Most of us enjoy having natural scenery outside of our homes. There’s nothing quite like the sweet sounds of birds chirping on a sunny afternoon, and watching the local fauna frolic through your garden. The trouble is, when you’re not looking, those animals are often up to no good in your gutters.
Today, we’re going to break down what’s happening on your roof and how to protect your home’s gutters / continuous spouting from unnecessary damage when experiencing an abundance of wildlife.
Gutters and spouting are great places for animals to relax, store food and make nests.
Given that gutters are so high off the ground and the fact that almost no one actually looks forward to cleaning their gutters, they’re a great hard to reach place that’s usually free from neighbourhood predators like cats.
Unfortunately, you care about your house a whole lot more than animals do. Animals taking up residence in your gutters will also leave droppings in and off of them, staining the sides of your house with an unsightly, unsanitary mess.
Meanwhile, nesting materials and food caches could clog your gutters and downpipes, rendering them non-functional as well as creating water damage to your walls and roof. Any animals who find your gutters to be a safe haven may also begin searching for an entry point into your house’s roof. This could lead to problems such as in-home infestations, roof damage, and gutter damage.
Removing pets:
Now in some instances of local wildlife, laying out traps and poison baits specific to the pest you’re trying to remove can usually work well (this of course is only applicable to species that are allowed to be removed via these methods, such as rats). The downside to this method is that animals in general are a curious, hungry bunch, and will typically try eating anything they think it might be food. Even if you’re extraordinarily careful, there’s always the risk of poisoning or maiming unnecessarily.
The good news is that the gutter-care industry is alive and well with plenty of humane products to suit pest control needs
Securing entry points:
If your roof and spouting have cracks that serve as entry points into your home, it can be sealed with a wide variety of materials. If animals are nesting in your gutters, anti-roosting spikes and electric strips can politely persuade critters to seek a home elsewhere.
Installing guards:
Gutter guards also exist, which can block the entrances, exits and tops of your gutters. These gutter guards will make it harder for ground-based creatures to access your gutters.
Typically, gutter guards are barriers that prevent creatures, leaves and sticks from entering your gutters, but let rainwater use the system as per normal. Such barriers can take the form of porous foam, perforated hard plastic or metal screening.
1. Remove or deter pets from your property by way of pest control method best suits your needs. Consider using humane removal / deterrent methods whenever possible to avoid damaging your local ecosystem.
2. Secure any entry points into your rainwater system or roof. This includes any cracks or holes.
3. Install gutter barriers / gutter guards to ensure creature food, nesting materials and droppings don’t accumulate.
Although your neighbourhood’s creatures are nice to look at, they’re going to use whatever they like as a home, and unfortunately, your gutters are a great place for that. Take measures to prevent it with proper home maintenance and gutter guards, because if the local wildlife can’t make a home out of your roof and gutters, then you’ll be able to think of them as a charming sight rather than pests.
Besides, they don’t even pay rent!
Please contact us and one of our friendly and knowledgeable staff will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
