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(214) 561-2744
Critter Stop Logo
(214) 561-2744
Critter Stop Logo
(214) 561-2744
Home » Critter Library

Critter Library

The Most Common Furry Friends

Meet the different furry friends who have been making themselves at home in your attics, walls, basements and more.

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Raccoons

Raccoons are as destructive as they are cute. They will stop at nothing to make themselves at home in your attic. They'll enter your home through the chimney or chew their way in through siding, gutters, roofing, and more — whatever it takes. What puts raccoons in a league of their own is how dangerous they can be. Not only are they aggressive (especially if they have babies), but they create large, compact piles of feces and urine called latrines - and these can actually be highly toxic, putting your family and pets in danger. Also, their incessant chewing and digging can cause extensive damage to your home. You'll likely hear them and notice their presence almost immediately once they get inside your home. If you address the issue as soon as possible, you should be able to remove them and prevent re-entry before they cause too much harm.

Learn more about Raccoons
Raccoon Family

Rats

Rats are widespread in DFW - in fact, we are the 10th rattiest city in America. We have no choice but to be on high alert for these furry friends as they'll nest and reproduce at a high rate and carry a number of diseases. One thing about rats is that they're not shy. Other pests may be too big or too afraid to make their way into your home's common space, but not the rat. The rat will get into your pantry and help themselves to snacks. A not-so-fun fact about rats is that they urinate every 3-5 steps they take, so their bellies are constantly moist and greasy. Two tell-tale signs of rats are the slick, yellow trails they leave behind and their small, black droppings. Rats will burrow through walls, insulation, chew wires and make a mess - they're not hard to detect, but it's essential to get rid of them ASAP, or you'll end up with a difficult infestation to remove.

Learn more about Rats
rats

Skunks

Skunks are one of the more unpleasant animals to have wandering your property. They will dig in your flower bed in search of food and dig large dens - usually up against the foundation or an outdoor AC unit. While skunks are unlikely to force their way into your attic or walls, they will certainly take up residence in a crawl space under the home. Since skunks are nocturnal, you may not even see them. Unfortunately, they can cause an odor in your home or yard that is difficult to ignore! While a one-time occurrence may be a skunk passing through the neighborhood that happened to spray near your home, a recurring smell or the presence of a large den are strong indicators of skunk(s) taking up residence on your property.

Learn more about Skunks
Skunk

Squirrels

Squirrels are another cute, furry pest that often sets up camp in your walls and attic. What sets them apart is that they're much cleaner and less dangerous than raccoons or rats. That's the good news! The bad news is that they're much quieter, so it's not as easy to detect their presence at first. The best way to know if you have squirrel roommates is to look for nesting in your attic or crawl space or to observe holes they've chewed in your eaves, roof, or siding. Also, squirrel teeth never stop growing, so they have a constant need to chew and grind down their teeth - so listen for scraping noises in your crawl spaces, walls, and attics. Once squirrels are gone, if you have your home sealed up tightly and you effectively killed their pheromones and biological markers via “fogging,” you shouldn’t have to worry about them re-entering your home.

Learn more about Squirrels
American Red Squirrel

Opossums

Opossums are like the polite cousin of the raccoon. They'll dig in your trash just the same as a raccoon, but they're less messy once they get inside (no dangerous latrines to deal with) and slightly less destructive. They're not looking to chew everything up to build a nest; they're just simply looking for a safe, warm, dry place to curl up with their family - and your attic or garage is a home run! They're nocturnal, so you likely won't hear them during the day whatsoever. If you hear scratching, running, or playful sounds at night, investigate your attic and look for a few tell-tale signs: opossums have a unique footprint with an outward-facing thumb that you may notice in the dust on your ducts, and they will leave droppings or grease marks in random places that are going to be bigger than that of a rat or squirrel.

Learn more about Opossums
possum

"Called Critter Stop to help remove raccoon who was attempting to make a home in my attic. After reviewing my attic and the entry point Chisam discussed with me a plan to install a one way trap to let the critter out. Once the critter was out the entry point was repaired and painted. Through out the entire process I received timely updates on the project until completed. Chisam and his team were great to work with, and the job fully met my expectations. I sincerely recommend this company for any kind of animal removal"

Mel S. via Google

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Lee Gorman
Lee Gorman
13:50 21 Nov 22
I’d give a 10 star review if I could! We had a great experience with Critter Stop. Everyone I dealt was friendly, professional, and reassuring. Phillip was very helpful and knowledgeable about the work he was doing. He walked me around the entire house to make sure I saw and understood the services he provided. He was also really nice and answered all my questions — he is exactly the type of person that should be interacting with customers.I love the fact that they will come back for up to 1 year after installation if any problems occur — this shows me they stand behind their work.The owner was great too, he personally came to my house and walked me through their offering. I recommend critter stop to anyone and everyone!
Susan Casey
Susan Casey
14:53 15 Nov 22
Critter Stop is a fantastic business! Everyone involved is extremely professional and very easy to communicate with. Chisam, the owner, did a great job of explaining the process to get the squirrels out of my attic during the initial free estimate. The exclusion crew who did all of the initial work was fabulous. The crew consisted of Phillip, Nick and Corey who arrived promptly when they said they would. They are happy, positive employees. Everyone is very polite and patient in explaining their work and answering questions. They came back several times to check the traps and finish it off with the fogging. Lester was very good about following up to schedule each trap check with me, and the office staff who took care of the billing was very efficient. Critter Stop is a well run company with honest, trustworthy employees! Thank you to all of you who worked hard to make my attic critter free and for the peace of mind that you guarantee your work. Great to know I can call them if for some reason a squirrel figures out a way to get back in!
Karen Eckholdt
Karen Eckholdt
14:54 22 Sep 22
Critter Stop has made this project easy and extremely professional from start to finish! They are very detailed and competent from start to finish and know so much about their business. They made a problem easy for us and at a reasonable cost. We would be happy to recommend this company and their owners and staff to anyone.
Aaron Echols
Aaron Echols
13:51 03 Aug 22
The guys at Critter Stop responded quickly, were very friendly, and gave us an honest estimate of what we might need. They explained why some items on other quotes were or were not necessary. They communicated well to get us scheduled, and did the work well and quickly. Great service at a fair and competitive price.
Jacob Scribner
Jacob Scribner
19:23 27 Jul 22
Brandon and his other coworker Gavin came to install insulation in my attic. I am very grateful for the hard work and professionalism. My house feels a lot better with the insulation installed. 5 star review. Cory Leach was also very nice and helpful. He came to my house to do another job and was very attentive and professional. Thank you Corey and thank you Critter Stop for helping me.The owner very polite and helpful, I’m glad I found this company to help me.
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