Living in the beautiful Newnan area means sharing our space with native wildlife. However, animals like raccoons, squirrels, and opossums can cause real problems when they move from the yard into our homes, often seeking shelter in attics, sheds, or under decks, where they can cause significant damage.
It is much easier to prevent wildlife from getting in than to remove them once they have settled. Proactive steps, like securing entry points and managing food sources, are the most effective ways to protect your property from unwanted animal guests and the health risks they can carry.
Common Wildlife Attractants Around Your Home
Understanding what brings wildlife to your property is the first step in keeping them away. These animals are simply looking for the basics: food, water, and shelter. By managing these three things, you can make your home far less appealing.
Start by examining your yard and the exterior of your home.
- Unsecured Trash: Raccoons and opossums are notorious for raiding garbage cans. Ensure all outdoor bins have tight-fitting, secure lids.
- Pet Food: Leaving pet food or water bowls outside, especially overnight, is an open invitation for wildlife. Feed pets indoors or bring bowls in after every meal.
- Yard Debris: Piles of leaves, fallen branches, or woodpiles create ideal hiding spots and nesting areas for rodents and other animals. Keep your yard tidy and store firewood away from the house.
- Bird Feeders: While intended for birds, feeders often spill seeds that attract squirrels, mice, and rats, which in turn can attract larger predators.
- Accessible Water: Leaky faucets, downspouts that pool water, or open containers can provide a needed water source. Ensure proper drainage around your foundation.
Removing these simple attractants is a critical, low-cost way to reduce wildlife pressure on your property and prevent them from seeing your home as a reliable resource.
Identifying Signs of a Wildlife Problem
Sometimes, wildlife may already be present before you notice the attractants. Catching an intrusion early is key to minimizing damage. Homeowners should be aware of the subtle signs that an animal has moved in.
The most common red flag is sound. You might hear scratching, scurrying, or thumping noises coming from the attic, ceiling, or walls. These sounds are often most noticeable at night or in the early morning when raccoons and rodents are most active.
Visually, look for droppings or strong, unpleasant odors in your attic, garage, or crawl space. You may also spot property damage like gnawed wires, torn insulation, or holes chewed in siding. Outside, look for damaged vents, screens, or siding, as these are often the entry points.
What Types of Shelter & Nesting Sites Appeal to Local Animals?
Animals searching for a home often see our property features as perfect shelter. Attics, crawl spaces, and chimneys are frequent problem spots, especially when entries or vents remain unsealed. Squirrels, rodents, and birds can squeeze into surprisingly small gaps—sometimes less than 2 inches wide—making it crucial to pay attention to any breach in your building envelope.
Outdoor storage, wood piles, and dense shrubbery offer refuge for ground-dwelling creatures like opossums, snakes, and armadillos. Firewood stacked against the house provides cover from the weather and predators. Spaces beneath decks or sheds make ideal denning sites and are frequently used by animals when the weather cools or when raising young.
You can limit these shelter opportunities by:
- Inspecting your home’s exterior each season for holes, loose siding, or missing vent covers.
- Trimming tree limbs and shrubs back from roofs, siding, and window frames to prevent easy entry.
- Storing firewood at least 20 feet from the house and at least a foot off the ground.
- Securing the undersides of decks and porches with hardware cloth or lattice, ensuring no gaps remain.
These updates make your property less inviting to animals seeking nesting spots year-round.
How Can Landscaping Choices Prevent Wildlife Problems?
Landscaping decisions have a major impact on whether your yard becomes a haven for animals. A well-maintained lawn discourages rodents, snakes, and small mammals who prefer tall grass and dense cover. Neglected landscaping—like overgrown bushes, brush piles, or fallen leaves—offers perfect hiding places and encourages larger wildlife to hang around.
Properties with fruit-bearing trees or ornamental berry bushes need extra attention because fallen fruit invites a range of animals and increases nesting opportunities. If your landscape includes dense or tangled planting near the house, animals have easier access both to food and potential entry points for nesting. Even decorative rocks, railroad ties, and other hardscape elements become attractive to burrowing animals if left unchecked.
To minimize wildlife attraction with landscaping:
- Choose native plants and keep ground cover spaced to prevent the creation of hidden paths.
- Remove fallen fruit and prune bushes or trees regularly to reduce shelter and food sources.
- Avoid leaving yard debris, brush piles, or leaf mounds near structures for long periods.
- Maintain open sight lines around your home, making it harder for animals to hide and move undetected.
Landscaping with prevention in mind makes your property less appealing & easier to maintain year after year.
What Steps Help Safeguard Children & Pets from Wildlife Encounters?
Nothing matters more than keeping our families and pets safe. Children and pets are often curious, putting them at increased risk when wildlife visits. Supervision is crucial—always watch young kids and animals outside, especially at dawn or dusk, when wildlife is most active in Newnan.
Proper fencing helps minimize risks, but not all barriers offer the same protection. Select fencing with no gaps and consider burying the barrier six to twelve inches underground to fend off digging animals. Regularly check your fence line for burrows or new holes, tightening boards or wire as needed to maintain security.
For families worried about chemical repellents near kids or pets, opt for natural deterrents. Non-toxic solutions—including motion-activated sprinklers, safe odor repellents, and even certain noises—create effective boundaries. When removing attractants, always read labels and instructions, and if unsure, choose products explicitly designed for pet- and child-friendly use. These careful choices go a long way in protecting those you love most.
Our Approach to Proactive Wildlife Prevention
At Shane's Pest Solutions, our experience has shown that exclusion is the most effective and humane long-term solution. Our process focuses on identifying and permanently sealing potential entry points to stop wildlife from ever gaining access to your home or business.
We begin with a complete evaluation, which is always complimentary, to identify high-risk areas.
- Thorough Inspection: We meticulously inspect your roofline, foundation, vents, crawl space, and attic for any gaps, cracks, or vulnerabilities that wildlife could use.
- Sealing Entry Points: Our certified team uses professional-grade materials to seal holes, gaps around pipes, and other weak spots.
- Vents and Chimneys: We install sturdy caps and screens on chimneys, roof vents, and attic fans, as these are common entry points for squirrels and raccoons.
- Deck and Shed Securing: We can recommend solutions for securing the areas under decks, porches, and sheds to prevent animals from nesting there.
Our goal is to provide a guaranteed solution that gives you lasting peace of mind. We focus on prevention so you do not have to deal with the stress and damage of an active infestation.
Why Choose Shane's Pest Solutions for Wildlife Solutions
When you need to protect your home from wildlife, you deserve a partner you can trust. As a family and veteran-owned company, Shane's Pest Solutions is built on integrity and a deep commitment to our Newnan community. Our team has over a decade of experience in pest and wildlife management.
We provide solutions you can rely on:
- Local and Veteran-Owned: We are Newnan natives, and our owner is a Marine veteran. We bring military discipline and hometown values to every job.
- Certified Professionals: We are Certified Pest Control Operators, ensuring we use the most effective and responsible methods available.
- Customer-Focused Service: We are known for our friendly approach, clear communication, and timely, efficient service. We treat your home with respect.
- Guaranteed Solutions: We stand behind our work. We offer complimentary evaluations and free estimates to ensure you have the right solution, guaranteed.
- Community Trust: Our outstanding reviews on Google and Facebook, along with our memberships in the Georgia Pest Control Association and Newnan Chamber of Commerce, reflect our commitment to excellence.
We are not just a service provider; we are your neighbors, dedicated to protecting your home and family with integrity.
For more information about our wildlife solutions in Newnan, click here.