Author: Anya Witmer

Central Pennsylvania boasts stunning landscapes and a wide array of wildlife, but sometimes these animals can become a nuisance when they venture into human spaces. When it comes to dealing with these unwanted guests, understanding the rules and doing things the right way is super important. Let’s talk about the laws and rules about wildlife removal in Central Pennsylvania!

Rules and Regulations

Here in Central Pennsylvania, laws from the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) and other local authorities look after both the animals and people. For instance, you can’t just move certain animals without permission. The PGC regulates trapping, moving, and removing these critters to make sure it’s done legally and ethically.

If you’re dealing with critter trouble, it’s smart to get in touch with licensed professionals who know these rules inside out. That’s where we come in – as certified animal removal experts in Central PA, we’ve got the expertise and insurance to handle the job right.

Permits and How Things Work

Sometimes, special critters like bats, birds of prey, or endangered animals need extra care. That means getting specific permits and following certain steps to do things properly which includes using approved methods and having the right gear.

Did you know that relocating certain animals without permission is against the law? These animals might carry germs that can spread if they’re moved incorrectly. That’s why it’s best to let a professional handle wildlife removal and relocation – it keeps everyone and everything safe.

Doing the Right Thing

Besides following the rules, it’s important to do what’s right for these animals. Respecting these animals and their homes matters a lot! However, when they infringe upon your home or property, they need to be removed or relocated to a safe place. Usually, if they’re not causing trouble, they’ll leave you alone if you leave them alone.

To sum it up, when it comes to handling critters in Central Pennsylvania, it’s best to call in a certified wildlife removal pro. With over 15 years of experience, we know the right way to do things – legally and ethically. Reach out to us, and let’s chat about how we can help you out!

The striped skunk is most commonly found in Pennsylvania and belongs to the mustelid family which also includes weasels, ferrets, martens, fishers, mink, otters, and badgers.

About Skunks

Adult skunks are about 2 feet long including their 7-10 inch tail. They can weigh between 3-12 lbs depending on age, sex, physical condition, and time of the year.

Moreover, males are about 15% heavier than female skunks. They have small heads with small eyes and ears, pointed noses, short legs, and wide rear ends. The claws of the skunk’s forefeet are long and sharp, well-adapted to digging. The striped skunk is most commonly found in Pennsylvania.

What do they do?

Skunks make a variety of sounds including hisses, growls, squeals, cooing, and churring. Skunks are placid and sluggish; they walk in a slow and clumsy gallop, and they can swim but are poor climbers. Their senses of sight, smell, and sound have been judged poor to fair.

Their defense mechanism is their potent scent that sprays from 2 large scent glands. Musk, or their spray, is an oily liquid that is highly repellent to all mammals. Their musk can spray up to 12 feet but is their last resort in the line of defense. They will drum their forefeet on the ground while growling, hissing, arching their back, and filling their tails.

Striped skunks are omnivores! In summer, they feed heavily on insects; grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, and wasps. They also dig out bumblebee nests and scratch at the entrance of beehives, catching and eating honeybees that fly out. They often leave remnants of their feeding; small cone-shaped holes in the soil, pine needles, leaf duff, or suburban lawns mark where they’ve dug for grubs. They also eat spiders, toads, frogs, lizards, snakes, mice, chipmunks, turtle eggs, and ground-nesting birds. In fall and winter, skunks eat fruits such as wild grapes, cherries, moles, mice, voles, shrews, grasses, leaves, buds, mast, and carrion.

They are nocturnal animals, they hunt from dusk until dawn. They den in ground burrows, beneath buildings, stumps, wood, rock piles, and overhanging creek banks. Skunks will use abandoned woodchuck burrows. They like sloped spaces for dens, most likely because they drain well. Their breeding season runs from February to March.

Skunks do not hibernate although they might remain dormant underground all winter. Skunks like to live in a variety of habitats. They like mixed woods and brushland, rolling weedy fields, fencerows, wooded ravines, and rocky outcrops in or near agricultural areas. They use hayfields, pastures, fencerows, and brush borders of waterways. Corn fields are ideal feeding habitats.

What Damage Do They Cause?

Skunks are burrowers and diggers, using these skills to find any weak spots in your foundation and crawl spaces they can use to find an entrance to their new home. They can damage electrical wiring and plumbing. Due to skunks preferring to den together, there may be a family living in your home. They also like areas under sheds and decks.

How To Get Rid of Skunks

We offer skunk removal! We start all jobs with an interior and exterior inspection of the home so we can determine where the animals are entering and living. Physical removal is the best approach as we only use traps and methods approved by the PA Game Commission. We also offer exclusion services to prevent skunks from coming back.

We’re your licensed and insured skunk removal experts in Pennsylvania, give us a call or use our contact form if you believe you have skunks living near your home!

Foxes are very intelligent predators with sharp senses. They can hear a mouse squeal up to 150 feet away! They’re usually known for their nighttime barking in the winter and large bushy tails. Furthermore, males are referred to as “dog” foxes, and females are known as “vixens”. 

What do they look like?

There are two types of foxes found in Pennsylvania; the red and gray fox. Red foxes have a vibrant red coat and a thick bushy tail with a white tip. Gray foxes have a speckled coat and a black tail tip. Both types are typically 2 feet long, with gray foxes being slightly larger than red. 

What do they eat? 

They are carnivores and will essentially eat any game that’s easily obtained. This usually includes field mice, rats, rabbits, groundhogs, opossums, cats, chickens, squirrels, insects, gamebirds, bird eggs, fruits, and grasses. 

They will also scavenge for food including roadkill and winter kills. Additionally, foxes are frequent visitors to the wild game or free-range farm operations. 

What do they do?

Foxes are usually nocturnal animals aside from summertime when they hunt full-time to provide for their young. They’re usually found in open meadows, small woodlots, and around the edges of fences and neighborhoods. 

They make their den sites in abandoned groundhog holes, rock piles, under concrete slabs, sheds, and decks. The entry point for their den is about the size of a basketball and animal bones are usually found nearby. 

Although foxes prey on other animals, they should not be considered a threat as long as they look healthy and usually react to external stimuli like human activity. 

Typical signs of their presence include missing animals, fences, sheds, or decks dug under. 

What diseases do they carry? 

Foxes can be infected and carry rabies so if a fox is not reacting appropriately to human presence, they should be perceived as a threat. Additionally, foxes carry mange, a skin burrowing mite, lose their hair, and exhibit obsessive scratching. Mange can be passed onto other foxes as well as domestic dogs.

Fox Removal

Currently, we do not offer fox removal as one of our services but we may be able to recommend another animal technician that does! Give us a call or contact us for more information about a fox removal referral.