Monday-Friday 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday Closed
By County: Livingston County, Oakland County, Washtenaw County
Besides being ranked as a top city to live in America, the best college town, best new tech hub, Ann Arbor is the place to be if you’re looking for job opportunities, high-quality education, and growth. Ann Arbor is beautiful, with many parks, water resources, and recreational areas adjoining our neighborhoods, inhabited by wildlife.
Proximity to the Great Lakes contributes to nuisance wildlife problems in Ann Arbor, MI. Animals flock to the area due to the rich ecosystem with plenty of food and fresh water.
As their population grows, and as we continue to develop Ann Arbor, wildlife is moving into our communities. Because they are searching for food, water, and shelter, most homes in Ann Arbor appear very attractive. Rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, rodents, bats, snakes, turtles, foxes, turkeys, woodcocks, and numerous bird species can be seen on any given day in Ann Arbor. Some can be found in your home, along with damages to your property. They eat your garden crops, dig holes in your yard, build nests in your attic, and leave a lot of urine and feces behind in their travels.
The local raccoon is rarely seen. It truly is a masked bandit that roams at night, searching for food. Their hands and claws are strong, helping them overturn garbage cans, open dumpster lids, ripping through trash bags. They have adapted well to Ann Arbor’s development and will eat just about anything.
Although cute, raccoons can carry rabies and other diseases, and they leave greasy smudges on your property as they force their way through screens and small holes that lead into your home. They are climbers, so they have few problems getting onto your roof, where they may damage shingles, gutters, siding, and more. Once in your attic, they build nests out of any materials they find, including insulation. They also leave behind feces and urine. We have solutions to your raccoon problems.
During the inspection, we determine the severity of the raccoon infestation. We look for physical evidence like footprints in or around the home, stains from raccoon feces and urine. On the exterior of the house, we look for damage like scratches on boards, broken vents and screens, ripped apart shingles, destroyed soffits, and every possible entry point.
Live trapping is one of the most efficient ways to get rid of a raccoon. Depending on the situation, a one-way door or excluder valve can be installed. An excluder valve works by allowing the raccoon to leave but blocks its reentry. The choice of device is largely dependent on the season and location of the raccoons on your property. Direct capture is not commonly used because raccoons are a rabies vector species. If we must trap, we place traps strategically to safely catch the raccoons and we check traps frequently, based on state laws.
We provide a wide range of repair and restoration services. We can repair raccoon damage like broken screens on vents and chimneys and broken boards on decks and porches. It is essential to apply cleaning agents and ectoparasite treatments on areas inhabited by raccoons.
The deer mouse, house mouse, and Norway rat are the most common in our area. You don’t’ see too many rats and mice in Ann Arbor during the day. At night, however, they are out searching for food, water, and shelter. They don’t care if it’s behind Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger, your office, or in your attic.
Rats and mice are rodents that can be very destructive. Mice can fit through a hole the size of a quarter, making it possible for them to enter your home in spots you don’t even know exist. They chew wires, rip out insulation, build nests, have babies, and raid your pantry while you sleep. It’s important to call for help at the first sign of a rodent in your home because they multiply quickly and leave behind feces and urine.
During a rodent inspection, we thoroughly inspect your attic and provide a complete exterior home inspection. The most common signs of rodent activity are gnaw marks, feces, rub marks, nesting material, runs in insulation material, and small entry points.
A Critter Control wildlife specialist will create a strategic trapping plan to remove the rodents found in your home. Critter Control specialists may use snap traps and live traps to capture and remove mice and rats. Rodent trapping can usually takes between five to fourteen days.
The best way to reduce the possibility of letting unwanted rodents into homes is to seal possible entrances. Exclusion methods include caulking cracks in foundations, capping chimneys, and installing mesh covers over vents and crawl space entrances. We also strongly recommend a maintenance service. Rodents have front teeth that continuously grow, which means they can gnaw a new way back into your home.
Species of squirrels in Ann Arbor include the Eastern fox and gray squirrels, red squirrels, flying squirrels, chipmunks, woodchucks, and the thirteen-lined ground squirrel. The ones you see most in your yard are the Eastern fox and Eastern gray squirrels.
Squirrels can squeeze through a hole the size of a golf ball. They have strong teeth and can chew through soffits, fascia boards, siding, wood, metal, wire screens, and shingles to gain access to your attic. Once inside your home, squirrels damage attics by chewing wires, ripping up insulation and defecating in the attic. They will use items found in your attic to build a nest, like those treasured, sentimental family heirlooms.
Here’s how our Critter Control pros can help.
Wildlife specialists look for signs such as chewing on, in, or around your home, small openings leading to the attic or the crawl space, droppings, and debris like nuts or nesting material. Beams, wires, pipes, and insulation may all show signs of damage from squirrels.
Live trapping or one-way doors are the most effective and humane ways to get rid of squirrels. One-way doors should never be used during birthing seasons (Spring & Fall), so our specialists will decide which is the best tool for the job. If we have to trap, we place traps strategically to safely catch the squirrels and check those according to state laws.
We can restore your home or office by squirrel proofing all entry points after we have removed the offenders. We can also clean-up the nesting sites and remove any debris, food, feces and soiled insulation.
f you want to get rid of insects around your home, bats are one solution. They can eat thousands of insects a night. If you want to get rid of bats, Critter Control of Ann Arbor is the solution.
There are nine bats in Michigan, but the two most common in the Ann Arbor area are the big brown bat and the Northern long-eared bat. Many bats are on the list of threatened or endangered list and are protected when removing them from your property. It’s crucial to hire a professional who understands the laws to deal with a bat problem on your property. Bat removal is not a DIY project as they carry diseases and can bite if they feel threatened.
If you hear scratching or chirping in your attic, ceiling, or walls at night, It’s likely the brown bat. You may even see them flying around light sources at night, feeding on insects. You may also see bat guano on parts of your property.
We can help solve your bat problem.
We perform a full interior and exterior inspection and search for signs such as rub marks, guano, a strong scent of ammonia, and small openings. The most common sign is the accumulation of guano (feces).
The most effective and humane way to remove bats is by utilizing a bat valve in conjunction with a full home exclusion. A bat valve allows for bats to exit your home but not re-enter. We follow all local ordinances for humane bat removal. We will never abandon flightless pups in your attic.
After removing the bat valves, we seal the entrance hole(s) so bats can no longer enter your home. If there is substantial guano in your attic, you should consider taking advantage of our attic remediation services to remove the soiled insulation and replace it.
You can see roosting birds all over Ann Arbor, including park benches, cars, and of course, your home and property. European starlings, house sparrows, and pigeons are a few that are growing in number and getting creative in where they build nests.
If they have made their way in your attic, eaves, roof ledges, and trees, you likely have some damages as a result. We can help!
We thoroughly inspect the area for things that attract birds, like harborage and loafing areas, as well as food and water sources. Also, we look for where birds may be entering your home or business. We also inspect for damage caused by birds, whether it’s by nesting, or by droppings.
After identifying the bird species, we may start by physically removing the species in question. In rescue situations, such as chimneys or basements, birds can be released on-site if the entrance has been secured properly. Occasionally, live traps will be used, especially if flocks of birds are involved. For persistent birds and larger flocks, several advanced techniques may be applied simultaneously including netting, spikes, ledge products, scare tactics, misting and more. The most effective method of bird control is prevention and exclusion.
We can repair the damage that is allowing birds entry to your home, like broken siding, weakened gutters, rotted soffits and fascia. We can also install protective screens on chimneys and vents. We can also remove nesting materials and accumulated droppings, then clean surface stains. We can use netting over fruit and vegetable crops and water basins. Netting can also be used in car ports, building overhangs and food courts. We also install a large number of different types of roof ledge barriers too.
Critter Control is here for you every step of the way in the wildlife removal process. From inspection to removal—and even exclusion and repair—we have the services you need to get rid of raccoons, rodents, and other nuisances fast. First, we identify the animal on the property, then use humane methods to remove the animal and secure weak points where more could enter. If damage has been done, we can make those repairs for a complete restoration. Contact a Critter Control office near you today.
During the inspection we try to ascertain how many animals there are, where they are located, and how they got in. Based on what you have seen, heard and smelled, we start the inspection where you have noticed signs of animal activity. Evidence of animals inside your home include nests, dens, feces, and animal tracks. We investigate the exterior of your home looking for possible entry points, any evidence of animal damage, tracks, fur, animal waste, or rub marks
We use several methods to humanely remove the animal from your home. Depending on the species, the number of animals, and the condition of your property, we develop a custom wildlife removal plan. Humane wildlife removal strategies include animal traps, one-way doors, and repellents. Once we guarantee all animals are gone, we implement exclusion techniques. Exclusion techniques provide a safe, long-term solution to nuisance wildlife in your home. We create barriers to prevent animals from getting to resources. We only apply exclusions once we are sure all animals are gone from your home
Wildlife will damage your home. Exclusion techniques repair any damage the animal causes getting into your home. Inside your home, animals build nests and dens out of readily available material. They will create runs through the insulation. Rodents will gnaw on anything including electrical wires and pipes. Animals can also spread diseases. We apply sanitation agents to clean up feces and urine. Mammals can host pests like fleas, ticks, and mites. Ectoparasite treatments exterminate those pests so you don’t become their next host.
Animals in attics, walls, crawl spaces and under decks.
We deal with far more animals in the summer months than in the winter.
Broken gable vents and seeing insulation on the ground.
Keep trees cut back 10-feet from roof line. Look at roof lines, gable vents and roof vents for damage.
Immediately when they hear noises in the attic, walls or crawl space.
