Are you bothered by strange digging noises coming from beneath your floors?
Did you wake up one morning to see holes in your foundation?
Do you constantly see chunks of grass around your area even though you have cleaned them already?
These factors show possibilities that a certain animal is trying to make a nest below your house.
Animals that keep digging out your foundation really cause nuisance and inconvenience.
This is why you have to act on it immediately before they completely make a massive mess out of your foundation.
This article will give you tips on how to spot intruders and will go into preventing animals from digging holes around your foundation.
Table of Contents
How To Stop Animals From Digging Holes Around Your Foundation
Your initial step is to remove or eliminate the pests.
Mice traps are a good way to go. However, if you have larger pests like squirrels, rats, or skunks, contacting the exterminators would be best because these rodents carry diseases that can be fatal to humans.
Therefore, such work must be left to professionals.
Fill in the existing holes. Any holes that have been created by pests must be closed or filled in, in order to keep any animals out.
They won’t be able to nest in your foundation if you have their entry points sealed. Do this by sealing off the open vents, repairing or filling the cracks, and replacing damaged vapor barriers.
Invest in well-researched and safe chemical products. Although there are many chemical items on the market that will surely kill these pesky animals, it would be better to opt for the safe ones.
I’m talking about products that have offensive scents, enough to drive the diggers away. That way, you’re sure that friendly animals won’t be affected that much.
Make your home critter-free by sealing off trash cans tightly with their lids. If you feed birds, regularly clean the debris around their feeders.
If you have pet food, keep them in airtight containers to prevent pests from being attracted to food scents.
Trim back obscuring bushes. Doing so will prevent animals from remaining hidden. It will then be easier for you to mitigate any problems in the area.
Seclude the area. After your area has been cleared from pests, screen your place, add cement and add patio blocks.
This will assure you that nothing will ever come digging beneath your house again.
Install barriers. Chicken wire or chain link fence may also be helpful in keeping the animals out.
I am confident that these steps will help to minimize the damage caused by digging animals.
Also, these tips are the most humane options. Because no matter how pesky these animals are, they are just trying to survive like you and me.
Why animals dig in your foundation
There are plenty of reasons why an animal digs.
Although this is generally not a concern, it’s still useful and informative to know the reason for digging behavior.
Animals naturally dig because they’re hungry. They might see your foundation as a good spot to look for worms, grubs, and insects.
And if they do find food around your foundation, they will certainly keep coming back for more.
Signs of Animal Intrusion
- Disruption around the site
- Scattered earth, landscaping, grass or mud in the area
- Animal sightings
- Rodent droppings
- Shredded pieces of nesting material
- Signs of digging or fragments of dirt
- Patches of grass torn from the ground
- Cracked or gapped foundation
If you see these obvious signs, your next step should be to find out what kind of animals are lurking around your premises and digging holes into your foundation.
Knowing what kind of animal is digging through your foundation will help you to figure out what method is best suited to keep them away.
What kinds of animal are digging around the foundation
Mice digging around your foundation
Entry points: garage, basement, small holes around the house, gaps in the utility line
How to prevent: seal gaps, weatherstrip garage doors, windows and basement, store all food in an airtight container
Signs of intrusion: foul smell of urine, sneaking noises at night, holes chomped in food boxes, chewed off household items
Rats digging around your foundation
Entry points: garage, basement, damaged or unused drain pipes
Sign of intrusion: black, greasy smudges along openings, foul smell of urine, scattered discarded food, sneaky squeaking sound at night
How to prevent: discard all water and food source around the house including pet foods, store all foods in an airtight container
Squirrels digging around your foundation
Entry points: roof shingles, windows, dormer-meet-roofs
Sign of intrusion: noises from the ceilings or attic at night, pile of nuts hidden
How to prevent: cut off or trim trees away from the house, remove bird feeders
The mentioned animals above are the most common diggers. However, you may also need to watch out for other unwanted visitors such as:
Skunks – these animals can easily dig under your patio, create their nesting area in your garage, or crawl through your basement. A food trap or pro exterminator will be your sure way to keep them out.
Bats – these nocturnal animals will take up a space to live in your attic or ceiling. Evict them first before sealing their entrance off with an insect screen and hardware cloth.
Raccoons – these masked animals can easily make their way into your chimney, garage, or attic vents. Your best way to force them away is to capture them with live trap bait.
In order to do this effectively, you have to put foods such as peanuts, butter, or dried corn into your bait.
Conclusion
There are plenty of ways on how to stop animals from digging holes around your foundation.
You just have to make sure to find out what kind of animal it is as it will determine the way to stop and prevent animals from digging holes around your foundation.