by SOS Wildlife Control | Oct 31, 2015 | Animal Control, Bat Control, Bird Control, Groundhog Control, Human-Wildlife Conflict, Mice Control, Opossum Control, Rat Control, Skunk Control, Squirrel Control, Uncategorized
Last Updated: May 2016
What does Toronto Wildlife Removal mean? To us, it means saving our clients from unwanted visitors (a.k.a urban wildlife), and humanely bringing the visitors back to their natural habitats. Both in the City of Toronto and in the Greater Toronto Area, wildlife can be a nuisance to many residents, business owners, and industrial/agricultural environments.
What is Wildlife?
Wildlife traditionally refers to non-domesticated animal species. Wildlife can be found in all ecosystems, in both urban and rural sites. Common wildlife animals found in the GTA are birds, pigeons, skunks, snakes, raccoons, squirrels, opossums, and bats. Most times, these animals will behave in hostile manners when aggravated, and can be considered as dangerous and sometimes infectious.
Wildlife & Human Co-Habitance
In most cases, wildlife and humans can co-exist in urban areas. While everyone goes about their businesses, conflicts do arise at times. As weather gets cooler, urban wildlife starts seeking shelter. Raccoons, squirrels, pigeons, and bats may settle in attics, between walls, and chimneys; causing significant damage and health hazards to homeowners. Skunks could hide under porches or decks and spray house pets or unwary residents. Human-wildlife conflict does arise frequently in Toronto.
Fall is a peak season for Toronto wildlife removal needs as many animals start looking for food and shelter from the fast approaching cold weather conditions. This is the time to wildlife proof your property to avoid unwanted visitors. Usually finding warmth and food in or around a structure. Wildlife such as raccoons and squirrels easily get acclimated to their new habitats, often bringing their dependents with them. Removing wildlife in humane manner requires very specific skill-sets as well as in-depth knowledge of all the animals. Although there are many DIY solutions available for all wildlife removal needs, one can never predict the results of these projects. Trained technicians can understand animals’ behaviors, predict their motives, and even know their next moves. Trained technicians can also tell if wildlife has been breeding, where the babies may be, and if wildlife has or is suffering from any injuries. Most importantly professionals have the proper gear, equipment, and animal storage and removal tools to avoid any harm to you, to the animals, or to themselves. At SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated, we ensure your safety, as well as the safety of the animals. Our trained wildlife control technicians help relocate wildlife as per Environment Canada’s guidelines. We ensure the animals are injury and stress free during this process. We try to use one ways doors as our first solution. This involves no wildlife human interaction but if this option is not suitable we use wildlife friendly cages where animals are transported comfortable and free of restraints to their new, natural environments.
Toronto wildlife removal services have become a necessity for many home and business owners as urban wildlife number are on an increase. Due to the quick adaptability and fast- breeding nature, wildlife quickly adjusts to their new environments and they promptly pass this knowledge down to their offspring, creating a smarter generation of unwanted guests. Once an animal has established a home, they like to keep it. Any female offspring raised here, will also want to return to the same place to have their own litters. Given many of the wildlife are extremely intelligent, it is quite possible for this to take place. For many reasons aside from the simple attachment issues, it is very imperative to remove all wildlife as soon as possible before it becomes a matter of a serious infestation problem.
How to Avoid Toronto Wildlife Removal Services
- Lock up all recyclables and garbage in animal proof bins, ensure lids are securely closed at all times
- Take garbage and recyclables out often
- Remove any and all uneaten pet foods from pets’ bowls, remove all bird feeders at night
- Caution neighbors against wildlife feeding, contact your local council if problem persists
- Survey the structure of your home regularly, be aware of all cracks and holes and ensure proper measures are taken to fix these deficiencies
- Keep your home clean and organized, don’t leave opened packages of food out or overnight
- Keep your yard tidy by removing all unnecessary items and debris. Mow your lawn, and rake leaves regularly
- Ensure doors and windows are closed, as most wildlife are superior climbers
- Screen entry points and maintain fencing
Our Approach to Toronto Wildlife Removal
While there are different approaches trained technicians can use such as no trapping, or lethal trapping; we like to use the One Way Door or the Live Trapping method at SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated. This method allows use to trap the wildlife to ensure successful captivity, but it also allows us to inspect the animals to ensure they are uninjured before releasing them back into the wild. If animals are captured at the time of birthing/nesting period, we place them in protected boxes and ensure they are located to a safe environment, no further than 1 km away from the location of captivity, as per provincial guidelines. We provide the Toronto and GTA residents, humane wildlife removal services.
Wildlife Fun Facts:
- On the mammal IQ scale, raccoons rank higher than cats, and just below monkeys
- Squirrels are extremely intelligent: they are known to put elaborate bogus food burying display to deceive onlookers. The purpose of this fake burial is to trick potential thieves: other squirrels
- Skunks are nocturnal. They sleep during the day and look for food at night
- Opossums have remarkable ability to find food and remember its source. When tested for ability to remember where food it, opossums scored better than rats, rabbits, and dogs. They can also find their way through a maze faster than rodents and cats.
At SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated, we provide superior Toronto Wildlife Removal services for residential, commercial, and industrial clients. Let us help you solve your wildlife problems. We easily be reached at 1-800-981-0330. Don’t wait and call us to schedule an appointment for a thorough inspection to help evacuate all your unwanted wildlife guests.
by SOS Wildlife Control | Oct 8, 2015 | Squirrel Control
Last Updated: May 2016
Toronto GTA is choc full of squirrels whether it be squirrels in the park, squirrels in neighborhoods and squirrels on your property. We receive a lot of calls from distressed GTA homeowners and business owners about squirrels in the attic, squirrels in the wall, squirrels in the chimney, squirrels in the vents, squirrels in the yard stealing bird seeds or pet food. They are everywhere. In this blog we will discuss common GTA squirrel removal problems, in relation to squirrels in your home. We will provide information about squirrels and their characteristics to help you understand why they enter and what options you have.
Squirrels are quite common in Toronto and have become a huge problem not only in the GTA but across the whole of Ontario. As we continually destroy wildlife’s natural habitat they have no choice but to adapt to our residential areas.
Squirrel Behavior
Squirrels are very destructive urban mammals in the GTA, along with raccoons and other wildlife. Squirrels are determined to get food and shelter which could potentially be a costly problem if they enter your home. Squirrels have a variety of skills that allow them to exhibit a variety of behaviors, most revolving around the basics: foraging for food and seeking shelter. Several squirrels in some areas have simply lost their fear of people. In some municipalities, it is against the law to feed wildlife as this encourages the squirrels to lose their fear. If they imprint on people they may become dependent and eventually could come into harms way because of this.
Squirrels are a lot stronger than what they look with claws that pierce bark. These little guys are more than capable to defend themselves so do not corner them.
How to Remove Squirrels
The primary approach is using a one-way door. This involves little to no interaction with the squirrel. A one-way door method works by out technicians closing all entry points on your home that the squirrel is using except one. The last entry hole which is usually the main entry hole is where the one-way door is set up. The structure of it allows the squirrel to get out but cannot re-enter.
If there are babies involved then it is more complicated and you have to call a professional for squirrel removal to remove then reunite the family. Read more on our article Baby Squirrel Removal. Do not trap the animal inside your home as this is inhumane and illegal!
Read our blog on things to do before calling a wildlife control agent.
Do-it-Yourself Squirrel Removal
There’s a reason professional wildlife removal companies exist. Do-it-Yourself options for squirrel removal like trapping and releasing them elsewhere leads to the risk of you trapping a family or neighbor’s pet, or even worse a toddler. Be very careful before doing this and look up what laws and regulations apply to your area when you relocate a squirrel yourself. Please be aware when removing squirrels yourself there are other risk factors involved which is why we highly recommend using a professional for squirrel removal and any wildlife control!
GTA Squirrel Removal Experts
We specialize in nuisance wildlife control. We remove unwanted wildlife from homes and businesses, and solve conflicts between people and wild animals. From home inspections to preventative repairs, wildlife trapping, we solve critter problems with professional expertise.
Call us today at 647-994-9453 for Toronto GTA Squirrel Removal
by SOS Wildlife Control | Oct 2, 2015 | Squirrel Control
Last Updated: May 2021
It is very common in Toronto GTA to see squirrel-human interaction. People find amusement in watching squirrels sitting in the park watching them run around and climbing up trees. Watching wildlife from afar can be relaxing pastime, but sometimes the interactions are not wanted and people are not pleased with it at all.
If you’re faced with a squirrel on your property, then it’s very likely that you want the squirrels removed! But getting rid of squirrels can be a difficult task without the proper knowledge and experience. That’s why a lot of people just contact professional wildlife technicians like SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated to conduct squirrel removal for them. To figure out how to get them out, you need to find out how the squirrels get in in the first place. Once this is determined, then you can plan how to get them out.
The preferred and common method professionals usually use a one-way door. A one-way door is a door installed usually at the main entry point. All other entry points are sealed which allows the animal to exit and not re-enter only via the one-way door. This is the most humane squirrel removal method and involves no human wildlife encounter. In certain conditions, depending on the type of situation in play, snares are use. There is no one size fits all solution to getting rid of squirrels, but conducting humane removal with minimal contact with wildlife is the ideal squirrel removal method.
Once you get rid of the squirrel, repairs on any weak points to the property is recommended to ensure you have no further unwanted visitors. SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated will advise you on what areas are in need of attention.
How do squirrels get into your home?
Knowing a little about squirrels will help you understand. Squirrels are fairly intelligent mammals who can find weak spot on your property. They can rip open soffits, open vent hole, open walls, gable vents, and other roof vents. There are various different ways on how squirrels are able to come inside your home which can be mind blowing once you find out the exact measures they have taken. They are very good climbers, very strong and have agile paws. These traits make it easier for them to climb into your house, or rip soffits or vents and make their way into your attic. They are not one bit scared of heights as they are amazing climbers. Getting rid of squirrels can be tricky, but once they are in your home you should remove them immediately before they cause too much damage.
Some homes may have bigger holes and easier accesses to inside the house. Any ripped soffits or damage on the exterior wall makes it easier for squirrels to enter your home. If you do not fix the weak areas and wildlife proof your home, you may need squirrel control more often to make sure there are no squirrels returning to live inside their house. Once one squirrel lives in a house they leave behind their scent which attracts other wildlife and predators. It is advised when you remove squirrels you should clean that area extremely well. If you’ve had a squirrel in the attic check your attic insulation to see how badly it’s damaged and have your attic restored to its clean state. Wildlife proof your home! If you don’t want to hire a professional, take all the wildlife prevention methods you can yourself to prevent further unwanted critters entering your home. Houses with lots of tall trees surrounding them are higher at risk of having squirrels living in their home. Trim the branches from your house and check for any holes in your roof or soffits regularly throughout the year to ensure there is no wildlife in your home. Read our blog Signs that wildlife are living in your home. Check for these signs and try to remove anything that makes your home attractive to wildlife.
As mentioned previously, squirrels usually come in your attics by torn open soffits, open vent hole, torn open wall, gable vents, and other roof vents. You will want to seal any holes and or openings, but in doing so, you need to make sure you don’t trap the squirrel inside as this is cruel and is illegal. When sealing entry points, close all holes except for the one way entryway. Leave this opening open so that the squirrel will be able to get out. If there are babies involved you will have to contact a professional to remove the babies and their mother. Read our squirrel removal page for info on baby squirrel removal.
Call SOS Wildlife at 647-994-9453 for getting rid of Squirrels
by SOS Wildlife Control | Sep 30, 2015 | Squirrel Control
Last Updated: May 2021
Two species of squirrels found in Ontario are the grey squirrel and the red squirrel. The grey squirrel and the red squirrel produce babies twice annually. Most squirrel litters are born in February or March, and July or August. A litter comprises of one to eight babies but five or six are most common. The baby squirrels are naked, blind and deaf. The mother feeds them every two to four hours for several weeks. At 7-8 weeks, they start to follow their mother around within the den site. If the den is inside your attic this is when you will hear noise if you haven’t already noticed the cries.
Noise in your attic is usually caused by an unexpected guest, often a squirrel. Squirrels are one of the most common wildlife pests to be in your attic. One common complaint is the hearing of “scratching” noises, which usually ends up being a mother squirrel in the attic. The young squirrels begin to eat solid food and are weaned at 10-11 weeks of age. A month later, they start to leave the den. If there are not too many squirrels in the area, the young will build nests nearby. Otherwise, they will be chased away to less crowded feeding areas. Typically some of the squirrels will continue to use the birthing den, thus it is important to have baby squirrel removal conducted as they will keep returning to your attic.
Professional Baby Squirrel Removal
SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated will arrive at your home, inspect the area and provide you with a thorough outline of what the problem is, the main entry points and the squirrel removal options you have. The next step (upon hire) is an attic inspection. This is a hands on approach and allows us to invade the animals space. We can identify if there are babies involved or if it’s only adults. During the search of the attic, the technician must be aware that the mother squirrel may be lurking in the dark. It is her instinctive nature to protect her young and may be provoked when they approached. The mother squirrel needs to be chased out of the attic through the one-way door or kept at bay in order to get to the babies. The standard humane method for baby squirrel removal is by sealing all the entry points except one, and installing a one-way door at the main entry hole. This ensures the mother squirrel leaves and cannot re-enter. This method keeps squirrels from being locked inside a building and it greatly reduces the possibility of property damage. The technician will then be able to seek out the babies and remove them from the property. Once the technician have the babies, they are placed in an insulated heated box close to the one-way door installed. When the mother feels that it is safe, she will come back and relocate the babies one by one to the pre-established den.
Do-it-yourself Baby Squirrel Removal
Baby Season is the time squirrels and other wildlife start to have their babies. It is important during baby season if you hear or see any signs of wildlife in your home to check straight away for babies. Precautions must be taken with conducting baby squirrel removal, as it involves dependents which becomes more complicated. Never conduct baby squirrel removal on your own, contact an experienced technician. Ontario has strong animal welfare legislation, enforcing strong laws and tough penalties. Throughout the GTA, Richmond Hill, Markham, Scarborough etc. it is an offence to cause or permit distress to an animal.
“Their goal is to ensure Ontario’s animals are protected and treated in the humane manner that our society expects”.
Ministry of Natural Resources, 2015.
The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) recommends hiring a licensed professional like SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated to trap them and remove the animal especially during baby season. The MNR have issued licenses to professionals like ourselves with certain protocols must be followed. Please do not try and remove the babies yourself.
First thing you do is locate where the noises are coming from. Second thing you need to check, is if there are babies. Babies are usually noisy, you can hear them chirping, as they cry for their mother to be fed. The mother will be in and out of the nest to get food and water, so you may not hear the thuds of their paws at certain times of the morning and daylight hours.
Tips to help Identify Wildlife
- Squirrels jump around a lot – day and night! Squirrels like to hide their food, but they have a very short memory, so they scurry around looking for the food they hid. They are very noisy.
- Raccoons are larger than squirrels and you will hear sliding while it moves around slowly or fixes up its Raccoons are a lot louder than squirrels.
- Mice are harder to hear, small mice don’t make too many loud noises and the evidence they are there is when they walk out in the open of your home. However larger mice, who feel they are safe may get loud and you will probably need the assistance of experts.
- Birds in your attic you may occasionally hear scurrying or if there is babies you will hear chirping.
Within a couple weeks, the babies will start to move around and squeak and thump. By about 4 weeks of age, they begin to explore the attic – especially when the mother is not there. The mother comes and goes from the attic during the day and the babies spend a lot of time running around at night!
Mothers are very protective of their young and do not let any animal near them. As mother wildlife are very protective, they can be quite vicious. If you find the babies watch out for the mother as she may be lurking not too far.
If you have any over laying branches onto your roof you should cut these away, reducing access to you roof. Any loss shingles or broken timber should be fixed as raccoons/squirrels etc. can gnaw and claw at weak areas very quickly. We offer wildlife removal and prevention. Please call us for more information and free advice on your wildlife problems.
Call SOS Wildlife for Baby Squirrel Removal at 647-994-9453
by SOS Wildlife Control | Sep 25, 2015 | Squirrel Control
Last Updated: May 2016
Squirrel Control
If you think you have a squirrel control problem SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated can effectively and humanely remove them. Professional squirrel control involves humanely removing the squirrel(s) from your home, screening the animal entry holes and provide wildlife prevention services. Wildlife prevention helps prevent wildlife from causing further damage to your property.
Signs squirrels are in your home
When we receive phone calls from our customers we ask several 
questions to identify the type of animal. Usually the first sign it is a squirrel is the noise. Squirrels are very noisy. You will hear them scurrying typically at sunrise. At first light they begin looking for food and making irritating noise in the process. Try to track the time of day you hear the squirrel and identify what part of the house you hear it and for how long do you hear the noise. Not every squirrel removal process is identical, so knowing this information helps generate the best plan of action.
If the first sign is not by the noise then it usually is the customer finding the entry hole. You should look around your home for entry holes as there may be multiple entry points. The easiest are for squirrels to enter is through the roof. Squirrels will often rip through soffits, through vents and will gnaw through to gain entry into your attic. Professional wildlife technicians will close all entryways except one. On the last hole, a one-way door will be set up for the squirrel to exit. Upon request they will wildlife proof your home which consists of putting wire mesh around all weak areas of your home that squirrels are likely to go through. Read further on wildlife prevention.
Is Squirrel Control Necessary?
If you have squirrels in your attic or squirrels in your wall you should have them removed immediately. Squirrels get in, get comfortable and reproduce twice annually. The damage they cause can be quite overwhelming as they gnaw on everything to file their teeth, including wiring, siding, gutters, and make multiple entry holes costing you a lot in repairs. Damage depends on how long they remain in your attic, the longer you wait, the more damage. If the squirrels leave eventually, and no prevention methods are taken in place, the vacant space can be re-occupied by raccoons, mice, rats, bats etc. Not dealing with the problem may lead to bigger pests down the line, expensive roof problems and higher energy bills. We advise you to call a professional and have the problem dealt with efficiently and effectively.
Do it yourself squirrel removal
If you decide to take squirrel control into your own hands make sure it is humane. Do not trap the squirrels in the attic or wall or wherever they are. They will die. There are repellent products and sound emitters on the market, that may work, but only temporarily. People also play loud music to get rid of squirrels. You may be successful with some of these tactics but it will be short lived as the squirrels often return. It is my advice to not waste your money on these options. There is no quick and easy fix when it comes to squirrel control. It’s best to have a professional handle squirrel removal while you sit back and relax.
Read more about professional squirrel control on our
Squirrel Removal page where we describe our squirrel removal process.
Call SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated at 647-994-9453 for Squirrel Control
by SOS Wildlife Control | Sep 23, 2015 | Squirrel Control
Last Updated: May 2016
Squirrel in the Attic?
An attic provides a safe shelter for a squirrel, and usually meets all of their living requirements: shelter, safety and food. The first step if you have a squirrel in the attic is to identify if there really is a squirrel in the attic as it may be a raccoon or another wildlife animal. Next, you’ll need to determine how to remove the squirrel in the attic. Last, you need to know how to prevent future squirrels in the attic.
How to know you have a Squirrel in the Attic
Three common ways to identify if you have a squirrel in the attic is by sight, noise, damage.
Sight
The easiest way to know you have a squirrel is to spot it. You may see it entering or leaving however this could be rare as they are very skilled at staying hidden. Squirrels are active early in the morning and make a lot of noise, this may be the best time to spot them. If you do see a squirrel in the attic have them removed immediately.
Noise
The most common way to know you have a squirrel in the attic is to hear it. Noise is the primary way our customers know they have a squirrel in the attic. We get calls early in the morning as the squirrel in the attic can be a definite nuisance. A squirrel in the attic can be very loud, move fast and keep you awake at night compared to a raccoon who moves slower and are heavier. Raccoons are nocturnal and only make noise mainly at night were a squirrel will make noises throughout the day.
Damage
You can also identify a squirrel problem by the damage they cause. They may destroy anything that gets in their way in their search for food. They will knock over garbage cans, break glass, and destroy property. The longer you have a squirrel in the attic the more damage they will cause. Having a squirrel for two weeks will cause a lot of damage to your attic as they can chew through the wood at the side of your house or chew through soffits to gain access. They don’t just make one entryway they make several and having several holes on your roof affects the energy costs in your house. In some cases, squirrels chew on electric wires which can cause a fire hazard. As soon as you notice a squirrel in the attic you should have them removed immediately! For more information on squirrel damages read our Squirrel Removal page.
What to do if you have a squirrel in the attic?
If you have a squirrel in the attic you have two options to remove it: Do it yourself squirrel removal or hire a professional like SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated to remove the squirrel in the attic for you.
Do it yourself squirrel removal
Gimmick Products:
This involves using sprays, loud music, sound devices and other gimmicks to scare away the squirrel. Although these methods may work temporarily, the squirrel usually returns.
Eliminate Attractants
Other ways you can resolve a squirrel problem without trapping the animal is to eliminate whatever is attracting the squirrel to your property – garbage, pet food, a pond, tree branches etc. Assess you house for weak points where they may enter and exit.
There is a lot of dangers with do it yourself squirrel removal and you may spend a lot of time and money on gimmicks that don’t work. We highly recommend removing squirrels professionally by someone who is a trained expert with experience. If you are going to try to remove the squirrel yourself please read up on the Ministry of Natural Resources Laws. It’s important to make sure the safety and welfare of the animal is considered at all times. Check out out Squirrel Removal page for more information.
Baby Squirrels in the Attic
If you have a squirrel in the attic, be aware that depending on the time of the year, there is a high chance for baby squirrels to be present as well. If you have baby squirrels in the attic, do not remove them by yourself, hire a professional. Mother squirrels are extremely protective of there young. You will not want to enter an attic with a mother squirrel and babies as a wild animal in a confined space protecting her young can be dangerous! Read our method for baby squirrel removal on our Squirrel Removal page.
Prevent future Squirrel in the Attic
To prevent future animals entering your home SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated provides wildlife prevention for your home. Wildlife Prevention helps keep them out and is a very smart move to save you money in the future. Read our Wildlife Prevention page for more information.
Call SOS Wildlife if you have a squirrel in the attic
647-994-9453
