The vast majority of people love wildlife and taking trips in the nature. However, the situation is much different when these animals decide to visit our homes or offices. Although some of the wild animals in Tennessee like the raccoon (which is the state animal of TN), squirrels and opossum look very cute and friendly, they can cause a lot of problem if they enter our homes. Their favorite places are the attics and drawl spaces because they are perfect for hiding and easily accessible. Critters in your crawl space can be nuisance and can be very costly.
Favorite Hideouts: Attics and Crawl Spaces
As you are probably aware, these animals are not very useful once they get inside the house. They tend to destroy things especially items made of wood. Raccoons often destroy wires, insulation and building materials. They can cause many troubles and even put the integrity of the building at risk. But, this is not the only danger and problem caused by raccoons and other similar animals frequently found in Tennessee. Holes and damages in the structure of the building are the main reason why these wild animals enter our homes in the first place. While they are inside they also urinate and defecate.
Critters in your Attic
The feces and urine is not only bad to look at or smell, but it can also present a risk to our health. The feces and urine might contain roundworm larvae/eggs and in case we get in touch with these larvae they can start reproducing in our body and lead to many serious health conditions. According to some experts, these larvae can live for months in feces. Families with children are especially affected by this problem because children tend to touch everything with their hands and often place their fingers in the mouth.
Parasitic Transmissions: From Wildlife to Households
Just like any other wild animal, the animals we have mentioned before, carry ticks, fleas, mites, lice and other parasites that can easily transfer to our pets and children. As we all know these parasites must be removed as soon as possible because they can have negative impact on our health.
Wild Animals Can Carry Disease
Wild animals are carrying different viruses too. One of the most common ones is the rabies virus and the canine distemper. These viruses manifest almost the same symptoms including excessive crusting around the eyes; gait during waling, dizziness etc. if you start feeling these symptoms you should visit the doctor as soon as possible.
The Urban Migration of Tennessee’s Wildlife
Unfortunately, raccoons and wild animals can often be found in industrial and suburban areas in Tennessee. They are either looking for food or they migrate because of the destruction of their natural habitats.
Seeking Shelter: Natural Instincts in Unnatural Places
These animals consider the attics and crawl space to be some kind of natural den for them. In case you notice that some wild animal has found shelter in your home you must call an expert to remove it.
If you want to protect these areas from rodents and wild animals then you have to call a company like Crawl Space Ninja to encapsulate your crawl space.
8 thoughts on “Critters in your Crawl Space”
A nightmare situation for any home owner. These critters can destroy walls, flooring and many other structures in a home. Worse, these animal urinate and defecate along with carrying ticks, fleas and diseases. If you have an infestation problem, it is best to call a removal expert to take care of the situation before it worsens. Thanks for sharing with us!
You are so right Dean. Doing an attic this week where raccoons caused a big mess. Had to remove all the insulation and install new. Thanks for the comment.
Having these guys move into my attic is my worst fear for sure. They can definitely wreak havoc on your insulation and anything you have in your attic space. Good advice for dealing with them the right way.
Thank you Drew. It seems more and more homes are getting destroyed by animals in the crawl spaces and attics. Thanks for the comment.
I started getting worried about animals getting in my crawl space after I found a racoon down there last summer. It’s good to know that there are companies that can help prevent racoons and other animals from nesting underneath my house. Hiring a company for crawl space encapsulation seems like a good idea, so I should do that before more animals try to make a new home underneath my house. Thanks for posting this!
Hi Dee. That would be a great idea. So glad this information was helpful.
There’s something under the house that I’m renting. I’ve asked the property manager to please have someone to see what’s in the crawl space under the home. He doesn’t believe that anything is trapped under the house. When I’m in my room, which is the master bedroom I can feel movement under my feet and at times I’m laying in my bed wondering if what there can somehow manage to get through the floor board & carpet. HELP
Hi Patricia, I would recommend you ask your property manager if you can call a pest control company to inspect the crawl space. Hope that helps, thank you.