Wildlife Removal Before & After Photos

After safely and successfully retrieving a raccoon from this home in Freehold, NJ, we needed to patch up the main access point in the soffit. As we discussed different sealing options with the homeowner, she had mentioned that she didn't want any screws in her soffit. 

So we measured out the access point and cut a portion of metal flashing (that match the same color of the soffit area). We then installed it over the access point and secured it in place with a waterproof, premium adhesive.

As this homeowner in Freehold, NJ was putting his gardening equipment away in his outdoor shed, he came across a raccoon exiting from the gable vent! He closed the door and immediately called Little Rascals for help.

When we arrived, we noticed that the raccoon had destroyed the gable vent in order to gain access to the shed. We temporarily enclosed the area off with hardware cloth and installed a one-way device over it. A one-way device will allow the raccoon to safely leave the area but prevent it from getting back in. We also placed several baited devices nearby. 

A short while later, we successfully retrieved the raccoon and relocated it to a new, humane environment. In order to prevent any other raccoons, or any other nuisance wildlife from reinfesting the shed, we installed an XclusionPro® louvered vent guard over the gable vent. This sturdy material is made of expanded galvanneal steel and will exclude all nuisance wildlife. 

An Avanel, NJ homeowner contacted Cowleys for a nuisance wildlife technician to take care of a wildlife problem, and I was dispatched to his home. He told me that animals, possibly opossums, were gaining access under his cantilevered flooring. I have an interest in building construction and, to me, cantilevers are a great example of smart home building. With standard framing construction, joists are extended to a girder at the front end, and the framing looks like a bed frame. However, with cantilevered flooring, instead of a girder at the end of the joists, a beam is placed under the joists, so they can extend past that support.

That overhang that is past the beam is what’s called the cantilever. Using this construction, you can extend a home’s footprint and save on material costs— as long as it’s done right. For a safe cantilever overhang, you have to consider the strength of the particular wood and the spacing of the joists. Also, since the beam acts as a fulcrum, you have to make sure that the flooring can handle the weight put on the cantilever by taking into account the backspan of the joists (the distance of the joist up to the beam). Cantilevered engineering is like building a playground teeter-totter that you don’t want to budge an inch when weight is placed on the unsupported side. Unfortunately, some wildlife was as impressed with this cantilevered flooring as I was — and they wanted an up-close view by getting into the spacing under the flooring extending over the foundation!

For this particular job, the animals had made of mess of things with their clawing and droppings, and I needed to remove all of the debris and contaminated insulation underneath. I was able to access the area through the ceiling of the basement. After removing the debris, I sanitized and deodorized the entire area so that no other wildlife would be attracted to the same area by the left-over scent. For added measure, I blocked off every bay in the framing with Silver-Glo insulation and spray foam. Finally, I installed a Dig Defense® on the exterior portion of the cantilever and the rear deck to keep wildlife from being able to gain access. With a dig defense, the area invaded by wildlife is blocked by underground fencing to prevent them from re-entering. 

This homeowner in Morganville, NJ had an issue with bats roaming around his attic, so our Nuisance Wildlife Division was sent out and safely removed them from the home. Now that the bats are gone, we need to make sure they don't get back in!

After a thorough examination of the home, we determined that the bats were able to enter the home via the ridge vent & the attic fan. To fix this, we installed Ridge-Guard® and an attic fan cover. Ridge-Guard® secures and reinforces the ridge vent shingles so that bats, flying squirrels, and other nuisance wildlife are unable to enter. The attic fan covers are made out of heavy-duty 18 Gauge expanded Galvannealed steel mesh and prevents all nuisance wildlife from entering the home through the attic fan. Not only is the home properly secured from bats, but all nuisance wildlife too!

This homeowner in Morganville, NJ, had an infestation of squirrels in their attic. After a thorough inspection, we discovered that they were entering the home via the gable vent. Squirrels infesting a home via the gable vents is very common as over time, the gable vents get weathered and squirrels (and other nuisance wildlife) have no problem ripping away these vents to find shelter inside a home. After installing our retrieval devices, in a short amount of time, we successfully and safely retrieved all the squirrels and relocated them to a new, humane location.

Before we left, we removed the broken gable vent, disinfected the attic, and installed a louvered vent guard. This material is made out of heavy-duty Galvannealed steel (which means it won't rust) and is customized to accommodate vents of all shapes and sizes. Now that it is installed, squirrels and other nuisance wildlife will no longer be able to enter the attic through the gable vent.