Critter Control of Reading

The Department of Agriculture reports raccoons in Berks County have tested positive for rabies in the past. Rabies can be transmitted to humans via a bite. When protecting their young, they may become more aggressive.

Raccoons in Reading are the size of large cats. They have beady eyes, black masks, striped tails, and sharp claws on their nimble hands. They can be mischievous, damaging property and raiding food sources.

Raccoons are nocturnal omnivores that like to eat fruits, nuts, vegetables, table scraps, birdseed, insects, rodents, chickens, pet feed, fish, bird eggs, and much more. Their human-like hands help them dig holes in your yard, climb trees and chimneys, unlatch gates, tip garbage cans, and raid animal feed bags.

Raccoons build nests in attics and basements if accessible. To get into your home, they will look for weak spots, like missing or damaged shingles, torn vents and screens, or loose soffits. They turn these weak spots into major openings. Once inside, raccoons shred insulation, damage ventilation systems, tear through walls, and leave scat and urine piles.

All these damages can cost a lot of money to repair, so calling a wildlife expert for help at the first sign of raccoon activity is recommended, especially if babies are in the nest

The house mouse and the Norway rat cause the most damage to Reading homes. The house mouse is small with a pointed nose, tiny dark eyes, a semi-hairless tail, and large ears. They can fit through a hole the size of a quarter.

A Norway rat has a blunt nose, bald ears, and gray and white bellies. They have beady eyes and may have hair that is brown, black, or a mixture of both. Their tails are hairless, scaly, and shorter than their bodies.

Norway rats enter your home through any opening larger than ½ inch. Some may build a nest inside, but some prefer burrowing underground, creating tunnels that can alter the stability of structures like your home, barn, or shed.

Mice and rats gnaw on many objects, including papers, books, carpets, electrical wires, cabinets, stored groceries, baseboards, drywall, and screens.

A noticeable sign of rodent activity is the trail of droppings along their path between their nest and food source. They also leave urine trails. The smell of urine attracts other rodents. It signals that your home is a great place to find food, water, and shelter.

Female rodents can breed after a month of birth and then again shortly after they deliver a litter. One litter can grow into hundreds if not appropriately controlled. Wildlife pest control technicians can get rid of mice and rats and implement exclusions to avoid future infestations.

The gray squirrel is the cute creature you see all over Reading, dashing in front of cars, racing up and down trees, and scavenging food and nesting materials. Squirrels have good eyesight despite being born blind and can only see in black and white.

Squirrels eat flower buds and leaves from sugar maples, nuts, bird seeds, berries, bird eggs, bark, garden crops, and insects. The gray squirrel likes to remain alone until mating season, typically in December, January, or June.

When looking for a den to give birth or to get out of cold weather, squirrels take advantage of holes and cracks in your home. They chew until it is big enough for entry. Chewing is a squirrel’s trademark. Their four front teeth continue growing and can get up to six inches. To prevent this, squirrels chew and gnaw on hard materials. A persistent squirrel can chew through your vinyl siding, wood structural beams, and drywall to enter your home.

Other hard materials are siding, soffits, electrical wires, drywall, wood beams, ducts, pipes, screens, and more. Squirrels have sharp claws, too, and will shred insulation, strip bark from trees, break shingles, and dig holes in your yard.

Fox and gray squirrels are listed as game animals that require a license for hunting unless they are a nuisance. However, you don’t want to get rid of squirrels alone. They can become aggressive and attack when they feel threatened. Squirrels carry Lyme disease, tularemia, salmonella, and leptospirosis.

Wildlife experts have safe and humane equipment, know the regulations to follow, and know if squirrel species have protection in Pennsylvania, such as the Northern flying squirrel.

Out of the nine bat species in Pennsylvania, the little and big brown bats reside in attics, barns, and sheds throughout Reading. Six species hibernate in winter, three migrate South, and brown bats tend to partially hibernate on rural and urban properties.

Bats are misunderstood and underappreciated. They are not blind, don’t want to suck your blood, and don’t get tangled in long hair.

They are a crucial part of our ecosystem, however. Bats choose roosting spots based on their proximity to a good source of insects. Things like outdoor lights, manure, and stagnant water attract insects. As the only mammal that can fly, it swoops in to capture a bug in its wing or eat it on the fly.

They have sharp teeth for digesting the thousands of bugs they consume every night. Eating so many insects helps bats build an extra layer of fat for winter when insects aren’t as prevalent.

Many people think bats are filthy and covered in their feces. It is true their guano, or feces, runs down their bodies while roosting upside down. But the cleaner a bat is, the better it flies. Therefore, it spends all its awake time cleaning itself before feeding at night.

The guano piles multiply when you have a colony of bats roosting in your space. Because guano contains uric acid and can produce mold spores, it is best to avoid handling it.

Bats are classified as endangered species. One reason is that 75% of migrating bat deaths are attributed to wind turbines. Another threat is white-nose syndrome, a fungal infection. Calling a wildlife control tech to get rid of bats is smart and helps you avoid breaking laws, like the one that states bats cannot be harassed or removed during their maternity season. Maternity season often begins in May and ends when babies can fly out on their own, usually in the Fall.

The only marsupial in North America is the opossum, which plays dead to trick predators. Opossums have many of the same characteristics as raccoons and skunks. They are omnivores with a broad range of preferred foods, primarily nocturnal and about the size of a large cat.

Opossums differ in that they have long, pointy noses and fifty teeth. Their tail is hairless and scaly, with five toes on each foot. They can climb, dig, scratch, grip, and balance.

One fact about opossums is that females have 13 mammary glands, so if she gives birth to more than 13 offspring, they will die. The average number in a litter is eight. Opossums will enter your basement, crawlspace, or attic to find a warm, safe space for themselves and their babies. Trying to remove a mother and her babies can be dangerous.

Signs of an opossum include damage to your siding, shingles, soffits, or gutters. They tip over trash cans, dig holes in your yard, and steal pet feed. Because they defecate more than other animals, it is easier to smell them.

In your attic, they can destroy air ducts, drywall, wires, and any sentimental items. Because they carry many diseases, ticks, fleas, and other parasites, do not try to remove them yourself. Call a pro who can keep you and the animal safe.

Three species of moles exist in Pennsylvania, including the Eastern, hairy-tailed, and star-nosed. Moles are built for underground living. They have small eyes and ears that are covered by fur. Their front feet resemble paddles with claws for digging tunnels with numerous exit spots. Their back feet are much smaller.

You may notice mole hills in your garden or lawn created by moles searching for grubs, worms, and insects to eat now and store for colder months. They do not hibernate and are only around other moles when it is time to breed.

Moles damage your yard, which can cause damage to your lawn mower, tractor, or other equipment. Their digging also damages and kills grass, plants, flowers, and garden crops. Moles are best removed using a trapping system followed immediately by exclusions. Wildlife experts have humane traps that work and can put together a plan that keeps voles away from your property.