What animals can most damage your home?
Your home is one of the biggest purchases you will ever make, so you naturally want to keep it in good condition.
Of course, it’s also important for your home to be comfortable, healthy, and safe – all things which can be negatively affected by an animal infestation.
Here’s what you need to know about the animals which can cause the most damage to homes.
Animal Damage To Homes
As the infographic below shows, there are many animals that can cause significant damage to the home.
Larger animals causing damage to the foundation and main structure of the house is one thing, and insects and other pests are another.
Pests, such as carpenter bees, can invade both the inside and outside of your home, and then cause many issues. Therefore, you need to do what you can to protect your home from pest infestation.
Often, these critters breed in damp neglected crawl spaces, so it’s wise to ensure your crawl space is clean, dry, and well-maintained to reduce the risk of pest infestations inside your home.
Skunks, rodents, groundhogs, and snakes can all damage your home and make it less healthy in various ways.
Whether through:
- Bad smells
- Damage to the structure or electrical wiring
- Bringing in bedding material to the home
Check out the following infographic to see the detrimental effects different animals can have when they enter a home.
Whether it’s critters in the attic, walls, or basement of your home, you will need to sort it out asap!
The infographic covered:
- Skunks
- Bears
- Deer
- Groundhogs
Which can cause a lot of damage, but it’s not likely to happen.
Then there are:
- Rodents
- Snakes
- Raccoons
- Chipmonks
- Squirrels
Which can cause the most damage, and are indeed likely to do so.
While on the other hand:
- Woodpeckers
- Vultures
- Pidgoens
- Bats
All cause less damage, with pigeons and bats being the most likely to do so.
Wherever you live in the world, you’ll have one or more of these household pests that can cause significant damage – if only it is rats and mice, which are basically a universal problem!
Rodents carry disease and can be a health hazard. Mice and rats will build nests in crawl spaces, damage foundations, leave droppings everywhere, and gnaw on everything including walls, electrical wiring, or belongings.
If they die in your walls, crawl space, or basement, the decaying carcass will smell and be a potential health hazard.
The latter is why I only use traps to catch rodents rather than poisons. At least I can easily get rid of the body.
Reasons To Protect Against Animal Damage
There are many reasons why protecting your home against pest infestations is important.
Here are some of the key ones.
1. They Are Unhygienic
When it comes to your home, good hygiene is vital.
However, when you have pest infestations, it can result in your living conditions becoming very unhygienic. Raccoons, for example, are a known carrier and transmitter of the rabies virus.
This can be particularly worrying if you have kids of vulnerable people in the household, as it can have a profound impact on their health and life quality.
In addition, living in an unhygienic environment is very unpleasant for everyone.
2. Infestations Can Lead To Damage
Depending on the type of pest that has infested your home, you may find that your property sustains serious damage because of the infestation.
Some pests can cause a huge amount of damage including chewing through walls, and more worryingly, chewing through wiring. There are many other problems that they can cause, and this can result in damage to your home and your belongings.
Repairing carpenter bee damage, for example, is a lot of work!
3. It Can Cause Stress
When you have a pest infestation at your home, it can cause a huge amount of stress, and this is something that most people can do without.
A single squirrel totally trashed this family’s home while they were on holiday.
Imagine coming back to that!
Having to put up with these pests running amok around your home is bad enough, but the difficulties you face when it comes to trying to get rid of them can cause even more stress.
Sometimes getting a family dog can help keep some problem animals away. For example, a Jack Russel will keep away squirrels.
They’re also a great wild rabbit predator if you have a problem with those animals.
4. Animal Damage And Health Problems
One other problem that pests can cause is health problems, and this is because many of them carry diseases and can transmit them with ease.
Naturally, when it comes to your home, you want everyone to be safe and protected. Asthmatics are especially vulnerable to infestations of lice and dust mites, for example.
When pests invade, they can compromise your safety and can put your health at serious risk. Therefore, it is so important to ensure you deal with your pest problem quickly and efficiently.
5. Easier To Sell Your House
When it comes time to sell your home, animal damage can be an obvious turn-off for potential buyers.
Animal damage is a sign that you haven’t properly cared for or maintained your home and can get buyers thinking about what other problems might be hidden away,
Protect your house against animal damage and you’ll turn away fewer buyers.
Animal In Attic
So whether you have an animal in the attic or an insect problem in the basement, get on top of the problem today.
In the case of bigger animals such as raccoons, snakes, or skunks, it’s best to call in a professional animal handler. They will be able to capture the animal safely and relocate or dispose of it.
Smaller animals and insects, like cockroaches, sweat bees, silverfish, or other unwanted bees, may be able to be removed through the use of other pest control solutions as found on Amazon.
Let us know if you have any questions or comments about animal damage to homes down below and thanks for stopping by!