About a month ago one of our friends reached out letting us know they had found 3 baby squirrels that had fallen out of their nest. The mother squirrel had been nesting in their car port, which they were unaware of until the babies had fallen out. She contacted me for advice on how to proceed with the situation. 

At this point we were unsure if the mother squirrel was still around as some babies will accidentally fall out of their nest in their attempt to find mom if she hasn’t been back for them in a while. The homeowners were not opposed to allowing the squirrels to nest in their car port so I advised them to place the babies back in their nest and to watch to see if the mother returns.

After keeping watch and monitoring the activity around the nest they were pleased to see the mother return to her babies. This mother squirrel must have concluded that the location of the nest was no longer a safe place to keep her babies due to the disturbance and decided to relocate her babies.

All in all, a feel good story!

Bats mate in the late Summer and early Fall. The female bats have the ability to store the males sperm until the Spring

As to when the males sperm fertilizes the egg in the Spring may depend on when the outside temperatures warm up enough for bats to become active. The ideal situation would be for the babies to be born when the adult females are finding plenty of insects to feed on.

This past spring we experienced much colder Spring night temperatures, delaying when bats would normally start foraging. Therefore we would expect there to be a delay in when the baby bats would be born and subsequently their exit from the attic for the first time.

As a rule, the maternity season of both Little and Big Brown Bats is from June 1st to August 15th. To be sure that the baby bats are capable of exiting the attics we typically wait until mid August before we install our one way doors. Installing one way doors before the babies can fly would separate the mothers from their young.

At this time of year look skyward at dusk and you may be able to see the young bats and their mothers flying around catching insects.

This particular bat was found inside the home of one of our customers. Gates Wildlife technician Blake responded to the call, was able to collect the bat in one of our bat jars and released it outside. 

By Brad Gates, B.Sc.

Brad Gates is the owner and president of AAA Gates Wildlife Control. He has over 35 years experience in the humane wildlife removal and prevention industry.

Upon my return from vacation I discovered this mouse in my pool. It was resting on a floatation device that we have in the pool so that if an animal should fall in while we are away, it would be able to climb onto it and not drown. 

After scooping the mouse out of the pool, it was clear to me that he was very grateful to be saved. Being able to save a life once I got home from vacation was a perfect end to a week full of wildlife. Is it just me or is he smiling? 

There are floatation devices with “critter saving escape ramps” that you can purchase on sites such as Amazon to assist an animal that happens to fall into your pool. Once an animal falls in the water their first instinct is to swim toward the pool wall trying to get out. They eventually will find the pool device, climb up on top and can use the ramp to exit the pool. 

By Brad Gates, B.Sc.

Brad Gates is the owner and president of AAA Gates Wildlife Control. He has over 35 years experience in the humane wildlife removal and prevention industry.

On most occasions when we place baby squirrels in our reunion jugs, their mother comes to collect and relocate them within a few hours of us doing so. 

This situation was quite unique where the mother decided to move into our jug with her babies. We often see mother raccoons move into our heated box with her babies but this is the first time in our 35 year history that we have seen a mother squirrel do this.

We informed our customer that the mother had moved into our jug and told them we would leave her alone with her babies and return in a few days to check back. Upon our return she had relocated all her babies to an alternate den site.

By Brad Gates, B.Sc.

Brad Gates is the owner and president of AAA Gates Wildlife Control. He has over 35 years experience in the humane wildlife removal and prevention industry.

Our company is finding baby squirrels on our squirrel calls right now and have been for a few weeks. This is the second round of squirrels this year.

Baby squirrels will start exploring outside the nest around 6 weeks of age and are ready to be on their own at 10 weeks of age, which means they will start making a lot of noise and can start creating extensive damage inside your attic very soon.

If you suspect you have squirrels living in your attic, it is strongly advised to call our company today to inspect the wildlife intrusion before the babies grow up and start chewing on your electrical wires.

If you are not located in our service area, please make sure the company you are hiring is humane and aware that it is squirrel baby season.

By Brad Gates, B.Sc.

Brad Gates is the owner and president of AAA Gates Wildlife Control. He has over 35 years experience in the humane wildlife removal and prevention industry.

It’s at this time of year that raccoon removals get a little more tricky. Once inside the attic we realized that we were dealing with mobile baby raccoons and had to act quick in order to corral them all. One baby had decided to run away from the rest but after a prolonged search he was located and removed with his siblings.

Since these raccoons were mobile and were capable of climbing, we had to place the box on its side with the hole facing up. This way they would safely stay in one place while they await mom’s return to relocate them. 

We went back to check on the babies today to find that mom had a busy night gathering all her babies and headed to her alternate den site.

By Brad Gates, B.Sc.

Brad Gates is the owner and president of AAA Gates Wildlife Control. He has over 35 years experience in the humane wildlife removal and prevention industry.

Can you guess which baby was looking up while we were cutting into the drywall? No worse for the wear, a little bit of drywall dust causes no harm.

These babies were found down a wall inside a garage and the only way we were able to access them was to cut into the drywall above them. It amazes me how little space a mother raccoon needs for her babies and herself - this space measured only 14 inches x 6 inches.

All babies were placed in our heated reunion box outside the garage for mom. This mother decided to move into our reunion box with her babies for a few days and then finally moved them to an alternate den site. This happens every so often, which we allow to happen to make the transition to a new den site easier for her.

By Brad Gates, B.Sc.

Brad Gates is the owner and president of AAA Gates Wildlife Control. He has over 35 years experience in the humane wildlife removal and prevention industry.

Gates Wildlife is called on to humanely remove a family of foxes from underneath a residential deck. Their momma stayed close by as we gathered them from under the structure and placed them in their heated reunion box.

Watch our ever so exciting and cute video on our skillful removal of seven four week old baby foxes and how their mother instinctively relocates them to their new den to live happily ever after on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0iQAHd4Rew&t=14s

As the temperature increases so does the amount of mother raccoons giving birth. For our company, a critical operating standard at this time of year is to inspect every attic even when the homeowner is not hearing the crying sound of babies. We typically can not rely solely on the homeowners report of not hearing any crying noises because when baby raccoons are first born their cries are usually barely audible in the room below. As they approach one week of age, their ability to vocalize becomes stronger. Therefore there could still be babies in a homeowners attic even though they have not reported hearing any chittering sounds. 

These babies were removed from an attic above the master bedroom in a home. The mother raccoon took one of her babies while we were still on site and the rest were placed in our heated reunion boxes to await her return. All babies were relocated by the mother overnight.

By Brad Gates, B.Sc.

Brad Gates is the owner and president of AAA Gates Wildlife Control. He has over 35 years experience in the humane wildlife removal and prevention industry.

In the bottom of this picture you can see the reflective eyes of a female raccoon. Upon closer inspection we could see where she had removed the insulation from the drywall to bed down. 

Raccoons can have green, yellow or blue reflective eyes. Their eyes see best in low light conditions such as at dusk and dawn. Animals of the night have eyes that are designed to help them see better in the dark, with a special surface just behind their retina called the tapetum lucidum that reflects small amount of light.

Last week Gates Wildlife discovered our first litter of baby raccoons of Spring 2019.

The four babies were found in the attic of a residential home in Brampton. All babies were placed in our heated reunion box for mom to collect and relocate tonight. We returned to find out that their mom had successfully relocated all her young. At this time of the year it is extremely important to ensure the babies stay warm as they await mom’s arrival. 

Since our first removal of baby raccoons last Friday we have removed another litter of 6 babies from a building in Toronto. Their mother moved into our baby box with her babies for a day and then relocated them all to an alternate den site. 

The babies in this picture are much older than the babies we are removing at this time of the year. Once they are around 6 weeks, the babies will start exploring inside the attic. Although it is not their intent to be destructive, it is a fact that these animals cause damage that often goes undetected. As seen in this picture, with all their curiosity and activity, they have packed down the insulation and chewed on any wood or wiring that they could get their teeth on.

By Brad Gates, B.Sc.

Brad Gates is the owner and president of AAA Gates Wildlife Control. He has over 35 years experience in the humane wildlife removal and prevention industry.

We received a call from a homeowner that was hearing noise in her chimney, She originally thought a squirrel had fallen down the chimney and was desperately trying to get out. Upon our arrival, we opened the damper to discover this beautiful male cardinal. Many of our customers believe that a bird should be able to fly straight up a chimney, however all birds except hummingbirds need to fly forward in order to fly upwards. 

Cardinals are hard to miss with their bright red colouring. Male cardinals, like the one pictured, are bright red all over with a black face around the bill while females are pale brown with red tinges on their wings and tails. 

According to the Birds of North America Online, brighter males have higher reproductive success, hold better territories, and offer more parental care. The intensity of a cardinal’s redness is related to what he’s been eating. So when females see a bright male, it’s a signal that he’s healthy and holds a good territory. 

As Spring approaches you will start to hear the male cardinals singing to claim their territory. 

There is an old folklore saying that when a cardinal appears in your yard, it is a visitor from heaven. When cardinals appear, angels are near. They are said to symbolize hope, joy, health, rejuvenation and celebration.

By Brad Gates, B.Sc.

Brad Gates is the owner and president of AAA Gates Wildlife Control. He has over 35 years experience in the humane wildlife removal and prevention industry.

Having had the opportunity to raise a variety of species when I was young provided me with a deep respect for the lives of all animals. 

When I started my business in 1984 the concept of being “humane” didn’t exist in the realm of wildlife control. It was my mission 35 years ago to develop techniques that would not jeopardize the well-being of the species we dealt with. While I am not one to blow my own horn, it is my honest opinion that my company has directly influenced and shaped the direction that wildlife control has taken over the years. An example of this lies in a measurable shift away from inhumane trapping / relocation and more towards the use of one-way doors and release on-site methods.

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 of these 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.

The attached picture shows a competitors unheated cardboard box on the left and our composite heated reunion box on the right. I was called out by the homeowner two days after our competitor placed the babies in this cardboard box. The homeowner was still hearing the mother raccoon in the attic and the previous company refused to return. The one-way-door had failed, locking the mother inside the attic. The babies were unable to stay warm inside the unheated cardboard box and died of exposure due to the cold outside temperatures.

This extremely unfortunate situation could have easily been avoided. If only the company in question had promptly followed up on the work in progress and utilized a proper heated reunion box. They would have discovered that the mother raccoon was trapped inside the attic, made corrections to the one-way door and the use of the heated reunion box would have prevented the babies form being exposed to the elements.

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.

By Brad Gates, B.Sc.

Brad Gates is the owner and president of AAA Gates Wildlife Control. He has over 35 years experience in the humane wildlife removal and prevention industry.

The first instinct for most people when they see a skunk is to immediately head in the opposite direction. Skunks have a bad reputation due to their stinky spray. They have 2 glands that produce the spray, which is a mixture of sulphur containing chemicals that have an offensive odour. A skunk’s spray is powerful enough to ward off bears and other potential predators. 

Although this little guy did let out a dribble of spray, he was not mature enough to be fully capable of his spray abilities. This skunk was content being held and even allowed us to take some close up pictures of him.

By Brad Gates, B.Sc.

Brad Gates is the owner and president of AAA Gates Wildlife Control. He has over 35 years experience in the humane wildlife removal and prevention industry. 

Bats can hear, taste, smell and even see just like humans do. In the dark, bats use a special sonar system called ‘echolocation.’ This system allows the bats to emit an echo out to the environment and listen to the echoes of those calls that return from various objects near them. This allows the bat to navigate and find food in the dark. 

Using echolocation bats are able to detect objects as thin as human hair in pitch black conditions. Bats are able to find insects as small as mosquitoes, which bats love to feed off of. A common myth that roots from the saying “blind as a bat” is actually false. Bats are not blind, they just rely heavily on their sonar system to navigate quickly in complete darkness.

By Brad Gates, B.Sc.

Brad Gates is the owner and president of AAA Gates Wildlife Control. He has over 35 years experience in the humane wildlife removal and prevention industry.