With the Sandia-Manzano Mountains to the east, high desert grasslands to the west, and the Rio Grande cutting through the center of the city, Albuquerque offers plenty of habitat for a variety of wild animals. As the most populous city in the state of New Mexico with
a population of 560,000, residents should not be surprised to encounter animals that also call the city home, including raccoons, bats, squirrels, and snakes. If you are a property owner having one too many of these encounters, please reach out to Critter Control, and we will remove the animals from your own and make sure they stay away.
Well-known for seeking out trash cans and causing nightly disturbances, raccoons can be fun to observe but a nuisance if they get too close to your home. In New Mexico, raccoons are
protected furbearers and can’t be hunted. However, raccoons have also been known to
carry diseases. So if there’s one or more on your property, please stay away from them and contact your Critter Control office as soon as possible.
Like most cities, Albuquerque has its share of rodent issues. The city offers a warm climate and plenty of habitats favorable to rats and mice. The
most common rodents you'll find in your New Mexico home are house mice, roof rats, and Norway rats. While not as common, pack rats are also in Albuquerque.
Regardless of the type of house you have, rodents can find a way inside of it. Rodents stick to the places people can't go like wall cavities, behind cabinets, and attics. They can even get into the space under tile roofs.
Please do not try to handle rodents, nor attempt to clean up after them yourself, as rodents in the area are known for spreading illnesses such as
tularemia and plague. Instead, call your Albuquerque Critter control office as soon as you notice any signs of a rodent infestation, and we will send one of our trained technicians to eradicate the problem for you.
There are
four species of squirrel in New Mexico: Abert’s, fox, grey, and red. Both Albuquerque’s parks and surrounding mountain forests provide the perfect habitat for squirrels. When these animals get too close to home, however, they can become a nuisance. If you are experiencing a squirrel problem on your property, it’s best to leave removal to a trained specialist who will humanely trap and remove squirrels.
There are
29 bat species in New Mexico. Bats are insectivores and can
consume more than one-half their body weight in insects each night. In New Mexico, bats raise pups May through August and
should not be excluded from roosts during this time. Some property owners may attempt to remove a bat themselves; however, this is not advisable. Rather than reach for a broom and try to remove them yourself, please allow a Critter Control specialist to humanely remove all bats for you.
Skunks are a common pest in the Albuquerque area. These animals, known for their black and white coloring, for foraging for food in trash bins and pet food bowls, and for their pungent odor that can linger for days. If you happen to cross paths with a skunk, do not try to scare it away. Please also remember that skunks
can carry rabies; therefore, it’s best to let a professional handle removal for you.
You hardly see a gopher in your yard, but you will see the gopher mounds. Mounds are at the entrances to their tunnels, and they are typically fan-shaped and plugged.
Gophers love the sandy soil in Albquerque. Breeding season happens between June to July. Homeowners usually notice gopher activity in September because the gophers born during the summer are now mature enough to be on their own.