To begin with, we’d like to collectively congratulate and send out our warmest wishes to the Chinese community in The Greater Toronto Area and all around the world. We are grateful for our diverse community and know that this year of the rooster will bring wealth and good health to all of us regardless of ethnicity. As an appreciation towards our customers and new clients alike, SIA Wildlife Control is providing a 10% discount on all work done starting January 29th until February 5th 2017.
Squirrels And Raccoons
While squirrels and raccoons aren’t meant to get along, that doesn’t necessarily mean their problems are not related. Squirrels are smaller than raccoons, which means that they are food to omnivorous raccoons if they are not careful. Because raccoons are slower and more lazy they aren’t normally able to feed on squirrels with ease. Raccoons use their superior intelligence and positioning to achieve their goal. For instance, raccoons can catch squirrels which are exiting and entering their holes on the roof by patiently waiting for the opportunity. Normally a raccoon which has entered an attic from the middle of the roof has done so by it’s desire to seek shelter and/or food.
For a raccoon it requires more work to enter an attic from the middle of the roof, the job entails clawing and chewing at the shingles and then the plywood. In most cases it starts with a squirrel that has made shelter in the attic by chewing through a weak roof. A smart raccoon expands the tennis ball sized entry point of a squirrel, and over a period of time it gains entry into the attic.
Raccoon Entry Points
We shared one way a raccoon can gain entry to the attic, but there are easier ways which raccoons enter when choosing their homes on their own. Junctions are one such area. A raccoon or squirrel will gain entry into the attic in multiple homes within the same neighborhood as a means of survival.
Raccoons are not incapable of clawing but prefer to use brute force when making entries into the attic. Another example is the roof ventilation cap(s). If you have observed one of these vents on your roof with a missing cap, chances are a raccoon is currently resting in your attic. It will continue to do so until you call a professional to humanely remove your raccoon. These are some common raccoon entries, more information is available at your own raccoon inspection news article.
Squirrel Entry Points
Squirrels are not known for physical strength like raccoons are. They are agile and will only use their teeth to gain entry into homes. Chewing damage is what squirrels are notorious for. Their entry points can be identified by tennis sized holes with teeth marks engulfing the edges of the surrounding material. Wood, plastic, and aluminum don’t stand a chance against squirrels. We use a high density galvanized carbon steel mesh to warranty all our squirrel removal work.
When it comes to raccoon vs squirrel, we prefer to have a raccoon in our own attics than a squirrel. Squirrels will displace insulation at a faster rate than our lazy raccoon competitors. Electrical wires are the most concerning in the potential problems as they can cause electrical fires in the attic. When it comes to squirrels we urge prompt removal.
Wildlife Babies
We are approaching the 2 months marker from the official baby season of 2017. March will be the end of the incubation period for both raccoons and squirrels. Our technicians will check every attic in this season to ensure we don’t miss any babies. If done improperly, major issues rise from raccoon and squirrel removal from the attic during baby season. A wildlife removal expert must always ensure there are no babies when evicting a mother raccoon, or squirrel. Failure to remove babies can lead to the death of the babies, or further damage from mother in reentry attempts. No one wants to smell decaying carcass and wonder about the bacteria building up within the walls and the attic.
During baby season, baby raccoons will be very vocal and will sound almost like birds chirping. The intensity of the noise will be noticeable if it’s in your attic, so don’t worry you won’t miss it. Baby squirrels will be harder to hear and normally inspections will reveal them. Some complications include having to cut ceiling and walls to remove babies when necessary. Our advice to our readers is to have your raccoon and squirrel removal service done before this season. It’s also important to note that squirrels give birth twice a year, once in March and another in August.
