Armadillos in Louisiana

There are 21 species of armadillo in the world, but the nine-banded armadillo is the only one found in the United States. Even with bony, armor-like plates covering their body, armadillos are easily frightened, and can jump four to five feet in the air when startled. Here in the Louisiana area, they can be a nuisance to homeowners for their digging and burrowing. They do this in a quest for food and shelter.

Armadillo Habitat

The nine-banded armadillo evolved in the warm, wet climate of South American rainforests. While it still enjoys those environs, armadillos are highly adaptable, and they can thrive in regions from scrublands to plains to the tropics. They don’t do well in intense cold or dry conditions. Armadillos make their own burrows or adopt the vacant burrow of another animal. 

Armadillo Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Armadillos are powerful diggers. Their burrowing can wreak havoc on landscaping, foundations, and driveways. They eat mainly insects, and because they have little fat, easily lose heat and moisture. In their quest for food and shelter, armadillos destroy lawns, gardens, and even tree root systems. Armadillos are also known as a carrier of mycobacterium leprae, which causes leprosy. They can also carry tapeworms and salmonella in their feces. 

If you have an issue with armadillos on your property, we highly encourage you to contact a wildlife control company. 

Fox Squirrels in Louisiana

Fox squirrels are found throughout the eastern and central United States and have also been introduced into cities in the western U.S. Fox squirrels spend most of their time in trees during the day, foraging for food. These squirrels are omnivores, eating everything from plant matter to insects and birds. Like other tree squirrels, fox squirrels will enter homes, building nests in attics, walls, chimneys, rooflines, and inside garages.  Fox squirrels carry diseases such as tularemia and ringworm that are transmissible to people.

Fox Squirrel Habitat

Fox squirrels prefer open, savannah-like habitats, where trees are widely spaced and the understory is open. Fox squirrels need large trees with cavities or holes in them for building nests to raise their young. They are most common in oak-hickory forests but are also found in live oak, mangrove swamps, and pine forests. Because of this habitat preference, fox squirrels do well in urban and suburban settings. These pests will enter homes and attics, causing damage to wiring, gardens, and lawns.

Fox Squirrel Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Fox squirrels sometimes cause damage around homes and gardens, where they feed on immature and mature nuts, fruit, and a variety of other plants. During the fall, squirrels dig holes in gardens or in turf where they bury nuts or other seeds. This storing of food, which they may or may not ever retrieve, raises havoc in the garden and tears up a well-groomed lawn. Squirrels sometimes gnaw on telephone cables and may chew their way into wooden buildings or invade attics through gaps or broken vent screens. They also have a tendency to strip bark to feed on the juicy inner bark layer (cambium), causing injury to trees. If you are having an issue with fox squirrels, it is best to consult a professional wildlife control company for removal.

Gray Squirrels in Louisiana

Gray squirrels are small to medium-sized rodents with bushy tails that are commonly found outdoors, climbing trees and foraging for food. Also known as tree squirrels, they get their common name from the fact that they are found in wooded and urban areas, nesting in trees to avoid predators. Gray squirrels eat a range of foods consuming roughly one and a half pounds of nuts and seeds a week. They also consume tree bark, tree buds, berries, and some types of fungi found in the forests.

Gray Squirrel Habitat

Squirrels utilize two types of nests: tree cavity dens and leaf nests called dreys. Leaf nests are usually used during summer and are found in the top fork of a tree or in the crotch of a limb. The number of active nests per squirrel is thought to be about three, depending on the density of squirrels in the area. Most squirrels are capable of constructing a nest in one day. If they have access, they will build nests in attics or structures. Once inside, these rodents will gnaw on electrical wiring in walls and attics causing shorts and possibly even fires.

Gray Squirrel Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Squirrels do not hibernate and use their nests for resting and shelter, especially during the cold winter months. If you notice a squirrel’s nest on your property, do not attempt to remove it yourself. Squirrels may bite or attack if provoked, especially if their young are present. Squirrels may carry bacterial diseases that can be spread to humans through bites or by coming into contact with their feces. Signs of a gray squirrel infestation include noises in attics, chimneys, walls, or vents. Holes on siding, damaged bird feeders, and chewed wires and insulation are evidence of squirrel nests in the attic. If you are having an issue with gray squirrels, it is best to consult a professional wildlife control company for removal.

Moles in Louisiana

Moles are small insect-eating mammals and are widespread across the United States. Contrary to popular belief, moles are not part of the rodent family and are highly specialized digging machines. They spend most of their time underground and some are even semi-aquatic. Although their presence is well known by their recognizable mounds, they are rarely seen. Moles cause significant damage through their burrowing activity, which dislodges plants and dries out their roots. In lawns, the resulting mounds and ridges are unsightly and disfiguring.

Mole Habitat

Moles prefer wooded areas as their natural habitat, but they are also comfortable in residential yards and farm fields. Moles live almost entirely underground in a vast network of interconnecting tunnels. Active year-round, moles are particularly busy in spring and fall, frequently creating shallow tunnels just below the surface where they capture worms, insects, and other invertebrates. Moles are beneficial in that a typical 5-6 ounce mole can eat as much as 50 pounds of insect pests and grubs in a year! During rainy periods, molehills are abundant as earthworms move toward the surface.

Mole Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Since moles are seldom present above ground and rarely come into contact with people, they are not considered to be a physical threat to humans. Contrary to popular opinion, moles will not eat vegetation in residential and rural landscapes. However, their surface tunnels can disturb plant roots, which can cause distress. In lawns, molehills make walking and mowing difficult,  sometimes damaging the grass. Mole tunnels can be hijacked by meadow voles, small rodents who do eat plants. The first sign of a mole problem will be several molehills or ‘ridges’ caused by tunneling. If you are having an issue with moles,  it is best to consult a professional wildlife control company for removal.

Opossums in Louisiana

There are at least 103 species of opossum, but the Virginia opossum is the single species found in the United States. About the size of a large house cat, opossums are considered beneficial mammals because they eat a variety of insects and snakes, causing many property owners to consider them beneficial. Opossums are nomadic, seldom staying long in any one place, and utilizing abandoned burrows or crawl spaces. They may sometimes become a nuisance to homeowners when foraging for food and shelter.

Opossum Habitat

Possums do not dig dens or burrows underground, however, they will live in those that have been abandoned. They will wait for another animal to abandon their home before moving in, and actually prefer to live in trees for the protection they provide. They may enter attics, walls, and crawl spaces of homes if they have access. The presence of an unusual and foul odor in your home may point to there being a possum living in your walls

Opossum Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Opossums pose no major threat to humans or pets. Their teeth are not meant for attacking or even preying on animals; their teeth are good for chewing and holding. They do not attack humans and instead will play “dead” when danger is perceived. Opossums don’t dig holes, destroy gardens, bite, sting, or stay in one place for very long. However, opossums can carry various parasites and diseases. They are not the cleanest of animals and carry a strong odor if they access attics and crawl spaces in homes. If opossums are an issue, it’s best to have them removed humanely by a professional wildlife control company.

Raccoons in Louisiana

Raccoons are stocky mammals and are distinctively marked with a black “mask” over their eyes. Found throughout most of the United States, and into northern South America. raccoons are nomadic, but only within a marked territory. They do not dig or make nests but prefer to mark locations, remembering them as available shelters. Raccoons are active year-round but may take cover in dens during periods of severe winter weather. For homeowners, raccoons are notorious “backyard bandits”, rummaging through garbage cans, popping kiddie pools, and generally causing mayhem.

Raccoon Habitat

Raccoons prefer wooded areas near water and natural habitats, sleeping in abandoned burrows, and the crooks of trees. In urban settings, raccoons will make their homes in empty crawl spaces, underneath porches, and within attics. Raccoons roam around rural or urban areas, finding food where they can and scouting new locations. They will eat almost anything, including insects, fruit, vegetables, and small animals, if necessary. Raccoons are nocturnal and notorious for raiding garbage cans during overnight hours. Raccoons are attracted to gardens or homes because they offer a food resource and potential den sites.

Raccoon Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

While not all raccoons have rabies, raccoons, in general, are major hosts of rabies in the U.S., especially in the eastern part of the country where their populations are increasing. Pets should be properly vaccinated to mitigate this threat. Raccoons will kill poultry, destroy bird nests, and damage gardens or crops. They can destroy a home’s insulation, wood, shingles, electrical wiring, and walls as they try to create dens. Droppings, urine stains, or built-up materials from creating a nest are other signs of raccoon activity. If you are having an issue with raccoons, it is best to consult a professional wildlife control company for removal.

Red Squirrels in Louisiana

The red squirrel is often known as the pine squirrel, chickaree, or North American red squirrel. Compared to other squirrels in the region, the red squirrel is much smaller. They are usually slightly larger than a chipmunk. It typically feeds on conifer cones They are considered granivores but may feed on other items. They have also been observed feeding on spruce buds, needles, mushrooms, flowers, and berries.

Red Squirrel Habitat

Red squirrels are widely dispersed throughout the North American continent, typically wherever conifer trees are found. They build their nests mostly out of grass and construct nests in tree branches. They very rarely nest below the ground. Usually, red squirrels have several nests in their respective territories. Red squirrels have been reported nesting in homes using insulation as their material.

Red Squirrel Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Red squirrels are known to be one of the more territorial species of squirrels. They are very active throughout the entire year. Female red squirrels give birth in the spring with three to seven offspring in each litter. Red squirrels prefer nesting in trees outside your home but, as mentioned previously, they have been known to make their way indoors. If they get inside, they could use your insulation as the material for their nesting. If you are having an issue with red squirrels, it is best to consult a professional wildlife control company for removal.