Tag: Animal Removal

Squirrel Removal From Attics In Richmond & Charlottesville Virginia

Animal Damage, Animal Exterminators, Animal Removal, Charlottesville, Henrico, Richmond, Squirrel Control, Squirrel Removal, Squirrel Trapping, Squirrels, Squirrels in the Attic, wildlife exterminators, wildlife removal

Virginia – Flying Squirrel Removal and Control – Safely and Humanely Remove Squirrels from Attics in Richmond and Charlottesville VA

Squirrel Removal From Attics In Richmond & Charlottesville Virginia – (434) 270-0488 or toll-free at (888) 893-1975. Yep, it’s that time of year when the baby squirrels are starting to show up in the attics of homes and businesses. We are often asked by Richmond and Charlottesville homeowners, How Do I Remove Squirrels From My Attic?

Squirrel removal from attics in Richmond & Charlottesville Virginia should be left to our experts. We can safely and humanely remove the squirrels from your attic and repair the damaged areas to help keep them out.

squirrel semoval from attics in richmond & charlottesville virginiaThis is a picture of a young baby squirrel that we humanely removed from a Richmond Virginia attic. Gray squirrels normally have two litters a year, but in the comfort of your home’s attic, squirrels can breed year round. The average litter size of squirrels that we trap and remove from Richmond VA attics and homes is two.

 

Squirrel Removal From Attics In Richmond & Charlottesville Virginia 2This is another picture of four (4) baby squirrels that we were able to safely and humanely remove from the attic of a Charlottesville Virginia home. Squirrel trapping can sometimes be a challenge. Attic are hot and often difficult to navigate, and its not simply a matter of sticking a cage trap in the attic. As with all animals, an understanding of squirrel behavior and biology is often important to trap, remove and control squirrels that have entered your Richmond, VA or Charlottesville, Virginia home or attic.

Squirrels can cause significant damage to your attics electrical wiring, wood framing, and insulation. Left unchecked, the problem rarely goes away on its own. In fact, it usually gets worse as litter after litter of new squirrels are born in your home. To safely remove squirrels from your Richmond or Charlottesville home or business, contact Virginia’s premier animal removal and control company – Virginia Professional Wildlife Removal Services, LLC at (434) 270-0488 or toll-free at (888) 893-1975. We trap, removal and help control all nuisance animal wildlife pests that are causing you problems.

Squirrel removal from attics in Richmond & Charlottesville Virginia can be problematic if not done correctly, particularly during the squirrel birthing period. One of the biggest problems we see are from those people who seal the squirrels in the attic where they cause additional damage trying to get out or they end up dying in the attic causing problems with dead animal odors and the insects they attract.

Visit us on the web at www.virginiaprofessionalwildliferemovalservices.com

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Flying Squirrel Removal & Control In Richmond Virginia

Animal Exterminators, Animal Removal, Flying Squirrels, wildlife exterminators, wildlife removal

Flying Squirrel Removal & Control – Richmond, Virginia

Flying squirrel removal & control in Richmond Virginia and Charlottesville Virginia areas can be a difficult task and should be left to professional animal removal and control companies. Their entry points can be difficult to located and because they tend to cache their food, they don’t respond well to traditional baits and lures. Contact Virginia Professional Wildlife Removal Services, LLC at (434) 270-0488 or toll-free at (888) 893-1975 for all of your animal removal and wildlife pest control problems

flying squirrel removal & control in richmond virginia

 

Flying Squirrels in Virginia – Description and Range

The southern flying squirrel is the smallest tree squirrel in Richmond and Charlottesville Virginia, coming  in at about 9-10 inches long and weighing 2-4 ounces. Southern flying squirrels  are a grayish brown in color with a white belly and have a black ring around  their large eyes. A furry fold of skin stretches from the wrist of each front  leg to the ankle of each rear leg. This fold of skin is also known as a patagium  and allows the squirrels to glide from tree to tree.

Southern flying squirrels can be found throughout Richmond and Charlottesville Virginia as well as throughout  the eastern United States, southeastern Canada and parts of Central America.  There are as many as 10 sub-species of southern flying squirrels recognized. 

Flying Squirrels in Virginia – Habitat

Southern flying squirrels in Richmond and Charlottesville VA are typically found in areas with pine and hardwood  trees such as oaks, hickories and walnuts. Flying squirrels make their nests in  tree cavities and rely on acorns and nuts as their main food sources. Hickory nuts seem to be their favorite. 

Flying Squirrels in Virginia – Diet

Southern flying squirrels in Richmond and Charlottesville Virginia are mostly granivores- eating a variety of seeds and  nuts. Preferred foods include nuts, acorns and seeds as well as lichen and  fungi. When acorns and other foods are plentiful, flying squirrels will cache  them in locations throughout their home range for later eating in the winter.  Occasionally, flying squirrels will also prey upon insects, bird eggs and  carrion. 

Flying Squirrels in Virginia – Reproduction

Southern flying squirrels in Richmond and Charlottesville Virginia usually make their nests in natural tree cavities or  old woodpecker holes, 15-20 feet up a tree. These nests can hold either a single  female or a maternal colony of several females and their young. Sometimes,  flying squirrels will also build a summer leaf nest.

Flying squirrels mate twice a year- once in February-March and again in  June-July. Therefore, some females can have two litters of young per year,  averaging about 3-4 young per litter. The baby squirrels are born hairless and  helpless after about 40 days of gestation. Five weeks after birth, the young are  weaned and can leave the nest soon afterwards. 

Flying Squirrels in Virginia – Sounds and Noises

Southern flying squirrels make a variety of noises, many of which are not  audible to people. One noise that people can hear is a loud “tseep” call which  is considered to be an alarm or warning call for other squirrels. Flying  squirrels also make a “chittering” call as well as a variety of chuckle-like  noises. 

Flying Squirrels in Virginia – Behavior

Though flying squirrels in Richmond and Charlottesville VA are more abundant than gray squirrels in some areas,  they are rarely seen due to their nocturnal habits. Flying squirrels are also  arboreal, meaning they spend much of their time in trees. When gliding between  trees, flying squirrels use their tails as a rudder.

Female flying squirrels tend to be more territorial than males and will often  aggressively defend prime nesting areas. Males, on the other hand, will usually  have overlapping territories and sometimes even roost together. During the  winter, flying squirrels often nest communally, with up to 19 squirrels sharing  the same area to conserve body heat. 

Flying Squirrel Trapping, Removing and Control in Virginia

flying squirrel removal & control in Richmond Virginia 2There are several reasons that flying squirrels in Richmond and Charlottesville VA are such a nuisance and difficult to control.

1. Flying squirrels in Richmond and Charlottesville are small and their entry point into homes and businesses tend to be about the size of a walnut and often very difficult to locate. Because of their small size they often get into walls.

2. Flying squirrels in Richmond and Charlottesville are nocturnal. Their periods of greatest activity tends to be from dusk to dawn. Their night time activities often make it difficult for home owners to get a restful nights sleep.

3. Flying squirrels in Richmond and Charlottesville stockpile their food in the attics and walls of homes. This activity has often been described by homeowners as sounding like “bowling balls” rolling across the ceiling. It is not unusual during our inspection of homes and businesses to find caches of uneaten hickory nuts (their favorite food) or caches of “capped” nuts at their favorite feeding stations throughout the home. Because they bring their own food into a dwelling, they do not respond well to traditional baits and lures when trapping.

4. Flying squirrels in Richmond and Charlottesville often create toilet areas in attics and damage insulation. Flying squirrels are much like a cat using a litter box. They will often pick out a location or locations in the attic of homes to deposit their urine and feces. They soil insulation and are know to create tunneling activity in the insulation.

5. Flying squirrels in Richmond and Charlottesville are very social creatures. They seem to enjoy being around their own kind and it is not unusual to find large colonies in the attics of homes during the winter months as they group together to stay warm and share in the cached food supply.

6. Flying squirrels in Richmond and Charlottesville tend to move inside during the winter and outside during the warmer months. Many of our customers that have had flying squirrel problems in the past, and for whatever reason chose not to address the issue, often mistakingly believe that the problem no longer exists. In fact, what happens is the flying squirrels move into homes during the colder months, leave during the warmer months and then return inside the attics and walls of homes once the weather turns cold again. A flying squirrel problem ignored NEVER resolves itself. 

Flying Squirrels in Virginia – How Do I Trap, Remove and Control Them?

Virginia Professional Wildlife Removal Services, LLC provides flying squirrel trapping, removal and control services in the Richmond and Charlottesville VA areas. The trapping and removal of these critters requires a professional. Do it yourselfers may catch an animal or two, but often leave the bulk of a flying squirrel colony behind to repopulate. We NEVER recommend that poisons be used to address ANY animal wildlife problem. This often results in dead animals in areas of the home that are inaccessible and may lead to secondary poisoning of children and pets. We ALWAYS recommend that you hire an experienced Animal Removal Company and NOT a Pest Control Company that specializes in bugs, mice and rats. You would not hire a carpenter to fix your homes electrical problems. Don’t hire a bug company to try and remediate your nuisance animal problem. Call us at (434) 270-0488 or toll-free at (888) 893-1975 to safely and humanely trap, remove and control any animal causing you problems in your Richmond or Charlottesville Virginia home or business.

Visit us on the web at www.wildliferemovalinvirginia.com

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Dead Raccoon Found In Henrico Had Rabies / Raccoon Removal & Capture – Richmond, VA

Animal Attacks, Animal Exterminators, Animal Removal, Bats, Beavers, Charlottesville, Flying Squirrels, Henrico, Histoplasmosis, Moles, Odor Removal, Opossums, Pigeon Clean-Up, Pigeon Control, Rabies, Raccoons, Removing Animals From Chimneys, Richmond, Skunks, Snakes, Squirrel Removal, Squirrels in the Attic, wildlife exterminators, wildlife removal

Rabid Animals – Raccoons

Rabid animals can pose a significant health risk to Virginian’s and their pets. In Virginia, the top rabid animals include raccoons, skunks, foxes and bats. If you see what you believe is a rabid animal contact your local animal control immediately, then contact us at (434) 270-0488 or toll-free at (888) 893-1975. Rabid animals in Virginia are a real threat as the article below shows.

Henrico, VA—A dead raccoon found in Western Henrico tested positive for rabies, Animal Protection officials say.

Officers were called to the 8400 block of Marroit Road on October 13, where they found a raccoon who had been killed by a dog.

The raccoon’s body was submitted to the

rabid animals

Richmond & Charlottesville Raccoon Removal

State Lab for rabies testing, and on Tuesday, the test returned positive results.

The dog which killed the raccoon will be quarantined for 45 days, to ensure it did not contract rabies from the raccoon.

Henrico Police Animal Protection would like to remind everyone to be sure to keep their pets’ rabies vaccinations current to ensure the safety of their pets and our community. Please contact Virginia Professional Wildlife Removal Services, LLC at (434) 270-0488 or toll-free at (888) 893-1975 or visit us on the web at www.virginiaprofessionalwildliferemovalservices.com

We provide animal removal, animal trapping, animal capture and animal control services in the Richmond and Charlottesville areas for raccoons, squirrels, skunks, snakes, birds, bats, opossums, groundhogs and other wildlife pests.

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Unbelieveable Number Of Copperhead Snakes Removed From VA Home – Richmond & Charlottesville, Virginia

Animal Exterminators, Animal Removal, Bats, Charlottesville, Henrico, Richmond, Snakes, wildlife exterminators, wildlife removal

Copperhead Snake Removal – Virginia

copperhead snake

Richmond and Charlottesville, Virginia Animal Control & Wildlife Removal

Snakes can be one the most beneficial animals in Virginia. They help by keeping our rodent population in check. However, snakes pose a huge problem to homeowners and wildlife professionals in Richmond and Charlottesville, as well as other areas of Virginia. Most snakes are very shy and inhabit inaccessible places that are hard to access. Most people have snakes in their homes and never realize it. One thing that 98 % of our Virginia snake calls have in common is that most of the time there is a rodent problem in the home. One key thing to do when dealing with a snake in your Virginia home is to try and determine what it’s doing there, what it’s eating and what stage of growth it’s in. Those are the 3 key factors in helping a professional animal control and wildlife removal technician determine a program to eliminate your snake problem. Very rarely will removing a snake from the home completely solve your problem. Contact Virginia Professional Wildlife Removal Services, LLC at (434) 270-0488 or toll-free at (888) 893-1975 to schedule a snake inspection with one of our technicians. Additional information can be found by visiting us on the web at www.virginiaprofessionalwildliferemovalservices.com

A total of 25 copperhead snakes have been removed in Virginia from areas of a 200 foot retaining wall made out of railroad ties. The homeowner now wants the entire retaining wall removed and replaced. It is unbelievable to have found such a large concentration of copperhead snakes in Virginia this time of year from such a small area.

Fortunately, there are only 3 species of snakes in Virginia that are venomous. They are the copperhead snake, water moccasin snake and the timber rattlesnake. Most people refer to these snakes as poisonous snakes, but the correct term is venomous. We receive well over 100 snake calls a year and most people identify their problem snake as a copperhead snake. In fact most of these snake calls end up being a common rat snake or a black racer snake. Some people refer to these snakes collectively as black snakes.

We provide animal control and wildlife removal services in Richmond, Short Pump, Glen Allen, Midlothian,  Chesterfield, Fluvanna, Henrico, Louisa, Hanover, Powhatan, Goochland, Albemarle, Orange, Nelson, and  Charlottesville, VA.
Virginia Professional Wildlife Removal Services is a full-service animal wildlife trapping, removal and control  company serving Richmond, Henrico, Glen Allen, Short Pump, Midlothian, Chesterfield, Charlottesville, Louisa, Powhatan, Hanover, Goochland, Fluvanna, Albemarle, Nelson and Orange, VA and the surrounding areas. We specialize in the safest and most humane removal of critters,  and urban and suburban wildlife damage management for both residential, commercial and industrial  customers. We are state licensed by the Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries. We handle nearly  all aspects of wildlife animal control, and resolve conflicts between people and wildlife in a humane and  professional manner. For Richmond and Charlottesville pest control of animal wildlife, just give us a call at (434) 270-0488 or toll-free at (888) 893-1975 and we will discuss the control of your wildlife critter problem and schedule an appointment  to solve it.

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How Do You Prevent Animal Wildlife Pests From Entering Your Home Or Business?

Animal Damage, Animal Exterminators, Animal Removal, Bats, Charlottesville, Distemper, Flying Squirrels, Giardia, Henrico, Histoplasmosis, Opossums, Rabies, Raccoons, Removing Animals From Chimneys, Richmond, Skunks, Snakes, Squirrel Control, Squirrel Removal, Squirrel Trapping, Squirrels, Squirrels in the Attic, wildlife exterminators, wildlife removal

How do I keep animal wildlife pests from entering my home or business?

Simple, Call Richmond and Charlottesville, VA Animal Removal and Wildlife Control at (434) 270-0488 or toll-free at (888) 893-1975

prevent animal wildlife pestsWe are often asked by our customers, “How do I keep animals from entering and causing damage to my home?” Many times animal pests enter Richmond, Virginia homes and businesses through weakened or damaged areas. These areas are often the result of storm damage, poor workmanship during construction or remodeling, or simple homeowner neglect of routine home maintenance.

To minimize the possibility of animals entering your Richmond or Charlottesville, VA home and causing further damage to your home’s attic, walls, roof, insulation, wiring, fascia, crawlspace, vents and soffit we recommend that homeowner’s perform an inspection of their home or business twice a year, once just before Spring when newborn animals are typically born, and once in the Fall when animals are looking for Winter denning sites.

By simply taking a pen and paper — or even better, a digital camera — Richmond and Charlottesville, VA home owner’s should examine the entire house and look for signs of loose or missing siding, peeling paint and damaged wood, loose fitting soffits and fascia, cracks in masonry, crawlspace access doors that are missing or will not close properly, and any other problems that animals can exploit to gain entry to your Richmond or Charlottesville Virginia home and cause additional damage. Also look for places where critters such as rats or mice could burrow under the siding or gnaw at the siding or foundation coating. Loose siding needs to be reattached before it rips free and pulls other pieces with it. Wood and masonry siding can be easily reattached and nailed in place; vinyl needs a special siding tool that pulls the lip on one panel over the piece below it to lock the pieces together. Rotting or damaged wood should be replaced. Peeling paint needs to be scraped off before you repaint. Because of the danger of falling, homeowners should stay off the roof and leave that type of work to the professionals. Roof work is too dangerous for novices to walk around up there. Instead, you should examine the roof from the ground using binoculars to look for missing, curling or damaged shingles. Also look for mold or fungus growing on shingles, which discolors them and lessens the life expectancy of the roof. Mold or fungus can be washed off, but, again, this is a job best left to professions.

If an animal damages or enters your Richmond or Charlottesville, Virginia home or business you should contact a professional animal wildlife removal company. Our Richmond and Charlottesville, VA Animal Removal and Wildlife Control Experts provide full-service nuisance animal control services throughout the Richmond and Charlottesville Virginia area. Wildlife Control operators can get rid of all types of nuisance wild animal including the removal and control of such animals as Birds, Bats, Bees, Squirrels, Groundhogs, Snakes, Mice, Skunks, Raccoons, Possums, and Rats. Virginia Professional Wildlife Removal Services, LLC is Virginia’s nuisance animal removal specialist. To schedule one of our Richmond or Charlottesville animal control technicians to inspect and remove wildlife pests from your home or business, call us at (434) 270-0488 or toll-free at (888) 893-1975 or visit us on the web at www.virginiaprofessionalwildliferemovalservices.com

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How To Get Bats Out Of A Richmond, VA House Or Attic

Animal Removal, Bats, Charlottesville, Henrico, Histoplasmosis, Richmond, wildlife removal

How Do I Get Bats Out of My Richmond, VA House or Attic?

how to get bats out of a richmond, va house

Bats in the attic? Call (434) 270-0488 or toll-free at (888) 893-1975. Now is a good time to implement a non-lethal approach for removing bats in Richmond from living spaces, as follows:

Locate the access points that the bats are using to gain entry Install bat removal devices and equipment to remove the bats Seal the entry points (ONLY AFTER YOU ARE SURE THAT ALL BATS HAVE BEEN REMOVED). Clean-up the bat guano (Droppings) Provide an alternate home for the bats.

Protect the Baby Bats

In general, Richmond bat removal and exclusions should not be conducted from May through August. Exclusions occurring during this time period may separate mothers from their young, leaving the pups (baby bats) to die of starvation. Frantic mothers, searching for an opening to reach their pups, may enter adjacent living spaces and be more difficult to deal with than what you started with. Also, by trapping the flightless young inside, you risk creating another problem involving the smell of dead animals.

Richmond, VA Bat Removal and Exclusion

STEP 1 – REMOVE THE BATS: First, locate the entry points. At sunset or just before sunrise observe where the bats are exiting or entering the building. Pay special attention to areas in which bats commonly find access: corners, eaves, louvers, loose siding, window air conditioners, and loose or damaged screens. Visible signs such as staining and guano (bat droppings) will also help identify openings. After all openings have been discovered, install bat removal devices and equipment.

STEP 2 – SEAL THE BAT ENTRY POINTS: Bats may still find their way into attics or similar roosting space until you repair and / or seal up all access points. Note that bats are not rodents and therefore will not chew their way into a structure if you close off the opening. They use only existing openings.

STEP 3 – BAT GUANO (DROPPINGS) CLEAN-UP: After the bats in Richmond, VA homes and businesses have been successfully removed and excluded, the bat guano needs to be removed from your Richmond, VA home or business. You may wish to engage a professional trained in this type of clean up. Bat guano contains a fungus that causes a respiratory disease known as histoplasmosis (caused by a fungus that can grow on accumulations of bird and bat guano).

STEP 4 – INSTALL BAT HOUSES: During a successful Richmond, VA bat removal and exclusion, the bats will have a good chance of staying nearby Richmond. Why should you care if they stay? A single bat in Richmond can eat 1,000 or more mosquito-sized insects in one hour and the equivalent of the bat’s own body weight per night. And that is just a single bat, you can imagine what a colony of 20 to 100 bats can eat in one night. Bats will NOT attack you while you are enjoying an evening on your porch. Instead, they are enjoyable to view as they capture thousands of insect pests that would normally be interrupting your relaxing night outside your Richmond, VA home or business. You can enjoy the benefits by providing bats with an alternative place to live.

We hope that this information has helped you to understand how to get bats out of a Richmond, VA house.

Choose the best local and professional bat removal and control company in Richmond, VA. Contact Virginia Professional Wildlife Removal Services, LLC at (434) 270-0488 or toll-free at (888) 893-1975. Visit us on the web at VirginiaProfessionalWildlifeRemovalServices.com

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Animal Wildlife In Richmond And Charlottesville Head Indoors As Temperatures Drop

Animal Exterminators, Animal Removal, wildlife exterminators, wildlife removal

Wildlife in Richmond and Charlottesville VA Head Inside Homes As Cooler Temperatures Approach

wildlife removalIs animal wildlife getting into your Richmond, Virginia or Charlottesville, VA home or business? Call us at (434) 270-0488 or toll-free at (888) 893-1975.

With cooler temperatures, many wildlife animals are trying to find a warm place to live. Oftentimes, your home or business is where they find comfort and warmth. No one wants nuisance animals in their Richmond or Charlottesville  VA home or business. They can make nests, invite other unwanted animals, and cause extensive damage to your home or business.

Keeping these critters out of your home is important to the health of your home and family. Here a few tips to keep nuisance animal wildlife and other animals out of your Richmond or Charlottesville, VA home or business:

  • Seal holes around your home or business. These are open doors for problem animals to make their way into your home or business.
  • Don’t leave food outdoors. This includes dog food, cat food, and bird feed.
  • Take up any water that could possibly attract animal wildlife.
  • Make sure trash bins are securely covered. Trash and debris will only serve to attract animals.
  • General yard maintenance. Keep your grass cut, remove wood piles that are close to your home, and seal entry points underneath decks, porches, sheds and garages. Keep your crawlspace door closed.

If you do find yourself with an unwelcomed animal wildlife problem, call Virginia Professional Wildlife Removal Services, LLC. We can safely and humanely trap, remove and help control nuisance animals such as bats, squirrels, raccoons, skunks, snakes, bats, birds, beavers, flying squirrels, groundhogs, and opossums. These animals are not something that you want to take on yourself.

Virginia Professional Wildlife Removal Services specializes in wildlife removal, the trapping, exclusion, removal, and control of all nuisance wildlife animals in the Richmond, Virginia and Charlottesville, VA areas. One of our technicians will inspect your home or business and develop a customized plan that works best for you in addressing your unique animal wildlife problems. Give us a call today at (434) 270-0488 or toll-free at (888) 893-1975 or visit us on the web at http://www.VirginiaProfessionalWildlifeRemovalServices.com

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Squirrels in Richmond Attics: Get Rid of Squirrels in Homes: Squirrel Trapping & Removal: Trapping Squirrels in Richmond, VA Attics

Animal Damage, Charlottesville, Henrico, Richmond, Squirrel Control, Squirrel Removal, Squirrel Trapping, Squirrels, Squirrels in the Attic, Virginia Professional Wildlife Removal Services

Squirrels In Attics – Richmond and Charlottesville, Virginia, VA – (434) 270-0488 or toll-free at (888) 893-1975

There are squirrels in my attic. Yikes! It is actually extremely common for squirrels in Richmond or Charlottesville Virginia to enter houses, primarily in attics. Virginia Professional Wildlife Removal Services has the professional solutions necessary to get squirrels out of attics and keep them from re-entering the attics of your home. Squirrels in attics can cause damage if the problem remains unaddressed.

Why Do Squirrels Go in Attics?

squirrels in atticsSquirrels in Richmond and Charlottesville Virginia currently have litters of newborns two times a year, once in the springtime and once in the fall season, they are continuously hunting for protected areas to make their nests. Squirrels get in the attic simply by chewing holes from the outside, typically above gutters, or at building gaps where dormers meet the roofline. They may also attain entry to attics by simply chewing corners of trim or almost any other weak area that enables them entry into the attic space. Contact us to humanely trap, remove , capture and control squirrels that have entered your Richmond or Charlottesville, Virginia home or business.

Contact us today at (434) 270-0488 or toll-free at (888) 893-1975 to safely & humane trap, remove, capture and control squirrels in attic. We can also repair the squirrel damage to keep them out! Visit us on the web at Virginia Wildlife Removal & Animal Control.

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Garter Snakes in Richmond & Charlottesville: To be revered or feared?

Animal Attacks, Charlottesville, Henrico, Richmond, Snakes, Virginia Professional Wildlife Removal Services

The weather has been colder than normal in Richmond and Charlottesville, VA, but that hasn’t kept garter snakes from emerging this spring. Tolerant of cold weather, the garter snake may even come out to bask in the sun on warm, winter days, then go back into hibernation when temperatures drop. Once it’s out for good, usually in April, the garter snake is not looking to scare humans, but rather to find a mate. In fact, this snake is rather docile, unless an animal or human provokes it. Call us at (434) 270-0488 or toll-free at (888) 893-1975 for Virginia Snake Removal Specialist.

A garter snake in Virginia can grow up to 48 inches in length. Its dark body has longitudinal stripes, typically yellow, but sometimes blue or other colors.

Like all snakes, the garter is cold-blooded and needs outside sources of heat to warm its body. In winter, garter snakes live in hibernacula below the frost line, waiting for spring’s arrival. Hibernacula are typically crevices in rocks, a burrowing animal’s tunnel or an ant mound. Garter snakes return to the same hibernacula each year.

Males emerge from the hibernacula first – and some may actually pretend they are females, luring other males away with a fake female odor. He’ll lead the males away and then slither back to the den where females are emerging to mate, provided he can catch them. This time of year, a dozen or more males may swarm one or two females forming what is termed a mating ball.

Some snakes lay eggs, but the garter snake gives birth to live young usually in July and August. Females can bear up to 80 young at one time.

Once born, the young garter snakes are on their own searching for tadpoles, insects and worms. As they grow, they add larger fish, frogs and mice to their diet.

Garter snakes serve an important role in the food chain, providing sustenance to large fish, bull frogs, other snakes, hawks and foxes. Some hawks rely on garter snakes to feed their young.

If a garter snake sees a human, it will usually go the other way – but if a human provokes or picks one up, it may emit a foul odor or bite. The snake’s saliva is toxic to amphibians, but not to humans.

Fun Facts:

•The garter snake was named after decorative garters decorated with longitudinal stripes that men once wore to hold up their socks. When alarmed, garter snakes flatten their bodies showing off these colorful stripes.
•There are 13 subspecies of garter snakes including the Chicago garter snake.
•Snakes are not slimy. The skin consists of a layer of scales made from material similar to human fingernails.
•Snakes can only move forward.
•Snakes smell with their tongues, which is why they constantly flick that part of their body in and out.

Virginia Professional Wildlife Removal Services, LLC removes all types of snakes – poisonous and non-poisonous – in the Richmond and Charlottesville areas. Contact us today for all of your nuisance wildlife removal needs at (434) 270-0488 or toll-free at (888) 893-1975.

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Little Brown Bat Removal and Control, Little Brown Bat Information

Bats, Charlottesville, Histoplasmosis, Richmond, Virginia Professional Wildlife Removal Services

Little Brown Bat Removal & Control – Richmond and Charlottesville Virginia

little brown bat removal and controlBats in your attic? Bats in vents? Bat in the house? Call our BAT REMOVAL EXPERTS at (434) 270-0488 or toll-free at (888) 893-1975. Little Brown bat removal and control is a specialized service that should only be performed by a professional bat control expert in Virginia that has specific knowledge of the Little Brown bat and Big Brown bat. If you’ve had a bat or two appear in your house, or if you’re hearing noises you suspect are made by bats, a little bit of investigation will go a long way. Depending on the time of year, it may be an isolated incident, or evidence of a resident maternity colony; here’s how to tell the difference, and how to proceed in either case.

Little Brown bats are sometimes mistaken for late-flying butterflies when they leave their roosts before sundown, due to their very small size and erratic flight patterns. Little Brown bats require a nearby, ready source of water, such as a lake, stream, or even a swimming pool.

Little Brown bats do form maternity colonies, but pregnant solitary females have also been found. Little Brown bats generally have one pup (offspring) per year. Little Brown bats can often be found roosting in attics during the day. Little Brown bats do not seem to migrate far and may stay in the same area year round. They probably hibernate in mines and caves during winter. They are also known to roost in buildings or attics if conditions are suitable.

Hearing Noises? Identifying the Culprit as Little Brown Bats
First of all, is essential to verify that a nuisance is caused by bats, and not some other animal. Scrambling, scratching, and thumping sounds coming from attics and walls may be caused by rats, mice, or flying squirrels. Twittering and rustling sounds in old chimneys, often attributed to bats, may be caused by chimney swifts. Bats often become noisy before leaving their roosts at sunset and may chatter on hot days when they move down attic walls to seek refuge from heat. Thus, an increase in chirping noises about dusk probably indicates bats.

Here’s when you pull out the lawn chairs, lemonade, and bug repellent, and sit outside to watch your house around sunset time. If the “bats” swarm and enter the chimney at dusk, most likely these are swifts; a chimney cap will go a long way towards dealing with that problem. Bats will be seen leaving 15-45 minutes after sunset in midsummer. Make note of all the exits the bats are using, and make an approximate count of about how many bats you have (this is important for setting up bat boxes later on). During daylight hours, look for dark staining or smudges along the roofline; these may be places where bats are entering the building, where the oils in the bats’ fur has rubbed off.

Little Brown Bats in Early Fall
The discovery of one or two bats in a house is probably the most frequent problem. Little Brown bats may enter homes through open windows and doors, but may use any crevice it can find. This usually occurs in the early fall when bats are checking for potential roost or hibernation sites. Little Brown bats may also appear in midwinter during a warm weather spell.

Little Brown Bat Appearances in Mid to Late Summer
Repeated occurrences of Little Brown bats in your living spaces in mid to late summer suggest that a maternity colony is close by, most likely in the attic. As juvenile bats begin fending for themselves and exploring, one may explore its way into your living room. The presence of any bat in your living spaces is purely accidental; it is often a simple matter to allow it to escape.

Letting Them Out, Little Brown Bat Exclusion
Any bat will usually find its own way out; jut open all windows and doors leading to the outside. Bats usually will not attack a person even if chased. Never swat or throw things at the bat, or run around waving. All this tends to do is confuse the bat and leave you exhausted. Above all else, calmly watch the bat to make sure it leaves. If the bat refuses to leave, it will calm down and land on something. Drapes and hanging clothes seem to be the preferred rest areas. Place a small box or can over the bat, then gently slide thin cardboard under the “trap” to collect your bat, then release it outside. At last resort, local health authorities can be called to collect the bat, though this may result in its demise. If the bat, or any wild animal, has come in contact with pets, children, handicapped individuals, etc. contact your local health department. Health department recommendations vary from state to state.

The Solution, A Little Brown Bat Exclusion
These are animals that can hone in on a single mosquito flying through the air; a ½ inch crack in the side of a house is easy for them to find.

Professional Measures
If you are dealing with bats in your home, there are several ways a professional bat abatement company can help. Look for a company like Virginia Professional Wildlife Removal Services, LLC (434) 270-0488 or toll-free at (888) 893-1975 who:
· Has years of experience finding all the tiny entrances bats use to enter and exit a structure, and in sealing up those gaps.
· Can quickly and efficiently clean up accumulated bat guano and urine, which poses a significant health risk if not dealt with properly.

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