Do you hear strange noises at night? Can you feel like someone besides your family is living in your home? Are screeching sounds keeping you up? This doesn’t mean your house is haunted or that someone has broken in. You just might have uninvited guests that have inhabited your basement. If you are wondering whether your unwanted guests have fur, wings, four legs, or no legs at all, there are some signs that can solve this mystery. Keep in mind that after you have identified which animal is in question, you should call an expert who will remove it for you.
Rodents
Fixing cracks in your foundation is not only a way to secure the structural stability of your home, but also a good practice that will make it more difficult for furry pests to get into your house. If you have noticed there are cracks in your basement walls or floors but have done absolutely nothing to repair them, you might have just as well put up a huge sign in front of your house that says, “Welcome, rodents.” Even if there is the slightest chance, rats, mice, squirrels, and other rodents will move into your home, especially during the colder months. However, that doesn’t mean your home cannot become a home to the family of mice during the summer. If they nest in your walls, they will chew up your wires, insulation, and everything that stands in their way, making your basement a really unpleasant place to be.
Although there are several kinds of rodents that could move into your home, they all leave pretty much the same indicators of their presence. While mice, rats, and chipmunks will leave their droppings in smaller bunches, squirrels will make a larger mess, but only because they are bigger. The only way you can tell whether mice, rats, or squirrels have inhabited your home is the location of the damage they have caused. While rats and mice will ruin your drywall near your joints, squirrels and chipmunks love to climb and therefore will cause damage to your ceiling.
Snakes
The good news about having snakes in your Baltimore, MD, home is that they won’t compromise the structural integrity of your home. The bad news is that they are a safety threat. Snakes love warm places, so if they have made their way into your home, you will most likely find them in your sump pump battery, the HVAC system, and other places where the temperatures are higher. If your family members, especially kids, or your pets get too close to these utilities without noticing the snake, they could get really hurt. The other problem with snakes is that they are really hard to spot in dark and unfinished basements. However, there is a telltale sign that you have snakes, and that is snakeskin. You can also pay attention to your pet’s behavior. If your dog or your cat won’t come near one of your utilities, you might want to call an exterminator and have them see what is going on.
Raccoons
Having these uninvited guests in your basement can be a pain, but one animal in particular stands out from the crowd. Raccoons take the destruction of your basement to a whole new level. The shape of their paws allows them to tear into your insulation, destroy your drywall, and make all sorts of messes. Pregnant raccoons can see your basement as the perfect place for giving birth, which can be an even bigger problem for you.
Just like mice and rats, raccoons tend to leave droppings behind them, but unlike those tiny furry creatures, raccoons are not so subtle. They are really noisy, so if you hear odd sounds in your basement, call the experts and schedule an inspection. Facing an angry or scared raccoon can be tricky if you don’t have the proper equipment, so leave it to the pros.
Bats and Birds
Sometimes the unwanted guests have wings, which is a whole new problem. Bats and birds can easily get in your basement if you leave the door open for a second too long. While bats won’t harm your home as rats will, they are a health hazard. They can bring diseases into your home and put your family’s health at risk. Birds are also magnets for bacteria, but they are also more destruction-oriented than bats. They will do their best to leave your basement and your home, so you will most likely find feathers and smudged windows throughout your basement. They can also be aggressive when they are hunting for food.
Just like other animals on this list, bats and birds can leave feces all over your home. While birds will steal materials and make nests in your basement to make themselves feel more comfortable, bats do not need them. The simplest way to locate these creatures is to follow their feces.
Removing Unwanted Animals from Your Home
Like keeping your home healthy and safe isn’t hard on its own, dealing with unwanted animals in your house is like icing on the cake. Trying to deal with these invaders on your own is not easy, especially if the structural integrity of your basement is at risk.
While professional contractors in the Baltimore, MD, area can fix the damage these animals have caused, they cannot remove them from your home. However, you can contact them and see whether they are able to recommend any specific exterminators or animal control representatives. When you have managed to get rid of these unwanted guests, schedule a free inspection and see what repairs you may need to restore the health of your house.
