Varmints taking over your attic?

Raccoons, Opossums will find their way into attics, chimneys, crawl spaces or under homes or buildings. Many times coming from the storm sewers to den up for the winter or to find a suitable place to have their litter. Breeding Season January-March, pups from about April-May. They can be very creative and destructive when getting in. Let us here at Gulf Coast Pest Control help with the humane live Houston, Texas, Raccoon, Opossum, trapping, removal, service Today.  Inspection required

                 Tracks                        Entry              Scat                     Removal

How to get rid of raccoons? Our qualified trappers can identify and capture or remove the varmint's, Find there entry point's and in most cases seal those areas and warranty that work. If your home was never built to exclude animals, contact Gulf Coast Pest Control. We can inspect your home for any signs of activity, entry points and if needed rodent, animal-proof" your home by exclusionary methods. They prefer woodlands, but can also thrive on grasslands with water sources and shelter.

 Raccoon                                                          

Raccoons are mammals in the genus Procyon of the Procyonidae family. Raccoons are unusual for their thumbs, which (though not opposable) enable them to open many closed containers (such as garbage cans) and doors. They are intelligent omnivores with a reputation for being clever, sly, and mischievous. Raccoons range from 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 inches) in length (including the tail) and weigh between 4.5 and 16 kg (10 and 35 pounds). The raccoon's tail ranges from 20 to 40 cm (8 to 16 inches) in length. Raccoons live about 5-6 years in the wild. In Severe winter weather Raccoons will become dormant in northern areas.

Avoid any raccoon which is active during daylight hours, has lost it's fear of people and appears uncoordinated, confused, or listless. If you encounter an animal displaying these symptoms contact your local (DNR) Department of natural resources office or us at Gulf Coast Pest Control Today.

 Raccoon Behavior                                          

All raccoons are nocturnal and omnivorous, eating berries, insects, eggs and small animals. Raccoons sometimes wash, or douse, their food in water before eating it. It is unknown why raccoons perform dousing, but cleaning food is unlikely to be the reason. Studies have found that raccoons engage in dousing motions when water is unavailable; researchers note that captive raccoons are more likely than wild raccoons to douse food. It has been suggested that captive raccoons are mimicking fishing and shellfish-foraging behaviors. It may also be that the raccoon is searching for unwanted material, as water is thought to heighten their sense of touch.

   Raccoon Breeding                                         

Raccoons pair only to mate and do not form long-term bonds. The females ovulate spontaneously and give birth to one litter a year.

Breeding Season January - March. Severe winter weather they will become dormant in northern areas.

Adult female raccoons called Sows  breed anytime from December to June. Depending on climate and environmental conditions, although most breeding occurs between January and March, reaching a peak in February. The female Raccoon gives birth around April - May . Litter sizes can range from 1-8 with an average of 3 or 4 per litter. Gestation period 63 days. After about 18-23 days their eyes open. They stay in the den for 8 - 10 weeks nursing till they are 14 weeks of age.

Males called Boars will mate with more than one female during the year and do not share in the rearing of young. While males and females can begin breeding as early as the first year, males do not usually breed until the second year because of competition from older males.

Raccoon Disease 

Raccoons can carry Baylisascaris roundworm, distemper, and rabies. Of the approximately 8,000 documented animal rabies cases in the United States, raccoons constitute approximately 50% (Krebs et al. 1996, pp. 2031-2044). For all these reasons you need Gulf Coast Pest Control to perform your Raccoon, Opossum removal services.

 Opossum                                                        

   Despite Their rat-like appearance, opossums are not related to rats at all. Opossums are marsupials, or pouched mammals. Marsupials carry their young in a pouch on the abdomen of the female. Relatives include the koala and kangaroo. The opossum holds the distinction of being North America's only marsupial.

 Opossum Behavior                                        

Opossums are not very intelligent. and they are not very fast ( they can often be seen " waddling" along at a slow pace). They often have encounters with predators. Although opossums have more teeth ( 50) in their mouths than any other land mammal in North America, only the large canines are dangerous. Opossums will sometimes bite in self defense and can cause injury to a dog or cat. However, they transmit few diseases, and it is extremely rare for them to carry rabies. One reason might be that their body temperature is lower than most placental mammal. Another might be, through the effects of evolution, they are more remotely related to other mammals.

 Opossum Breeding                                        

 The breading season for the Virgina opossum can begin as early as December and continue through October with most infants born between the months of February and June. A female opossum may have 1-3 liters per year. Opossums can begin breeding before they are 1 year old. With a gestation period of just 13 days. During the mating season, the male attracts the female by making clicking sounds with his mouth. The average life span for opossums in the wild is 1-2 years. To make up for this high mortality rate opossums breed quickly and efficiently.

 Disease                                                           

Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a neurological disorder caused by a parasite. The opossum and a parasite called Sarcocystis neurona have been implicated although current research suggests other hosts and other parasites may be involved in disease transmission. The infective form of the parasite is passed in the feces. If a horse eats contaminated feces then it could develop neurological signs. It should be noted that the majority of opossums are probably not shedding the infective parasite and that of the horses exposed to the parasite, very few will develop EPM.

Service areas:

West Houston, Southwest Houston, Texas, Fort bend County, Sugar land, Katy, Sugarland, Missouri City, Stafford, Richmond Texas, Bellaire,