What to Do if You Find a Baby Animal in Your Yard

Posted on June 27, 2022 by Budgetanimal

Indiana is home to hundreds of species of wildlife, including squirrels, chipmunks, ducks, rabbits, birds, skunks, opossums, raccoons, bats, and more. Although many of these species are generally regarded as nuisance wildlife in adulthood, as babies they are irresistibly cute. For this reason, it is typically very hard for someone to resist the urge to help or even adopt an abandoned baby animal.

If you have just discovered an injured or abandoned baby animal in your yard, continue reading to learn exactly what you need to do to keep both you and the animals safe.

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Not All Lone Baby Animals are Abandoned

It is common for someone to find a baby animal and assume that it has been abandoned alone baby animal is not abandoned. The mother is simply out foraging for food or shelter. This is common among rabbits, birds, hares, deer, and foxes. If you discover one of these babies in your yard, they are probably not abandoned but rather just waiting for their mother to come back for them.

In this case, you should simply leave the baby animal alone and let nature take its course. However, if the baby is in the way of danger, like if you need to mow the lawn, you can use safe and humane methods to gently move the baby animal to a safer location that is still nearby the spot. It was left. You don’t want the mother to come back and not be able to find the baby.

Squirrels

If you find a baby squirrel in your yard, it has likely fallen out of its nest in the above tree. In this case, it is probably injured and needs medical attention. It is encouraged to contact an exotic wildlife rescue company or the local game warden to notify them of an injured animal on your property. They have the proper resources and permits to safely rehabilitate and re-acclimate the animal back into the wild.

How to Protect a Baby Animal on your Property

If you find any other species of animal on your property, here’s what you need to do:

Observe the baby animal for 24 to 36 hours. In this time, the mother may come back to retrieve its young. Do not touch the animal. As cute as they are, they can carry transmissible diseases and parasites that can be harmful to people and pets.

If the animal is still there, you may choose to move it to a safer location out of the any traffic that takes place on your property.

Put on some protective gloves, and if possible, a face mask or covering, and grab a shoe box.

Slowly approach gently set the shoe box down by its side. Tilt the box so that the opening is facing horizontal to the baby animal. Use the lid of the shoe box to gently scoot or encourage the baby to get inside the shoe box.

Move the baby animal to a safer location on or around your property where it can live out the remainder of its life as it should. You may also choose to contact the local animal rescue in your county to have the baby relocated to a proper habitat.

The Rule on Adopting a Baby Animal

You should never keep a stray or deserted baby animal as a pet. Not only is it inhumane, but wild animals carry dangerous infectious diseases, like Rabies. They also carry lice, mites, ticks, fleas, and several other types of parasites. Furthermore, it could be illegal without a proper permit or qualification in your state or county.

Are you experiencing problems with nuisance wildlife in Indiana? Contact Budget Animal Removal at 317-875-3099 for professional critter control in Indianapolis and its surrounding counties. We serve residential and commercial customers, plus offer insurance claim work for animal damage restoration.

How to Wash Your Dog if They are Sprayed By a Skunk

Posted on June 20, 2022 by Budgetanimal

Skunks use their anal scent glands to protect themselves from predators. And since dogs are curious by nature, they are often victims of skunk dousing. The same situation applies to cats as well. Fortunately, there are tried-and-true ways to de-skunk your pooch if they ever cross the line with a defensive skunk.

Continue reading to learn one method that seems to do the trick for most pet owners, and what you can do about getting rid of nuisance skunks on your Tennessee property.

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Why Do Skunks Spray?

Understanding why skunks spray can help you defend your pet from future attacks. You see, skunks have this built-in weapon as their last line of defense against predators. Mothering skunks are more likely to spray attack, however, any skunk that is provoked too much will spray to gain freedom or space from whatever it is that is provoking them. Dogs are “sniffers” and like to get to know other animals by smelling their rear sides; skunks do not like this behavior and consider it a threat, making dogs a common victim of skunk spray attacks.

Skunk Smell Composition

So, what is it that you smell on your dog? The oily liquid that comes out of the anal glands is a chemical compound called a thiol. In fact, there are multiple types of thiols that make up the chemical composition of their spray, two of which are the root cause of the signature skunk odor. Since it is oil-based, the odor can linger for a long time. Also, it requires a certain approach to completely remove it from pet fur.

What You Need to Get Rid of Skunk Smell on Fur:

▷ Baking Soda
▷ White Distilled Vinegar
▷ Liquid Hand Soap
▷ 3% Hydrogen Peroxide

Now Follow These Steps:

Check your dog’s eyes, mouth, and nose to ensure the spray has not come into contact in these areas. If they have, it can cause serious inflammation and irritation. Take your pooch to the vet right away if they were sprayed in these areas. Do not wait to clean them first. Your vet will also ensure that they were not bitten or scratched in addition to the spray attack.

If your dog’s eyes, mouth, and nose are okay, you can continue by thoroughly rinsing them with clean water. It is recommended to do this outdoors, NOT in a bathtub or shower. If you bring them indoors, the smell will come inside with them! It can be made worse if your pooch decides to jump on your bed or couch!

After the rinse, mix together 1 quart of hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup of baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of liquid hand soap (do not use detergent). Generously bathe your dog in the solution, and then rinse them clean with warm water. You may need to repeat this step 3 to 4 times, depending on the strength of the smell.

Once your pet dries, you can finish the job with a little pet perfume, available at any local pet store. Or you can get their hair trimmed to remove any lingering, odorous fibers. For really strong, lingering smells, you can finish their fur with some natural essential oil, like lavender or lemon. Just put a few drops in a spray bottle with water, and then spray their coat while avoiding the eyes and nose.

Are you tired of the nuisance skunk activity on or around your property? Take action by safely diverting their interest away from your premises with our help! Contact us at 615-337-9165 for TWRA licensed and insured Nashville, TN critter control for skunks and more. We serve commercial clients, too!

How to Stop Raccoons From Digging Up Your Potted Plants

Posted on June 10, 2022 by Budgetanimal

Raccoons are hungrier than your typical omnivore. As notorious opportunistic eaters, coons will eat almost anything, and will go to great lengths to get what they want. Dumpsters, garbage cans, pet dishes, gardens, fruit trees, and even garage refrigerators are common meal tickets for raccoons. Being that it is nearly summer, raccoons are relishing in all the new flora available to them. As a result, many homeowners are finding their precious, carefully-curated garden containers and potted plants pillaged night after night. If this is happening to your plants, you can likely blame local raccoons.

Continue reading to learn how to stop raccoons from digging up your potted plants, plus some additional animal-proofing tips that will benefit you year-round.

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Raccoons are an Omnivorous Species

The challenge with nuisance raccoon activity is the fact that it generally takes place at night, so all you see is the mess they leave behind in the morning. Raccoons are omnivorous, meaning they eat both meat and plant matter, including insects, fish, small lizards, small birds, eggs, fruit, vegetables, legumes, seeds, nuts, fungi, and more.

If you are growing something that is deemed tasty to a raccoon, which is basically anything edible aside from hot peppers—even if you have just planted fresh seeds, you can expect hungry raccoons to sniff them out. And they will not hesitate to yank plants and bulbs right out of the pot! You see, raccoons have an advantage with this because they are equipped with human-like paws that are very dexterous. They can dig, grip, maneuver, and pull plants easier than we can!

Inedible Plants are Still Attractive to Raccoons

Even if you are growing something that is not meant to be consumed, or a plant that raccoons hate, like hot peppers, menthol, and eucalyptus, they might still dig for it. This is because the enriched soil your flowers are planted in contains juicy grubs that raccoons eat like popcorn. They can smell these grubs and will track them down by pulling out your flowers and digging through the soil. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent raccoons from destroying all your potted masterpieces.

How to Raccoon-Proof Your Yard

To prevent raccoons from pillaging your potted plants, plus avoid attracting more nuisance wildlife to your property, you need to secure some boundaries. Start by moving all of your potted plants indoors at night, then returning them to their designated space in the morning. Raccoons are intelligent, and they will pick up on the fact that their favorite snacks are no longer available on your property.

You can also think about installing a chicken wire or a temporary fence to keep your pots and plants behind at night. Other ways to prevent raccoons from entering your property is to remove all water and food sources, including bird baths, fountains, pet food, squirrel feeders, and garbage cans. Be sure to also caulk all crevices and gaps in roof shingles, windows, under patios, and decks.

Are you looking for a more professional and advanced approach to long-term raccoon control? Contact Budget Animal Removal at 317-875-3099 to get rid of raccoons in Indianapolis, Indiana at a price you can afford. We serve residential and commercial clients.