The Critter Hunter

Raccoons breed in the month of January and sometimes even as late as May or June, this can depend of the region of the United State.  Their gestation period is about 60-64 days.  Most litters are born in April and May but some may be born later depending on the breeding.  There is only one litter of young born each year. They can have one to six but the average size litter is between three and five.  To find out more, visit our website at All That’s Wildlife and look under animal facts.

Rick Wilberschied a/k/a The Critter Hunter

This female had 4 babies

Animal exclusion is a process that is set up that allows animals to get out and not get back in.  In most cases we prefer to trap and remove the animals from the site to insure they do not come back to the area and become an ongoing problem.  The only animals we prefer to do exclusion work with are bats.  For more details on this subject please give All That’s Wildlife, Inc. a call at 847-980-5561.

Rick Wilberschied a/k/a The Critter Hunter

No, this would fall under pest control.  Pest control is an industry all of its own and their license differs from that of a Wildlife Control Operators license.  You will need to find a Pest Control company to take care of this for you.  You can look them up online in our area or in your local telephone book.

Rick Wilberschied a/k/a The Critter Hunter

We would classify these as an emergency situation if the wild animal is inside the living quarters of the home. Do you know where the animal is hiding? Do you know what kind of animal it is? Try to isolate the animal to one room if you can by closing all doors so it can’t travel to any other part of the house. We suggest to not get close to the animal. They are highly stressed and frantic because they are trapped and can be very dangerous.

Wild animals could also have health problems such as rabies or distemper.  Give us a call and we can come out as soon as possible to take care of the situation.

Rick Wilberschied a/k/a The Critter Hunter

Yes, we remove dead animals.  This is a service that we provide on an almost daily basis year round. We get calls for foul orders that are coming from under stoops, decks, inside walls, attics and crawl spaces. It’s important to deal with these matters as soon as possible. Dead animals can carry diseases as well as attract unwanted pests and vermin around your house. We will come out and do a thorough inspection to determine where the animal is and remove it as well as disinfect and deodorize the areas that are affected.  Sometimes during the process of dead animal extraction it is necessary to do some dismantling of dry wall, insulation, etc.  We also provide the service of restoring these areas back to normal as well as the areas where the animal has gained access.

This service is only for Wildlife only not domestic animals.

Rick Wilberschied a/k/a The Critter Hunter

Absolutely in no way do we ever recommend anyone deal with a wildlife matter without extensive training or experience. All kinds of wildlife can be dangerous. Some people may think, “What could that poor little squirrel do to me? huh!”. Let me tell you, they can do a lot. A two pound squirrel is nothing but solid muscle, large chiseled teeth and long sharp claws. I’ve seen those long sharp chiseled teeth chew through metal flashing and metal screening. Imagine what they can do to a finger or a hand if you try to grab them.

Or, how about a raccoon, they can get up to 30 plus pounds. Even though they look like a fat friendly teddy bear like creature, the only way I can make people realize just how strong these creatures are is they actually have strength enough to pull up shingles and plywood and tear a hole big enough to get into your attic. I’ve also seen them tear aluminum siding off a house to gain access inside. These animals are just plainly strong with their long sharp razor like claws and up to a six hundred pound square inch bite! All wild animals are very unpredictable.

I recently had a woman call to tell me she needed my assistance with some squirrels that moved into their attic. When I asked her if she was sure they were squirrels, she replied “Yes, I am sure they are squirrels. My husband did not want to hire anybody to take care of this problem and said he could handle it himself. Why should I pay somebody when I can do it myself. He put an extension ladder up against the house to get to the roof. He was about 25 feet off the ground where he was promptly greeted by a squirrel that shot out of the hole. It startled my husband and he fell to the ground. He suffered two cracked vertebrae and was just released from the hospital.”  I said “Ok, that’s proof enough for me and went out to their home to set up the job.”  This story is to prove a point, anything can happen, call an All That’s Wildlife Inc.  professional to deal with all wildlife conflicts.

Rick Wilberschied a/k/a The Critter Hunter

They most definitely can. And a lot of the times most definitely will. Depending on the type of animal that has taken up residence in or around your home or business can carry a small menu of different type of diseases or parasites. Take raccoons for instance, they can carry up to 27 different types of parasites and disease and can be spread by their urine or feces. Diseases can also be spread or transmitted through saliva or bodily fluids. Some of the diseases can be rabies, canine distemper, parvo virus just to name a few. Parasites can include hook worm, round worm and several other different types of worms alone. These can stand dormant in a raccoons waste. If the piles of waste are disturbed, spores can be cast through the air and taken in when you breathe causing serious health issues and illness. It is important to assess the extent of damage done to your property by an All That’s Wildlife, Inc. professional so we can put together the proper course of action needed in cleaning up all waste matter as soon as possible. This would actually be considered a biohazard situation when large amounts of waste are determined.

Check out my website, All That’s Wildlife, for more information.

Rick Wilberschied a/k/a The Critter Hunter

This can be a very tricky question. After determining what kind of animal is causing the problem you also have to look at what time of the year it is.  Is it a raccoon?  Is it during the spring when it might be a female and may have a litter of babies?  Is it fall or winter?  Is it squirrels?  This question of how many do you think there are can take on a hundred different answers.  So again, it is important to have an All That’s Wildlife, Inc. professional come out and do a full assessment of your situation. Generally we can determine what kind of animal it’s going to be while talking to you on the phone.  But in order to get a full grasp of what is going on we need to physically come to the location and see what the problem is and then we can try to determine of how many there are.  But, it will only be an educated assumption.  Most of time no one could ever tell just how many there are going to be.  Animals generally live as a single or family unit. Animals that are living in the area where you are having your problems are just that, single or family units.  Not every animal in your area is living in your house.

Yes, you guessed it, in this case it was a female raccoon and her babies.

Rick Wilberschied a/k/a The Critter Hunter

In this case it was a Raccoon in Attic

First of all it could be a few different things but let me ask you a few key questions first.  What are you exactly hearing, scratching, scurrying, and squealing?  Is it more of a scurrying or does it sound heavier and deliberate like a large bodied animal.  What time of the day or night are you hearing these noises and when do you hear it the most?

Have you noticed any holes in your roof or other possible damage to soffits, facias, down spouts or any other part of your house, such as shingles, or insulation lying on or around the ground?  Do you have any trees overhanging any part of your roof?  Do you have any trees or shrubbery close to your house that would give an animal easy access?

These are just some of the preliminary questions I ask the customer before I can even begin to diagnose the problem or even begin to determine what type of animal it may be.  In my experience its usually raccoons in the attic, squirrels in the attic, or bats in the attic.  To learn more about these animals visit my website at www.allthatswildlife.com.

Rick Wilberschied

I was just reading an article from TimesOnline regarding a teenage folk singer, Taylor Mitchell that was hiking through a national park in Nova Scotia when she was attacked by a pair of alpha coyotes.  She was severely wounded and succumbed to her injuries.  Although this is a rare occurrence it is becoming more and more common everyday.  Because she reached some level of popularity, her story managed to reach the media. But there are many other incidences out there that go on unreported every day.

It is very important to always be aware of your surroundings no matter where you may be.  All wildlife is very unpredictable and you may never know what may happen at any time.

My sincere heartfelt feelings go out to this girl and her family.  An innocent walk on a trail through a national park should never turn into a tragedy.  My suggestion is to never go willingly alone into the wilderness or anywhere else where there is wildlife that may pose a threat to your well being, always make sure you have someone with you.  It’s always more fun to go with a companion anyway whether with a family member or a friend.

I understand that the best remedy for the soul is time alone in nature but the path you travel should always lead you safely back home.  Do your loved ones a favor, take someone with you.