Where Do Animals Get Into Homes?

What are the odds that a wild animal will enter your home? Short of accidentally leaving your front door open all night, it seems unlikely that animals would stroll in. Believe it or not, most homeowners are highly susceptible to animal break-ins, and unless you have an action plan for critter removal, you may find yourself in a crisis. At this point, contacting a professional wildlife removal expert may be your safest and fastest move. The best way to mitigate the damage of wild animals in your home is to know the common vulnerable entry points.

Common Locations and Ways Animals Enter a Home

Below are the most common wildlife animals that enter homes and how each animal typically enters the property. 

• Mice: Enter through gable vents, brick soffit gaps, chimneys, garage door weather strips, and hydroelectric lines. Mice can enter homes through tiny holes (the width of a pencil) and may go unnoticed for many years. They will enter homes year-round and breed 3 to 5 litters per year.  
• Bats: Enter through gable vents, roof vents, roof soffit intersections, drip edge fascia, ridge vents, and brick soffit gaps. They usually enter and build their colonies from approximately May to September with babies born around June. Can enter through a pencil-width hole. 
• Raccoons: Enter through gable vents, roof vents, roof soffit intersections, ridge vents, chimneys, and shingles and eavestroughs. Raccoons are vigilant about finding a warm place to live and have their babies in mid-March. They can create large holes when entering your home, leading to entry points for other animals. They can enter through a hole the size of a grapefruit. 
• Squirrels: Enter through gable vents, roof soffit intersections, roof vents, wall vents, chimneys, shingles, and eavestroughs. With remarkably strong teeth, squirrels can chew their way into a home to build a nest and store food. These holes are also large enough to help other animals enter your home. 
• Skunks & Opossums: Can enter from under porches, sheds, under houses. Skunks and opossums rarely find their way into a home but can be found in areas connected to the home outside. Wherever they are located, there is always the possibility of a skunk spraying when it feels threatened. 
• Birds: Enter through gable vents, open doors and windows, chimneys, wall vents, shingles, and eavestroughs. It is rare to find a colony of birds, but it is possible. Usually, there will be a single nest that may eventually lead to chicks. 

Contact A Wildlife Control Expert

It’s vital to remember that wild animals can be dangerous, especially when confronted in an environment where they do not feel safe. Whether a skunk, opossum, rat, bat, or squirrel, wild animals are best handled by a professional. Summit Pest Management has nearly 20 years of wildlife animal experience and is available year-round for residential and commercial wildlife removal. You can trust that Summit Pest Management will safely and humanely remove the animal from your property and ensure it doesn’t become a problem again! When animals make their way into your home, contact Summit Pest Management!