Small Animal Control

                Varmints taking over your attic?

Gulf Coast Pest Control offers humane live trapping of small animals which sometimes find their way into or under our homes.

Our technician can identify and capture the varmint's, Find there entry point's and in most cases seal those 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 need be pest rodent, animal-proof" your home by exclusionary methods. They prefer woodlands, but can  also thrive on grasslands with water sources and shelter. Dens are made in tree cavities, chimneys, attics, storm sewers, crawl spaces and under buildings and so forth.

                           Raccoon droppings

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.

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 office immediately.

Raccoon Breeding

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. is relatively constant from year to year, while breeding by yearling females can be quite variable depending upon the geographic area and conditions. If the adult female does not become pregnant during the first estrus, she can come into estrus again four months later. This is where the late babies come in. Litter sizes can range from 1 to 8, with an average of 3 or 4 per litter. Yearling female raccoons tend to have smaller litters than do older adult females.

Gestation lasts about 63 days with most babies born in April or May. 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.

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

 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 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.

As city dwellers in the United States and Canada increasingly move into primary or second homes in former rural areas, raccoons are often considered pests because they forage in trash receptacles. The raccoon has also adapted well to city life, and in cities such as Toronto the raccoon is, after the grey squirrel the most common urban pest. Introduced into Germany in the 19th century, raccoons seeking food in wine cellars and storage areas have become a threat to the country's wine industry.

Beginning in April 1934 raccoons, which were beingcommercially farmed in Germany for their then-fashionable fur, were experimentally released into the wild in the Kellerwald range. Population growth greatly accelerated in 1945 when disruption of the infrastructure led to numerous raccoons escaping from farms across Germany. Because they seemed to have minimal impact on forest ecology, raccoons were a protected species. Lately, however, the population density in some regions may have reached 100 raccoons per square kilometer and hunters have been offered rewards to cull the animals.

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).

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 

Because opossums 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.

Gulf Coast Pest Control can help you take back your property!