Which Animals Cause the Most Damage to Your Home and Foundation?

Who doesn’t enjoy having some wild neighbors to look at through the window? While critters like raccoons and deer can seem cute from inside of your home, they’re not creatures you want to mess with or have anywhere near your structural supports. If left to their own devices, they can cause significant – if unintentional – damage.

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Contending With Animals That Can Damage Your Home

Some of the most irritating and dangerous animals to deal with in your home include:

• Skunks – Skunks smell. Everyone knows this. There’s a difference, though, between passing a dead skunk on the road and dealing with the smell in your home. If a skunk gets scared too close to your property, you may find yourself contending with that awful smell for months on end.
• Rodents – The category of rodents includes all sorts of critters, from squirrels to chipmunks and mice to rats. All of these creatures will enthusiastically make themselves at home in your walls if given the chance. There, they can eat away at your wiring, nest in your insulation, and generally make a habitat for themselves where they shouldn’t be.
• Snakes – Snakes in the Midwest don’t always nest in pipes like they do in Florida and other states. That doesn’t mean that a snake can’t get into your home and cause problems. Luckily, snakes only tend to pose a health threat when in your home, as their fear of the unfamiliar can make them more aggressive than usual.
• Raccoons – Nothing is worse to deal with than a raccoon. These critters can cause enough problems outside of your home, from rummaging through the trash to knocking over your belongings. If they get indoors, you need to act quickly. If you don’t, you may find them raising a family amidst the insulation in your attic or going to town on old belongings you once held dear.
• Bears – Bears are rare in the Midwest, but that doesn’t mean they can’t impact the structural integrity of your home. Bears, unaware of their size and power, can damage a multitude of features around your home simply by interacting with them.
• Pigeons – Where pigeons were once prized as messengers and game meat, they’re now considered pests. Unfortunately, these birds can nest in your gutters and redirect the flow of water when it rains. If you don’t make a point of shooing these birds away from your home, you may find more water running down toward your home’s foundation than out through your downspouts.
• Deer – Deer are more of a nuisance than they are a threat to the structural integrity of your home. That said, deer that get too comfortable with the presence of humans may make themselves at home on your porch and accidentally damage different parts of your home’s exterior.
• Groundhogs – Groundhogs love nothing more than to create a vast series of tunnels beneath the foundation of your home. When left unchecked, these critters can shift the soil around your home so much that your foundation may begin to sink.
• Bats – Bats don’t do much property damage, but their presence can still be irritating. If a bat makes its way into your home, you may find yourself dealing not only with unusual amounts of guano but with the bacteria they bring with them as well.
• Woodpeckers – Woodpeckers, as their name suggests, love to make homes for themselves in your external wooden support beams. Unfortunately, these birds can leave behind a series of holes that systematically weaken the supports holding up your home.
• Vultures – Vultures may not seem like common critters in the Midwest, but they’re more likely to make their presences known that you may think. Like corvids, vultures love shiny things. If you have metal in your shingles or a similar bright object near your home, these birds will enthusiastically tear into them as though playing.

Dealing with invasive animals can be a trial on its own. Don’t think you have to go about the process of repelling them and repairing your home on your own. You can reach out to the professionals in the Indianapolis, IN, area for guidance on how to deal with unwanted wildlife. The professional foundation, basement, and crawl space contractors in your area can also help you repair your home. If you want to get started, you can reach out to the experts at Indiana Foundation Service for a home inspection and a free quote on the services you need to restore your home.