• In the Attic or Under the House: Close off the entrance when the animal is out at night. To be sure he is out, put paper loosely over the entry hole and watch for it to be pushed outward or torn, or attach a one-way door flap. The animal may leave, but not re-enter. Be sure no young are left behind.
• In the Garage: Open the door and close it after dark when the opossum has left. Do not leave pet food down at night which might attract an opossum. Sprinkle flour around the door and check for tracks to be sure he has gone.
• In the Yard: Put 24″ wide sheet metal around fruit tree trunks to discourage climbing.
• In the Garbage Can: Tip the can on its side. The opossum will leave when he feels it is safe. Secure the can once the opossum vacates.
• Trapped in Window Well or Pit:Place a board or large pipe into the area so he has something to help him climb out. Cover such areas to prevent another occurrence.
• Protecting Poultry and Rabbits:Keep the bird or animal area well secured at night. There are many night predators. Removing one predator often opens the area for another.
• An Opossum Under the House or Deck: During the day, place containers holding ammonia-soaked rags in the area they are visiting. The smell will cause them to leave on their own come nightfall.

• Metal wrapped around tree trunks will prevent climbing.
• Installing a motion detector sprinkler system that’s activated at night can help keep raccoons from becoming too comfortable in your yard.
• Spraying a hot pepper mixture on your lawn will deter raccoons from digging for grubs/insects. Also, use beneficial nematodes in the spring and summer to rid your lawn of grubs and grub damage.  Getting rid of the food source will solve the problem.

In your pond?

• Submerge wire mesh around the perimeter of the water, attaching it to the edge, or use electric fencing.
• You can also protect fish by including tunnels for them to escape into when raccoons are present.

Keep small animals secured at night.  Removing a raccoon will only open up the territory for other raccoons or possibly opossums, skunks, and other wildlife.

During the day, place ammonia-soaked rags in a can every 3-5 feet around the perimeter and both sides of the entrance to the suspected problem area. You can also use a Hot Pepper Wildlife Deterrent. Within 2-3 weeks the animals should have moved elsewhere.

Wait until you are sure there are no babies inside to board up any openings.

Walk around the exterior of your house to look for places that can serve as a point of entry for bats.  Bats can fit through very tiny spaces, so your search must be thorough.  Bats do not chew holes in walls or electrical insulation.  Watch out for:

• Unscreened windows; uncapped chimneys; loose-fitting screen doors
• Doors with a space at the bottom (buy a draft guard)
• Any hole greater than one-half inch in diameter or a crack .25” x 1.5” or greater

Openings should be closed with steel wool, duct tape, or a screen.

Removal of a (healthy) individual bat

If the bat is awake:
Open all doors and windows in the room that lead outside.  Close off the rest of the house.  You may wish to observe from outside to verify the bat leaves the house.

If the bat is asleep:
Without touching the bat, gently scoop it into a small container (like a shoebox) using a cloth or a piece of paper.  Put a soft cloth into the box to give the bat something to cling to.  Cover the box and place it where it cannot be disturbed by pets or children, and allow it to awaken before releasing.  Before a bat is able to fly, it needs time to warm up as it comes out of sleep.  When the bat is awake, release it outside.  Remember, bats are wild animals and potential rabies vectors, so you should never touch a bat directly with bare hands.

Most bat colonies naturally leave their roosts in the fall, so this is the best time to bat-proof your house for next season.

If you don’t want to wait until fall, watch as the bats leave at dusk to feed.  Observe point of exit, and cover exit.  DO NOT do this during the summer months (June – August).  This is when flightless young are present.  It is inhumane to separate a parent from dependent offspring.

What to do if you find an injured bat
If you find a sick or injured bat in your house or yard, leave it alone. Call the North Texas Wildlife Center for further information. Phone: 469-734-5020  Email: info@ntxwildlife.org 

• Do not feed bobcats or any wildlife.
• Never leave pet food outside.
• Restrict use of birdseed. Bobcats are attracted to the birds and rodents that use the feeder.
• When/where possible, eliminate outdoor sources of water.
• Trim and clear near ground level any shrubbery that provides cover for bobcats or prey.
• Use fencing to help deter bobcats. The fence must be at least six feet tall with the bottom extending at least six inches below ground level. Augment your existing fencing with outwardly inverted fencing, electrical fencing, or cement blocks and large rocks buried outside the fence line to prevent animals from digging into your yard.
• Actively discourage bobcats by making loud noises and spraying water to make them leave.
• Battery operated flashing lights, tape recorded human noises, and strategically placed containers holding ammonia-soaked rags may deter bobcats from entering your yard.
• Keep cats and small dogs indoors, allowing them outside only under strict supervision.
• Keep chickens, rabbits and other small animals in well protected areas and in sturdy cages at night. Cages made of chicken wire are meant only for keeping small animals contained; they will not keep bobcats or other predators from entering. Stronger gauge wiring is a necessity in protecting these small animals. 

• Never feed or attempt to “tame” a coyote
• Avoid direct eye contact.
• Do not turn your back or run from a coyote.
• If it’s not your yard, leave the area calmly.
• If followed by a coyote, make loud noises and make yourself look big. Use super soakers (large-sized squirt guns).
• If it isyour yard, make loud noises (shake pennies in a jar, etc.), make yourself look as big as possible, and even spray with a hose or super soaker until the coyote leaves.
• If followed by a coyote, make loud noises and make yourself look big. Use super soakers (large-sized squirt guns).
• Always keep yourself between the coyote and small children.
• Coyotes are not considered a disease threat. Although they are a potential rabies vector, outbreaks of rabies in coyotes are rare and they are not commonly implicated in the transmission of the disease to humans or domestic animals.

Remember – coyotes are drawn to urban and suburban neighborhoods for two reasons: human encroachment into native habitat and the availability of food.  Successfully deterring established coyote populations requires action from the entire neighborhood/community.  All property owners need to:

• Secure garbage cans by fastening lids with rope, bungee cords, or chains and tying the handle to a stake driven into the ground. Put garbage out the morning of pickup, not the night before.
• Dispose of especially attractive food wastes such as meat, cheese, and eggs with a small amount of ammonia added to the bag to deter coyotes.
• Use enclosed compost bins rather than exposed piles. Avoid adding dog or cat waste, meat, milk or eggs, and any food containing these products, to compost.
• Pick ripe fruit off fruit trees and keep fallen fruit off the ground. Coyotes are fond of ripe fruit.
• Clear away bushes and dense weeds near your home where coyotes find cover and animals to feed on.

• Cats and small dogs could be seen as prey to the coyote, while larger dogs could be injured in a confrontation. Make sure your pets stay inside whenever coyotes are seen or known to be in the area. Coyotes can be active both during the day and at night, and are predominantly crepuscular.
• Fence your property or yard. The fence must be at least six feet tall with the bottom extending at least six inches below the ground. Fences can be made more effective by outwardly inverting the top of the fence or by using electric fencing along the top and bottom.
• Spay or neuter your dogs. Un-spayed females can attract male coyotes. In addition, un-neutered domestic male dogs may be lured by the female coyote’s scent.
• If you allow your cats to go outside unattended and there is little or no natural tree cover, you can help protect your cat by installing “cat posts.” Cat posts can be any type of long climbable wooden post (4×4 or corner posts) that stands out of the ground at least six to eight feet with a platform on top for the cat to rest on. The post will provide the cat with an opportunity to escape from a pursuing coyote.
• Don’t feed coyotes or leave pet food outside. Coyotes can easily become dependent on human food sources.
• Vaccinate your animals (transmission of disease from coyotes to domestic animals is extremely rare).
• Coyotes are primarily rodent eaters and scavengers (rodents comprise 90% of coyotes’ diets). However, they can harm or kill animals kept outside such as chickens, rabbits, goats and sheep. To reduce the risk to outside animals, take the following precautions:
  • Fright devices, such as sirens and sensor lights, may help deter coyotes from closely approaching animal housing areas.
  • Use guard animals. Llamas, donkeys, and special guard dogs have proved effective in reducing or eliminating coyote predation of pastured animals.
  • Provide rabbits with a wire-covered enclosure with fencing buried below the ground. Provide an escape shelter with an opening just small enough for the rabbit to enter. (Cages are not recommended because rabbits may be attacked through the cage or die of stress as they frantically try to find cover.)
  • Make sure livestock and all pets are securely inside at night; confine livestock during birthing season.

Deer eat all kinds of grasses and new growth on trees and shrubs including poison oak and ivy!  They are more active at dusk and dawn but also feed during the night.  Bucks lose their antlers in March.  The antlers re-grow in the summer.  Fallen deer antlers are difficult to find because they have excellent nutritional value for squirrels, opossums, and other wild travelers of the forest, who eat them.

Deer prefer grassy fields near forest edges.  They use their large rotating ears to listen for predators.  The male is called a buck and the female is a doe.  Does have their first young at 2 years of age beginning in early May.  Newborn fawns weigh from 3 to 6 pounds and are only about 12 inches long.  Babies have no scent at birth, which keeps predators away.  The mothers leave the fawns alone, quiet and still, sometimes for hours, while they feed.

A deer fence at least 8 feet tall is the best guard for rose bushes and gardens.  Visit your local nursery for deer-resistant shrubs and plants.  A barking dog is also a good deterrent.

The gray fox gives birth to pups in a ground burrow.  Litters of 1 to 7 pups are born in April or May, with both parents caring for their young.  At 3 months of age pups begin to hunt with their parents.  One month later, they are able to forage for food on their own.  Family groups will stay together until fall, when the young disperse.

The gray fox is the only true tree climber in the canine family.  They have strong, hooked claws that allow them to scramble up trees to avoid predators or to access fruit.

Many foxes are shot or poisoned by farmers concerned about their livestock.  In truth, foxes are not a serious threat.  They are also hunted and killed for sport and trapped for their fur.  Predators include bobcats, wolves, coyotes and domestic dogs.