Are you ready to declare war on pests? Your mobile home is a comfortable place for your family to live. And you’re not about to share it with any other creatures. The problem is – somehow neighborhood animals think they are welcome to move in whenever they want. How should you go about declaring war on these sneaky little pests?
Today we’re going to talk about why you should never let an animal stay under your home and what to do about the problem. Let’s get started.
The unwanted visitor
Skunks, rats, mice, raccoons – who needs them? Well, obviously they make great additions to the natural order. But under the house? They’re nothing but a nuisance. Wild animals were never meant to co-inhabit in a mobile home with humans. And even though we sometimes feel sorry for the poor things, they need to be gotten rid of. “Why?” you ask. Is there a reason you should be concerned? Absolutely.
Common issues animals can cause
In a mobile home, there is nothing more than a piece of thin skirting between an animal and your pipes, wires, and ducts. This makes it really easy for an animal to find or make a hole leading to the warm space under your house. Animals such as woodchucks may even dig under the skirting to make their way in.
The lack of a foundation means there’s nothing stopping a small animal from chewing wires, tapping around inside walls, or pulling out insulation and nesting in it. Bad smells can also be a huge problem. Plus, pets can drive you crazy with their curiosity about the “visitor” – dogs may start digging, whining, or barking. And, worst of all, you may lose sleep because of an animal’s night activity.
All of these problems are a good reason to declare war on these pests and rid your mobile home of them forever. But how?
Declaring war
When you discover animals living under your mobile home, the first thing to do is secure the perimeter. Pick up any trash that is lying around, especially any that is near or under your mobile home. Keep the lids of your garbage and recycling bins closed tightly. If you need to invest in new ones, then do so. Garbage is one thing that attracts animals like a magnet – don’t give them the pleasure of sorting through your junk.
Next, determine where the enemy is making an entrance into your home every day (or night). Figure out when the animal comes and goes. This is essential to the next step in your strategy.
Call in the experts
If there is an animal, alive or dead, under your home, don’t try to remove it yourself. You can call animal control if there is a dead animal under your home. However, animal control usually takes care of only animal “emergencies” and domestic animal issues. Wildlife control is probably a better choice if the animal is alive and won’t leave. Tell the wildlife expert what time of day the animal is hanging around the house so they can come and retrieve it at that time.
And remember, if you suspect that the animal is wounded or has rabies, don’t try to resolve the issue yourself. Call animal control immediately. Animals who are sick are a threat to you, your pets, and others.
How to safely resolve the issue on your own
Barring a serious issue involving a sick or dead animal, there are many ways you can resolve the problem yourself. Defending your home from animals doesn’t stop with calling animal control.
Repair the defenses
Fill in holes, replace skirting, and call an expert to inspect the underside of your mobile home in the case of damage. If your mobile home skirting is old, inadequate, or badly damaged, consider replacing it with something that will effectively ward off pests. Re-caulking windows and doors in your mobile home can keep out mice, roaches, ants, and other insects.
Strengthen the defenses
- Install motion-sensing lights.
- Sprinkle cayenne or chili pepper or another spicy food product around your mobile home to keep animals away.
- For insect invasions, sprinkle boric acid.
- Bird-feeders should be a proper distance away from your home. Don’t risk attracting squirrels, raccoons, chipmunks, and opossums too near your home.
Victory!
We hope this has inspired you with a patriotic desire to take back what is rightfully yours. Invading animals can be pesky, frustrating, and destructive. But don’t let them scare you. It’s a tough problem that can, in fact, be fixed.
And if your pest problems are just one part of moivng into a mobile home you’re fixing up, check out our 7 things you need to do before moving into a mobile home fixer-upper.
About EZ Homes Design Team
