If you have suffered from household pests before, you know that half of the battle is figuring out ways to prevent them from ever entering your home in the first place.
If you’ve suffered from household pests before, you know that half of the battle is figuring out ways to prevent them from entering your home in the first place. How do animals get into your home and how can you prevent ever needing to call Shumaker’s Animal Control for animal removal?
Why Are Animals Trying to Get In?
Especially as the cold sets in outside, animals are looking for warm places to stay and live. Wild animals can live almost anywhere in your house including the basement, the attic, or even the walls of your home. Animals want a safe place that provides shelter, warmth, and protection from the elements to raise their family—just like you.
How Do Wild Animals Get into Homes?
Animals, depending on their size, can use a variety of methods to get inside of your home. Here are some of the most common animals that people need removed and how they make it inside of your home:
- Mice get into your home through very tiny openings in floors, walls, doors, or foundations. They are very difficult to get rid of because they are so small and so good at reproducing! Many times you won’t even know that mice are inside of your home until you see their droppings or other signs of their presence.
- Squirrels are bigger than mice, so they can’t fit through the same tiny holes. Squirrels are infamous for residing in attics that they enter through unsealed or unscreened vents, holes made by other animals, or holes that they create on their own.
- Raccoons are also typically attic-dwellers. Many homeowners do not secure soffits to their roofs, leaving entrances and perfect homes for raccoons.
- Snakes can get into your home surprisingly easily thanks to their slithering thin shape! They enter through gaps or cracks in your home.
Top 5 Entry Points for Animals in Homes
Top 5 Entry Points for Animals in Homes
1. Gaps Under Doors
Poor Seals or Missing Weather Stripping
Animals like mice, snakes, and insects can slip in through small gaps under doors. Worn-out or missing weather stripping makes this easy. Garage doors are especially common entry points when they don’t close flush with the ground.
2. Vents and Exhaust Openings
Dryer Vents, Attic Vents, and Bathroom Exhausts
These spots often go unnoticed. Birds, squirrels, and rodents can squeeze into uncovered or loosely fitted vents. Once inside, they may nest in attics or behind walls. Screens or covers that are damaged or missing increase the risk.
3. Roof and Attic Openings
Loose Shingles, Soffits, and Chimneys
Animals like raccoons, bats, and squirrels often access homes through weaknesses in the roof. Gaps around chimneys, broken soffits, or lifted shingles are common paths. If attic vents aren’t sealed properly, they can serve as easy access points.
4. Cracks in Foundations and Walls
Structural Openings at Ground Level
Rodents and insects often enter through small cracks or holes at the base of a house. Over time, homes shift or settle, creating new openings. Foundation vents or utility gaps where cables or pipes enter the house are also common routes.
5. Open Windows and Pet Doors
Unsecured Openings Left by Occupants
Leaving windows open without screens or pet doors unsecured provides an easy way in for animals. Even larger animals like raccoons or opossums can push through if there’s no barrier.
Have an Animal Inside of Your Home That Shouldn’t Be There? Give Us a Call!
Shumaker’s Animal Control has over 25 years of experience in the animal and pest control field. Whatever your problem, we can help remedy the situation and restore your home (or yard) back to normal. Give us a call at (443) 854-8072 or contact us online today to see how we can help you! For more information on household and neighborhood pests and how to protect your family, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+.
