Critter Control of Greater Philadelphia

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Keep them out.®
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(610) 298-0385

The Greater Philadelphia area, home to more than six million people, is both urban and suburban; the region also includes many parks and forests. Proximity to water and buildings with plenty of entry holes allow nuisance wildlife to travel freely and breed rapidly. Wildlife, including bats, squirrels, and raccoons, may also cause Philadelphia's commercial and residential property owners issues that will require immediate animal removal.
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Critter Control Wildlife Removal Process

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.
STEP 1

Wildlife Inspection

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.
STEP 2

Removal

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.
STEP 3

Exclusion and Repair

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.

Raccoon Removal

Raccoons are found throughout the northeastern U.S. and are common in woodlands, suburban, and agricultural areas. In Pennsylvania, raccoons are considered furbearers; trappers are permitted to harvest an unlimited number of raccoons during specific timeframes from October through February. (Please note: the PGC website doesn't list raccoons as a protected fur-bearing species. You do not need a license to harvest them).

Before trying to remove a raccoon from your home by yourself, remember they can carry diseases, and if threatened, they may bite. Calling nuisance wildlife animal control experts is recommended. Critter Control's three-step process works well for raccoon removal.

Inspection

Inspection

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.

Raccoon Trapping

Raccoon Trapping

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.
Repairs

Repairs

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.

Rodent Control

Like many older East Coast regions, the Philadelphia area struggles to control rats and mice. Many property owners throughout the city are well aware that their buildings, some more than a century old, can harbor rodents. In the surrounding suburbs and rural communities, rats and mice often take up residence within a home.

Both rodents damage your home and property. Norway rats like to burrow and build tunnels under your home, driveway, or shed. House mice build nests in your walls, ceilings, and under appliances. Both create fire hazards by chewing electrical wires and building nests in ventilation systems.

The greatest risk associated with rodents is their ability to multiply quickly. One female mouse can breed up to eight times in one year, with litters of five or more babies. Female babies are ready to start breeding within six weeks. Rats start breeding within three months. They can give birth up to seven times a year and have up to 12 babies each time.

Rats and mice are excellent climbers and swimmers. They eat anything, but rats prefer fresh meat and grains, while mice prefer grains and cereals. Rats will even eat mice. Neither likes to travel too far away from their nest to get food. They create pathways or trails between the two, marking them with feces and urine, which can be an attractant to other rodents.

Rat traps and baits will not catch mice and vice versa. Rats are very cautious and will avoid anything new in their environment. Mice are more curious, but if the trap is not in their pathway, they may never see it. Wildlife control experts know how to get rid of these pests, no matter how many there are, and can teach you how to prevent them from returning.

Inspection

Inspection

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.

Rodent Trapping

Rodent Trapping

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. 
Repairs

Repairs

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.

Squirrel Removal

Eastern gray squirrels are often in conflict with people in the Philadelphia area for various reasons. Squirrels hide food for winter in gutters, drains, and attic corners, creating blockages and drawing insects.

The gray squirrel is known for building nests in attics and basements around Philadelphia. Nesting materials may include insulation, drywall, and sentimental items they find accessible. They breed twice yearly, from December to February and again in May and June. When kits are born, they can be as small as one inch.

Removing squirrels with babies in a nest must follow local regulations that keep the family together. Because they can leap up to ten times their body length and won't hesitate to bite you, hiring a professional to get rid of a squirrel is best.

Inspection

Inspection

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.

Squirrel Trapping

Squirrel Trapping

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.
Repairs

Repairs

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. 

Bat Removal

Bats are the only mammals that can truly fly. Among the 40 species of bats found north of Mexico, only a few cause problems for humans. Nine of these species reside in Pennsylvania.

Most hibernate during winter, but big and little brown bats do not. When fat reserves and food sources are low, bats can lower their heart rate from 200 to 10 beats per minute, putting them into a state of torpor. Bats can remain in torpor anywhere from a few days to a few months.

Brown bats roost in chimneys, barn rafters, behind siding, and attics. Their roosting location is usually near their food source, insects. A bat can eat thousands of insects in one night, and some say over 1,200 an hour.

Not only do bats control the bug population, but they are also pollinators, like bees. Many plants depend on bats for pollination, including bananas and mangos. They are a huge benefit to the ecosystem. Who knew something so small could be such a significant asset?

Bat guano has many uses and is one of the best natural fertilizers due to its high concentrations of potassium and nitrates. Bat guano is a weakness, too, because it contains uric acid and can cause permanent staining and deterioration of wood and some metals. It can also grow mold spores that, when inhaled by humans, may cause respiratory issues.

Removing bats can only be done outside of maternity season. Between October and April, bats give birth and teach their babies how to fly and survive. They must be able to do these two things before you can get rid of bats. All bats are protected due to reductions in populations. Diseases like the white-nose syndrome and accidents with wind turbines cause bat species to be endangered.

Inspection

Inspection

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).

Bat Removal

Bat Removal

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.
Repairs

Repairs

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.

Skunk Control

Well-known for their pungent, nauseating odor that can cause severe reactions in some people, skunks are common throughout the northeastern U.S. in both rural and suburban areas and pose a significant threat to your health, pets, and property.

These animals are known for foraging for food in trash bins and pet food bowls. They're also profound and efficient diggers, and can mutilate an entire yard in a single night searching for grubs. They're distinctive black and white fur, and their pungent odor that can linger for days, are unmistakeable.

If you happen to cross paths with a skunk, do not try to scare it away. Please also remember that skunks can carry rabies; therefore, it’s best to let a professional handle removal for you.
Inspection

Inspection

In addition to noting any pungent odors that signal the presence of a skunk, we will inspect the condition of your landscaping, as skunks are known for tearing-up lawns and shredding grass while hunting for grubs and insects. We will also inspect the perimeter of your building's foundations and under decks, to locate burrows.
 

Trapping and Removal

Trapping and Removal

Never try to remove a skunk from your property yourself. Getting sprayed is a very unpleasant experience. Furthermore, these animals may carry diseases that can spread to humans and pets, such as rabies. Our specialists will use live traps to capture and remove skunks for you, or they'll use a one-way exclusion device to evict skunks from their harborage areas. The most effective ways to control a skunk problem is exclusion and habitat modification.
Skunk Control

Skunk Control

The most effective ways to control a skunk problem is exclusion and habitat modification. Methods like sealing foundation gaps, replacing and screening broken foundation vents and installing hardware cloth (rat walls) around unprotected sheds and decks are the most effective and permanent ways to keep skunks out.
We recommend keeping pet food inside and securing any trash bins.

Professional Bird Control

The three birds that most often become pests in the U.S. in urban areas are pigeons, house sparrows, and starlings. Hundreds of bird species exist in Pennsylvania, both native and non-native. Pennsyvalnia's most common backyard birds include sparrows, starlings, bluebirds, bluejays, woodpeckers, and blackbirds. Birds seem harmless until you start paying for repairs like removing stains from bird droppings, fixing broken roof ledges, unclogging gutters that led to water damage, or cleaning out nests in chimneys that are fire hazards.

In particular, Critter Control’s Philadelphia-based specialists often receive calls to remove woodpeckers, which may peck holes into house siding looking for insects to make nest cavities, or to communicate with other woodpeckers.

Birds, especially in swarms, do more damage than you may think. These "pest" birds tend to roost in large numbers, putting too much weight on parts of your home's structure. They also breed in large numbers. Colonies can mean large amounts of waste and a lot of noise.

Most birds are protected under the 1918 Migratory Bird Act, making exclusions the only way to get rid of nuisance birds. Wildlife technicians are experts in exclusions.

Inspection

Inspection

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.

Trapping & Removal

Trapping & Removal

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.

Repairs & Prevention

Repairs & Prevention

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.
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The Critter Control Difference

Guaranteed Work Your satisfaction is always guaranteed. Critter Control® takes great pride in providing quality workmanship resulting in customer satisfaction.
Trained Specialists Animal removal is a highly sophisticated job. As such, we vet and train our team members to ensure they have the knowledge and skill to remove any pest from your building. Our wildlife experts utilize advanced removal and exclusion techniques and damage repair.
Residential and Commerical Invading nuisance wildlife can wreak havoc on property. If left unattended wildlife and pests can cause costly property damage. Whether a residential property, apartment buildings, retail stores, office buildings, industrial plants, medical facilities, or warehouses, our trained professionals can handle any wildlife removal problem.
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