Wildlife animals are not uncommon when living in rural areas in the United States. Hey, they’re not uncommon even when living in urban areas! The fact is, as humans take up an ever-expanding piece of land, we automatically come into contact and sometimes conflict with various animals.
In the lines below, you’ll find a general guide on what you need to know, as a homeowner, about the various wildlife that can trespass on your property and what damage they might do.
Armadillos
We all think “rats” or “snakes” when we talk about pests, but the truth is, armadillos are one of the biggest nocturnal bothers for the American population. While not outright threatening to you, since they rarely come out during the day, armadillos are known for their sharp claws, with which they burrow tunnels under the ground.
Because of this, armadillos are known to dig up gardens. Some armadillos have even been known to destabilize trees and even house foundations, which may actually put you and your family in danger. Not only that, but armadillos are also notorious carriers of disease in their claws and feces, most notably the bacteria that causes leprosy.
Gophers
Similar to armadillos, these underground rodents cause some real problems with the tunnels they dig underneath the earth’s surface. Looking a little like an elongated rat, gophers will dig straight through utility cables, water lines, irrigation pipes, and so on. They are particularly active during the spring and fall. Like the armadillo before it, the gopher’s claws and feces also carry various bacteria which can cause a different problem, if you’ve got one living on your property.
Skunks
Moving on in our series of burrowing pests, skunks come next in line. Although they are not as much of an underground creature as the two pests above, skunks have also been known to dig deep into your yard, causing problems with your garden, as well as damaging pipes, water lines, and more. And then, of course, there is the notoriously bad skunk smell to consider. The scent this animal gives off as a means of self-protection makes it largely unchallenged in the animal kingdom, with animals many times a skunk’s size not wanting to expose themselves to the awful, lingering stench.
Raccoons
Raccoons are pests you need to worry about both inside and out. Coming out mostly at night, a raccoon will not hesitate to tear through garbage bags or to topple garbage cans to get to any possible leftovers. In their attempts, they will leave the garbage strewn all over your lawn, in turn attracting more pests.
But raccoons are also really worrisome when they get inside the home, dwelling mostly in basements or under the home, where they will trample utility lines and destroy insulation, causing you thousands of dollars’ worth of damage. That’s why it is important to remove these creatures from your home the moment you notice them. If you’re in Florida, find a pro for help.
Snakes
Lastly, we can’t have a proper pest article without at least mentioning America’s most fearsome garden invader – the snake. Whether venomous or not, snakes are feared across the country, and when they decide to take up residence in your backyard, they may pose a serious threat both to you and your pets.
The incidences of people actually dying from snake bites are fairly rare in this country, but that is still not a reason to take snakes lightly. Even the bite of a non-venomous snake can be very painful and usher in a variety of diseases.
With all these wildlife pests, it’s best to call in a professional wildlife removal company rather than deal with them yourself.