Image of rodents in an attic

Wildlife removal calls in Charleston

In Rats, Pest Control, Rodents, Wildlife Removal by MaryJane

WILDLIFE REMOVAL: RATS, BATS AND SQUIRRELS

TOP 3 Wildlife Removal Calls in Charleston, SC

​Whether you’re a Charleston native, or just recently moved here, it’s no secret that we have our fair share of wildlife invaders. These are the top three wildlife removal calls we get here in this area…

Rats

​Rats are absolutely the last animal a person wants to hear that they have in their house or business. Unfortunately, they are #1 top wildlife removal call that we get to trap from homes and businesses. Norway Brown Rats and Black Rats are notorious for finding their way into your home through the tiniest of cracks or crevices. Most often through your crawlspace, attic, and chewing their way in around pipes or behind appliances.

These disease carrying, damage causing rats are populating faster than rodent control efforts can put them in check.  That, coupled with the explosion in development in the greater Charleston area has created a giant population density of rats!  And unfortunately, these rats are now seeking shelter in the attics, crawlspaces and interiors of homes and businesses.

Rat activity in your home or business can lead to major health hazards. If left unchecked, can undoubtedly cause major damage to your house and end up costing you thousands of dollars.  Water lines, electrical wires, and ductwork are just a few major components of your home or business that rats can damage.

Some major things to consider when facing a rat problem are:

• Rats leave a strong odor trail from pheromones, urine, and body oils. This attracts other rats and rodents to the space.
• Rats’ reproduction rate is HUGE. A reproducing male, female and their offspring can produce up to 10,000 rats in a single year!
• Rats’ teeth continue to grow throughout their life. They spend  90% of their waking hours indiscriminately chewing to file their teeth down.  When in your home or business rats prefer to chew soft plastics to file them down.
 
 Rat problem?  Call Feather Fighters Wildlife Removal today!

Squirrels

​Though squirrels may be a lot cuter than their cousin the rat, they are part of the rat/Rodentia family. They can cause catastrophe in your home and are the #2 ranked call we get for wildlife removal.  

Unlike rats, squirrels will leave your house during the day to forage for food and return at dusk to seek asylum in your house or business. Just like rats, they will chew wires and soft plastics. This can lead to water pipes being burst, and even be a major threat of a house fire.

How do you keep squirrels, or rats, from overrunning your home or business? 

Some steps you can take to prevent a squirrel infestation are:

• Cutting back any trees and limbs that run close to your roof lines to cut down on access for rats and squirrels.
• Sealing any builders’ gaps that are present in your eaves and rooflines.
• Making sure your roof vents, ridge vents and gable vents are sealed and secure so rats and squirrels can’t get in the attic.  
 
Squirrel problem?  Call Feather Fighters Wildlife Removal today!
 

Bats

Small brown bats, sometimes called flying rats of downtown Charleston, are the #3 wildlife removal call we get in the greater Charleston area. Small brown bats are the only bats that are indigenous to the Lowcountry of South Carolina and are facing declining colony numbers due to a disease called White Nose Syndrome. This has made them a threatened species. Because of this, wildlife removal operators are no longer able to trap them, like we can rats and squirrels. Instead, we determine the bats entry and exit point from the house, and seal all other areas on the home or business so the bats don’t enter elsewhere. An excluder is then placed over the entry/egress so that bats cannot reenter after flying out for food at dusk.

Although they don’t chew your pipes and wires like rats and squirrels, they can still cause major damage since bat guano (feces) accumulates quickly and can make a dwelling uninhabitable from the smell and upper respiratory health risks.  It is extremely important to have your home sealed and bats excluded by a wildlife removal operator as soon as you notice activity.  

What can you do to determine if you have a bat issue before calling a wildlife removal operator?

• Walk around the perimeter of your home or business at dusk and watch the rooflines, dormers and eaves to see if you have bats exiting.
• Open your attic hatch and see if you notice a strong, pungent, ammonia type odor.
• Look for accumulations of bat guano; small, black, banana shaped feces along wall lines, like a rats but smaller.

Still not sure or now know you have bats?  Call Feather Fighters Wildlife Removal ASAP!

No one wants these furry trespassers in their household.  Living in the beautiful Lowcountry means that rat, squirrel and bat problems are something that we accept as a risk. Whether you have a current rat, squirrel or bat problem or want to do preventative work to ensure you never have a wildlife control issue, give Feather Fighters Wildlife Removal a call. We will be glad to help you in defending your home or business from these destructive critters.