Services we Provide
Exclusion addresses the root of the problem:
What is attracting wildlife to my home? How are they getting in?
We will work with you to find and remove the attractants, and seal the access points — thus motivating the animals to move on within their territory and reducing the likelihood that other animals will move in. The most common areas that we exclude include attics, subfloors, and from underneath sheds and decks. As wildlife commonly use these areas to have their young, our exclusion team works diligently to make sure that their eviction is handled in the most humane and professional way possible.
We provide a range of services, some of which are not available from traditional providers. We specialize in, but are not limited to:
- Opossums, raccoons, foxes, skunks, and bats
- Residences and businesses
- Site inspections with detailed evaluations and advice
- Custom exclusion installation or referrals
- Animal dropping clean up
- Dead animal removal
The Issue with Trapping
It's important for you to know that we do not trap and relocate wildlife. Not only is trapping and relocating wildlife in the state of California illegal, it is inhumane and does not address the root of the issue. Companies who offer trapping services are legally required to euthanize the animal.
As wildlife play a critical role in the health of our natural world, its more important now than ever to consider the impact of your local habitat when handling nuisance wildlife issues. Often times, killing or illegally relocating a skunk, opossum or raccoon that naturally predate on rats and mice causes an imbalance, leaving rodent populations unchecked and given the ability to grow at a rapid rate.
Exclusion works to physically evict the animal from denning in your home or on your property, leaving the animal to continue its work in your local habitat, often times to your direct benefit.
Click here to read more about California Trapping Laws.
Expert Help From the People Who Know Wildlife
A Wildlife Exclusion Service started as a way to help our community humanely handle nuisance wildlife issues. As wildlife rehabbers, we started with the basic concept that if we know what it takes to keep sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife contained in their enclosures while they heal and rehabilitate, we can apply those same techniques to help our community keep wildlife out of their homes.
If you would like advice from a live person about wildlife wandering in your yard, digging up your lawn, getting in your cat door, or eating your pet's food please call Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue's hotline to speak with knowledgeable staff members at (707)992-0276. Please note that our staff time very limited. If you find that the information that you received was valuable, please consider donating to our 501(c)3 nonprofit, Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue.
If you have an animal living in your walls, attic, or under your house we provide free advice after an initial inspection. This allows us to give precise and accurate advice that is specific to your needs. All situations are different and we want to find the best solution for you.
If you are looking to handle the situation yourself, please check out our Self-Help page.
Hours
A Wildlife Exclusion is available Tuesday through Saturday for appointments and we book first come first serve.
Fees
Below you will see a list of our common prices. The total cost is situation dependent. No exclusion is the same so an inspection is required to give you an accurate estimate of the cost.
All proceeds from our exclusion service go directly towards our nonprofit work. You can feel good knowing that you handled your wildlife issue in the most humane way possible and the money you paid goes directly toward our nonprofit wildlife rescue work.
Predator Scent
Predator Scent is one of the many tools at our disposal to humanely evict wildlife. Often referred to as the "eviction notice", the product itself is scat or urine saturated den straw from the mountain lions, bobcats, wolf dogs and coyotes that reside at Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue. The strong odor from the scat and straw is a warning to animals and strong encouragement to leave the area. You can purchase predator scent from SCWR and apply it to areas frequented by wildlife. Predator scent is most successful with raccoons, opossums, skunks, foxes and even coyotes. This is a temporary deterrent and some animals, even within the species recommended above, are more sensitive to it than others. Due to it's overall success rate, we recommend it as a good first step to exclusion work.
The availability of predator scent is not always guaranteed and we frequently have a waiting list during our high demand months. If you are interested in purchasing predator scent, please call us at (707) 992-0276 to check availability prior to arriving at Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue.