Gardens take a lot of hard work to start, maintain and harvest. The last thing anyone wants is to see all their hard work go to waste at the expense of wildlife. From time to time, it happens. All things considered these unwanted guests are just doing what their instincts tell them to do. Survive! Our gardens are very inviting to all types of omnivores. There are a few tell-tale signs to be able to identify which type of invader you may be dealing with. Working in collaboration with an experienced wildlife control expert to assist you in the safe removal of the unwanted garden robber is the safest method of removal. Animal Pest Management recommends you to never try to make contact with wildlife such as opossums, raccoons, squirrels etc. Here is some information about some common mammals found in Southern California today and how to identify what’s eating your garden.
Opossums Eating Vegetable Gardens?
Opossums are frequent invaders here in Southern California. Every year, many residents make calls for assistance in controlling a problem opossum near their homes because they are afraid of the mammal. This is understandable seeing how they look like huge, bloated rats. These marsupials were first found in Los Angeles in 1906, they have scruffy fur, beady eyes, long scaly tails, and bizarre little feet. If they feel threatened they are likely to bare teeth and hiss at the threat, but rarely attack. They are more likely to play dead than actually attack someone. These guys are natures clean-up crew and cause little to no damage to gardens. They are nocturnal and come out after dark to forage around homes and in gardens for snails, slugs, roaches, fallen fruit and other easy scores. These guys get blamed for a lot of the messes raccoons, skunks and squirrels make when in fact they are harmless to gardens. Opossums have soft, delicate, pink skin on their paws which makes them the least likely candidate for digging. Their weak nails give them the ability to climb but would break if they tried to dig. So, if your garden has been destroyed, these guys are likely not the culprits. If you see an opossum around your home, you may just benefit from leaving them be to do their jobs.
Raccoons Digging Up Plants & Destroying Garden?
These troublesome invaders sport a black mask across their eyes, they have bushy tails with 4-10 black rings across them and their bodies vary greatly in color. The most common coloring of a raccoon are grayish-black to reddish-brown and they weigh in at around 12-30 pounds. In urban settings where food is plentiful, raccoons can exceed that weight limit and get quite heavy. Raccoons have excellent hearing and eyesight and have human like forepaws that allow them to easily manipulate things and make them excellent climbers and swimmers. These nocturnal trouble makers are mainly solitary creatures and aren’t known to travel far from their dens. If you have a frequent invader these guys may just be the culprit. These omnivores have a varied diet and feed on fruit, nuts, earthworms, insects, grubs, frogs, rodents, birds and bird eggs and pond fish. They have been known to wreak havoc on yards, tearing up large patches of grass in search of grubs and worms, and tearing apart gardens overnight in search of fruits. They ravage through trashcans and get into just about everything. They are fierce fighters and are well known for taking down predators larger than themselves. If you have a raccoon problem around your home, call Animal Pest Management, it’s best to leave these guys to the professionals.
Wildlife Inspections, Control, Trapping, Removal & More in San Bernardino, Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside & San Diego Counties, California
Animal Pest Management are wildlife trapping experts and can help you to identify what type of pest in causing trouble around your home. Give us a call if you have further questions or need assistance with a problem pest.
