Wildlife is a common concern for homeowners all across the United States. Over the years, we’ve tried all sorts of repellent options, some more successful than others. In the lines below, we’ll look at some natural wildlife repellents that’ll help you protect your California yard against snakes, rats, and everything in between.

1. Avoid open food sources.

Regardless of the type of animal we’re looking at, it’s important to remember that the main thing attracting them to your property is food. When you leave unattended food sources out in the open (be it pet food, or fruit from your trees), you’re increasing the chance of attracting a wild animal. So try not to leave ready food sources out in the open.

2. Don’t feed animals.

This one may sound like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many people neglect to consider this as one of the main reasons animals are attracted to their property. So don’t feed squirrels and avoid feeding baby raccoons in your yard, cute though they may be. Once these animals get it through their heads that your property is an excellent source of food, they’ll be very reluctant to quit it.

3. Try planting repellents.

Many animals are repelled by strong scents, since many animals rely primarily on their sense of smell, rather than their eyesight. This is why some property owners think that planting strong-smelling plants, like garlic, cloves, or peppermint, is a great way to prevent wildlife on your property.

Honestly, we’ve heard both pros and cons about this practice, so we don’t know whether or not this is a good idea. Suffice to say it’s worth a try, and even if you don’t succeed in repelling the wild animals, you’ll at least have a nice, useful garden.

4. Fix piles, holes, and other potential nesting points.

Another thing that wild animals are looking for is, naturally, a home. Wild animals are more likely to frequent a home where they’ve found an easily available nesting place. For some animals, like snakes for example, this can mean a hole under your deck or shed, where the snake has found a dark and difficult-to-access place to keep its family. Obviously, you’ll want to fix such holes as swiftly as possible, to avoid snakes or other unwanted animals nesting under there. To learn more about snake control, visit pestcontrolsnake.com.

You’ll also want to keep your backyard neatly cared for. Aside from removing fallen fruit, you’ll also want to trim the grass regularly, and remove excess piles of firewood, compost, or other such materials. For some wild animals, these might constitute a nesting space, or at the very least, make them more difficult to spot (tall grass, for example). In general, a wild animal won’t be tempted to frequent a yard where they’d be easy to spot, trap or kill. So if you want to make your property less appealing to wild animals, you might want to make sure you keep it tidy!

5. Call a professional.

Some people think they need to call a professional wildlife removal service only when they’ve actually got a wild animal problem. But that’s not really the case. In truth, a professional wildlife removal service can inspect your property to tell you what you’re doing wrong, and what potential weak spots might be attracting wild animals to your yard.

Similarly, a professional wildlife removal service could help actually remove a pesky wild animal, though we recommend opting for a humane service, such as Animoval a Humane Wildlife Solution. Just because they’re bothering you, that doesn’t mean you should forget they’re also living creatures!

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