Shelter · Pests & Wildlife
Wildlife Encounters
Raccoons, skunks, bats, snakes, squirrels, and other wildlife near or inside your home. How to identify them, prevent access, coexist safely, and know when professional removal is needed.
Shelter · Pests & Wildlife
Raccoons, skunks, bats, snakes, squirrels, and other wildlife near or inside your home. How to identify them, prevent access, coexist safely, and know when professional removal is needed.
Wildlife in your yard is normal. Wildlife inside your home is a maintenance problem. The distinction matters because the response is different: most outdoor wildlife encounters require no action beyond removing the attractant, while an animal in the attic, crawlspace, or wall cavity typically requires professional removal followed by exclusion work to prevent re-entry.1
This guide covers the most common residential wildlife encounters, what each animal is likely doing near your home, how to prevent access, and when to call a licensed nuisance wildlife control operator. It does not provide trapping or relocation instructions. In most states, trapping and relocating wildlife without a permit is either illegal or regulated, and relocation often fails to solve the problem if the entry point or attractant remains.2
The animals described here are not enemies. They are looking for the same things you are: food, shelter, and water. The goal is to make your home unavailable to them while leaving them space to live in the landscape where they belong.
Highly adaptable, intelligent, and dexterous. Raccoons can open latches, pry off vent covers, and tear through rotting fascia to access attics and crawlspaces. They are attracted to trash, pet food, birdseed, and accessible compost. They are primarily nocturnal but may be active during the day, especially nursing mothers.
Prevention: Secure trash can lids (bungee cords or locking cans). Bring pet food inside at night. Install chimney caps. Cover crawlspace and attic openings with heavy-gauge hardware cloth. Repair rotting fascia and soffit damage promptly.
If one is in your home: Contact a licensed nuisance wildlife control operator. Do not attempt to trap or handle raccoons yourself. Raccoons are a rabies vector species in the United States, and their droppings can contain a dangerous parasite (Baylisascaris procyonis, raccoon roundworm) that requires professional cleanup.3, 4
Skunks are naturally docile and non-aggressive. They den under decks, porches, sheds, and in crawlspaces, often entering through gaps in foundation skirting. They dig small, cone-shaped holes in lawns while foraging for grubs.
Prevention: Seal gaps under decks, porches, and sheds using hardware cloth with a buried L-shaped apron (6 to 12 inches below grade, extending 12 inches outward). Eliminate grub habitat by maintaining a healthy lawn. Bring pet food inside.
If one is on your property: A skunk in the yard will usually move on by morning. Do not approach, corner, or startle it. If a skunk has established a den under a structure, contact a wildlife control professional. Skunks are a rabies vector species.3
Bats are beneficial insect predators. A single bat can consume thousands of insects per night. They roost in attics, behind shutters, in wall voids, and under eaves. Colony roosting can produce significant guano accumulation that creates odor and health concerns.
Prevention: Seal gaps larger than 3/8 inch along the roofline, around soffit vents, and where the chimney meets the roof. Install chimney caps. Many bat exclusion projects use one-way doors that allow bats to exit but prevent re-entry; this work is typically done by professionals.
Rabies exposure: Bats are the leading source of rabies exposure in the United States. Do not touch a bat with bare hands. If a bat was found in a room where someone was sleeping, or if physical contact occurred, contain the bat without touching it and contact your local health department for rabies testing guidance. Consult a healthcare provider about potential exposure.3
Squirrels enter attics through gaps at the roofline, damaged soffit panels, and where tree branches touch the structure. Once inside, they can cause significant damage by chewing wiring, insulation, and structural wood.
Prevention: Trim tree branches so they do not touch or overhang the roof. Seal gaps along the roofline with hardware cloth or sheet metal. Repair damaged fascia and soffit panels. Cap the chimney.
If one is in your attic: Contact a wildlife control professional. Squirrels that have chewed their way in will chew through a simple patch. Professional exclusion uses one-way doors and reinforced sealing at all potential entry points.
Most snakes found in residential yards are nonvenomous and beneficial. They feed on rodents, insects, slugs, and other pests. Black rat snakes, garter snakes, and king snakes are among the most common species encountered around homes and are entirely harmless to people.
Prevention: Snakes go where their food is. Reducing rodent habitat, clearing debris, woodpiles, and rock piles away from the foundation, and keeping grass mowed reduces snake activity near the home. Seal foundation gaps to prevent entry into crawlspaces and basements.1
If you encounter a snake: Leave it alone. Give it space to move away. Do not attempt to handle, kill, or relocate it. If you cannot identify the species, maintain a safe distance. Your state wildlife agency publishes identification guides for venomous species in your region.
If a snake is inside your home: Close the door to the room it is in and place a rolled towel at the base of the door to contain it. Contact a wildlife control professional or your state wildlife agency for guidance on safe removal.
Opossums are generally harmless and are one of the most beneficial wildlife species for residential areas. They eat ticks, carrion, rodents, slugs, and overripe fruit. They are rarely aggressive and are extremely unlikely to carry rabies due to their low body temperature. They may den under decks or in crawlspaces.
Prevention: Seal crawlspace and deck openings with hardware cloth. Bring pet food inside. Secure trash lids. If an opossum is living under a structure, it will usually move on within a few days if the food source is removed.
Coexistence note: An opossum in your yard is usually helping. They consume large numbers of ticks and are not typically a nuisance unless they are accessing pet food, trash, or denning in an inconvenient location.
The animals most frequently found with rabies in the United States are bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes. The CDC estimates that approximately 100,000 Americans receive post-exposure treatment for potential rabies exposure each year.3
Rabies is a fatal but preventable viral disease. It is transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal, usually through a bite or scratch. You cannot tell if an animal is rabid by looking at it. The best prevention is to keep your distance from wildlife, keep pets vaccinated, and never handle wild animals with bare hands.
Wash the wound immediately and thoroughly with soap and water for at least 15 minutes. Contact a healthcare provider promptly. Report the incident to your local animal control or health department. If possible, note the animal's species, location, and behavior without approaching it. Post-exposure treatment (PEP) is nearly 100% effective when administered promptly after exposure.3
Nocturnal animals active during the day, staggering or circling, unprovoked aggression, apparent disorientation, or a wild animal that approaches people without fear. These behaviors can indicate rabies, distemper, or other disease. Do not approach the animal. Contact your local animal control or state wildlife agency.
This guide does not include trapping or relocation instructions. The legal landscape for wildlife trapping varies significantly by state. In many states, homeowners cannot legally trap and relocate certain wildlife species without a permit. Some states prohibit relocation entirely for rabies vector species.2
Beyond legality, relocation often fails as a solution. If the entry point or attractant that brought the animal remains, another animal of the same species will typically move in. Professional wildlife control operators address both the animal and the conditions that attracted it, which is why extension programs and state agencies recommend professional help for animals inside the structure.
Contact your state wildlife agency for specific regulations in your area, or search for a licensed nuisance wildlife control operator through your state's Department of Natural Resources or Department of Environmental Conservation.
The same principles that prevent rodent and insect entry also prevent wildlife access. These are the highest-impact steps:
Install chimney caps on all open flues
Cover crawlspace, attic, and soffit vents with heavy-gauge hardware cloth (not chicken wire, which raccoons can tear through)
Repair rotting fascia, soffit panels, and roof damage promptly
Trim tree branches so they do not touch or overhang the roof
Seal gaps under decks, porches, and sheds with hardware cloth and a buried apron
Secure trash lids and bring pet food inside at night
Keep pets vaccinated against rabies
Wildlife entering a rental property through structural openings is a landlord maintenance issue. Document the entry point (or evidence of wildlife such as sounds, droppings, or damage) with photos and notify your landlord in writing. Chimney caps, vent covers, and crawlspace repairs are the property owner's responsibility.
You can help by managing food attractants on your end: secure trash, bring pet food inside, and report structural damage early before it becomes an entry point.
Sealing the structural openings that wildlife uses to enter homes.
Removing the food sources and shelter that attract wildlife to your property.
Motion lighting and physical barriers for wildlife deterrence.
Mice and rats use many of the same entry points as larger wildlife.