Living with Wildlife

Nearly all human cases of rabies in Canada over the past several years have been a result of bites from rabid bats. Bat bites may be hard to see.

Number of bats found positive with rabies in Hamilton

These positive results only include bats that have bitten or scratched a person. These do not reflect the number of actual rabid bats in Hamilton.

Bats hibernate from November to March and are most active in the spring. They like to use attics for raising their babies. They can squeeze through very tiny spaces and often get into buildings through cracks in and around roofs, eaves, vents and windows.

How to bat-proof your home

Here are some suggestions:

• Check places where bats may get into your home including chimneys, joints, building corners, pipes entering ceilings or walls in attics, between your porch and house, between shingles or where walls meet eaves.
• Seal entry holes, making sure bats are not roosting in your attic.
• Do not seal up openings in late summer or early fall as you could trap babies inside buildings.

What to do with bats on your property

Here are some tips for dealing with bats:

• Stand outside of your house at sunset to see where bats appear. Seal the opening to your attic, shed or garage after they leave.
• Shine bright lights, point a fan or play loud music in their roost site.
• Use ultrasonic devices that emit sounds that bats do not like. 
• Consider any bat that you see to be rabid. 
• We do not want residents to try and capture the bat themselves. Bats will not fly out an open door and it is more likely that another bat may fly in (especially in the month of August).
• If there is a bat in your house, try to keep the bat in one room. Make sure people and pets do not touch the bat. Do not try to capture the bat. Call us at 905-546-2489 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) to request removal or a wildlife removal service.

All about rabies

Rabies is caused by a virus. Any warm-blooded animal can get rabies, including humans. It is transmitted or spread through a bite or other saliva contact from an infected animal. Rabies is a preventable viral disease that infects the central nervous system and without prevention treatments, it is usually fatal. 

Rabies is found more commonly in these animals than others:

• bats
• raccoons
• foxes
• skunks

Coyotes are a risk to your pets and children. They are scared of humans by nature. In rural areas, they hunt sheep, poultry and calves. In urban areas, they damage garden crops, go through garbage and prey on pets such as cats and small dogs.

In the event that a coyote, dog or other wild animal is presenting an immediate threat to public safety, residents are encouraged to call the Police at 911 or Animal Services.

Protect children and pets

• Educate Children to not approach or harass any wildlife or unfamiliar domestic pets. This will reduce the risk of bites or exposure to certain diseases.
• Keep cats indoors at all times and keep dogs on short leashes or enclosed in your yard.
• Allowing pets to roam at large increases their risk of injury by wild animals, other domestic animals, and traffic. City of Hamilton by-laws prohibit dogs and cats from running at large.

What to do if you see a Coyote

• Carry a personal audible alarm and flashlight or umbrella (which can be used to scare them off)
• If you are approached by a coyote, stay calm and wait until they move on. You can make yourself appear larger and shout or clap your hands together or make some other loud noise to scare them off.  DO NOT RUN.

How to keep coyotes off your property

• To prevent coyotes from entering your yard, enclose it with a solid fence preferably 1.8 metres in height.
• Properly store and maintain garbage containers. This will prevent raccoons, skunks, cats, dogs, & coyotes from becoming a nuisance. It will also discourage the presence of small rodents, which are an important food source for coyotes.
• Remove pet food left outside.
• Avoid composting meat products. The smell of the meat composting will attract the animals to your property.
• Do not approach or feed coyotes. Coyotes are wild animals, however can become more comfortable with humans as a result of regular contact. There may be more contact between coyotes and humans if they are fed or otherwise encouraged to stay near residential areas.
• Remove bird feeders as they also attract squirrels and rodents, which may attract coyotes.
• Use motion-sensitive lights in yards or gardens. Well-lit yards or the use of motion- sensitive lighting will make a property less attractive for coyotes and other nocturnal wildlife.

Raccoons are most active at night; however, sometimes they will look for food during the day. They cause damage to roofs, garages, gardens and lawns.

How to Keep raccoons off your property

Some suggestions to help:

• Pick fruit from trees and plants as soon as it ripens.
• Keep your barbeque clean and covered when you are not using it.
• Trim tree branches that overhang your roof.
• Check your roof vents, gables and eaves to make sure screens haven’t been torn away.
• Secure your chimney cap.
• Repair holes in walls or screens.

What to do with raccoons on your property

Some tips for dealing with raccoons:

• Install one way gates in the openings animals leave from so they cannot re-enter. Do not permanently block the entrance until you are sure you don’t have any raccoons.
• Never separate a mother raccoon from her young.
• Get rid of raccoons in fall after their young have left the den.
• Let raccoons in your chimney move out on their own. After eight to ten weeks, the female and young will leave and not come back.
• Hire a wildlife agency or trapper to remove raccoons from your home.
• Call Animal Services at 905-574-3433 to report injured or dead raccoons.

Skunks are not aggressive and will always try to retreat from a human. They spray people or pets when they are startled. Skunks can cause damage to lawns and gardens and may make homes inside buildings or under porches and patios.

How to keep skunks off your property

Here are some suggestions:

• Use natural remedies from garden stores to keep skunks from digging up your lawn for grubs, such as nemotodes.
• Lay down 2.54 cm (one inch) of mesh chicken wire to keep skunks from digging up your lawn.
• Use flashing lights, motion sensors and loud noise to scare skunks.
• Block off access points to your garage and other buildings.
• Fill openings under concrete structures with dirt and remove all brush piles from your property.
• Secure the area around your deck, shed and crawl space.

What to do if you get sprayed by a skunk

Clean up as soon as you or pet is sprayed to get rid of the smell.

• Flush your eyes or your pet’s eyes with lots of cold water.
• Wash your body or your pet’s body with:
  • acidic substances such as carbolic soap, tomato juice, vinegar and water; or
  • a mix of one liter of 3% hydrogen peroxide, 80 ml of baking soda and 5 ml of liquid soap. This mix should be made in a large, open container. Use all of the mix while it is still bubbling. Wear rubber gloves and lather the mixture on. Leave it for 30 minutes.
• To keep a dog from shaking the mixture off, wash the dog's body first and then the head.
• After washing, have a long hot shower.
• Repeat these steps two or three times until the smell is gone.

What to do with skunks on your property

• Hire a wildlife agency or trapper to remove skunks from your home.
• Call Animal Services at 905-574-3433 to report injured or dead skunks.