Removing wildlife from your home safely

Do you hear clawing, scratching, or unusual noises coming from inside the walls of your home? Is there an unexplainable and strong, relentless odor coming from somewhere, but you’re not sure of its origin? It might be that an animal has managed to get stuck down inside a wall! The best thing to do is to take care of the situation at the first sound you hear, before there is damage to your home, or the animal injures itself, dehydrates, or starves to death. And when a wild animal dies, the smell will only get worse until you remove its source.

Animals, especially this time of year in the Chicagoland area, are more than likely to find their way into your house to live or to nest. So, if you wait too long, you might be looking at having to worry about rescuing (or disposing of) not just one, but several critters or birds that may be stuck inside your house!

How do they get there?

Climbing critters – squirrels, opossums, raccoons, rats, mice, skunks, bats, rabbits – or even birds, are some of the most common woodland creatures that tend to find make an unwelcome entrance into your home, usually through the attic, and from there they fall down and get stuck in a wall. Sometimes, all they need is for there to be a gap that they push or chew their way through until they find themselves inside the walls. But they can also gain entry through the roof, basement, under a deck, inside a chimney, or from unprotected dryer vents and get stuck in or remain solely in those places. But getting them out isn’t always the problem – it can also be that you need help keeping them out because they won’t stop re-entering!

What to do

Just because an animal has gotten into your wall in the first place, doesn’t mean you have to opt to harm it simply in order to get rid of it! By enlisting the help of trained experts to safely remove and release the animal into its natural habitat, and by preventing it from entering the way it came in, you can take care of the situation in a safer, and more humane manner.

If you suspect you have a wild animal stuck inside your home, contact these organizations as soon as possible:

• Suburban Wildlife Control (630) 443-4500, (847) 695-9899, (630) 668-9899, (630) 289-4854,
• (630) 816-1667 or email [email protected]
• Naperville Animal Control (630) 420-6178 or email [email protected] (does not include removal from attics, crawlspaces, window wells, or garages)
• A-B-C Humane Wildlife Control & Prevention (855) 876-7477
• They will make all attempts to catch the animal and rescue it so that it is unharmed, though what they do may include the need to cut a hole in your wall to get to it.
• Once recovered, you can have them take the animal to one of the following organizations or take it there yourself, where it will then be rehabilitated and re-released into the wild:
• Willowbrook Wildlife Center (630) 942-6200 or email [email protected]
• Red Door Animal Shelter (for cats, dogs, and rabbits) (773) 764-2242 or email [email protected]

As REALTORS@, Teresa Ryan and Ryan Hill Group advocate the humane handling of wildlife and having them rehabilitated, rather than exterminated. For that reason, they recommend that you make any necessary repairs to your roof, foundation, caulking, screens, and gutters to help prevent wild animals from getting in.

If you need assistance in selling your Naperville property please do not hesitate to contact us at RyanHillGroup.com. Call Listing Agent and Managing Broker of Ryan Hill Group, Teresa Ryan at (630) 276-7575 for a no-obligation home sale consultation.

Get a copy of our Home Selling Guide written by Teresa Ryan specifically for homeowners in Naperville and Chicagoland.