How to Tell a Stray Dog From a Coyote

Coyotes are very common throughout Central Indiana, in both rural and urban areas. Keep this in mind the next time you bend down to pet that wandering canine in your community. In cases like this, always be sure that the canine is not, in fact, a coyote. Although coyotes have a natural fear of humans, they are still primitive and predatory, which means they are capable of attacking you. Not only can a coyote attack serious injure or maim a person or pet, but it can also transmit a plethora of infectious diseases, such as Rabies.

If you live in an area where coyote sightings are common, it is wise to learn exactly what one looks like so that you can always tell the difference. Continue reading to learn a basic physical description of a coyote, and what you can do if they are a nuisance animal around your property.

Coyote Control Indianapolis Indiana 317-875-3099
Coyote Control Indianapolis Indiana 317-875-3099

Facts About Coyotes

As members of the Canidae family, both dogs and coyotes can easily resemble one another. Fortunately, the common coyote spotted here in Indiana have distinct features and behaviors that will allow you to easily tell the difference between them and domesticated dogs.

At first look, coyotes are covered in dense, thick fur, very similar to a dog’s coat, covering the neck and belly in full. The color of the fur coat is usually grayish-brown, but can vary between a light and dark gray, or warmer hues of brown.

In terms of size, coyotes tend to be slender and tall. Their fur makes them look much stockier than they really are. When fully grown, males can reach an average of 18 to 44 pounds, while females can grow to an average of 15 to 40 pounds.

Their faces are predator in style, with ears that point straight up and snouts that are slender and long. When they run or walk briskly, they carry their tails at the same level of their backs or lower. Dogs, and even gray wolves, carry their tails horizontally or vertically when running.

Coyotes are not necessarily nocturnal, but they are most active during sunset and sunrise, when people are usually not around. They are most populated in areas where there is an abundant source of food, water, and safe shelter. In countryside areas, they usually maintain an 8 to 12 square mile range. In urban areas they stay with a 2 to 5 mile range on average.

Breeding season in in late January, making March a time for newborn pups. Females generally give birth to more than one pup, usually between 4 and 7. They all stay in a den together until Fall, when pups emerge and care for themselves.

When coyotes are not scavenging on garbage and compost piles, they keep a carnivorous diet in nature. Their diet commonly consists of mice, voles, shrews, rabbits, hares, and squirrels. It may also include small amphibians, fish, insects, fruits, and seeds.

How to Get Rid of Coyotes in Indiana

If your property has a moderate to high level of coyote activity, it may be in your best interest to implement some safe and humane measures to protect your property and your loved ones, including your pets. Contact a local and trusted Indianapolis critter control company for prompt and professional coyote removal and control.

Do you have coyotes disturbing your property? Are they getting too close for comfort? Contact Budget Animal Removal at 317-875-3099 for professional coyote control in Indianapolis, Indiana. We provide residential and commercial services at the most competitive prices around.

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What You Need to Do to Get Rid of Muskrats on Your Property

You live on a stream, lake, river, pond, or creek; don’t you? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have a nuisance muskrat problem on your hands. Muskrats are semi-aquatic rodents that maintain habitats near bodies of water, posing all sorts of problems for property owners. Muskrats can cause a lot of aesthetic and structural damages to lawns, foundations, hardscapes, landscaping, pools, decking, bodies of water, and more.

If you are currently dealing with nuisance muskrats, continue reading to learn what you need to do to get rid of muskrats on your property. Landscaping,

Muskrat Removal Nashville Tennessee 317-875-3099
Muskrat Removal Nashville Tennessee 317-875-3099

Critter Control Information for Muskrats

Why do you muskrats on your property? It is because your property has something to offer them. All nuisance wild for after two things: food and shelter. If your property is providing one or both of these amenities, then there is your answer. But this is good news! By knowing why muskrats are in your property, you can better divert their activity away from it. Just keep in mind that it is very important to use safe and humane critter control strategies to get rid of muskrats. Under no circumstances should you ever attempt to harm or kill any species of wildlife.

Tips for Getting Rid of Muskrats

Muskrat trapping and environmental modifications are the top two most effective strategies for muskrat removal and control. Although you cannot remove the water source from your property nor the terrestrial crops that grow around it, you can implement certain strategies that will keep muskrats away, nonetheless.

Environmental modification is your go-to method of muskrat critter control. But first, you need to extract the existing muskrats from your property and have them relocated to a faraway habitat that will be safe for them to carry out the remainder of their lives. A licensed and insured wildlife removal and control company is the only source that can provide the service.

Never attempt to trap and relocate a muskrat on your own. There may be laws in your jurisdiction that protect wildlife from public intervention. If you are caught, you could face serious fines in penalties. Now comes changing the property. This is exactly what environmental modification involves. You can set up a barricade for your water source by installing fencing or animal repellent around the perimeter.

Muskrat Animal Repellent Recipe You Can Make Yourself

½ Cup Capsaicin Oil
□ ½ Cup Putrescent Egg
□ 10-20 Drops Menthol Essential Oil
□ 10-20 Drops Castor Oil

▶ Mix into a plastic spray bottle filled with clean water. Spray the repellent around the perimeter of known muskrat territory. Keep pets and children away from treated areas.

Would you be interested in professional assistance with your muskrat problem? Contact Budget Animal Removal at 615-337-9165 for TWRA licensed and insured Nashville, Tennessee animal removal for muskrats and more. We serve commercial clients, too!

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3 Steps to Safe and Humane Groundhog Control

Whether you call them groundhogs or woodchucks, these thrifty critters are commonly a nuisance to landowners. If you are dealing with a nuisance groundhog problem, it is necessary to find a solution that is both effective and non-lethal. Continue below to learn the 3 step process to safe and humane groundhog removal and control.

Groundhog Removal Indianapolis Indiana 317-875-3099
Groundhog Removal Indianapolis Indiana 317-875-3099

Groundhog Removal and Control Tips

The process of removing groundhogs from a property and mitigating any future activity can include a combination of methodologies and techniques. Overall, safe and humane groundhog removal and control can be accomplished in 3 key steps: identification, modification, and exclusion.

Identifying a Groundhog Problem

Your first step to getting rid of a groundhog problem is to identify where their activity is localized. Do some observation over the course of a few days or weeks to pinpoint where they are going, what they are after, and what kinds of damage they are leaving in their wake. By knowing where the groundhogs are hanging out, you can better put an end to their nuisance activity.

Groundhogs are after three things: food, water, and shelter. Gardens and crops are most at risk. If your gardens or crops look pillaged, you can safely assume the groundhogs are to blame. Other signs of groundhog tampering include nibbled grass and clovers, chewed tree bark, chewed up electrical wiring, and lawn burrowing. Groundhogs like to disguise their burrow entrances with leaves and sticks, so piles of such materials are a key indicator of groundhog activity.

Modifying the Environment

Now that you are sure you have a groundhog presence on or around your property, you can move forward by removing all the things that attract them to your yard. As mentioned, groundhogs want food, water, and shelter. They eat grasses and clovers, but especially love peas, melon, beans, and alfalfa sprouts. They may also eat stored pet food and livestock feed. Be sure these items are secured with fencing, barriers, or lids.

Groundhogs also like to chew on trees and woody plants to sharpen their teeth. Consider implementing barrier systems around vulnerable trees to prevent groundhog chewing. When it comes to their burrows, they love to make their homes in areas of the lawn that are covered with camouflage like stick piles, leaf piles, underbrush, and tall grasses. Eliminate these shelter covers to stop groundhogs from burrowing in your lawn.

Excluding Groundhogs

If you have groundhogs present on your property, you may need to have them physically extracted with the help of a licensed and qualified professional. Contact a local Indianapolis critter control company for humane groundhog removal and control service. They use live traps to catch groundhogs, so the methods are non-lethal and safe.

If you have groundhogs around your property, your final step is to choose an effective groundhog control plan to prevent future intrusions and tampering. Animal repellents work well because they provide a barrier around the perimeter of a property that works like an invisible fence. Groundhog repellents come in granular or liquid form, but you can also make your own at home. Use ingredients like spicy peppers, capsaicin, and putrescent egg for the most effective repellent solution.

Are groundhogs disturbing your Indiana property? Contact Budget Animal Removal at 317-875-3099 for fast and affordable animal removal and control services to get rid of groundhogs in Indianapolis, Indiana and its surrounding counties. Request a free estimate or advice, today!

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