DEM SAYS SPRING CHORES SHOULD INCLUDE
ANIMAL-PROOFING YOUR HOME

PROVIDENCE - Animal-proofing your home should be at the top of your spring home chores, say Department of Environmental Management officials. DEM receives hundreds of calls each year about wild animals in and around residences. Some, like squirrels, can cause real fire hazards by chewing through wiring in the attic. Others, like raccoons, skunks, and woodchuck, are major carriers of the rabies strain, which is endemic in Rhode Island. Another rabies strain can be found in bats, another common attic dweller.

This is the time of year that small animals are seeking nesting sites, and having young. "Wildlife-proofing your house and grounds before a problem arises will save you hundreds of dollars and provide enormous peace of mind for the health and safety of you and your family," says Lori Gibson, supervising wildlife biologist at DEM. "Many of the techniques are fairly simple, and a matter of common sense."

DEM has a number of tips for you.

First, check tree limbs. If any overhang the house, trim them back. Overhanging tree limbs are a major pathway for squirrels and raccoons to reach attics and chimneys, which are favorite nesting places for both species.

While you're up high, check the chimney, attic vents, and the structure itself. If your chimney is not capped, install a commercial wildlife-proof cap. Never attempt to smoke out an animal from your chimney. Lighting a fire will cause a back draft into your home and kill young animals in the chimney. Never block up holes while young animals are still in your home. Adults will cause further damage trying to scratch their way back into your attic. Replace any loose or rotting boards on your house, especially attic louvers, which might provide an entranceway. Check for gaps around window air conditioners and chimneys. Some bats, for instance, can enter cracks as small as three-eighths of an inch.

Back down on the ground look for areas appealing to skunks, foxes, woodchucks, and opossums. All these animals like denning sites such as woodpiles, elevated sheds, openings under porches, and crawl spaces under houses and garages. Raccoons will nest in crawl spaces, and brush piles, as well as in attics, chimneys, and tree cavities. Wildlife-proof the open areas under these areas with hardware cloth screening that extends several inches underground and bent outward for an additional few inches to prevent access from digging animals. Openings under concrete structures should be backfilled with gravel and screening. Debris piles should be removed or stacked neatly to eliminate cavities. Remove undergrowth and grass cover used by woodchucks by mowing around buildings. Use mortar to patch cracks in concrete and masonry.

A major attraction for wildlife is unsecured garbage. Raccoons and coyotes are very strong and patient and will get into any type of garbage can that is not securely latched or placed in a building. They will move a cinder block off the top of a can, and they will definitely open plastic garbage cans, which are left outside. If you cannot store your garbage cans inside a garage or shed, use metal cans, and secure the lids with locks, straps, or tiedowns. Keep aromatic garbage, like shellfish, frozen until the morning of pickup.

Be certain also that you do not leave pet food outside, as it, too, is an attraction for wildlife. Tidy areas around bird feeders or suspend feeding if this is causing further problems. And, of course, never feed other wildlife.

"It is difficult to break an animal's behavior or movement pattern, so it is important to take action at the first sign of a problem, and even better, to animal-proof your home before the first sign of visitors looking for a new place to live," Gibson says. "In this way, we can still enjoy and appreciate wildlife without the associated difficulties."