How to Keep Wildlife Out of Your Home: DIY Exclusion Guide

The most common wildlife species that invade homes in the United States:

• Raccoons — The most destructive home invader. Strong enough to rip off soffit panels, tear through roof shingles, and pull apart fascia boards. Frequently den in attics to raise young (late winter through spring). Can cause thousands of dollars in damage and contaminate insulation with feces that may carry raccoon roundworm.
• Squirrels (gray squirrels, fox squirrels, flying squirrels) — Chew entry holes through wood, soffit, and even lead flashing. Nest in attics, wall voids, and soffits. Gnaw on electrical wiring, creating a fire hazard. Gray squirrels are active during the day; flying squirrels are nocturnal and often mistaken for mice by sound.
• Opossums — Typically den under decks, porches, sheds, and in crawl spaces. Less destructive than raccoons but messy — they leave large droppings and can carry fleas. Despite common belief, they rarely carry rabies (their body temperature is too low for the virus).
• Skunks — Den under porches, decks, and sheds. The obvious concern is spraying, but they also dig up lawns looking for grubs and can carry rabies.
• Bats — Enter through gaps as small as 3/8 inch. A single bat is a minor issue; a colony of dozens in your attic is a major problem involving histoplasmosis risk from accumulated guano. Bats are protected in many states — removal must be done legally (no killing, exclusion only during appropriate seasons).
• Birds (starlings, sparrows, woodpeckers) — Nest in vents, soffits, and wall cavities. Droppings are corrosive and carry pathogens. Woodpeckers can cause significant siding damage.

Why prevention is your best strategy:

• Most wildlife removal requires state-specific permits or licenses. In many states, it's illegal for unlicensed individuals to trap and relocate wildlife.
• Cornered wildlife can be aggressive. Raccoons, especially females with young, will bite and scratch — and rabies is a genuine risk.
• Removing animals without sealing entry points is pointless — they (or other animals) will return. Exclusion is the permanent solution.

• Ladder (extension ladder for 2+ story homes) — You need to inspect the entire roofline. Safety first: have a spotter, use proper footing, and never lean a ladder against gutters.
• Bright flashlight and binoculars — For inspecting soffits, fascia, and the roofline from the ground. Binoculars help you spot gaps in hard-to-reach areas.
• 1/2-inch hardware cloth (galvanized, 19-gauge) — The workhorse material for wildlife exclusion. Hardware cloth is strong enough to resist raccoons and squirrels but has small enough openings to exclude bats and mice. Do NOT use chicken wire — it's too flimsy; raccoons tear through it easily.
• Sheet metal or galvanized steel flashing — For reinforcing areas where animals have chewed through wood. Animals can't chew through steel.
• Steel wool or copper mesh (Stuf-fit) — For stuffing into small gaps and cracks before sealing. Animals can't chew through it.
• Expanding foam (pest-blocking type with steel fibers) — For sealing gaps after stuffing with steel wool. Use the pest-blocking formula, not standard foam, which animals can chew through.
• Screws, tin snips, and a heavy-duty staple gun — For attaching hardware cloth and flashing.
• Chimney cap (stainless steel mesh) — If your chimney is uncapped, it's an open invitation to raccoons, squirrels, birds, and bats.
• Vent covers (galvanized steel screening) — For covering dryer vents, gable vents, and plumbing vents.
• Bungee cords or locking lids for garbage cans — To secure trash from raccoons, opossums, and skunks.

Part 1: Identifying What Animal You're Dealing With

Step 1: Identify the Species by Sound, Timing, and Evidence

Before you can solve the problem, you need to know what animal is involved. Different species behave differently and require different approaches.

• Heavy thumping and walking sounds in the attic, mostly at night: Raccoon. They sound much heavier than squirrels or rats — more like a person walking. Vocal sounds (chittering, growling) confirm it.
• Rapid scurrying and scratching in the attic or walls, during the day: Gray squirrel. Most active at dawn and dusk. You may hear them running across the attic or gnawing.
• Light scratching and scurrying in the attic at night: Flying squirrel (sounds lighter and faster than gray squirrels) or mice/rats. Flying squirrels often travel in groups, so you may hear multiple animals at once.
• Scratching and rustling in walls with chirping or squeaking sounds at dusk: Bats. They're most vocal when leaving the roost at sunset. Look for oily brown staining and droppings (small, dark, and crumbly) near entry points.
• Noises from under the porch, deck, or shed: Skunk (strong musky odor is the giveaway), opossum (large droppings, nocturnal sounds), or groundhog (burrow entrance visible).

Check for droppings: Animal droppings are the most reliable identification tool. Raccoon droppings are tubular, about the size of a small dog's, often in a communal pile ("latrine"). Squirrel droppings are pellet-shaped, about 3/8 inch long, and scattered. Bat droppings (guano) are small, dark, and crumble to reveal shiny insect fragments. Opossum droppings are large and variable in shape.

Part 2: Full Home Inspection for Entry Points

Step 2: Inspect the Roofline (Most Critical Area)

The roofline is where 90% of attic wildlife entries occur. Using a ladder (or binoculars from the ground), systematically inspect:

• Soffit-fascia junction: Where the soffit panel meets the fascia board — this joint is often the first place to fail and is the most common entry point for squirrels and raccoons. Look for gaps, pushed-out panels, chewed openings, or rotted wood.
• Roof-soffit intersections (RSI): Where two rooflines meet at different angles, the soffit doesn't always fully close the gap. These triangular openings at roof junctions are notorious entry points.
• Gable vents: Check that the screening behind gable vents is intact. Squirrels and raccoons commonly push through deteriorated screening.
• Roof vents (ridge vents, box vents, turbine vents): Check that screens are intact and housing is undamaged.
• Plumbing and exhaust vents: These roof penetrations should have caps or screens. Uncapped plumbing vents allow squirrels and birds to enter.
• Chimney: An uncapped chimney is a major entry point for raccoons (they're excellent climbers), squirrels, birds, and bats.

Step 3: Inspect Lower Areas

• Foundation vents: Check that screens are intact. Skunks, opossums, and raccoons can push through damaged vent covers.
• Gaps under decks, porches, and sheds: Skunks, opossums, groundhogs, and raccoons den under these structures. Look for worn paths, digging, and droppings near the openings.
• Dryer vents and exhaust vents: Check that the flap or cover is intact and closes fully. Birds frequently nest in dryer vent ducts.
• Garage doors: Check the seal along the bottom and sides. Gaps allow entry for raccoons, opossums, and rodents.
• Tree branches near the roof: Note any branches within 6-8 feet of the roofline. Squirrels and raccoons use overhanging branches as highways to the roof.

Part 3: Sealing Entry Points (ONLY After Confirming Animals Are Out)

Step 4: Confirm No Animals Are Inside

This is the most important step in the entire process. If you seal an entry point while animals are still inside your attic, walls, or crawl space, you will trap them inside your home. Trapped animals will:

• Cause massive damage trying to chew or claw their way out
• Die inside the walls, creating a horrible odor that lasts weeks and attracts flies
• If it's a mother with babies, the babies will die (they can't survive without the mother)

How to confirm animals have left:

• Stuff the suspected entry point loosely with newspaper or paper towel. Check after 2-3 days — if it's been pushed out, animals are still using the opening.
• Sprinkle flour on the ground near the entry point in the evening. Check for tracks the next morning.
• For nocturnal animals (raccoons, flying squirrels, bats), watch the entry point at dusk. If animals emerge, you know the opening is active.
• If you're unsure, install a one-way exclusion door that lets animals leave but not re-enter. Leave it in place for at least a week before permanently sealing.

Step 5: Seal All Entry Points

Once you've confirmed no animals are inside, seal every opening you identified:

• Soffit gaps and RSI openings: Cover with 1/2-inch galvanized hardware cloth, screwed (not stapled) into solid wood. For areas raccoons have forced open, back the hardware cloth with sheet metal for extra strength.
• Gable vents: Reinforce the interior screening with hardware cloth. Make sure it covers the entire vent opening with no gaps at the edges.
• Roof vent gaps: Use hardware cloth or purpose-built wildlife-exclusion vent covers.
• Chimney: Install a stainless-steel chimney cap with mesh screening. This also prevents rain entry and keeps out debris. A proper chimney cap is one of the best investments in wildlife prevention.
• Foundation openings: Screen foundation vents with hardware cloth. For gaps under decks and porches, bury hardware cloth in an L-shape: vertically against the opening AND horizontally underground extending 12 inches outward, to prevent animals from digging under it.
• Small gaps and cracks: Stuff with steel wool or copper mesh, then seal with pest-blocking expanding foam or caulk.

Step 6: Trim Trees and Remove Bridges

• Cut back all tree branches to at least 6-8 feet from the roofline. Squirrels can jump 8-10 feet horizontally, and raccoons can climb vertical tree trunks and walk along branches.
• Remove any trellises, arbors, or lattice that abut the house and provide climbing access.
• Consider metal tree banding (a 2-foot-wide band of sheet metal around the trunk, 6 feet off the ground) on isolated trees near the house to prevent squirrels from climbing.

Step 7: Remove Attractants

• Secure all garbage: Use locking-lid trash cans or bungee cords. Take trash out the morning of pickup, not the night before.
• Remove outdoor pet food: Never leave pet food or water bowls outside overnight. This is the single biggest raccoon attractant.
• Manage bird feeders: Birdseed attracts squirrels, raccoons, rats, and mice. If you feed birds, use squirrel-proof feeders and clean up spilled seed daily. Consider removing feeders entirely during active wildlife problems.
• Secure compost: Use an enclosed compost bin, not an open pile. Don't compost meat or dairy.
• Pick up fallen fruit: Fruit trees near the house attract raccoons, opossums, and skunks.

• Do an annual roofline inspection — Walk around your home every spring and look at the soffits, fascia, and roofline for new gaps, damage, or signs of animal activity. It's much easier to seal a small gap before an animal finds it than to deal with an established den.
• Install chimney caps on all flues — An uncapped chimney is an open door. Stainless steel caps with mesh screening are a one-time investment ($50-$200 per cap installed) that prevents raccoons, squirrels, birds, bats, and rain from entering.
• Keep garage doors closed — An open garage is a wildlife invitation, especially at night. Raccoons and opossums will enter garages for pet food, trash, and shelter.
• Use motion-activated deterrents — Motion-activated lights, sprinklers, and ultrasonic devices can discourage animals from approaching your home. They're not a substitute for exclusion, but they add a layer of deterrence.
• Address damage immediately — If a storm damages your soffit, a woodpecker opens a hole in your siding, or rot weakens your fascia, fix it promptly. Wildlife finds and exploits structural weaknesses quickly.
• Keep crawl spaces enclosed — If your crawl space access door is missing or damaged, replace it. Seal any gaps in crawl space vent covers.
• Don't feed wildlife intentionally — Feeding raccoons, squirrels, deer, or feral cats near your home habituates them to your property and dramatically increases the chance they'll eventually try to move inside or cause damage.

• Sealing an entry point while animals are still inside — This is the most serious mistake. Trapped animals will cause far more damage trying to escape than they caused getting in. They may die in walls, creating terrible odors and insect problems. And if you trap a mother inside, her babies will starve. Always, always confirm animals have left before sealing.
• Using chicken wire instead of hardware cloth — Chicken wire is thin, flexible, and easy for raccoons and squirrels to tear or push through. Hardware cloth (galvanized welded wire, 1/2-inch openings, 19-gauge) is the minimum standard for wildlife exclusion. For raccoon-prone areas, back hardware cloth with sheet metal.
• Stapling instead of screwing hardware cloth — Staples pull out. Raccoons are strong enough to pry stapled hardware cloth off a soffit. Use screws with fender washers for secure attachment.
• Trying to trap and relocate animals yourself — In many states, it's illegal to trap and relocate wildlife without a permit. Relocated animals often don't survive in unfamiliar territory, and the hole in your house is still there for the next animal. Exclusion (keeping them out) is more humane and effective than trapping.
• Using mothballs or ammonia as repellents — These "home remedies" are ineffective and potentially dangerous. Mothballs (naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene) are toxic to humans and pets, and their fumes in an enclosed attic can penetrate living spaces. Ammonia-soaked rags dry out quickly and don't work. Neither product keeps wildlife away.
• Ignoring sounds in the attic because "it's probably just squirrels" — Any animal in your attic is causing damage — chewing wiring (fire risk), contaminating insulation (health hazard), and enlarging entry points (letting more animals in). Address it promptly rather than hoping they'll leave on their own.
• Only sealing the one entry point you found — Animals often use multiple entry points, or they'll create a new one if you seal only one. Do a thorough inspection and seal every potential entry point at once.