Know Your Animal Problems

Your most common nuisance animals:

Florida is home to many animals that often times aren't seen unless you go looking for them. Then there are the animals that often times will scamper around your yard at night looking for food in your garbage, burrow holes in your lawn, harass your pets and steal their food, damage homes, and spread infectious diseases through urine, feces droppings, and bites to yourself or pets. Here's a list of a few of these types of animals, the damage they can cause, and why you should get rid of them.

Raccoons - This little masked-bandit may seem like a friend, but watch out for this little bugger. Raccoons are notorious for dumping trash cans in search of food, which spreads diseases enough in its self. They are very crafty, and will use any means necessary to obtain food and or shelter, often damaging roofs to gain entrance, and then causing structural damage to wires and insulation from a combination of chewing and urine & fecal droppings they leave in their habitat. This doesn't even cover the diseases they can spread which contain a number of parasites or the most serious of these being rabies, and also distemper which can be fatal to dogs.

Squirrels - These nutty rodents may seem cute, that is until you realize you have a nest of them living in your attic. Because the mother squirrel can bear young twice a year, the nest can grow very quickly.... especially when they've made a home in your attic, because they don't want to leave. Aside from the biowaste they accumulate, squirrels can also chew through wood, insulation, and wiring, the latter of which can cause fire hazards.

Opossum - Much like the raccoon, the opossum is a host to all sorts of disease with the added bonus of a foul odor, which becomes even worse when one dies. It’s best to have these pests removed as soon as possible, and have that area of your home sanitized.

Armadillo - Second only to the mole, an armadillo is an expert digger/burrower often damaging buried electrical, water, gas lines, & undermining the foundations of houses and sidewalks. Armadillo's are also carriers of leprosy, and can also attract other animals like the opossum.

Rats - These critters are annoying, especially if you have a pet, because that makes getting rid of them that much more difficult. Rats are also carriers to many infectious diseases, and leave embarrassing trails of droppings and urine. They are also very damaging to homes because of how much they chew, so watch for any chewed wires, or any chew marks for that matter.

Ferals - Ferals are most often cats that have become wild or strayed. Ferals cats are very self-sufficient and can get very aggressive when the need arises. Often time’s ferals will become a nusiance when they prey on much of the natural wildlife population causing a disruption in the food chain for the natural predators. They can also transmit fatal & non-fatal diseases to both pets and humans.

Snakes - Snakes are a rare, but dangerous critter to come by. Anyone not trained in wildlife removal should take caution and stay away from the snake. Even if you think you can identify the snake, most snakebite occur when someone tries to catch or kill a snake.

Dead Animals - As far as dead animals go, it doesn't matter the species, a dead animal is not something you want to keep around. Many diseases & odors stem from a carcass, not to mention it will attract other animals that may not be so friendly. So whether its a beloved pet, or a dead opossum, call someone to properly dispose of the carcass.