Top Wildlife Removal Companies in Longmont, Colorado Ranked

When wild animals like raccoons, skunks, or bats decide your attic is their new home, it can quickly escalate from a nuisance to a serious problem. Wildlife removal is the specialized service of safely and humanely evicting these uninvited guests and securing your property against future invasions. In Longmont, where urban development meets natural habitats, understanding your options for animal control and pest wildlife management is crucial for protecting your home, family, and the animals themselves. This guide will help you navigate local regulations, identify common problem species, and understand when to call a professional for humane wildlife exclusion.

Common Nuisance Wildlife in Longmont

Longmont's proximity to open spaces, waterways, and the foothills makes it a haven for a variety of wildlife. While seeing these animals can be a delight from a distance, conflicts arise when they seek food, water, or shelter on your property. The most frequent culprits in local wildlife conflicts include:

• Raccoons: Intelligent and dexterous, they are notorious for tipping over trash cans, raiding pet food, and nesting in attics, chimneys, or under decks.
• Skunks: Often attracted by grubs in lawns or accessible pet food, their defensive spray is a well-known hazard, and they commonly den under sheds or porches.
• Squirrels: Both tree and ground squirrels can cause significant damage. They chew on wiring, insulation, and siding to enter attics and eaves, creating fire hazards and structural issues ¹.
• Bats: Small colonies may roost in attics or behind shutters. While beneficial for insect control, their guano (droppings) can pose health risks and damage structures.
• Coyotes: Common in the area, they are adaptable and may prey on small pets or scavenge for food left outdoors. Hazing is the recommended first response, but landowners have specific rights regarding lethal control on their property.
• Other Species: Residents may also encounter issues with foxes, marmots, prairie dogs, gophers, rabbits, and nuisance birds like geese, pigeons, and starlings.

What You Can Do: Prevention and DIY Deterrents

The most effective and cost-efficient animal removal strategy begins with making your property less attractive to wildlife. Proactive habitat modification can prevent most conflicts before they start.

Exclusion and Sealing: The cornerstone of prevention is exclusion-physically blocking animal entry points. Inspect your home's exterior, including the roof, soffits, and foundation, for any gaps or holes. Seal any opening larger than 1/4 inch with durable materials like hardware cloth, metal flashing, or concrete. Ensure all vent openings are covered with sturdy screening and that chimney caps are securely installed.

Sanitation and Habitat Modification:

• Secure Trash and Compost: Use wildlife-proof trash cans with locking lids. Keep compost bins securely covered.
• Remove Food Sources: Never leave pet food or water bowls outside overnight. Clean up fallen fruit from trees and bird seed from under feeders.
• Eliminate Shelter: Trim tree branches that overhang your roof. Keep woodpiles and dense brush away from your home's foundation.
• Use Deterrents: Motion-activated lights or sprinklers can startle and deter nocturnal animals. For birds, applying visual deterrents like reflective tape to windows can prevent collisions and nesting attempts ².

Understanding Trapping Laws: Colorado law allows landowners to trap mammals causing damage on their own property. However, regulations are strict. Generally, only live traps are permitted, and there are specific rules about what you can do with the trapped animal. In many cases, especially for species like skunks and raccoons, relocation is heavily restricted or illegal due to disease concerns and the likelihood of the animal causing problems elsewhere or not surviving. It is critical to check current Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) regulations before attempting any trapping.

When to Call a Professional Wildlife Remover

While DIY methods work for prevention, actual wildlife extraction and exclusion often require a professional. Here are key situations where calling a licensed wildlife control operator is the safest and most effective choice:

• An Animal is Inside Your Home: If a raccoon, squirrel, or bat is actively living in your attic, walls, or chimney.
• You Suspect a Colony: Removing a single animal is one thing; safely excluding an entire maternal colony of bats or a family of raccoons requires expertise.
• The Animal is Injured, Aggressive, or Nocturnal: Never approach a wild animal that is behaving strangely. Professionals have the tools and training to handle these situations safely.
• You Need Permanent Exclusion: A pro doesn't just remove the animal; they find and seal all potential entry points to prevent recurrence, a service known as full wildlife exclusion.
• Legal Compliance is Uncertain: Professionals understand state and local laws regarding protected species, legal trapping methods, and humane relocation protocols, ensuring you don't inadvertently break the law ³.

Navigating Local Regulations and Authorities

Wildlife management in Colorado involves multiple agencies. Knowing who to contact is essential.

• City of Longmont Animal Control: This department handles issues with domestic animals-loose dogs, cats, and livestock within city limits. For true wild animals, they typically refer residents to other resources ⁴.
• Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW): This is the primary state agency for all regulated wildlife. CPW provides essential guidance on dealing with coyotes, bears, and other native species. They set the regulations for nuisance wildlife, trapping, and relocation. Their website is an invaluable resource for understanding your rights and responsibilities as a landowner.
• Licensed Wildlife Removal Companies: For hands-on removal and exclusion, private companies like Critter Control or Wildlife, Inc. fill the gap. They perform the physical work of trapping, exclusion, and cleanup in accordance with CPW regulations ⁵.

Key Regulatory Points for Longmont Residents:

• Landowner Responsibility: In Colorado, you have the right to determine if an animal is a nuisance on your property and to take appropriate action within the law ⁶.
• Relocation Restrictions: It is generally illegal to relocate wildlife without authorization. Small mammals may sometimes be relocated short distances with CPW notification, but many species, especially those prone to disease (like skunks and raccoons), cannot be moved far, if at all ⁷.
• Wildlife as Pets: It is illegal to keep any native wildlife as a pet in Colorado ⁸.
• Coyote Specifics: Landowners may lethally remove a coyote that is threatening property or livestock on their land. For other protected species, lethal control usually requires a special permit from CPW ^{9 10}.

Understanding Wildlife Removal and Exclusion Costs

The cost for professional animal control services in Longmont varies widely based on the species, the extent of the infestation, and the complexity of the exclusion work required. Most companies provide free inspections and estimates.

• Basic Removal Service: For a single animal removal (e.g., a snake in the garage or retrieving a dead animal from a crawlspace), costs often range from $150 to $300+.
• Trapping and Removal: Live trapping and removal of an animal like a squirrel or raccoon typically involves multiple service visits to set traps, check them, and remove the animal. This service can range from $300 to $800 or more ^{11 12}.
• Exclusion and Prevention: This is where costs can scale significantly but also provides the most long-term value. Sealing all entry points on an attic, repairing damage, and installing permanent barriers like chimney caps or vent screens can range from a few hundred dollars for minor work to $2,000 or more for a comprehensive job on a large home with significant animal damage ^{13 14}.
• Cleanup and Decontamination: After animals are removed, services like droppings removal, urine cleanup, and disinfecting (crucial for bat guano or rodent nests) add to the overall cost but are vital for health and safety.

Investing in professional exclusion not only solves the immediate problem but also protects your property's value and your family's health by preventing future invasions and the associated damage.

Frequently asked questions

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