“as a part of our prevention process, we use 16 gauge galvanized steel mesh (and other steel material) to seal up entry points where animals like squirrels and raccoons tend to gain entry through”
Once you’ve called a wildlife removal company, and have paid them a sum of money, you’re expecting your wild animal problem to be over but that’s not always the case. In fact, after being called out to thousands of homes over the years, we’ve found that a large portion of the calls we run out to revolve around fixing the problems that other removal companies have created.
Of course that’s fine with us and we enjoy educating customers as to why removing and preventing wildlife from getting into (or back into) a home is an art and it’s a professional service where customers are expecting the job to be done right.
We do the job right and as a part of our prevention process, we use 16 gauge galvanized steel mesh (and other steel material) to seal up entry points where animals like squirrels and raccoons tend to gain entry through.
If the company you are considering to hire, doesn’t use this kind of material, you can probably expect the animals to get back into your home in a matter of time as they’re pretty much able to chew through most metal, and especially any kind of plastic.
The power of jaws of squirrels and raccoons
Animals like squirrels and raccoons have very powerful jaws and teeth. Given enough time, they will chew through plastic, wood and aluminium like it’s butter. Please note, the bite of a mouse is just as powerful but removing and preventing mice entries is a completely different job.
They’re much smaller and so our prevention job is a little different. With that said, when you’re dealing with animals that have such strong teeth, you need a remedy that is strong enough to hinder wildlife entry and 16 gauge steel has proven to be the solution.
Does it really matter what kind of steel you use to seal up holes? Absolutely. When animals have become a nuisance, our experience has proven that if you don’t apply the right tools and techniques to keep them out, wildlife will make every effort to gain entry again and again.
Read my previous article which explains why you should care about the quality of the work that’s done to remove and prevent wildlife from entering your home: (source)
What we found on this Hamilton home
This call out to Hamilton to inspect a squirrel problem was just another example of the necessity of using the right materials (as I mentioned above, the right gauge of steel) and if you look closely, you’ll even see the skimpy steel mesh that was placed around the edges of the eavestrough and drip-edge.
What basically happened was that he had made an entry into a home and another squirrel removal company was called to resolve the issue. The first thing they did wrong was to use a two-way door that’s generally used for raccoons, not squirrels. We were also able to determine by the chewing marks exactly which animal was the culprit.
What the company did in this case was simply slap on a two-way door, add some low gauge steel mesh, and left with the customer’s money. At first glance to the un-informed eye, the job looked done and efficient, but the whole reason I’m telling this story is because it didn’t work, and the squirrel made it’s way back in, and caused more damage.
In the video I also show where and how the critter is getting back in again – it was very easy for him.
Is using the right materials to keep wildlife out really that important or worth the cost?
The answer is a 100% yes! Here’s the breakdown of a prevention method that ends up costing the home owner hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars down the road;
- the wildlife company get’s called
- they come in and patch up holes with low gauge steel
- they install two-way doors that make their work seem professional
- and they disappear
In 2014 alone, we’ve had at least 20 calls from home owners that needed a new and accredited removal company to come in and fix the problems the previous ones created.
We don’t disappear. We give you up to a ten year guarantee (and a 5 year guarantee for birds and bats), can be reached at all hours for emergencies, and if you need us to come back to your home again because the problem wasn’t 100% solved, we’ll be there for you and in most cases, if it’s because the problem recurred, we’re there and fix the problem for free!
Do you have squirrel problems? No problem, call the experts and get the job done right. https://www.allwildlife.ca/squirrel-removal-services/