Critter Control of Slidell

Raccoons are cute, like when they dunk their food in water before eating it. “Washer” is the meaning of their scientific name. It’s those cute little hands that also make raccoons nuisance wildlife. They are so nimble they can turn doorknobs, open gates, climb trees and chimneys, dig sod and open containers. This translates into overturned garbage cans, scattered trash, stolen garden crops, holes in your yard, broken siding, shredded insulation, broken vents and much more.

Raccoons are creative when it comes to finding their way into your home. Some will enter a crawlspace, some will break a screen, and some will enter through your pet door if it is left open. Never try to catch or remove a raccoon yourself, especially if you see a mother with its pups. When threatened, they can bite or scratch you. Getting rid of a raccoon should only be done by a professional with safety gear to protect from bites and scratches.

Raccoons aren’t the only nuisance wildlife that comes out mostly at night.

Nobody wants a rodent problem, but they do happen. Louisiana is overpopulated with rats and mice because they multiply much quicker than we can control them. Rats and mice can have numerous litters every year. Each year, one mouse could bring 15 or more newborns into Baton Rouge, with at least five in a litter.

The Norway rat, house mouse and a few other species can do a lot of damage for being such tiny creatures.

There are many reasons to get rid of rats and mice, like the trails they leave around your home of feces and urine. Or the ruined groceries, plugged air vents and chewed electrical wiring, both of which can create fire hazards.

Rats and mice will chew furniture, corners of walls, any wood and plastic, and fabrics. They take some of what they chew back to their nest, which may be in your walls, floors, ceilings or attics. Although small rodents, they can amass significant expenses in repairs. Call us at the first sign of a rat or mouse in your home.

Another rodent that can become a nuisance is the squirrel. Whether it’s a fox squirrel or a gray squirrel, they can be seen everywhere around St. Tammany Parish. This means they can do damage almost everywhere, even in your home, if they enter your attic or any unused space.

Squirrels are fun to watch as they scurry to the ground, grab a nut and hurry away to store it somewhere special. If you observe a bit closer and longer, you will see the squirrels tear bark from trees, dig holes in sod, break shingles, chew electrical wiring, rip insulation, chew holes in siding, and block vents, ducts and gutters with all the items they collect from your property. That storage place full of treasures is likely your attic.

If you don’t take control of the squirrel activity, they will do even further damage, making their way to your basement, garage, sheds, pet houses and all the other things for which you worked hard. We know how to limit the number of squirrels on your property.

Bats are abundant all around Louisiana. If left alone, bats are relatively harmless. If you try to capture one, however, you are at risk of being bitten or scratched. Bats roost in attics, barns, sheds and other structures with high ceilings and hidden spaces. Some will choose a chimney or eave.

While roosting, bats release waste, or guano, onto the floor beneath them. It runs down their small bodies and sticks to their fur before reaching the floor. That’s one reason never to try to capture or remove a bat yourself.

Depending on how long they roost in one spot, the guano can build up and become too heavy for the floor to hold, sometimes breaking floorboards. The guano is then in your home. Guano is a danger in that it can grow mold spores that, if inhaled, may cause respiratory issues in humans. Also, it stinks, and it’s gross. It has uric acid in it that can corrode metals and stain your walls and floors forever.

Why are they in your attic? Because you have a good source of insects nearby for them to eat at night. Anything that attracts insects, like outdoor lighting or stagnant water, will attract bats. We can help get rid of your bat problems.

Nutria in Louisiana has a bounty on their heads to encourage more harvesting of this destructive, web-footed, bucktooth, oversized rodent. They are semi-aquatic so living in the Lafayette area is a dream come true for nutria, but not for property owners.

Nutria can chew on roots of plants that hold wetland soil together. Around your home, they like to chew on the roots of trees, plants, and crops. This can mean the ground your home sits on is unstable. Here’s how we can help.