Humane Wildlife Eviction

Has a mother raccoon, groundhog, chipmunk, or other wild animal turned the area under your deck or shed, or a warm spot in your attic or uncapped chimney, into a nursery? While they would prefer to den in a natural structure, wild animals have adapted to changes we’ve made to their environment. If an unwelcome guest has taken up residence in or under your home, here are some helpful things to know: 


  • Between March and August, wildlife may be looking for shelter in, under, or around a home in which to give birth and raise their young. 
  • During this time, if you see one adult animal, know that dependent young are likely present too, or may be soon. 
  • Some well-meaning homeowners elect to live trap and relocate animals during this time, or to hire a pest control company to do so. Not realizing babies may be present, this results in tragedy – wild animal babies dying of starvation, exposure, or predation.  
  • It’s not only the dependent young who suffer when adults are trapped and released elsewhere. Wild animals do not adapt quickly when dumped into an unfamiliar environment. They’re disoriented and don’t know where to find shelter, food, or water, or where to go to escape from predators. 
  • If at all possible, wait for the young family to leave the den in a few weeks.
  • If you absolutely cannot, there are humane deterrent strategies (listed below) you can try so mom has a chance to move her babies and find somewhere else to raise them. 
  • Only if these strategies are not effective, we recommend Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control. This company not only uses more humane methods for removing wildlife (reducing stress and keeping families together during the birthing season), but they also perform a thorough inspection of your home, identifying and securing entry points (once they know there are no animals present). Securing entry points is the only way to keep wildlife out permanently. 


Wildlife Deterrents

Deterrents discourage animals from using an area. For mammals, they may include physical, visual, auditory, or taste/smell deterrents. Mammals are not usually easily deterred by one type of deterrent alone though. Try using a combination of the techniques below, but don’t go overboard. It is possible for a wild animal mother to be so scared that she abandons her young. If tolerating mom and babies for a few weeks is utterly impossible, you can try these techniques in hopes that mom will relocate herself and her babies to an alternate site. 


  • Motion-sensitive sprinklers
  • Motion-sensor lights
  • Reflective balloons
  • A light shining into the den (a caged light is useful if there are fire-hazard concerns). A small battery strobe light can be an inexpensive and effective way to encourage animals to leave
  • A radio tuned to a talk station or a podcast played through a Bluetooth speaker placed in a target location
  • Sonic scare devices
  • Rags soaked in apple cider vinegar (When young are present, avoid ammonia-soaked rags, since pure ammonia can burn lungs if animals inhale it at close range, and this would be very toxic to baby animals. Place a rag in a plastic bag, pour the vinegar in until it has soaked the rag, seal the bag, then poke holes in the bag.)
  • Sweaty gym socks
  • Rags soaked in dog, cat, or human urine (Avoid store-bought predator urine, as this may be obtained through inhumane practices.)
  • A small bag filled with urine-soaked cat litter
  • Human hair or dog hair can deter rabbits


Give these harassment techniques some time to work. Continue the strategies during the hours the animal is active (depending on whether they are nocturnal or diurnal) for 72 hours. To find out if mom and babies have moved (she may need to take several trips to collect all her young), you can set up a trail cam or cover the entrance to the den with newspaper to see if it has been moved or torn through. Make certain no animals are left in the den before you seal it to prevent more animals from using the space.

Wildlife Exclusion Techniques

If you have wild animals denning in, around, or under your home or shed, you can be certain that unless you permanently seal the entry point(s), removing or evicting one animal or family will only result in another moving in to take their space. 

When you are absolutely sure there are no animals living in your structure, research methods for sealing entry points and either seal them yourself or hire Skedaddle to seal them. These projects often involve hardware cloth blocking off spots like roof fascia, roof vent openings, chimneys (check your local fire code before making your own, or purchase a chimney cap with no gap), dryer and stove exhaust vents, window wells, and areas where burrowing animals may try to dig in order to access an area under a shed.  

Thank you for considering humane and effective strategies for handling wildlife conflict situations.