Top Wildlife Removal Companies in Edina, Minnesota Ranked

When wild animals like raccoons, squirrels, or bats decide to move into your attic, garage, or yard, it can quickly become a stressful and damaging situation. Wildlife removal is the specialized service of safely and humanely evicting these nuisance animals and securing your property against future intrusions. Finding a qualified local expert is crucial, as state and city laws strictly regulate how wildlife can be handled. This guide will help you understand the common wildlife issues in Edina, your legal options, and how to connect with professional animal control services to resolve your problem effectively.

Common Nuisance Wildlife in Edina

Edina's blend of residential neighborhoods, green spaces, and waterways makes it attractive to a variety of wildlife. While observing animals in nature is enjoyable, conflicts arise when they seek food and shelter in our homes. The most frequently encountered nuisance mammals in the area include raccoons, squirrels (both gray and fox), skunks, and bats, particularly the little brown bat. Other animals like coyotes, foxes, opossums, moles, and woodchucks (groundhogs) can also become problematic.

Bird species can cause issues as well. Non-native birds like starlings, pigeons, and English sparrows often nest in vents and eaves, while geese and ducks can degrade lawns and ponds. Identifying the specific animal is the first step, as removal methods, legal protections, and potential health risks (like rabies or histoplasmosis from bat guano) vary significantly.

Understanding Minnesota and Edina Wildlife Laws

Before taking any action, it's essential to know the rules. Minnesota wildlife management is governed by a combination of state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) regulations and local city ordinances.

State DNR Regulations for Landowners: Minnesota law allows landowners or tenants to take certain animals that are causing property damage without a license. This includes species like squirrels, raccoons, mink, and opossums. However, for protected furbearing animals such as beaver, fox, or muskrat, you must contact a DNR Conservation Officer within 24 hours of taking the animal. The DNR provides clear guidance: always check with them or a professional if you are unsure about an animal's status¹.

City of Edina Ordinances: Edina has specific local restrictions that override general state allowances. Most critically, it is illegal to discharge firearms or use lethal traps within city limits for wildlife control². This makes DIY lethal removal methods not only dangerous but also a violation of city code. Furthermore, Edina Animal Control, a division of the police department, primarily handles domestic animal issues-such as stray dogs, cat licensing, and bite reports-and does not provide wildlife removal services for private property^{3 4}.

When to Call a Professional Wildlife Removal Service

While some minor deterrents can be a DIY project, many situations require the expertise of a licensed wildlife control operator. You should strongly consider calling a professional for:

• Attic or Wall Infestations: Sounds of scratching, scurrying, or crying from inside your walls or ceiling often indicate a nesting animal. Removal requires finding entry points, humanely extracting adults and young, and performing exclusion work.
• Bat Colonies: Bats are protected in Minnesota due to their ecological benefits and declining populations. Removing a maternity colony requires specialized techniques and timing to avoid trapping flightless young inside, and it often must be done before or after the pup-rearing season.
• Animals Presenting Health Risks: Any animal that is acting strangely (a potential sign of rabies), or situations involving large accumulations of droppings (like bat guano), require professional handling for safe removal and decontamination.
• Complex Entry Points: If an animal is accessing your home through hard-to-reach areas like roof vents, chimney caps, or foundation cracks, a professional can securely seal these points to prevent re-entry.
• If You're Uncomfortable: Never attempt to handle or trap a wild animal if you feel unsafe. Professionals have the experience, tools, and protective gear to manage the situation.

The Professional Wildlife Removal Process

A reputable wildlife removal service will follow a multi-step process to ensure the problem is solved completely and humanely.

1. Inspection and Consultation: A technician will perform a thorough inspection of your property to identify the animal species, entry points, and extent of damage. This service typically costs between $100 and $200, a fee that is often credited toward the total service cost if you proceed.
2. Humane Removal: The method depends on the animal. For raccoons or squirrels in an attic, this often involves installing one-way exclusion doors over the main entry hole, which allow animals to leave but not return. Live trapping may be used in other scenarios. The removal phase for a common animal like a raccoon or squirrel generally ranges from $250 to $600 or more.
3. Exclusion and Repair: Simply removing the animal is not enough. The final and most critical step is to permanently seal all potential entry points with durable materials like steel mesh or hardware cloth and to repair any damage caused. This may also involve cleaning and sanitizing affected areas like attics. Exclusion and repair work can cost between $200 and $800+ depending on the scope.
4. Prevention Advice: A good professional will offer tips to make your property less attractive, such as securing trash cans, removing pet food, and trimming tree branches away from the roof.

Prevention: Keeping Wildlife Out in the First Place

The best solution to wildlife conflict is prevention. By making your property less inviting, you can avoid most problems.

• Seal Entry Points: Conduct seasonal checks of your home's exterior. Look for loose siding, damaged roof vents, gaps in soffits, and cracks in the foundation. Seal any hole larger than a quarter-inch with appropriate materials⁵.
• Remove Food Sources: Keep trash cans securely locked. Avoid leaving pet food outdoors overnight. Clean up fallen fruit from trees and bird seed from under feeders.
• Use Humane Deterrents: For animals like coyotes, "hazing"-using loud noises, motion-activated lights, or spraying with a water hose-can effectively teach them to avoid your yard⁶. Eco-friendly repellents can also provide a temporary barrier for certain pests.
• Manage Your Landscape: Keep woodpiles away from the house and trim shrubs and tree limbs back several feet from your roofline to eliminate wildlife highways.

Cost Factors for Wildlife Control in Edina

The total cost for professional animal removal varies based on the species, location of the problem, and extent of work required. Here's a general breakdown based on local service estimates:

• Basic Inspection: $100 - $200+ (often applied to service total) ⁷.
• Standard Removal (e.g., raccoon, squirrel): $250 - $600+ for setup, monitoring, and removal^{8 9}.
• Exclusion & Repairs: $200 - $800+ for sealing entry points, attic clean-out, and damage repair^{10 11}.
• Specialized Removal: Bat colony removal or coyote management typically incurs higher costs due to the complexity, specialized equipment, and regulatory considerations involved.

Always request a detailed, written estimate that breaks down inspection, removal, exclusion, and repair costs before work begins.

Frequently asked questions

Sources