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We are Oceanside Wildlife, and we solve conflicts between people and wild animals. From squirrels in your attic, to raccoons in your trash, to bats, rats, birds, and snakes, we do it all. We specialize in safe and effective solutions to California critter problems. We service the greater Oceanside region, and we offer fast service - we can usually schedule a same-day appointment. Give us a call at 619-259-5736 any time, 24/7, and we will discuss your unique wild animal problem, and give you a free price quote over the phone. We're ready to take your call now!

Our service range: We service San Diego County, Imperial County, Riverside County, Orange County, and more. We also service Carlsbad, Chula Vista, Coronado, Del Mar, El Cajon, Encinitas, Esconodido, Imperial Beach, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, National City, Poway, San Diego, San Marcos, Santee, Solana Beach, Vista, and more.

Oceanside Wildlife Education: Should I Hire A Pro Or Remove Rodents Myself?

If you have rodents in your home, business, or property, you will want to get rid of them as quickly as possible. The obvious solution is to hire a professional with experience dealing with rodents and other wildlife, but not everyone wants to spend the money on hiring a professional. In nearly every situation, it makes sense to hire a professional instead of trying to remove the rodents yourself, but it is possible to make it a DIY project. Before deciding to take care of the rodents yourself, consider the following factors.



Can You Get Every Last Rodent?
The biggest question to ask yourself is whether you can guarantee you will remove every single rodent if you do the job yourself. If even a single one remains, you will still have a problem as the animal can cause damage to your home, encourage new rodents to arrive, or die inside somewhere and create another type of problem. If you don’t feel confident in your abilities to remove every rodent, then you should seriously consider hiring a professional.

Recognizing The Rodent
Take a moment to consider your general knowledge concerning rodents. While most people just think of rodents as rats and mice, there are actually many more than this. You may have a larger rodent like a porcupine or other rodents such as voles, chipmunks, woodchucks, or gophers in your home. To effectively take care of your rodent problem, you need to be able to recognize the specific type on your property. That is because all rodents have slightly different habits and diets. The ideal course of action will also vary based on the type of rodent as will the type of supplies you need, including the size of the trap and kind of bait. A professional can easily identify the rodent even without visual confirmation. Their knowledge lets them determine the animal based on other factors like damage caused, the area they are in, and the type of waste left behind.

Experience Spotting Entry Points
In addition to being able to remove every rodent from your property, you have to seal up every single one of their entry points. Even if all the animals are gone, a single open entrance can be enough to let a new group inside. To make sure you spot all the entrances, you have to thoroughly examine your home inside and out and hope you don’t miss one. Depending on the rodent, the entry hole may be very small and easy for the average person to miss. Professionals, however, know exactly what they are looking for and will recognize the signs of an entry point.

Knowing The Right Techniques
Professionals also have a clear advantage in terms of experience and knowing the ideal techniques to get rodents out of your home. You may have read about the exclusion method or trapping and relocating animals, but you probably have limited or no practical experience. The first time you put your reading into action, you may not be very successful. A professional, however, will have used each method dozens of times so they know how to do it correctly the first time. They will even be able to identify which rodent removal method is ideal in your particular situation.

Time Investment
Professionals are also able to remove the rodents more quickly than the average person without experience. Consider, for example, trapping these animals, either with snap traps or with live traps. Trap placement and choosing the proper bait is essential. If you don’t put the trap in the right spot, you may have to wait weeks to catch a rodent. Professionals, however, can recognize the paths where these animals travel most frequently and place the traps appropriately. With their help, you may have your problem taken care of in a matter of days.

Getting Supplies
If you are thinking about removing rodents yourself as a way to save money, take a moment to consider the larger picture. You will need a range of supplies to get rid of them, such as traps, materials to fill in gaps in walls, and safety gear. Since a lot of these items are reusable, a professional will already have them. If you were to do the job yourself, you would have to buy them yourself. After using the supplies, you then have to find storage for them. Once you factor in the cost of supplies, hiring a professional starts to look much more affordable.

Being Aware Of Local Regulations
Anytime that you are dealing with wild animals you have to make sure that you are following your local regulations. This involves some research as to what rodents you can trap, what types of traps are allowed, and whether you can relocate or kill the animal you trap. You may not know where to look for this information but that isn’t a problem with a professional. They will keep up to date on local regulations so they always know what methods are allowed and which are not. They will therefore only offer you legal options for removing the rodents.

Previous Education Articles
How do you remove a wild Oceanside animal stuck in a dumpster?
Do Oceanside opossums make good pets?
How to get Oceanside rodents out of the attic.
Do mothballs or ammonia help repel Oceanside skunks?