Ever since yesterday’s shocking discovery, our technicians are on the look out for baby raccoons very early this year.

The mother raccoon would have had to mate in November in order to give birth to her babies this early in the year.

After realizing when this raccoon would have mated, I decided to research what the temperatures were in November 2021. The temperature was well above zero (around 8 degrees) for 21 out of the 30 days in November. The other 9 days in November only dropped to -1 overnight.

Although it is extremely early to be discovering litters of baby raccoons, there could still be more raccoons that mated back in November.

We look forward to see what is in store for the rest of 2022!

Gates Wildlife discovered our first litter of baby raccoons on January 20th 2022 in Mississauga, Ontario. This discovery is a whole month earlier than we've ever seen in our 37 year history.

Typically mother raccoons mate in January and give birth to their babies in attics, chimneys and sheds in the months of March, April and May. We have never come across baby raccoons this early in the year.

This mother raccoon moved into a shed that was set up to house feral cats during the cold winter. The homeowner reported noticing that the feral cats that were living in the shed had moved out and into a much smaller container on the picnic table in her backyard, which she thought was odd. She suspected that another animal had moved into the shed, forcing the cats to move out. 

Upon arrival, Gates Wildlife Technician Tyler discovered an insulated feral cat box inside the shed. As he slowly opened the box, he was surprised to discover 2 one week old baby raccoons snuggled inside.

With the outside temperatures being so cold we decided, with the homeowners blessing, that it would be best to leave the mother and her babies alone. Hopefully she will decide to move out on her own when the weather warms up.

In addition to their genetic makeup, raccoons have developed habits that make them more likely to survive winters than many other wild animals.

One habit is their version of hibernation, which is called torpor. Torpor is a state of decreased physiological activity in an animal, usually marked by a reduced body temperature and metabolic rate. During torpor, the raccoon's body uses less energy as it’s body temperature falls and insulin production lessens, triggers lower levels of blood sugar.

They sleep much more often but will come out on warm day to look for food. Raccoons activity levels do not go totally dormant like animals in hibernation but they may sleep for weeks at a time in this state.

Once baby raccoons are born, there will be a lot of chittering noise emanating from the attic. A lot of our customers describe the noise of a crying baby raccoon as sounding like multiple birds chirping at one time. They make a high-pitch chirping noise when they feel bothered or are hungry. While the crying noise will occur primarily at night when the mother raccoon goes out for food, it can also occur throughout the day. Surprisingly the mother will place her babies above the master bedroom, keeping you awake and worrying about the damage.

Female raccoons will typically give birth to 1 to 7 offspring. Although 4 to 5 is more common, we have seen 11 babies in one litter before.

Gates Wildlife is raising funds and awareness this Movember for all the dads, brothers, sons and mates in our lives. 

For over 35 years, Gates Wildlife has been committed to preserving and saving the lives of animals. In keeping with the philosophy of saving lives, we felt it was fitting to join forces in supporting this cause last year and are very excited to be apart of this amazing cause again this year.

Our team at Gates Wildlife is growing mustaches during the month of November to support the cause. We have set up our team donation page on the Movember site. We welcome donations of any amount to help us achieve our target.

Last year we passed our target and raised $1500! We are hoping to beat that this year!

We will be posting weekly posts with informative information about Movember (yes the mustache wildlife photos are back!)

Our Movember Page: https://moteam.co/gates-wildlife-control?mc=1

What is Movember? 

Movember is the leading charity tackling men’s health on a global scale. Men’s health is in crisis. Men are dying on average 6 years earlier than women, and for largely preventable reasons. 

Unchecked, prostate cancer rates will double over the next 15 years. Testicular cancer rates have already doubled in the last 50. And across the world, one man dies by suicide every minute of every day, with males accounting for 75% of all suicides. 

Movember is uniquely placed to address this crisis on a global scale. They fund groundbreaking projects all over the world.

This photo was taken by the tenant before we arrived. The hawk was stuck behind the pigeon netting and couldn’t fly free. Gates Wildlife Technician Kieran was able to grab the hawk and release him outside of the netting.

This snake is named for the distinct yellow, cream or orange ring around the neck. The body is a uniform dark grey, brown or black and this species has smooth scales. Adult Ring-necked Snakes are generally less than 50 cm long.

In Canada, the Ring-necked Snake is found from Ontario east of Lake Superior to Nova Scotia and PEI. No other adult snake in Canada has a distinct yellow ring around its neck.

Ring-necked Snakes are usually found in forested areas, including forest edges and clearings. These snakes are most common in areas with shallow soil and surface bedrock, where they are frequently found under rocks, logs or bark. They hibernate underground and will also retreat underground during especially warm weather. Females lay their eggs in rotting logs or stumps, under rocks or in vegetation piles.

Gates Wildlife Owner Brad found this snake under a rock near our dock at the cottage. Very cool!

Squirrel House!

This chimney cap made for the perfect squirrel home. The chimney had been screened prior which prevented the squirrel from gaining access into the chimney but the mother squirrel decided to live on top of the screen inside this chimney cap.

We typically recommend leaving the chimney cap off of the chimney after we install our screen as they are not animal proof and can allow squirrels or birds to still live on top of your chimney.

Spotting Squirrels Clinging to Structures & Why They Don’t Need Help!

Baby squirrels start exploring outside the nest around 6 weeks of age and are ready to be on their own at 10 weeks of age. When baby squirrels emerge from their den site for the first few times, they may be frozen with fear confused what to do. They can sometimes be seen hanging on to the walls of houses, downspouts, fences etc. Although they may seem stuck, they are just not quite sure what their next move should be. Over time they will learn how to maneuver themselves and will learn by watching their mom.

Squirrels are equipped with such long fingers which are designed to aid in climbing trees but also suit them well for traversing brick walls, roof tops and attic spaces.

It is best just to give them some space and soon they will figure out how to be acrobats.

Better to jump from trees with!

Red squirrel’s have pads at the base of their paws, and on each of their ‘fingers’, which contain more fatty tissue. These pads allow them to act as shock absorbers when the squirrel lands.

While running the tail is used as a counterbalance to help the squirrel steer and turn quickly. Many short vertebrae at the base of the tail allow the tail considerable flexibility in almost every plane.

While jumping, the tail is held horizontally behind the squirrel and, although it does not act as a parachute, it helps improve the squirrels aerodynamics.

Photo taken by Gates Wildlife Technician Cassandra.

Heated Release Boxes

Gates Wildlife worked hard to develop techniques that were scientifically sound and combined these with a strict “follow-up” protocol to ensure that all removals go according to plan. Wildlife rehabilitators, Municipal Animal Services, Humane Societies, the media and most importantly our customers embraced our humane approach. The wildlife control industry quickly recognized that promoting their company as being “humane” was good for business.

It is unfortunate that many companies are not willing to invest the time or the money that it would it would truly take to be committed to the humane concept. Using specifically designed heated reunion boxes rather than “makeshift” unheated cardboard boxes, following up in a timely manner on one-way door installations and ensuring that the mother raccoon has successfully retrieved her babies from the reunion boxes, would go a long way towards practicing what they preach.

When looking to hire a wildlife removal company please ensure they will follow-up on the work in progress in short order and that they have heated reunion boxes at their disposal.

Scratching! Chewing! Banging! Thumping! Chattering!

Regardless of the type of noise, you have animals in your attic. The first thought most homeowners have is to try and determine what animal is causing the noise. Is it possible to determine what kind of critter is living in your attic based on the type of noise they make? For the most part, yes.

The time of day you hear the noise and the combination of the different types of noises they make will provide some clues.

Raccoons: Being nocturnal, noises are most frequently heard at night but raccoons can also be active in the attic during the day, especially in the spring when the babies are born. Weighing between 5 to 26 kg (11 to 57 lb.) they can make quite a bit of noise. It is common to hear heavy walking and thumping. Homeowners have described the sounds to be similar to the moving of furniture. Very distinctive is the loud chattering noise the baby raccoons make. For the first three weeks their eyes and ears remain closed and when they are bothered or hungry they vocalize. The mother raccoon often has her babies above the master bedroom as it is the quietest place in the house during the day.

Squirrels: Being diurnal, mostly daytime noise is heard especially at dawn and dusk. But don’t rule out noises during mid day and nighttime as not being squirrels. They move quickly so quick scampering across the ceiling will be heard. A squirrels front teeth are constantly growing therefore it is common to hear them chewing on wood, drywall and wires. From outside the home running sounds in the soffits can be heard. Baby squirrels usually do not vocalize unless they are in distress. Therefore it is not possible to determine if you have squirrels by listening for the sounds the babies make. Hearing multiple animals quickly moving in the attic would mean that the babies have now grown-up and are now moving about in the attic. At this point they need to be removed immediately because the amount of damage caused to the house at this stage of their life is exponential.

Mice: Being nocturnal, nighttime noises are heard, caused by the chewing of mice. Mouse noises are almost always quite localized, homeowners will point at the ceiling and say “I hear it there.” This is the main difference between the noise caused by mice compared to that from raccoons and squirrels. Because they are so light weight they cannot be heard moving on top of the insulation in the attic. They tend to nest beneath the insulation, directly on the drywall and being rodents they constantly chew on their surroundings. In the dead of night the chewing sounds caused by mice can be perceived as the noise caused by raccoons and squirrel.

It is important to keep in mind that the acoustics of your home, the thickness of walls, presence or lack of insulation can have more of a bearing on the volume of noise than the size of the animal. We often get called out to remove what the homeowner thinks is a raccoon when it turns out to be mouse activity. 

Regardless of what animal is living in your attic it is never a good idea to let them live there. While it is not their intent to cause damage the fact is, they do. They can chew on your wires, defecate in your attic, destroy your insulation, create odours, carry diseases and cause water damage and allergies. I love all animals and would never use fear tactics as a means of convincing someone to remove animals. But after 35 years of witnessing all that they are capable of doing, I feel strongly that they have no place in our homes.

Coyote Sighting

This coyote was spotted by one of our followers in Peticoat Creek on Sunday. 

Winter is a common time to spot coyotes because food is scarcer, forcing coyotes further out of their normal habitats, and they're emboldened by the fact people mostly stay indoors. The lack of foliage also makes them easier to spot.

Coyotes are always going to be part of the landscape. It's just certain times of year when they start being seen in our backyards. 

If you spot a coyote in your neighbourhood, you can reach out to an amazing organization called Coyote Watch Canada. Coyote Watch Canada is a Federal Not-For-Profit community-based, wildlife organization which advocates positive human wildlife experiences.

The wildlife centre receives about 30,000 calls a year about coyotes and coyote sightings, but attacks are almost unheard of. 

Coyote Watch Canada has the following advice on their website regarding what to do if a fox or coyote is near:

• Pick up small children and pets
• Never run from or turn your back on a coyote/fox/wolf/domestic dog
• Wave your arm(s) above your head, stomp feet, clap hands. Surprise gestures work best. Be assertive!
• Be BIG and LOUD! Yell “Go away!” Never scream. A strong voice and assertive gestures send a clear message.
• Slowly back away. Maintain eye contact and remember never to run.