Your love for animals does not mean you should have to deal with damages caused to your home, cottage, yard or garden shed by unwanted animals. These unauthorized visitors include deer, hares, squirrels, mice, rats, raccoons and skunks.
Preventive methods
In the fall, unwanted animals look for food and a warm place to stay.
Here are a few preventive methods to apply to keep them away from your cozy nest.
- Put your garbage in robust airtight containers. Otherwise, it's sure to be a prime target. If it can be accessed easily or is unstable, you will most likely end up with unwanted visitors.
- Use chicken wire under the garden shed or patio to prevent access to those hiding spots. Make sure to work a part of the wire into the ground as small animals won't hesitate to dig to reach their goal.
- Avoid leaving pet food outdoors. It would be impossible for raccoons to resist it.
- Make sure your lawn is free from white grubs. Nocturnal animals, like skunks and raccoons, love to feed on that "delicacy". Apply nematodes to fight white grubs.
- Use a spray to keep unwanted animals at bay. That type of product, which repels by taste, can be applied on the bark of trees, on the outside of plants and flowers, near garbage cans, on posts and fences, and on bushes.
- Install wire netting specially designed to cover the top of your chimney. Otherwise, small animals like rodents won't hesitate to use it to enter your house.
- Avoid allowing access to a source of water near your house. A children's pool, for example, could attract thirsty animals or animals in need of a bath.
- Install fences to keep deer at bay if their presence is significant in your region.
- Do not leave residues such as piles of leaves, fruits or seeds laying on the ground. Here again, they would be a prime target for several unwanted animals.
- Use a motion-activated light to repel the animals that live mostly at night.
