Top Tips to Keep Wild Animals Away from Your Home

Wild animals are called such for a reason—they belong there. They certainly don’t belong in your home. While it may feel comfortable for them, what with the warm shelter from the elements, plenty of food and lots of hiding places, it’s not going to be good for the humans who live in the home—that means you! When raccoons, opossums, squirrels and other wild animals start getting closer to your home, it’s important to know how to keep them out. Here are some tips to keep wild animals out of your home in Alaska.

Trash and food tips

It seems obvious, but you should make sure to put a heavy, sealed lid on any garbage cans left outside. Wildlife, especially raccoons, are attracted to the smell of our trash, so it’s important to minimize the spread of that smell by tying your garbage bags shut when it’s time to take out the trash, and placing them in a heavy container with a lid, preferably one that somehow seals or is difficult to remove. Wildlife in urban areas can be smarter than you might think, so be sure to make it not so easy for while animals to get their paws on your tasty leftovers.

Some scavengers will also take food intended to feed other types of wildlife, like a bird feeder. Don’t let them use the opportunity to look for ways to hit the human-food motherlode inside your kitchen, and make sure all bird feeders, birdbaths and fountains on your property are far enough away from the home to ensure wild animals won’t be tempted to sneak in for a closer look.

Limit access

Another tip to keep wild animals out of your home is to make sure they don’t have easy access to get inside. That means trimming trees and other vegetation that might be brushing up against a wall or roof. Small wild animals, especially squirrels, are known to use trees as a springboard to get into a home. Once they get onto the roof, the ingenious little critters will have many options to find their way into your home. Avoid the whole mess by keeping any vegetation (like, say, a branch that hangs too close to the home) at least six to eight feet from the roofline.

If wild animals do manage to get onto the roof, or anywhere else on the outside of the home, fear not—there’s still a way to keep them from getting inside. Make sure your chimney, vents and other openings along the roofline and foundation all have screens properly installed. That way they’ll still pass air as needed, but also keep wildlife in the wild, where it belongs.

And finally, keep your yard tidy. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but don’t leave piles of leaves or other debris out for animals to make a home in for themselves, and make sure firewood is stored at least 20 feet away from the home in cooler months.

For more tips to keep pests in the wilds of Alaska, where they belong, reach out to the experts at Pied Piper Pest Control today.

Categorised in: Pest Prevention

This post was written by Writer