Tag Archives: opossum removal

Attic Solutions Alert: Dangers Of Wild Animal Bites

A bite or scratch from any wild animal, or even that of a domestic house pet like a dog or cat, can be dangerous. Even if the wound is minor, it can become infected and spread throughout your body. Further, any bite can carry disease. One of the most common causes for worry among wild animal bites is rabies.

What Is Rabies?

Rabies is a viral infection of warm-blooded animals. It is most commonly found in bats, raccoons, skunks, coyotes, and foxes in North America, although wild animals can infect dogs, cats, and livestock. The disease attacks the nervous system and, once symptoms develop, it is 100 percent fatal in animals.

How Do You Get Rabies?

You can contract rabies through a cut or scratch on your body, or through the mucous membranes (the lining of your eyes or mouth). The virus travels to your central nervous system in your brain and then travels to various organs where it multiplies.

Rabies Symptoms

Stage 1 (symptoms lasting 2 to 10 days)
- Fever
- Headache
- Vomiting
- Decreased Appetite
- Malaise
- Pain, itching or numbness around the wound site
Stage 2
- Difficulty swallowing
- Disorientation
- Agitation
- Becoming paralyzed

How To Diagnose Rabies

Animals are diagnosed fairly quickly. A test called direct fluorescent antibody test (DFA) is most often used by laboratories and results can be had in as little as a few hours. In humans, it is a bit more complex. Several tests must be completed for confirmation including saliva, serum, spinal fluid, and skin biopsies from the back of the neck.

What Is The Treatment For Rabies

There is not a cure for rabies and it is more difficult to treat once symptoms have presented. However, there are vaccines that provide rabies immunity following exposure or to prevent it (which is useful for people who work with animals like vets).

What To Do If Bitten By Wild Animal

Wash the wound with soap and water.
If bleeding, apply pressure.
Dry and cover the wound, but do not use tape or bandages to prevent trapping bacteria.
Call your doctor or healthcare professional for further instructions.
Locate the animal that bit you if possible.

How To Prevent Being Bitten

Avoid strange or sick animals.
Do not bother animals who are eating.
Keep pets on a leash.
Do not separate fighting animals.
Always get your family pets their rabies shots.
Supervise your pets outside.
Do not play with or approach wild animals.

As soon as you suspect you may have a wild animal infestation, call Attic Solutions immediately at 847-464-1861 for removal. We are trained professionals and equipped to deal with the issue. We will remove the animals and fix any property damage they may have caused.

Preventing Wildlife From Entering Your Home

Summertime in the Chicagoland area usually means warm weather and longer days. It also means animals are out moving about and mothers are teaching their young how to forage. This time of the year you need to keep a lookout for animals who just might be trying to take up residence in your home. And they do not plan on paying rent!

Raccoons

We need some water!

Raccoons love food and there is an abundance of that this time of year, thanks to picnics and barbeques. Be sure to bring in your garbage cans as quickly as possible (try not to leave them out overnight), and keep any exterior porch or garage doors shut.

Opossums

Just hanging around!

Opossums are shy animals that only act scary to frighten away would-be predators. These meek creatures spend their nights in search of food, and now that it is warm out there is a tendency to have our pets and our pets’ food outdoors. If you leave pet food out, you can bet you will have an opossum taking up residency shortly. To keep them out, remove any food and do not feed your pets outside.

Birds

So what do we do now!

Now that is has warmed up, the birds are flying north again! Be on the lookout for any that may have nested in your chimney, attic vents or soffits, or vents. While all the birds have likely hatched by now, some may have decided to call your house their home. Permanently. If you are just looking to prevent any birds from moving in, consider a chimney cap and wire mesh around any exterior vent or soffit openings.

Small Rodents

I sure hope no one sees me here!

These nocturnal creatures are out and about now that it is nice out. Window wells are an easy spot for these opportunistic animals to sneak in. To animal-proof your window wells, consider putting a plastic or metal grates over them.

Skunks

Who can I tag next!

While we’re past full-blown skunk season in Chicago (it’s generally February through late March), there are still plenty of these smelly creatures around. Skunks aren’t much for foraging, so they go where the ground is soft and there are plenty of people. Skunks have been known to burrow under decks and porches, and an outdoor motion-activated floodlight might help scare them away before they move in.

And of course you have your deer, coyotes, squirrels, turtles, and foxes… Just hanging

Tips About Keeping Opossums Away From Your Home

While opossums might not be the cutest animal you’ll ever encounter (depending on who you ask, of course), they’re not nearly as mean or as viscous as they seem. Opossums use their scary snarl and loud hiss to scare away predators, but it’s really just a big bluff! Opossums are actually quite shy and aren’t aggressive toward humans or pets, and in fact they can’t bite or attack well at all. If their scary act doesn’t work, they will usually try playing dead. They really are much more afraid of you and your pets than you are of them.

Even though the opossum doesn’t want to hurt you or your pets, you still probably do not want him moving in on your property, and that is perfectly understandable. Here are some tips to keep these critters at bay.

Exclusion, exclusion, exclusion

Start by searching your property for any opossum dens. You’ll want to look around the perimeter of your property and especially around porches and under decks. If you find any dens, wait until a few hours after dark (that’s opossums will be out roaming around) and then fill it in with straw, leaves, or even crumpled up newspaper. This is a humane method because if an adult opossum is indeed still in the den, he or she will be able to climb out but be very unlikely to return. After a few days, check to see if the den has been disturbed. If not, check if any young are inside (it’s not likely, but you never know). Once you’re sure the den is opossum free, you’ll want to seal it up. Digging a trench and putting in hardware cloth is a great method for sealing.

Make your property unattractive (to opossums, of course!)

There was a reason the opossum decided your property was the place to be, so you need to figure out what made it so attractive. Is your garbage lid loose? Maybe the opossum smelled the food in there and decided your home was the best buffet in town. Do you feed pets outside? Again, if the opossum finds an easy source of food, or even just the possibility of easy food, they are more likely to hang out. Make sure your garbage lids are tight, you feed pets indoors, and don’t have any food laying around outside.

Despite what you may have heard, opossums rarely have rabies. That drooling mouth is just to scare you away. If you find opossums have decided to move into your home and you need help with removal, call the trained professionals at Attic Solutions to safely and humanely evict them. The specialists at Attic Solutions are qualified experts in opossum removal and fixing any damage they may cause.

What To Look For In An Animal Removal Company

Opossum Removal Discovering you have an uninvited animal living in your home can be both frightening and stressful. Wild animals can cause damages that are costly to fix and may even pose a health hazard. Not only can removing wild animals from your home be dangerous, there may also be laws and ordinances you aren’t even aware of governing the procedure. If you find yourself needing to hire a professional animal removal company, there are several factors you should take in to consideration.

Methodology

How does the animal removal company actually remove the animals? Attic Solutions believes in the providing the most humane animal removal service possible. Attic Solutions is also well versed in state wildlife law as well as local ordinances pertaining to animals and animal removal.

Services

Some animal removal companies offer full services, like Attic Solutions, while others only do the basics. Attic Solutions is committed to not only catching the wild critter, but also repairing any damage they may have caused and repairing their point of entry. Attic Solutions believes it is important to offer a full range of services and make sure your home is fully restored.

Sometimes, you may not have a live animal causing the problems. If you are dealing with a carcass, many times local Animal Control agencies will not perform removal. A private animal removal company like Attic Solutions can do the dirty work for you.

What Animals?

You will want to look at what types of animals a company. Is it primarily pest control? Rodents only? Or, is it a full-service company that can assist with you a variety of creatures? Attic Solutions has trained animal-removal professionals who are qualified to assist with a wide range of animals.

Cost

Pricing is an important factor as well when choosing an animal removal company. Find out if the company charges by the hour, by the job, or even by the number of animals. Many times you might think you only have one little critter living rent-free in your home when really that one little critter has his entire extended family moved in!

Always err on the side of caution and do not try to wild animals on your own. Without realizing it, you could endanger yourself or the animal, or even be in violation of a law or ordinance. Call a trained professional like Attic Solutions who are familiar with humane and effective animal removal procedures.

Keeping Opossums Out of Your Home

Vigilant homeowners are constantly inspecting their property for unwanted animals and signs of intrusions but the biggest threats may be nocturnal. Opossums are nocturnal creatures that are a common nuisance species in the Chicago area. They can be attracted onto a property by garbage or pet food and they commonly make their homes in attics, basements, sheds, or decks. It is important for homeowners to recognize signs of an opossum intrusion because the opossums themselves are only seen at night.

Opossum Life Cycle

Opossums are marsupials that carry their young in pouches and they are the only marsupials found in North America. They can be identified by their pointed snouts, grayish black fur, and rat-like tails and they can grow to be between 10 and 14 pounds. The height of their mating time is in January and their young spend the first part of their lives in their mother’s pouch. The young opossums eventually come out of the pouch to cling to their mother’s back until they are ready to leave on their own. The average lifespan for an opossum is between 2 to 3 years.

Opossum Behavior

Opossums are omnivores that search for food at night and they will eat just about anything. They have been known to steal pet food and rummage through garbage cans but their preference is meat or carcasses. Opossums are also nomadic but tend to make a home base for themselves in man-made structures such as under decks, porches, and sheds and they can even intrude attics and basements. They become a major problem when they get between walls because they can cause property damage and create foul odors with their droppings or by dying in a hard to reach place. Opossums do not usually carry rabies but they do carry fleas and parasites and spread disease through their droppings.

Opossums are also a threat to attack pets and their 50 sharp teeth make for a pretty vicious attack. They are slow creatures and in some cases when they feel threatened, they will play dead to ward off predators.

As soon as you suspect you may have a opossum infestation, call us immediately at 847-464-1861 for removal. We are trained professionals and equipped to deal with opossum exclusion and removal, using humane live animal trapping (never poisons!). We will remove the opossum and fix any property damage they may have caused. Click to read more about opossum removal services from Attic Solutions.