Whether it’s a mouse in your walls or a raccoon in your attic, home critter issues are often thought of as something you only need to worry about during spring and summer. Many people mistakenly assume that most local critters spend the winter hibernating, but most of the species that come into people’s homes do not hibernate at all and remain quite active during the winter months. In fact, they’re often on the prowl for a warm place to live during this colder season where they can then safely give birth to their young in the spring. The walls and attic of your home is the perfect place for them.
If you’ve noticed lots of wildlife activity on or around your property, it’s prudent that you take action to proactively protect your home now. The best way to handle a home critter issue is to stop it before it even happens.
Right now, all across New Hampshire, gray squirrels are in the midst of their breeding season and are looking for a safe place to give birth. Their gestation period is only 44 days long, so if they end up in your home, you may not have too much time to properly handle the issue before you end up with a litter of squirrels in March.
Homeowners also need to keep an eye out for larger critters, like raccoons and skunks who breed in the winter. Very cold winter days often bring raccoons inside warm homes for shelter — be sure to get them out before they start giving birth in March and April. Meanwhile, local skunks spend February and March traveling around looking for mates. It’s quite common for male altercations to happen on your property, often under your deck or porch. If you hear unusual squeaking noises around these areas or smell that classic, repugnant skunk spray scent, you almost certainly have a problem that needs to be addressed.
The best thing to do right now is make sure there are no obvious gaps, holes or openings of any kind that could allow critters access to the inside of your home. If there are, you or a professional ought to get them sealed as soon as possible. Even if there are very tiny gaps or openings, they should still be sealed. Squirrels and rodents are able to squeeze themselves through small spaces and larger critters can create further damage and make them bigger.
It may seem like a lot of work just to prevent potential intruding critters, and you may be tempted to forgo the proactive protection and just hope that they never come into your home. The problem is that these critters can do real damage to your home very quickly.
Mice and squirrels are typically in a constant state of foraging, meaning they gnaw on just about anything as they explore their surroundings in search of food. They can quickly contaminate your food supply, damage your furniture with their strong teeth and gnaw through wiring which could render your devices defunct or, even worse, cause an electrical fire.
So, what should you do when warmer spring weather actually does come around? Merrimack County is home to a great deal of wildlife activity from a vast number of species, you’ll want to make sure that you prevent your home from becoming a critter target.
Be smart about hosting outdoor gatherings on your property. Too much noise and commotion can scare critters out of their habitats, which may lead them right to your home. If you have food outside, clean it all up and bring it inside as soon as the party ends — don’t leave it out all night for you to handle the next day. If critters identify your home as a reliable source of abundant, easily accessible food, they’re going to keep coming back and may try to enter your home if they can’t find more food outside of it. Be sure to keep any outdoor pet food inside overnight as well.
Keep your trash can lids sealed as tightly as possible. Stronger critters, like raccoons, know that there are lots of food scraps for them inside those cans. If they can’t remove the lid themselves, they may instead try just knocking the cans over, in hopes that the trash will come spilling out. It’s more convenient to keep them loose, but if those raccoons get to the trash inside them once, they’re very likely going to keep coming back for more.
Be aware of the signs of critters in your home and react to them quickly. Critter problems can very quickly become incredibly problematic as they spread diseases, contaminate food, damage your home and belongings, and multiply swiftly. If you frequently hear strange noises, like scratching, scampering and shrieking, you ought to consider that they may be critter-related. If the sounds are accompanied by unusual odors or indicators that your food supply or other items have been gnawed upon, you’re very likely dealing with critters in the home and will want to handle it sooner rather than later.
Jesse Fraser is the owner of Critter Control of New Hampshire.