As cool weather starts to approach, people may soon find wild animals trying to move into their home and their yard. While some people have very environmentally friendly yards that encourage wildlife to visit, some do not and that is ok. Thankfully there are many ways to humanely and effectively prevent unwanted wild visitors.
Discouraging New Residents
The best way to keep many animals from setting up a home in your yard or attic is to minimize its level of attractiveness and its accessibility. You can achieve this by doing the following:
- Seal cracks and gaps in your home.
- Substances like caulk, expandable foam, mortar, and plywood can all be used to seal any exterior openings. Animals like squirrels and raccoons can also climb trees to access your roof so it is important to trim tree limbs or wrap the bottom of the tree in aluminum to prevent them from climbing up and setting up dens on your roof or in your attic.
- Secure potential food and water sources.
- Clean your grill after each use.
- Secure your compost.
- Fix leaky pipes and dump standing water in your yard.
- Clean spilled seed under bird feeders.
- Purposely feeding wildlife or leaving food out for stray cats will also continually attract any number of wild animals to your home so make sure to keep any pet food or water dishes inside.
- Maintain your property and landscaping.
- Keep clutter to a minimum. Reduce hiding spots by keeping your garage, shed, and yard organized.
- Maintain your landscaping by removing brush piles quickly, trimming trees and shrubs away from your house, and removing fallen debris, especially organic matter (fallen fruits and leaves) as these all attract wildlife to your yard.
Other Methods of Discouraging Wildlife from Inhabiting your Yard
Physical Barriers
- Netting or Tarps that cover nesting areas such as porch lights and eaves.
- Mesh or Wire that covers open, covered areas where birds may nest
- Gutter guards
Visual Repellants
- Shiny objects – Can hang old CD’s, aluminum foil, mirrors, reflective tape, wind chimes and other objects that move in the wind and reflect light.
- Predator Decoys – Plastic hawks, owls, or coyotes. Some move and make noise, some are stationary.
- Motion activated sprinklers and lights.
Auditory Repellants
- Ultrasonic devices that emit high frequency sounds humans can’t hear but animals can.
- Playing music when the animal would be active.
Scent and Taste Repellants
- There are commercial repellents like peppermint oil, garlic, and predator urine that can repel animals from your yard. You can also plant strong smelling herbs such as mint, lavender, and rosemary around the borders of your yard.
- You can sprinkle spicy or bitter herbs on your garden/flowers to deter animals from consuming them.
Encouraging Unwanted Guests to Leave
If a family of wild animals has already set up a den in your home or yard, some of the techniques mentioned above can help encourage them to find a new home. Placing objects such as strong lights, reflective CDs or tins, blinking holiday lights, motion-activated sprinklers, loud music, or windchimes near the den, especially at night, could encourage the animals to relocate. Many animals are repelled by strong smells such as vinegar, citrus, menthol, coffee grounds, rubbing alcohol, and some essential oils. Try one or a combination of different smells sprayed near the den to discourage animals from returning.
Techniques to Avoid
While trapping and relocating wildlife may look like an easy fix to unwanted wildlife nesting near your home, it is not. Removing wild animals is illegal without the proper permits and only allows new animals to move into the vacated area. In addition, handling animals without the proper equipment can be dangerous. This is not only due to their ability to inflict damage such as bite wounds or scratches but because these animals could carry diseases that can spread to humans. You should never use poisons or toxic substances to get rid of wild animals as this is inhumane, potentially illegal, and usually affects more than just the targeted species. Substances like rodenticide can also cause secondary poisoning in other wild animals or even pets. If the deterrents listed in the beginning of this article have all been tried and do not work, and there is a wild animal in your home, it is best to contact a wildlife control operator. Make sure to do your research and look for the most environmentally conscience companies. In Illinois, you can find more information at https://wildlifeillinois.org/remove-nuisance-wildlife/hire-a-wildlife-control-operator/.
Also remember, keeping wild animals without the proper permits is illegal and can be detrimental to the animal’s health as they have special dietary needs along with specific husbandry and handling requirements that untrained individuals may not be knowledgeable about. If you find healthy orphaned wildlife, it is best to first observe and try to reunite them with their parents. If that is not successful, get them to a licensed rehabilitator as soon as possible. In the meantime, keep them in a warm, dark, quiet area until you can get them to a licensed rehabilitator and DO NOT offer food or water. To find a licensed rehabilitator in Illinois, visit https://wildlifeillinois.org/get-help-for-injured-wildlife/list-of-licensed-wildlife-rehabilitators/.
Written By: Talia D., Class of 2026, and Sydney Oliveira
