A sweet story

We just had to share this sweet story from one of our customers. We love working with people who share our compassion for animals, no matter the species. Enjoy!




This is the picture of the little mouse nest I found while cleaning my garage. It was in a small doll's suitcase (circa 1964), nestled in a large cardboard box containing my childhood memorabilia. The babies were snuggled in a beautiful best made of holiday tissue paper and tiny shredded pieces of my beloved childhood books!  
😂  

When I realized mama was hiding in the box, but outside of the tiny suitcase, I quickly relocated the whole thing to a small, fenced area with my garbage and recycling. I covered the box with a big blanket, making sure the entrance/exit holes that the mother had obviously made were not blocked. We were having work done on the house, with workers coming and going, so I put a "PLEASE DO NOT MOVE" sign on top of the blanketed box. 

For the next twelve days I checked on the mouse family daily. There were 14 babies - a few appeared younger (as seen in the photo) - maybe there was a second mother? 

Often the mother was not present ... I'm assuming she was out scouting for food. I left water for her and seeds and grains from my pet rat's diet. All was happily eaten! It was fun watching how quickly they developed, and began running around! Four of the tiniest babies died. I buried them in a plant container full of colorful flowers.  
😊  

On the 12th day, when I went to say hello, I was surprised to find both the miniature suitcase and the box empty of mice! Other than one lone baby who jumped up and out and skittered off quicker than I could realize what had happened. 

They had graduated from their nest and were all off figuring things out. I just prayed they ran in the direction of the creek next to my house, and not toward my garage!  

Just another day on the job


Rodent-proofing a home in Big Sur.





Living With Wildlife

By Rebecca Dmytryk


Interestingly, in urban areas, there can be more mesopredators - opossums, skunks, raccoons, fox, coyote, per square mile than in a wilderness area. Why is that? Because the urban setting is a manmade ecosystem, artificially rich in food resources - lawns and lush vegetation, fruits trees and gardens, pools, ponds, pet food - it’s an oasis! So, wild animals are attracted by these food resources, and that usually leads to conflicts with the resident humans. 

Most people think, if they get rid of the animal, they’ll get rid of the problem, but, when you remove an animal a new individual moves into the vacant habitat and the conflict continues. Only when you address the actual problem will you achieve lasting results.

The animals are not the problem - not really. Their presence is a symptom. The actual problem is whatever attracted them - a food resource! Remove the food resource or their access to the food and the animals will go away. The equation is that simple.

Still, some people believe they must remove the animals so they resort to trapping or hiring a pest control company to trap and remove them.

In California, in order to set a trap for a wild animal, whomever is setting the trap must first acquire written consent from neighbors that reside within 150 yards of the proposed trap location. It’s also illegal to trap a wild animal and release it somewhere else - for good reason. Research has proven most of the animals die trying to get back home. 

We find most people don’t want to hurt an animal or see it killed, they just want their problem solved. There’s an emerging branch of vertebrate pest control that is focused on just that - solving wildlife problems without harming any animals. 

The first ethical wildlife control company was started in the 1970s in Ontario, Canada. In the 1980s, the Humane Society of the United States published a couple of instructional books to help people resolve their problems with wildlife. Today, there is a trade association and approximately 20 service providers in the United States that offer, exclusively, humane options to resolving wildlife problems. Locally, there is Humane Wildlife Control, with an office in North Hollywood, and Humane Choice Wildlife Services, based out of Oak View. 

These Humane Wildlife Control Technicians resolve wildlife problems through a holistic approach, taking into account all the factors that might be contributing to a wildlife conflict, including the health if the animal, time of year and the landscape. They will be looking for clues as to why the animal is intruding (usually a food resource), and how it’s accessing the resource. This will be key to solving the problem.

Next, they will apply some basic controls, which might include removing the attractant or the animals access to the attractant, often called exclusion. In spring and summer months - Baby Season - wildlife technicians have to be very careful when evicting or excluding animals, for fear of separating mothers from their babies. This time of year, technicians use gentler methods to get adult animals to self-relocate with their offspring. 

Non-lethal methods have also been proven beneficial in removing mice and rats from buildings. Again, the presence of rodents is a symptom - it’s an indication that there are breaches in the outer “shell” of the structure. Once the holes are patched, the Humane Wildlife Control Technician will set live-catch traps to collect the rats and mice that are essentially trapped on the inside of the building. Traps are checked each morning, and the animals are set free just outside.

It may sound counterproductive to set the mice and rats free in the yard where they can get back to the building, but that’s exactly what’s needed. Rodents are very smart animals - they know exactly their path inside, and we want them to try and get back in. That’s the only way we’ll know for sure that the rodent-proofing was sufficient.

For some, rodent-proofing the home isn’t enough. They want to have something working on the outside the home to kill the rats. Unfortunately, the traditional poison can also kill owls, hawks, bobcats, fox, even dogs and cats are at risk. 

Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (SGARs) present such a risk to other animals and children, that the Environmental Protection Agency restricted the availability of products containing SGARs to the average consumer, but, they are still widely used by the pest control industry.

Thankfully, there is a product to replace SGARs and other conventional poisons - RatX and MouseX. Made from, essentially, grain and salt, the formula kills mice and rats - only - by coating the causing the animals to stop eating and drinking. For those who feel compelled to have something in the yard to control rodents, we believe this is, by far, the safest product.

Instead of using a commercial product to control rodents, why not invite a pair of American barn owls to take up residency and control mice, rats, voles, moles and gophers naturally? 

Barn owls are no threat to small pets. Even with a 4’ wingspan, they only weigh about a pound. Barn owls are cavity-nesters, meaning, they nest inside hollows, and they take readily to manmade structures, like owl nest boxes. 

Nest boxes are simple, rectangular structures, usually made from plywood, with a sing hole, about 5 1/2” - 6” in diameter. The nest box can be mounted in a tree or on a post, at least 12’ feet from the ground. Ideally, pole-mounted boxes should be situated near a large pine or oak tree so the young owls have a place to hide after they fledge. The nest entrance should face away from prevailing winds and away from obstacles. 

Barn owls nest all year, sometimes producing two clutches. The number of eggs varies, but between 4 and 8 is typical. The hen begins brooding after laying her first egg, with a new egg produced every other day. Incubation is about 30 days, so a hen might be on her nest for six weeks, taking only a couple of short flights each night. This is one reason a large roomy nest box is important - so she can stretch her wings. 

While there are a number of barn owl nest box designs commercially available, many are flawed. The Barn Owl Trust describe problems with poor nest box designs in great detail at https://www.barnowltrust.org.uk/hazards-solutions/poor-barn-owl-nestbox-design/ , noting how important size is. The nest box must provide ample room for the hen and her brood of young. Even more critical, the access hole. It must be high enough to keep the owlets safely contained until the are ready to fledge. The Barn Owl Trust recommends the access hole be no less than 17” from the floor of the nest. 

If you need help with building or installing a barn owl nest box or help resolving conflicts with wildlife, don’t hesitate to contact us.


Walt's Car Corral - The best little car corral in Arizona

From http://planetthrive.com/2012/10/the-best-little-car-corral-in-arizona/

The best little car corral in Arizona.
Many people who flock to the American southwest after developing environmental illness have no idea that car camping or parking in rural areas will leave their car vulnerable to damage from local critters like mice, rats, squirrels, and rabbits, to name a few. During nesting seasons, these animals will seek out the dark, protected, relatively insulated areas of a car (e.g. under the hood, in engine) in which to build nests for their young. Many a morning when I checked under my hood, I found squirrels, rabbits, and mice just hanging out in the engine. I have removed several nests made of sticks, string, and found materials from the engine area. I have had to have wiring repaired where rodents have chewed through on the wires to my air conditioner fan and other areas on three separate occasions. Not only is this annoying, inconvenient and expensive over time, but it is also dangerous — both for the animal and you! A neighbor of mine once had their car explode into flames as they were driving because the wires on the their brakes had been destroyed by rodents. Luckily they were able to pull over and slow the car down in time to jump out.
The average person who finds themselves with a rodent problem in their vehicle will usually just put some dryer sheets in the area or some peppermint oil and call it a day. But those who are chemically sensitive have to get more creative than that, as we can have severe physical reactions to all the typical solutions. One environmentally sensitive friend of mine recommended I get a mechanic to close off all openings to the car engine using grating and metal sheeting. Depending on the car, that could get tricky and for some of us, it is difficult to find a mechanic to work with that won’t contaminate our car in some way. I tried leaving my hood open at night as others had advised, but some nights it was just way too windy to do that. I even ordered some coyote urine to sprinkle around my car to ward off small animals, but I reacted terribly to the strong scent and had to abandon the idea.
Ultimately, I chose to build a small “car corral” to enclose my car year-round. Three out of four sides have metal sheeting that goes a foot into the ground to prevent the rodents from burrowing underneath to access the car. The front gate area has large concrete bricks buried at the front line for the same purpose. The project cost me around $1,600 but your cost may vary depending on local prices of materials and labor. (I also had some inefficiencies in how mine was done that added some costs to the overall amount.)

Before shot: The original car corral site.
Main materials needed
• 64′ long x 4′ high 26 gauge metal siding cut into 3′ wide pieces (possible brands: FabralMetal Salespossible sources: ABC SupplyProBuildKay SupplyLowe’sHome Depot)
• (8) cement blocks – 6″ x 14″ from Home Depot
• ~ 13 posts for frame
• ~ 68′ of piping for frame
• enough bags of cement to fill cement bricks
• screws/bolts
Depending on the design of your gate and closing system:
• 2 gate frames – 5′ wide each – fabricated by local welder
• handle for gate
• closure for gate
• hinges for gate
• (2) poles for gate “open” position
• (2) chain links for gate “open” position
There may be other materials I am forgetting or unaware of since I did not build it myself. The person you hire should be able to determine all hardware needed.
Approximate cost
$362 – metal siding
$100 – posts and cement bricks
$150 – clear/level land with tractor
$180 – labor to dig trenches
$800 – labor, additional materials
$1592 TOTAL
Step One: Determine dimensions
I worked with a local handyman named Walt who is a skilled craftsman and metalworker. First we determined how big the corral would be based on my car’s outside measurements. We decided on 12 feet x 20 feet for the overall dimensions. I wanted to be able to open the doors on both sides of the car at once and have a few feet in the front and back for clearance.
Step Two: Order materials
Once you know the overall dimensions, you can figure out the quantity of materials needed and place your orders well ahead of time. Since I was building a 12′ x 20′ car corral, I needed approximately 64 feet of metal sheeting. The metal sheeting comes in heights of 4 feet; that would provide enough clearance for 1 foot below ground and 3 feet above ground. I also needed to purchase fence posts and the frame for the front gate. The rest of the materials (hinges, screws, bolts, etc.) were provided by Walt, who charged me for them in his fee. Depending on where you purchase your materials, there may be a several week wait so be sure to factor that lead time into your schedule.
Clearing the land.
Step Three: Clear land, level site
The next step was to clear the area of debris and plants and level the site. I had to hire a local worker to bring his small tractor out to complete the job. That cost me $150. If I had the same person dig the trench for metal siding I might have saved myself some money, but as it turned out, I used two different people. [Note:Another option here would have been to pour a concrete pad to put the car corral on, eliminating the need to bury the siding into the ground. That would have saved on cost and labor to dig the trenches, but would have added a lot more costs for the cement work. I chose the less expensive option that would leave the lighter footprint on the earth.]

Digging the trenches.
Step Four: Measure corral and dig trenches
Next I had to measure out the dimensions of the corral and mark the areas before digging. Once you layout the sides with a tape measure (I used a stick to draw the rectangle out in the earth), you’ll want to measure on the diagonals to insure 90 degrees angles on all sides. Then came the fun part: digging trenches 1 foot deep by about 3 inches wide around three of the four sides of the car corral. I tried digging them myself to save money but ended up having to hire someone with muscle to finish the job. I wet the area with a hose the night before and morning of to make the digging easier.

Different widths for front and side trenches.
The way Walt decided to do the front gate required that we dig a wider, more shallow trench in the front than for the sides and back of the corral. The front trench had to be about 6 inches deep and 14 inches wide – deep and wide enough for large cement bricks that would be placed along the front rim, filled with concrete, and then covered with dirt to prevent the rodents from burrowing in under the gate.

Putting posts and connecting pipes in.
Step Five: Pound in posts, connect with pipes
After digging the trenches, Walt then pounded in posts on all corners and along the sides. Then he connected all the posts with pipes he scavenged from our property (we found them just laying around from a previous job) to create the framework for the metal sheeting. The pipes had to be cut to fit on site.

Stabilizing the corners.
Step Six: Construct front gate
Once the corral framework was up, Walt focused on the front gate, filling the buried bricks with concrete, and putting in the posts for the gate to swing on.

Concrete being poured in and around the bricks.
Concrete being poured around gate posts.
Hinging the pre-fabricated gate frame.

Step Seven: Attach metal sheeting to perimeter
Once the frame for the corral and front gate are assembled, you can then attach the metal sheeting to the piping. I chose metal sheeting to match the color of the garage and shed to keep it color coordinated with the accessory buildings on the property. When the metal sheeting is in place, you can then refill the trenches with the surplus dirt on both sides of the metal, tapping the dirt down with the back of the shovel to create a flat, even surface.

Finished car corral with gate open.

Step Eight: Front gate details

Your worker will have to decide what sort of handle to put on the gate to open it with, how to keep it in a closed position, and what sort of poles and chains to use to keep the gate in “open” position, etc. Here is what Walt did:

Gate handle.
Chain and pole for keeping gate in “open” position.

This car corral is really a work of art in how well it is constructed and how well it keeps critters out. I am so thankful for Walt’s ingenuity and attention to detail. He is a real pro at figuring out ways to avoid using solvents, glues, and other chemicals to get the job done for those of us with chemical sensitivities. I hope my sharing this will help others to build their own car corrals and save their cars from rodent damage.

Finished car corral.
A few weeks after the car corral was completed, a sunflower began to grow. Somehow, it seemed symbolic – nature’s way of blessing my new car home.

Sunflower in car corral.

Disclaimer:
 The above materials, costs, and steps taken to build this car corral are approximations and should not be taken literally. If you decide to build your own car corral, please work out all details with the person building your corral. My article should be used as a guide or for inspiration only.



Criteria for barn owl boxes


Remember, American barn owls need even more room!

Presentation on coyotes


Living With Coyotes
presented by Humane Wildlife Control

November 7, 7:00 - 8:00 PM

West Valley Branch Library - Community Room
1243 San Tomas Aquino Road, San Jose

This event is being hosted by City of San Jose and Councilmember Chappe Jones

More info contact David Gomez at david.gomez@sanjoseca.gov or (408) 535-4901

Download the flyer, HERE.



Living in Harmony

By Rob Watson 9/2017




My wife, myself and our three cats live in an urban area near a creek and within half a mile of a small wildland park. We support local and migratory birds with fully-stocked feeders year-round. Birds make any neighborhood better with their songs and colors, plus they consume bugs and insects in the spring and fertilize native plants. We love to bird-watch from our living room and see how many different species we can find in our bird books.

We have placed appropriately-sized bird nest boxes around our property and have hosted several families of chestnut-backed chickadees, oak titmice and others, with our very own “bird B & B.” We even have a camera in one of the nest boxes and I have made a couple YouTube videos about the lives of our feathered tenants.

We protect the birds from our cats with enclosed cat-only areas, sometimes called “catios” that allow our cats to freely roam between the inside of the house, and several outdoor areas. Our cats love to watch and talk to the birds and the birds stay safe. Our catios protect our cats from large predators, loose dogs, traffic, and unscrupulous people.



We utilize our garden and landscape drip-irrigation system to regularly replenish several birdbaths and a ground-level drinking area - used by both birds and just about all the other wild animals that make regular stopovers in our yard as they pass through. Of course we regularly check these for mosquito larvae, although our local birds are happy to dispose of the little devils for us as well.

We have attempted to set up our wildlife support system to favor the desirable critters and discourage the undesirable critters. Of course that means making efforts to pest-proof our home.

Our water supplies are accessible to everyone while our bird feeders only feed birds, and when we put out bread scraps for squirrels and larger birds during the day so the less desirable nocturnal critters like rats and mice are not encouraged to seek it out.

We’ve had a great horned owl visitation, and some local gray foxes have begun to frequent our wildlife superhighway as they make their meal-catching and play-time rounds through our yard between the park area and the creek. A local Opossum has been investigating our yard as well.

These critters are beneficial to human urban life. Foxes help keep rodent populations down, skunks eat bugs, kill and eat rats and mice and have been known to destroy yellowjacket nests. Opossums eat termites, bugs and small rodents.

We do what we can to encourage the critters we do want around and discourage the ones we don’t want around. We have been so delighted to see how much wildlife there is around us.


Link to videos I've made at home:


Bird nest box videos:

Skunk movie:

Hilarious squirrel baffle movie (No squirrels were harmed :)

Short movie of us introducing two of our cats to one of our DIY "cat cages."

Here's the link to my YouTube channel:




Poor skunk caught in two rat traps



Larger animals being caught in rat trap - a growing problem since the invention of the "new and improved" rat and mouse snap traps with serrated jaws. 

Unlike the the old fashioned smooth-edged snap traps that larger animals could slip out of, these newer traps have a stronger grip and "teeth" that make it impossible for animals to escape.

This young skunk ventured into a yard that had snap traps set outdoors by a barbecue grill that rats had been attracted to. Drawn by the smell of the grill or the rodents or the peanut butter bait, this poor skunk got both its front paws caught  - just a horrible accident and so avoidable.





Snap traps are not intended for use outdoors without being inside a protective case to prevent other animals from caught and injured. Unfortunately, as was the case in this situation, there was nothing on the packaging or in the instructions warning the consumer of the potential risk to other animals and the precautions necessary to avoid something like this from happening.


WES is petitioning the manufacturers of these types of traps for better labeling so accidents like this one - which could cost this skunk its life, don't happen.

Clearly preventable!

Please, add your voice, here:

https://www.change.org/p/calling-for-better-labeling-on-rat-traps-to-protect-pets-and-wildlife

Local media coverage, HERE.







Another cutie



Another adorable deer mouse evicted from a home in Prunedale, CA after we shored up all of the entry points.

Who cares?

Brush mouse.

We care! A lot of people care!!!

We were rodent-proofing a home in Carmel Valley, shoring up the exterior, making sure no more rodents could get in, and then live-catching the ones that were left inside the attic, when we discovered a new (new to us) species of mouse - a brush mouse! Just adorable!!!

Finding this native mouse, along with a couple of non-native roof rats, made me wonder how pest control companies determine the species they're killing when they set out poison, BECAUSE rodenticide labels specify which species the poison can be used to kill, and, per the Department of Pesticide Regulation, the label is the law.

As you can see, in this label the target species are named - but so are species that should not be targeted by this product in California...  they're marked with an asterisk.



So, I was curious how this would be handled by the agencies that regulate and enforce pesticide use. How do they ensure non-targets - like the native brush mouse - aren't harmed?

I started by calling the Structural Pest Control Board Enforcement Unit - they kindly directed me to the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner's Office and after explaining I was intending to write a blog post about this and wanted to interview someone, I was transferred to Deputy Agricultural Commissioner Ken Allen.

What was his response to my concern that native species might be killed by use of rodenticides aimed specifically at certain non-native species? He tried convincing me that native species have their own niche and would probably not likely be around residential areas and in homes.

Really? Seriously?

But, the most memorable comment was his response to my concern that, unless pest control operators do their due diligence and make sure there are no native species present, then native species, like the brush mouse, will be poisoned. To which he replied, "Who cares!"

Mr. Allen, we care. Californians, care.

The conversation degraded from there and he postured, neither he nor anyone from the Commissioner's office would be interviewed on this subject.

Really?



Mother opossum entrapped for days



Today we received a call about an opossum that was causing quite a disturbance at a home in Watsonville. The resident explained how the animal was getting inside a converted garage - now used for storage, and pulling things off shelves and defecating all over the place. At the time of the call they said they could see the animal tucked back on a shelf sleeping, and it looked like there were a couple of young ones.

Evolution of a barn owl nest box

By Rebecca Dmytryk




Creating a safe and sound environment for barn owls to raise their young has been, and I suspect it will continue to be, a journey of its own.

Teco & Lotte



Welcome to the Teco and Lotte Chronicles... In December, 2016 we installed a barn owl nest box at the Haute Enchilada in Moss Landing California - part of the restaurant owner's commitment to sustainable practices and environmental stewardship. A pair of resident barn owls took to the box quickly. By January, the first egg was laid. Check back for frequent updates and happenings inside the nest. View the live stream on YouTube at Teco & Lotte.


Barn Owl Nest Boxes - Size Matters

To those who build and/or install or promote barn owl nest boxes, 

This is a request to come together and agree on minimum overall size requirements and entry hole dimensions and placement.

PRODUCT REVIEW: Crenova iScope Waterproof Inspection Camera

By Rebecca Dmytryk

In our line of work, sometimes we need to inspect inside walls or other inaccessible spots to locate trapped or nesting animals. The Crenova iScope was recommended by a colleague, and seems to be a decent tool for the job, and, at $20.00 on Amazon - you just can't beat the price.

Mouse in the house



I just have to share good moments, working with people who share our compassion for animals.

This morning, one of our clients called to give me an update. We'd rodent-proofed their home over a week ago, sealing up all the gaps and possible intrusion points and making sure there weren't any large animals living under the home.

DIY humane rat and mouse eviction



Ridding one's home of mice and rats can be a bit labor intensive, frustrating at times, but, once completed, the home should be rodent-free for many, many years.

The following post describes how to protect your home from rats and mice, for good, without using poison or other lethal means. 

A sweet story

We just had to share this sweet story from one of our customers. We love working with people who share our compassion for animals, no matte...