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Wildlife & Raccoon Removal

Raccoons, squirrels, skunks and bats need a licensed operator — we handle attic entries, garbage raids and the exclusion work that follows.

Call (506) 261-1122
Wildlife & Raccoon Removal — work carried out by our team

Wildlife work is regulated in New Brunswick, and for good reason: it involves animals that bite, animals that carry disease, and animals with young that cannot be sealed inside a building. Bob is licensed by the Department of Natural Resources as a Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator, which is what allows this work to be done legally.

What we handle

Raccoons tear open soffits and roof edges to den in attics, and they are strong enough to make an opening where there was only a weak point. They raid bins, and once they associate a property with food they return nightly.

Squirrels get in through gaps at the roofline and gnaw constantly — including on wiring. An attic nest is usually discovered by the noise overhead in the early morning.

Skunks den under decks, sheds and porches. The smell is the obvious problem; the digging and the risk to pets are the ones people underestimate.

Bats roost in attics and wall voids. They are protected, they matter ecologically, and their droppings are a health concern in an occupied building, so the work has to be timed around their breeding season.

How the work goes

  1. Inspection. Identify the species, find every entry point, and check for young. This changes the entire plan and it is why we do not quote a wildlife job over the phone.
  2. Removal. Humane, and timed so a mother and her young leave together rather than being separated.
  3. Confirm the building is empty. Before anything is sealed. Sealing an animal inside is both inhumane and expensive to undo.
  4. Exclusion and repair. Close the entry and reinforce the weak points around it — soffits, fascia, vents, chimney caps, gaps at the roofline.
  5. Clean-up advice. Nesting material and droppings in an attic are a health issue, and insulation contaminated badly enough needs replacing.

Why exclusion is the whole job

Removing the animal without closing the building is a temporary result. The opening that let a raccoon in is still an opening, and in a neighbourhood with raccoons it gets found again — often within the same season, sometimes by a different animal. The repair is what you are actually buying.

Prevention worth doing

Secure bins with tight lids, keep compost enclosed, take bird feeders down or move them well away from the building, cap the chimney, and screen crawlspace and deck openings. Most of the wildlife calls we take across Fredericton and Saint John trace back to an easy food source plus one gap in the building envelope.

Common questions

Do I need a licence to remove wildlife myself?

In New Brunswick, handling and relocating nuisance wildlife is regulated. Bob Durelle holds a Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator licence with the Department of Natural Resources, which is what allows this work to be done legally as well as humanely. Trapping and moving an animal yourself can put you offside the rules and often just moves the problem next door.

There is scratching in my attic. What is up there?

Timing is the clue. Squirrels are active at first light and through the day. Raccoons are heavier, noisier and move at dusk and overnight. Bats leave and return at dusk in a steady stream from one point. Whatever it is, the inspection confirms it before anything is set, because the removal method differs completely.

What happens if there are babies?

This is the reason spring removals take longer. Sealing a building with young inside is inhumane and leaves you with a far worse problem in the wall. We check for a nest first and handle the removal so the family goes out together, then close the entry once we have confirmed nothing is left inside.

Can you get rid of the skunk smell?

Removing the animal and its den stops the source. Residual odour in soil, under a deck or in an enclosed crawlspace fades once the animal is gone and the area is ventilated, and we can advise on what to clean and what to replace.

Will they come back?

Not through the same opening once it is sealed properly, and that is the part of the job that actually matters. A soffit gap, a rotten fascia board or an open chimney is an invitation that gets found again within a season if it is left open, which is why exclusion and repair are part of the work rather than an upsell.

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