NWR Field Notes

On Friday we responded to a call about an odor in a closet. When we arrived we could tell that it was definitely a dead animal odor. The tech went into the attic and retrieved a female rat and 4 young. He then treated the area with enzymes to eliminate the odor, problem solved!

Or not, on Tues the customer called back and stated that she was away for the weekend and when she returned the odor was still present. We sent our tech out again and yes the odor was definitely still present. Again we went up into the attic and after looking and looking we finally found it…on the other side of the closet there was a nest of baby rats.  So, we treated it again with enzymes and problem solved….

Or so we thought once again…..Thursday morning the customer phones in again and stated that the odor is worse than ever..so we took another trip out there….we met the customers daughter…there was low to no odor….in the closet..in the attic there was NO odor!! But, the customer wanted us to cut a hole into the interior wall of the closet so we did…but even with the hole cut there was still NO odor coming from the wall…she did however have an ionizer running in the closet to circulate the air.We think that the filter on the ionizer was holding and emitting the odor…so we suggested that she not run that for a few days and see if the odor dissipates.

Well the maternity season for bats is under way.

We received a phone call on Saturday from a property manager of an apartment complex in Largo. She was frantic…stated that a tenant had just come in a reported that bats were all in her walls. So we sent out Tommy, our on-call tech, to assess the situation.  Tommy arrived on scene and did an initial inspection of the exterior of the building and noted their entry point. He then proceeded into the attic to inspect.

Upon entering the attic he noticed a slight odor, which was the bat guano. Once in the attic he spotted 3 bats, 2 adults and a baby. That is all that was present at the time of inspection.  There was however evidence that the bats have been roosting there for quite some time. We explained that it is maternity season, which is from April 15^th – August 30^th, which means that the bats are having their young and cannot be disturbed during that time.   We are going to be doing a follow-up inspection the first of next week to determine if that is all of the bats in this colony or not.

Make sure that you choose a licensed, professional, wildlife control company when you have a nuisance animal. Nuisance Wildlife Removal prides itself on upholding the highest of standards. We have the knowledge of true professionals, as well as experienced, licensed personnel who know how to humanely deal with your wildlife problems. And we’ll do it in a manner that is least traumatic to both the animal and your family. Real experience from a licensed professional is the only way to ensure that your needs will be properly - and legally - met.

Are they operating legally?
When looking for a company to deal with your nuisance wildlife, make sure the company you choose is both licensed and insured. If the charge you have been quoted is extremely low, chances are you are not dealing with a licensed professional. A real wildlife control professional will have the cost of continuing education and carrying all appropriate licenses and insurance in order to operate legally. If you have any doubt that the trapper you have hired is licensed, check with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Make sure you have a contract, in writing, which states exactly what service the Wildlife Control Company will provide and what things may cost additionally. Discuss what repairs - if any - the company can provide for areas that have been compromised.

Are they operating ethically?
The last thing to ask yourself is how humanely the nuisance animal is taken care of. If a cage or a trap is set, will the animal be protected? How long will they be kept before they are removed and will the animal have enough food and water? If the weather is bad, will the company still come promptly if an animal has been captured? Any wildlife control company may find a time that euthanasia is appropriate. If so, will it be done in a manner that is approved by the American Veterinary Association? And will disposal of the carcass be done in a sanitary, legal manner.

Our Mission Statement:
Nuisance Wildlife Removal is committed to providing safe, effective and humane solutions to all nuisance animal problems in private homes and commercial properties throughout Florida.

This week our guy Tommy went on a call about raccoons in an attic. Its a nice neighborhood out in the country, so it sometimes attracts unwelcomed visitors from the nearby Florida wilderness.

Accompanied by our company Vice President Christy, the outside of the home was checked and sure enough, the soffit was pulled away in one spot, allowing easy access to a critter wanting to live in the attic.

Next, Tom opened the attic access an could hear baby raccoons crying for their startled mamma. He dispensed some predator scent to keep momma raccoon away while he crawled through the tight attic to the nest. There nestled comfortably in a dormer, were four newborn baby coons. They could’nt have been more than 2 or 3 days old, with eyes still shut and umbilicals still attached.

Once the babies were packed up and moved out, more predator scent was used to convince momma raccoon to leave the attic. There was no longer any reason for her to stay and put up with what she had to consider a scary, bad smelling human.

Once she exited, her “welcome mat” was yanked. The soffit was fixed, and the babies were taken to a local veterinarian to be cared for until they are old enough to fend for themselves in the wild.

Just another typical call for we here at Nuisance Wildlife Removal.

Domestic animals diagnosed with rabies (Florida 2001)
Dogs  1 

Cats  16

Cattle 0

Horses/ mules 1

Sheep/goats 0

Swine 0

Other Domestic 0

Wild animals diagnosed with rabies (Florida 2001)
 Skunks 0

Foxes 35

Bats 21

Raccoons 130

Rodents/ rabbits 1

Other wild animals 4

Human Rabies (Florida 2001) = none

This time of year, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) sees an increase in the number of reports of coyotes in urban neighborhoods — and not unexpectedly. As development encroaches upon wildlife habitat, encounters between wildlife and humans are bound to increase, and the coyote is no exception.

There is no reason for immediate concern just because someone sees a coyote in the neighborhood, according to FWC wildlife experts. Coyotes have lived in and among humans in urban settings for many years with little fanfare.

“Urban coyotes are just trying to feed pups at this time of year, and that sometimes causes them to venture into human neighborhoods, resulting in more frequent contacts with people,” said Breanne Strepina, wildlife biologist for the FWC.

The FWC says residents can prevent most conflicts with coyotes and other wildlife by taking a few simple proactive steps to avoid creating nuisance opportunities.

Coyotes in urban areas become accustomed to humans if there is a food source in the neighborhood, and coyotes in particular look for easy meals. These clever creatures get into pet food and unsecured garbage cans. All such attractants should be removed from the yard, as should other food sources in accessible areas.

Drought conditions and the economy also play a role in the increased number of coyotes seen in urban areas.

“The coyote’s local watering hole may have dried up, so it has to move to find water elsewhere, often in retention and golf course ponds,” Strepina said. “The increase in abandoned homes in foreclosure, with overgrown vegetation, attracts coyotes, providing good hiding places close to food and water.”

Though urban coyotes can be seen at any time of the night or day, it is more common to encounter them between dusk and dawn, particularly near natural areas bordered by water. Residents walking small pets at these times and places should be particularly cautious.

“Carry a flashlight, noisemaker and a stick or golf club when walking small animals,” Strepina said. “That will help scare away wildlife looking for food.”

Keep pets on a leash, and if approached by potentially dangerous wildlife, do not hunch over your pet to protect it. Pick up small pets and stand as tall as possible. Call the Wildlife Alert hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922) to report any problems with coyotes or other wildlife.

Nuisance coyote behavior will be dealt with by the FWC on a case-by-case basis. If there is a focused problem, there are methods available to residents and professional trappers to target specific nuisance animals.

For more information on living with coyotes and preventing conflicts with these adaptable creatures, contact your local FWC regional office.

March 24, 2009 Story from http://wjhg.com

Nuisance Wildlife Removal Inc.is proud to announce free trapping. Two ways to qualify.

1.  NWR will do one job per month to a needy individual to remove wildlife or handel some other critter problem  like rodents or rats for them at no cost. Please call to see if you qualify for this exciting offer. Or e-mail your story to service@flnwr.com

2. If you have Raccoons, Bats or Opossums in your attic you my qualify for free removal or trapping. Call to learn more.

These are just two more ways that Nuisance Wildlife Removal Inc. is continuing to support our local community.

Well I always warn the employees that the day after Thanksgiving is the busiest day of the year but this year it has started early. You see the day after Thanksgiving a lot of people venture into the attic to retrieve their Christmas decorations only to find they have had unwanted Holiday visitors. This even puts the best housewives in a panic thoughts of rats chewing on Lil Johnny’s ornaments that he made in kinder garden. and Lil Jimmy’s hand made trinkets from 3rd grade. Oh! and we are expecting visitors. My in-laws are coming I can’t let them know we have rats. They will think I keep an unfit home. These are common problems we face day to day… And check out our new Rat website at http://www.ratremover.com

As I woke up this morning I looked at the outdoor thermometer and to my amazement it was a chilly 46 degrees. On my way to the office I wondered what was in store for us today, Would the phones ring off the hook or would it be a slow start to the cooler season?

I’ve been working in the office here at Nuisance Wildlife for about 6 weeks, (I worked at home for them previously) so I haven’t been around the “real” inner workings of an animal control or nuisance wildlife company before. It has definitely been an eye-opening experience to see what happens behind the scenes.

Now I expect to see rats, raccoons, armadillos, opossums, or other assorted critters that have been captured, so imagine my surprise when I came into the office the other day and found that we had captured a 10 ft. python who was now hanging around in a cage out back until we could determine where we could relocate him. Now, I’m not scared of snakes at all, but I can’t say the same about our office manager… let’s just say none of us knew she could jump onto a desk that quickly!!

Of course I had to take a look at it, then get a picture so I could show off my “grandma’s cool street cred” to the grandkids. The kids (and my husband) got a kick out of it, but it amazed me how many of my friends were shocked that I would even pick up that snake.

Eventually, we were able to relocate the snake (now named “Crosby”) to a wildlife refuge at Mixon Farms. A special thank you to Justin Matthews of Matthews Wildlife Rescue for making that happen. He was too gentle and beautiful of an animal to have to destroy. That’s the way we like the stories to end here at Nuisance Wildlife Removal!