Nuisance Wildlife - How to Humanely Evict and Exclude

Wildlife rehabilitators are prohibited from accepting orphaned animals that are the result of "purposeful action by the homeowner." This means if you have squirrels in your attic and you trap or kill the mother, we CANNOT take the babies.

Please note that while nuisance trappers may market themselves as being "humane" it is well documented that many of them will kill any animals they trap, often by drowning. Death by drowning not considered a humane method of euthanasia according the American Veterinary Association standards. If a trapper tells you they will relocate animals, please also understand that this is illegal in many case so the trapper is almost certainly either lying to you or breaking the law.

Animal Help Now recently added a section to their site which allows visitors to locate local humane solutions to nuisance animals. We encourage you to explore those options.  Humane  World for Animals is also an excellent resource.

Alternatively, there are several DIY "evict and exclude" options that will encourage wildlife to move along on their own, which is the most ideal option for both homeowner and the animal.

1. Identify how the animal is getting into the space and prepare a way to block that entrance off once the animal has left.

2. If there is a nest with babies, make sure the mother can temporarily reenter the space to retrieve each baby and move it to a new location. 

3. If you are certain there are not babies, you can consider using an excluder over the hole.  

4. Next, you will make the space as unfriendly as possible by using safe but effective sensory deterrents.

• Place bright lights in the area, both day and night. Shop lights and strobe lights work well.

• Put a loud radio in the space. Talk radio stations are perfect.

• Add some old rags that have been soaked in ammonia or vinegar. (We DO NOT recommend products like fox or coyote urine as the methods for obtaining these products are atrocious.)

5. Monitor the space. Be creative! See if a friend or neighbor has a trail cam you can borrow for a few days. You can stuff crumpled up newspaper in the entrance hole to verify that nothing is still coming and going.   

6. Finally, once you are certain the animal has successfully been evacuated, seal off the entry point.