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When you think about home damage, one element of damage that you might be overlooking is animals. It’s astonishingly common for animals to be behind serious home damage to many different types. If you’re interested in making sure that your home stays safe, it’s a good idea to take a look through these animals that often cause home damage.
1. Chipmunks
Chipmunks are small and adept at causing damage. If they want to cause damage in your home, they’re almost certainly going to be able to do it. Not only are they compact enough to get in through small openings in your baseboards and chimney, but they’re also masters at gnawing through material including drywall and wood.
2. Squirrels
Though chipmunks and squirrels are similar, it’s more common for squirrels to be slightly larger and therefore have a harder time getting into your home. However, once a squirrel does get into your home, you’re going to have to be aggressive if you want it to leave. Squirrels can tear out wiring to nest in the basement, which can cause them to have a litter of babies that will continue their reign of terror in your home.
3. Rats
Even though chipmunks and squirrels are technically rodents, when you think of “rodents,” you’re almost certainly thinking of rats and mice. One of the biggest potential problems that rats can introduce to your home has to do with disease, which rats are extremely good at spreading. They can also build nests in your crawl space and leave droppings all over the place, creating a health hazard. Last, but certainly not least, any rats that die in your walls will spread a putrid smell and could cause health issues.
4. Pigeons
You might first think of pigeon droppings when you think of how pigeons can harm your home. However, while this is certainly a concern, it’s also not the only concern. It’s actually more common for pigeons to harm your home due to issues with your gutters. If a pigeon makes its nest in one of the gutters of your home, that can impede water flow through them, causing the water to overflow and collect around your home’s foundation.
5. Snakes
One of the biggest reasons that snakes can be a huge problem in your home is because they’re so small, they can get into nearly any area that has even the smallest hole. Once they’re inside, they’ll often nest there. Snakes can cause damage for many different reasons; not only do snakes lure in larger predators, but they can also be poisonous. Plus, because they’re cold-blooded, they tend to move into homes in the winter.
6. Bats
For the most part, bats won’t cause any kind of structural damage. However, they can leave droppings everywhere, which can result in high levels of humidity, issues with mold and mildew, and the spread of parasites and disease. Bats also sometimes attract bugs closer to your home, especially if they move into an area like your home’s crawl space or basement.
7. Raccoons
Because raccoons have opposable thumbs, they’re able to cause all sorts of chaos throughout a home. This may just start with the raccoons rummaging through your trash cans, but it can easily develop into them tearing through your siding, removing wiring, and undoing your home waterproofing. Raccoons can also carry all sorts of diseases, many of which they can pass to humans.
Conclusion
Keeping animals out of your home is a crucial element of making sure that your home stays safe. You need to remove all sorts of animals, from the large ones like raccoons to the small ones like ants and flies. Once you’ve called animal control to remove these animals, you might want to talk to a basement or crawl space expert to talk about how you can remove the openings that made it possible for them to come in.
