Let’s face it. A baby bear or fox wandering into your yard may not seem threatening at first glance, but it’s crucial to remember that they are wild animals. Their presence, if not appropriately managed, can quickly escalate into a dangerous situation for your family and pets.
It’s best to eliminate them immediately by calling your local wildlife removal company.
However, how do you prevent critters and wildlife from entering your property in the first place?
Here’s a detailed look into eco-friendly ways to keep wildlife off your property without causing them any physical harm, thereby preserving their ecosystem.
Keep Food Out of Reach
One of the most natural ways to keep wildlife off your property is to be mindful of what you leave out. While you may think you would never intentionally feed a wild animal, there are several inadvertent ways you may be doing so.
For instance, leaving your trash can in the yard for several days waiting for trash pickup could provide an array of tasty treats for wild animals to rummage through. Animals like opossums, bears, and raccoons may be drawn to your trash cans for food.
Another way you may be inadvertently feeding wildlife is by leaving food out for other animals or pets. For instance, you may be an avid bird watcher or a gardener who loves to attract birds to your yard with bird feeders. While you may successfully lure birds to your yard, you may also attract other pests, including mice, squirrels, and skunks.
Also, leaving food bowls outside for your pets in your yard may invite unwanted creatures to your home.
Keep Water Away
In addition to feeding critters, you may also be providing them with water. As with feeding wild animals, you may think that you would never intentionally give water to a wild animal. However, there may be ways that you could inadvertently be doing so.
For instance, if you have bird baths on your property, this could invite significant pests and even breed mosquitos. Additionally, you may have containers on your property, such as buckets or empty flower pots, that may collect rainwater, which could lure thirsty critters onto your property.
Eliminating these water sources is crucial to discourage wildlife from staying on your property.
Make Some Noise
Unexpected noise can give just about anyone a good scare. It can do the same for critters snooping around on your property. One simple way to do this is to hang wind chimes around your property. The occasional clanging will scare critters off your property.
Another option is to purchase ultrasonic devices emitting sounds only animals can hear. Unfortunately, such repellants can irritate pets such as dogs and cats. So, before investing in such devices, it is a good idea to know whether they will cause issues for your pets or neighborhood domesticated animals.
Grow Plants that Wildlife Doesn’t Like
Don’t you love the smell of lavender, mint, lemongrass, or basil? These fragrant plants may seem pleasant to people, but they can have quite the opposite effect on wildlife. Mice can’t stand the smell of mint. Deer don’t like the scent of lavender. If you have a rabbit problem, planting some sage is a good idea.
Catnip can also keep squirrels, mice, and rats away but can make your cat go bonkers. Ideally, if you don’t want your cat in the neighborhood cat having too much fun in your yard, it’s best to avoid planting catnip.
While growing such plants to deter wildlife is a good idea, you must remember that some plants that keep wildlife at bay can also make them sick or kill them. For instance, chrysanthemums and daffodils are common plants that repel various pests. However, these plants can be hazardous, especially for household pets.
If you simply want to keep pests away but don’t want to harm your pets or destroy the ecosystems of local wildlife, it’s best to stick with growing plants that won’t harm animals.
Effective and Safe Wildlife Removal Services
If natural methods of keeping wildlife off your property fail, it might be time to ask for some help from a professional. A wildlife removal service such as Critter Evictors located in Scottsdale has ample experience and has helped hundreds of home and property owners throughout Maricopa County with wildlife infestations of all kinds.
Call our trusted critter and wildlife removal services today if you’re experiencing an invasion and need emergency removal services. We specialize in humane and responsible critter removal in the local area and provide services that address everything from bird and bat removal, to gophers, snakes, coyote removal and more.