! Since they are nocturnal, you most likely won't hear them at all throughout the day. If you hear scratching, running, or playful sounds at night, investigate your attic and look for a few tell-tale signs: opossums have a unique footprint with an outward-facing thumb that you may notice in the dust on your ducts, additionally, they will leave grease or droppings in unexpected locations that will be larger than those of a rat or squirrel.
"Called Critter Stop to help remove raccoon who was attempting to make a home in my attic. After reviewing my attic and the entry point Chisam discussed with me a plan to install a one way trap to let the critter out. Once the critter was out the entry point was repaired and painted. Through out the entire process I received timely updates on the project until completed. Chisam and his team were great to work with, and the job fully met my expectations. I sincerely recommend this company for any kind of animal removal"
Mel S. via Google
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