Why do I have Coyotes in my Yard?

In the past decade, the run-ins between coyotes and people have grown exponentially. While there is very little aggression from coyotes towards humans, coyotes can cause a lot of problems for those living in rural areas or on the outskirts of town. The high rate of coyote spottings is not due to coyotes encroaching further into the cities, but its the other way around; humans are encroaching further into their territories. 

Woodland territories are being cut down daily which makes small game harder for predators like coyotes to find. They have also discovered that living near humans provides them with almost an unlimited amount of food and shelter, so who could blame them? Apart from the destruction of their natural habitat, coyotes are driven near humans because they are opportunistic scavengers. They love nothing more than small farms that have easy prey to eat like chickens, rodents and small pets. If you have a problem with coyotes in your yard, you probably have the type of things they like to eat.

Some other reasons you might have coyotes attracted to your property includes:

• Garbage cans that are easily accessible
• You have tall grasses, bushes or tress that makes it easier for them to hide
• You have abandoned buildings or easy access under your home for them to build their dens and have their litters
• You have small game or a large rodent population on your property (as talked about above)
• You feed them or they have access to your pet’s food

If you have a problem with coyotes and want to get rid of them, you must check with your state’s regulations before you attempt to trap them or kill them. There are also strict regulations about how to dispose of the body or where you can relocate them. The best way to get rid of coyotes is to take away any or all of the things that attract them. You can also build a fence around your property, but that is pricey and unnecessary if you haven’t tried to get rid of them using the methods above.

If you would like to learn more about coyotes and how to get rid of them, check out my website http://www.howtogetridofcoyote.com

Do Beavers have Families?

When you think of beavers, you probably think of them as animals that build dams, animals that are often the characters in cartoons and in children’s literature, or as animals that are a nuisance. However, very few people realize just how human-like beavers are…at least in their family structure.

Beavers have families that are eerily similar to humans. The center of a beaver’s universe is their home, called a dam, in which all their activities center on maintaining and improving that home. Beavers are monogamous and mate for life and usually live in family units that consist of the mother, the father and the children. However, some beavers live in communal lodges that house their extended relatives such as siblings and their offspring. The beaver’s babies stay in or near the parent’s dam for most of their lives. As juveniles, beavers spend most of their time honing social skills and learning how to build and repair dams from their parents.

Beavers are very territorial of the area the dam is located in. However, their aggression decreases as the security of their dam increases. In other words, when beavers have strong families and offspring they don’t mind living in closer proximity to other beaver families. When beavers are not worrying about safety and building on their dam, they enjoy playing and catching food in and near the lakes where they live.

Does any of this sound familiar? Beavers are very interesting to study because of the similarities they have to our own social structure. This makes their threat of extinction even more troubling. Beavers face extinction from two sources. The first source is the drying up and contamination of local water sources such as lakes, streams and rivers. The second threat to beavers is humans. Beavers can be a huge nuisance and they are known for causing trouble for home owners. Instead of removing beavers properly, most people try poisoning them or killing them outright. This is not the proper way to deal with a beaver infestation.

To get rid of beavers, you should either call a professional to remove them for you or trap them or relocate them yourself. To learn more about beavers visit the University of Kansas’ website here.

Moles: Get Rid of Them for Good

Moles, like the one you see to the left may look cute, but don’t be fooled with their cute faces, clumsy paws and furry bodies. Moles can be quite aggressive and destroy your lawn or garden. Moles are unique in that they do not hibernate; they spend almost every waking moment in search of food. Moles mainly consume grubs, worms and insects, but they can occasionally eat garden roots.

The main issues that people have with moles is their tunneling or burrowing behaviors. Moles are built to power through soil and plant/tree roots. They may look small, but they pack a powerful punch with their enormous legs and front paws that have evolved to dig through meters of dirt every day.

You can tell that you have moles tunneling in your yard when you

• See mounds of dirt
• Your lawn feels spongy
• Parts of your lawn are damaged and/or collapsing
• Your grass or plants/flowers are mysteriously dying

If you notice any of these issues arising in your lawn, you probably have moles. If you do have moles, you need to get rid of them as soon as possible to prevent any more damage occurring to your property. There are several ways to get rid of moles.

1. The most effective way to get rid of moles is to trap them. There are several traps available on the market that help you trap them, but you must know where to set the trap. Go to a place in your yard where there are visible tunnel tracks, remove a small portion of the top of the tunnel and look to see if the tunnel is smooth. If it is smooth, it is an active tunnel. Furthermore, many experts say that long, straightaway tracks are the sign of an active tunnel. Place the traps on either side of the tunnel and check the traps frequently.
2. There are many deterrents available on the market, but there is no guarantee that these will work. They are usually only effective for a short amount of time and do nothing to prevent the moles from coming back.
3. There are poisons available also, but these rarely work. Not only do moles not eat grains, and therefore will not be lured into eating the poison, but poisons are dangerous in that another innocent animal or your pet can get hold of it and die.
4. The best way to get rid of moles is to call a professional animal removal agency to take care of the problem for you. Not only do they have the equipment and knowledge to get rid of the moles quickly and effectively, they save you the time and frustration of trapping the moles yourself.

To learn more about moles and how to get rid of them, check out the University of Perdue’s website at http://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/ppdl/expert/Moles.html

Problem Wildlife in Naples, Florida

There are lots of critters that make their homes in the Naples area in Florida. While most animals are content to keep to themselves, some critters have learned that they can thrive when living near human habitation. If you are having issues with nuisance wildlife, you probably want to get them off your property or out of your house as quickly as possible. The easiest and usually the cheapest way to get rid of problem wildlife is to call a professional.

Some of the animals that are common to our area are opossums, raccoons, rats and mice, squirrels, bats, birds and skunks. TruWildlife is a pest removal service that is licensed and insured in the state of Florida and we have all the equipment necessary to take care of these problem animals.

Some of the work that we do includes:

• Bird prevention
• Snake removal
• Removing bats from buildings
• Removing squirrels in your attic
• Removal and prevention of mice and rats
• and much more

Never try to kill, trap or poison an animal if you are unsure of the legal issues or the logistics of how to get rid of them. Not only is it dangerous to you and the animal, but you could end up making the problem worse. Trapping an animal is a frustrating endeavor and then you must relocate that animal after trapping. Poisoning an animal can make it crawl into a hard to reach place (like your attic or walls) to die and could indirectly poison other animals if they should get a hold of the poisoned animal.

Here at TruWildlife, we believe that  creating a network of trusted professionals that serve our neighborhoods safely and ethically. The only thing that we cannot help you with are issues with problem cats and dogs, this is the responsibility of the Collier County Animal Services department and you should contact them with any dog or cat issue.

If you are having problems with any of the wildlife in your area, we want to help. Don’t hesitate to visit our website here.