When a raccoon is living in your attic or a family of opossums has moved under your deck, the instinct is to get them out fast. Wildlife removal in Montgomery comes down to two main strategies: trapping the animal and relocating it, or sealing up entry points so they can't get in or out in the first place. Most jobs need both, but the order and timing matter more than people realize. We've handled hundreds of calls where a homeowner tried one approach alone and ended up frustrated or spending twice as much money to fix the problem the right way.
Trapping Gets the Animal Out Now
Trapping is the direct solution. You set a live trap baited with something the animal wants, they go in, and you remove them. It works for raccoons, opossums, armadillos, squirrels, and a long list of other wildlife that shows up in and around Montgomery homes. A trapped animal is gone within days, sometimes hours. That matters when you've got a mother raccoon tearing up your soffit or an armadillo has dug tunnels across your yard.
The catch is that trapping only solves half the problem. If you trap and relocate a raccoon but don't seal the hole it used to enter your attic, another one will find that same opening within weeks. We've seen it happen repeatedly. The animal is gone, the homeowner feels relief, and then the phone rings six weeks later because a new one moved in through the exact same spot. Trapping without exclusion is like treating a leak by catching the water in a bucket instead of fixing the pipe.
Exclusion Stops Them From Coming Back
Exclusion means finding every possible entry point and making it impossible to use. For raccoons, that might be a gap where the soffit meets the fascia, a damaged vent cover, or a hole in the foundation. Opossums squeeze through openings as small as three inches. Squirrels can chew their way through wood and soft metals, so you need to install hardware cloth or steel mesh, not just patch the hole. Armadillos need trenching and barriers because they burrow.
Good exclusion work takes time and attention to detail. You have to get up on the roof, inspect the entire perimeter, check every vent and opening, and seal it properly. In Montgomery's heat and humidity, materials degrade faster than in drier climates, so the sealing materials matter. Cheap caulk or flimsy screening won't last. Done right, exclusion prevents the problem from happening again, which saves money over years.
The downside is that exclusion alone doesn't work if the animal is already inside. You can't seal a raccoon in your attic and expect it to leave on its own. It will cause damage trying to get out, and it will die in there if you're not careful. Exclusion is prevention and long-term solution, not an immediate fix.
Why You Usually Need Both
The sequence is important. If an animal is actively in your home or on your property, you trap first. Once it's gone, you do the exclusion work to make sure it doesn't happen again. Trying to exclude an animal that's still present leads to damage and frustration. The animal will fight the barriers, chew around them, or find another way in.
Sometimes the exclusion work itself requires trapping. Say you've got squirrels in your walls and you want to install one-way doors so they leave but can't return. You still need to trap any babies inside, because one-way doors don't work on animals that can't yet find their way out. We've had jobs where we had to trap multiple juvenile raccoons before we could safely install exclusion devices on the entry points the mother had been using.
In other cases, the animal has already left on its own by the time you call, but the entry points are still open. You skip the trapping and go straight to sealing everything up. A good inspection tells you which situation you're in.
The Cost Difference Matters
Trapping runs between $300 and $600 per animal in our area, depending on the species and how many trips it takes. Exclusion work is typically $500 to $2,000 or more depending on the scope of your home and how many entry points need sealing. Doing both costs more than either alone, but it costs far less than dealing with the problem three times because you only did half the work.
Homeowners sometimes ask if they can trap and then handle exclusion themselves. You can try, but most people underestimate the scope of the work. Missed entry points are common, and improperly sealed openings fail within a season. The expense of hiring a professional for the full job is usually worth it compared to the cost of repeated infestations.
Local Conditions Speed Up Wildlife Problems
Montgomery's wooded neighborhoods and humid climate mean wildlife pressure is steady year-round. Raccoons breed in late winter, so January through March brings more calls. Squirrels are active in fall as they seek shelter before cold weather. Armadillos dig more in spring and summer. Knowing the season helps you understand whether you're dealing with a single animal or a family, which affects your strategy.
If you've got wildlife in or around your home in Montgomery, call Guardian Mosquito & Pest Control. We'll inspect the problem, tell you whether you need trapping, exclusion, or both, and explain the cost and timeline upfront.
