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Will skunks hibernate under your house how to#
How to stop wildlife from entering your home in the winter In addition, bird nesting habits can even cause structural damage and or create fire hazards. Bird droppings are unsanitary, can spread disease and cause damage to structures or building materials. Pest bird infestation can become a problem for your home or business. So while these animals might look to make their winter home and hibernate under your house, deck, or outbuildings, you’ll want to do your best to prevent this from happening! Skunks are unwelcome house guests for obvious reasons! Besides the potential foul smell, skunks can also carry rabies. Like mice and rats, they can also cause similar damage to your home or business. And if they decide to hide out in your attic or crawlspace, they could drive you nuts! (Pun intended.) Squirrels are non-threatening, but they could mate and give birth to a litter in your home in the winter. It’s a common misconception that these squirrels hibernate in the winter, but they’re still active. Here in Louisiana, there are two species of squirrel – the gray and the fox.
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In the winter, they like to seek shelter near food sources and warmth, which could unfortunately include your garage or attic! And if you don’t evict these guys in the winter, there could be babies living there by spring. And what’s worse is that raccoons can carry rabies – a potentially fatal virus that infects the central nervous system. They’ve adapted nicely to urban environments because they are not picky eaters! Racoons feed on pet food, fruits, vegetables and anything else they can find in your trash! While raccoons may look cute and cuddly, they can actually be aggressive if they feel threatened. Like opossums, raccoons are considered nuisance wildlife in Southern Louisiana. Opossums can also rip up books, fabric and insulation to build nests. Not only that, but they can also bring destruction by chewing through and gnawing on wood and drywall, electrical wires and pipes. However, they can bring diseases and disease-carrying pests into your home. Luckily opossums are not aggressive or dangerous to humans, and they don’t get rabies. Opossums feast on pet food, rotten fruit and human garbage, which means they could find their way into your home, your garage or shed to keep warm. Sometimes you may mistake an opossum for a rat, but opossums are actually marsupials, not rodents. Many of us are afraid of snakes, and they also carry diseases and germs that can make us sick like salmonella. Popular places for these slithery pests to hide include attics, basements, drop ceilings and leaky water pipes. Unfortunately, during the winter, these cold-blooded reptiles may decide to hibernate indoors.
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Here in Louisiana, there are 47 native snake species, but luckily only seven of them are venomous. Snakes are common here in the deep south because of warm weather and marshland. Mice and rats can be dangerous because they cause damage by gnawing and nesting, and they can spread filth and disease. Rodents are active all year-round in Louisiana, but in the winter, they try to come inside your homes to escape the cold. We recently wrote about all things rodents in Louisiana including common types, how to identify them, potential health hazards and the damage they can do to your home. Common winter wildlife pests in Southern Louisiana Rodents We break these different critters, gauge their threat, and give some pointers for prevention and removal. It’s important to learn about the wildlife in the greater New Orleans area that could possibly enter your home this winter. Cold season is here, which means wildlife living around your home may be seeking food, water, warmth and shelter.
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