What Is Wildlife Removal? A Homeowner's Guide

Wildlife removal is the professional process of safely capturing, relocating, or excluding nuisance animals from residential properties. Licensed professionals handle everything from raccoons in the attic to bats in the walls.

Which Animals Are Covered?

Common wildlife removal targets include:

• Raccoons (attic intrusions, garbage raiding)
• Squirrels (roof and attic entry)
• Bats (colony exclusion from attics and walls)
• Opossums and skunks (under decks, in crawl spaces)
• Rodents — mice and rats (structural entry points)
• Birds (nesting in vents, chimneys, soffits)
• Snakes and moles

When to Call a Professional

Call a licensed wildlife removal contractor when you hear scratching or movement in the walls or attic, discover an entry point that animals are using, notice animal droppings in living spaces, or smell a dead animal odor inside the home. Many animals carry diseases and should not be handled by untrained homeowners.

What the Process Involves

A typical wildlife removal service includes:

1. Inspection: The contractor identifies entry points, nesting areas, and the species involved.
2. Trapping or exclusion: Live traps may be set, or one-way exclusion devices installed so animals can exit but not re-enter.
3. Removal: Captured animals are relocated humanely in accordance with state regulations.
4. Exclusion repair: Entry points are sealed to prevent re-entry.
5. Cleanup: Droppings, nesting material, and contaminated insulation may be removed and sanitized.

Wildlife Removal vs. Pest Control

Wildlife removal focuses on vertebrates (mammals, birds, reptiles), while pest control typically handles insects and rodents. Many licensed structural pest control companies offer both services — the same contractor can handle mice and rats (pest control) as well as squirrels and raccoons (wildlife removal).