Nuisance Wildlife

	Nuisance Wildlife
	Common Misconceptions
	Opossum
	Raccoon
	Preventive Tips
	What You Can Do
	Encouraging An Animal To Leave Your Attic*
	Be A Good Neighbor
	Wildlife Trappers

Critter Questionsprovides answers to questions about living with 34 wildlife species from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

NUISANCE WILDLIFE

Trapping and removing an opossum or raccoon from your yard will only temporarily solve your "nuisance wildlife" problem. With no wild places left to live in, another opossum or raccoon will move in to fill the niche you've made for it. The new animal, many times, is even more of a nuisance than the previous one.

Relocating wildlife animals into the woods or the "wilds" is not in the best interest of the animal. By dumping it into another animal's territory, it has to fight and compete with the resident animal for a limited food supply and nesting area. In almost all cases, it is the newcomer that loses -- many dying from infection from bite wounds and others getting killed by cars in an attempt to return to their original territory.

COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS

Many people report seeing an abundance of opossums and raccoons at certain times of the year and that the animals are coming out in the daylight. People often think this behavior is unusual and suspect that the animals have rabies when, in fact, it is because the animals are having young and become much more active during both the day and the night as they search for food. After the babies leave their nests or dens, this activity levels off to 'normal' routines.

During the spring and summer months, many opossums and raccoons have their young in attics or roof areas of people's homes. We suggest that the homeowner be patient and allow the mother and babies to leave on their own when the young are old enough. The homeowner should be prepared to board up and seal areas where the wildlife may have entered when the animals leave.

Never attempt to hand feed or tame a wild animal. Wildlife that has no fear of people never survive for very long.

OPOSSUM

No matter where you live in South Florida, the opossum is there. Despite its rat-like appearance, it is not a rodent. This non- aggressive marsupial has survived since the time of the dinosaurs and can adjust to living just about anywhere. As long as it can find the necessities of life -- water, food, and a den -- it will be happy. The more common den sites are under wood piles, decks, and mobile homes.

The adult opossum is the size of a cat and is light gray to black in color. It has a pink nose, feet, and rat-like tail with black ears and a pointed snout. The opossum's life span in the wild is about 2 years. Although the opossum has the most teeth of any land mammal, it does not chew wood. It does, however, tend to drool.

Many people who see an opossum that is drooling mistakenly think it has rabies. This is not the case. Statistics indicate that there has not been a case of rabies in opossums in South Florida since rabies statistics have been kept. In general, an opossum presents a far lower health risk to humans than do dogs and cats as it has a natural high level of immunity to most diseases. An opossum does, however, carry fleas as do all wild animals and some domestic animals. Also, an opossum may bite if it perceives a threat to its well being, such as being grabbed or petted.

The opossum is very beneficial as a rodent and carrion eater. Besides eating all types of dead animals, it eats a variety of food including over-ripe fruit, grapes, and berries; insects such as cockroaches, crickets, beetles, slugs, snails, etc.; mice, rats, and roof rats; snakes; lizards; and eggs. It also cleans up uneaten food which would normally attract rats. An opossum will eat side by side with a cat out of a dish of cat food that is left outside, and it will consider the cat food a gourmet meal.

Opossums are rarely seen together, and except for breeding season or a female with her babies, it is a solitary animal. It fights only if attacked, surprised, or cornered, but prefers to run away or 'play possum,' which is said to be an involuntary reaction to danger. An opossum will hiss or growl and show its sharp teeth when frightened.

The opossum mating season is from January to July. Females have litters up to twice a year. Litter size can be as many as 22, but only 12 can survive. The average litter is 5-9. Newborn opossums are ½ inch long and weigh .0050 of an ounce. At one week, they weigh .05 of an ounce. At 36 days, whiskers start to appear, and body hair becomes visible at 45 days. By the time they are 60-70 days old, they can weigh an ounce and may start to leave the pouch. At 75-85 days, they are weaned and rarely go into the pouch. They also start looking for their own food. At 90-120 days, they are hunting on their own but still may live in the same den with their mother until they find their own. Very few young opossums survive into adulthood.

It is not necessary to relocate an opossum that you see in your yard. The opossum is not dangerous to you or your pets, if left alone.

While any warm blooded mammal can carry rabies, it is highly unlikely that an opossum will. The best thing for the opossum is to be left in its own territory where it can find food and knows where there is a safe shelter. In many cases, the opossum will move to a more preferred habitat away from people if left alone.

An opossum may get into garbage cans, eat your pet's food, or eat cultivated fruits and vegetables. It may enter a home through ripped screens or vents and duct systems. To alleviate these problems, garbage can lids can be fasten with a rubber strap or bungee cord from the local hardware store; holes in screens or building foundations should be covered or repaired, and pet food should not be left outdoors at night.

If you come across an opossum in your attic or garage, try to find out how it got in. Turn on bright lights and use a radio to create a loud noise to encourage the opossum to leave. Then block the entrance to keep the opossum outside. Spray ammonia on the area to keep the opossum away.

If you find an injured opossum, you can move it into a box by putting a towel over its head and lifting it under the neck while supporting the rear legs. Always check the pouch of a female opossum for babies as they can survive for about 24 hours after the mother has died. Baby opossums are on their own when they are 6" to 8" long (not including the tail).

You can take injured wildlife to the Wildlife Care Center located at 3200 Southwest 4th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, (phone: 954-524-4302). You can also call the Animal Care and Regulation Division at 954-359-1313 ext. 400 to pick up injured, sick, or dead wildlife.

RACCOON

Raccoons are found in all types of habitats. Although they generally prefer riparian or wetland regions, over the past decade raccoons have become more comfortable living near human communities and do not fear people like most wildlife. In fact, they can be pretty bold.

A raccoon usually has one litter a year, and its mating season is from March to May. Occasionally, though, the season can be prolonged through July. The gestation period is typically 63 days, and litters average from two to seven babies.

The raccoon is active at night, looking for insects, fruits, vegetables, acorns, seeds, fish, and small mammals. It is a seasonal eater that prefers fish, crayfish, and small mammals in the spring. During the other seasons, it feeds on acorns, seeds, fruits, vegetables, insects, and other invertebrates.

The raccoon is easily distinguishable by its black-masked face and ringed tail. It has a husky build and generally weighs between 15 and 40 pounds. Its coat is full and shaggy, and its coloring is gray with shadings of tan on its flanks. The heavily furred tail is usually a tan and gray with black rings. The long slender toes on the front feet give the raccoon great dexterity in grasping food, and the larger surfaces on the back feet give it superb agility in climbing for food.

The raccoon has earned its infamous nickname, Bandit, which was first given to it because of its black-masked face. But, it's important to remember that humans have virtually forced the raccoon into the title. Urbanization and land development have taken the majority of the raccoon's natural romping grounds away but, rather than diminish, these hardy critters have adapted and flourished. So, we have problems with them claiming back "our" space for their own. Consequently, raccoons topple our garbage cans, nest in our attics, roam our lawns for food, and prey upon the fish in our ponds.

PREVENTIVE TIPS

To avoid the possibility of wildlife animals using your home as their own, all routes of animal entry must be sealed: open windows screened, chimney tops covered with mesh or screening, and openings where smaller animals can get through sealed.

If you live in a trailer, seal the open space from the bottom of the trailer to the ground with wire cloth, cement block, or wood lattice.

If you find a wildlife animal in your attic, place a bright light and loud radio in the areas to chase the wildlife out. When the attractions of the attic are removed, the animal will leave. You must observe the animal leaving or pinpoint entrance/exit sites and seal them.

We each must learn to live with wildlife around us. This means that we need to take responsibility for wildlife-proofing our homes or businesses.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Show empathy for the wildlife in your area by realizing they most likely have no where else to go.
• Share a little fruit with an opossum or raccoon that is eating fruit off your tree. It may not have much available because of the intensive development going on. You may want to cut open a few pieces of the fruit and lay it on the ground for the animal as this sometimes prevents it from biting holes into the hanging fruit.
• Use artificial owls, hawks, or snakes to discourage small birds and squirrels from going into your fruit trees.
• Sprinkle cayenne pepper around gardens and ornamental plants to keep wildlife from digging them up.
• Secure the lids of your garbage cans by running a rope or chain over the lid and securing at each handle. Prevent toppled trash cans by placing the cans in some type of anchored rack or tie them to the fence.
• Take all cat and/or dog food inside before dark every night so as not to encourage an opossum or raccoon to stay in the area for a free handout.
• Leave a bucket containing a hose that is turned on very slowly in the yard to discourage a raccoon from using your pool as a toilet. This "running stream" effect is usually much more attractive to the animal and may save you from having to clean the pool too often.
• Submerge a wire mesh horizontally around the circumference of your pond, stretching the mesh and leaving the inside free, to deter a raccoon from raiding the fish. The fish will have the center of the pond open and the raccoon can't reach over the wire. Because the wire is unstable, raccoons tend not to stand on it.
• Wrap metal guards, 18 inches or wider, around trees 5 or 6 feet above the ground to deprive raccoons of access to roof tops and other buildings.
• Lock all pet doors at night to keep the raccoon out of the kitchen or garage.
• Spray fox scent to deter raccoons away from your property.

ENCOURAGING AN ANIMAL TO LEAVE YOUR ATTIC*

The animal chose your attic because it is a dark, warm, and a quiet place to spend the day or raise a family. Follow these three steps to encourage the animal to find a new home. You will need five inexpensive items.

• Clear ammonia
• Empty cans or containers
• Rags to acts as wicks
• Bright light
• Portable radio

Step 1. Make the Attic Smell Unpleasant. You need to make the attic smell unpleasant. Soak the rag in ammonia then place it in the can or container. Pour extra ammonia in the can then place the can in the attic. The wick effect will disperse the ammonia in the confined attic space. Use enough ammonia cans so that the aroma is unpleasant but not so strong that the animal will be overcome and die of the lack of oxygen.

Step 2. Make the Attic Bright. Hang the portable light in the attic using a high wattage bulb. Leave the light on 24-hours a day until the animal leaves. The bright light will make the animal feel insecure because potential predators can see and cause it harm. It also makes it hard for the animal to sleep, so the animal will search for a darker and safer location.

Step 3. Invade the Attic with Loud Human Voices. Place a radio in the attic tuned to a talk radio station. Raise the volume so that the sounds reach the entire attic. Humans are deadly predators and strike fear in animals. Wild animals do not want to be around people and by providing constant human voices, you make the attic a scary place. Don’t play music, only talk stations will scare the animals.

You have eliminated every reason the wild animal chose your attic. It is now a smelly, bright, and nosey place. The animal must now find a new home. If it is a mother with young babies, it isn’t easy to create a new nest in one night. Give the mother time to move all her babies because she can only take one at a time. Depending on the species, it may take three or four days to move all the young animals. Once all the animals have left, secure all entry points to prevent a new animal from moving in.

*Adapted with permission from the Wildlife Care Center’s publication “Animal In Your Attic? 3 Steps To Encourage It To Leave.”

BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR

Show empathy for the wildlife in your area. Realize they have no where else to go because we are encroaching on their habitat. Share a little fruit with an opossum or raccoon that is eating fruit off your tree. It may not have much food available because of the intensive development in the area. Cut open a few pieces of the fruit and lay it on the ground for the animal as this sometimes prevents it from biting holes into the hanging fruit.

WILDLIFE TRAPPERS

If you don’t want to handle a nuisance wildlife problem yourself, you can hire a private trapper to solve the problem. The Yellow Pages list trappers under Animal Removal Services. Call several companies to get the best price quote because prices will vary. The Animal Care and Regulation Division does not handle nuisance or healthy wildlife calls. We will only respond to calls for sick or injured wildlife.

Yellow Pages