Article: HUMANE APPROACH TO PESKY ANIMALS Couple rid homes of unwanted wildlife Hartford business traps raccoons, skunks, pigeons; Tips on dealing with animal invaders The Milwaukee Humane Society and Paul Winkelmann offer various pointers in dealing with wildlife intruding into your home: Keep garbage cans securely closed. Have chimneys capped using wire mesh. Inspect attic vent screens periodically. Check for openings in soffits and walls. Make sure your garage doors are closed. Since these animals are looking for a quiet place, direct noise at them. Turn on a rock or talk station as loud as possible near where you think they are. Because they also like the dark, shine bright lights on the area until the intruder leaves. Try using wind chimes and wind socks in the area. Check to see how the animal got into your house. If you find the opening, cover it with paper. If the paper's not disturbed, you know the intruder is no longer in the house and you can permanently fix the opening. When an animal is in the basement, keep everyone out of the basement so the animal will not hide. Open one window or a door so the animal can escape the basement. Turn off the lights so the animal will be attracted to the light coming from the door or window. You can cover the other windows to direct the animal to the opening. In the case of chipmunks or squirrels, put a stool or something to climb on near the opening so the animal can reach it. Put flour or powdered sugar on the windowsill so you'll know when the animal has left. The Humane Society has recorded messages that will give you instructions about how to deal with various types of wildlife intruders. You can also speak to someone in their wildlife department, 961-0310.

Forget the cliches about March and April. If you're a homeowner, they both may bring you raccoons.

"In March and April, it's the birthing period for raccoons, and then in August and September for squirrels again," said Jessica Winkelmann, who is a partner with her husband, Paul, in Humane Wildlife Control of Hartford.

"Raccoons, when they're pregnant, will take aluminum vents and rip them out to go down into the attic," Paul Winkelmann said. "Some raccoons like to rip roof shingles up." "Squirrels are pregnant in January and February," too, Paul Winkelmann said, "which makes the female squirrels look around for somewhere warm to build their nests and get ready to give birth. One of the ...

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