#Will skunks hibernate under your house how to#
#Will skunks hibernate under your house professional#

They’ve adapted nicely to urban environments because they are not picky eaters! Racoons feed on pet food, fruits, vegetables and anything else they can find in your trash! While raccoons may look cute and cuddly, they can actually be aggressive if they feel threatened. Like opossums, raccoons are considered nuisance wildlife in Southern Louisiana.

Opossums can also rip up books, fabric and insulation to build nests. Not only that, but they can also bring destruction by chewing through and gnawing on wood and drywall, electrical wires and pipes. However, they can bring diseases and disease-carrying pests into your home. Luckily opossums are not aggressive or dangerous to humans, and they don’t get rabies. Opossums feast on pet food, rotten fruit and human garbage, which means they could find their way into your home, your garage or shed to keep warm. Sometimes you may mistake an opossum for a rat, but opossums are actually marsupials, not rodents. Many of us are afraid of snakes, and they also carry diseases and germs that can make us sick like salmonella. Popular places for these slithery pests to hide include attics, basements, drop ceilings and leaky water pipes. Unfortunately, during the winter, these cold-blooded reptiles may decide to hibernate indoors. Here in Louisiana, there are 47 native snake species, but luckily only seven of them are venomous. Snakes are common here in the deep south because of warm weather and marshland. Mice and rats can be dangerous because they cause damage by gnawing and nesting, and they can spread filth and disease. Rodents are active all year-round in Louisiana, but in the winter, they try to come inside your homes to escape the cold.

#Will skunks hibernate under your house how to#

We recently wrote about all things rodents in Louisiana including common types, how to identify them, potential health hazards and the damage they can do to your home. Common winter wildlife pests in Southern Louisiana Rodents We break these different critters, gauge their threat, and give some pointers for prevention and removal. It’s important to learn about the wildlife in the greater New Orleans area that could possibly enter your home this winter.

#Will skunks hibernate under your house professional#

If you are having an issue with skunks, it is best to consult a professional wildlife control company for removal.Cold season is here, which means wildlife living around your home may be seeking food, water, warmth and shelter. If your pet has an encounter with a skunk, it should be seen by a veterinarian immediately. Skunks have been found infected with an array of diseases, including rabies. A pet that exhibits an offensive smell, is an indicator that a skunk may be nearby.

Skunks are primarily nocturnal animals and their activity around buildings may go unnoticed until one takes up occupancy beneath a porch, deck, slab foundation, or has an encounter with another animal, such as a dog. Skunks are attracted to residential areas by the availability of food, water, and shelter.

Skunks do not hibernate but in regions with colder weather, they may congregate in communal dens during the winter. If other suitable dens are unavailable, skunks will burrow and construct dens. In urban settings, they den under decks, porches, or beneath buildings. Skunks construct dens in burrows and will often use abandoned burrows dug by ground squirrels, foxes, or coyotes, enlarging them if necessary. The secretion is acrid enough to cause nausea and can produce severe burning and temporary blindness if it strikes the eyes. This pungent liquid is stored in two separate scent glands located on each side of the anus and can be squirted accurately at targets as far as 6 to 10 feet away as a self-defense mechanism. Skunks are found throughout the United States and are known to produce an oily, yellow sulfur-alcohol compound that contains sulfuric acid. The average skunk is about the size of an adult house cat, and its’ fur is mostly black with white on top of the head and neck.