Most of us are familiar with the deer in Oak Bay, but our community is also home to a number of smaller fur-bearing animals including raccoons, squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, and otters.

While most of these animals are fun to observe, they can become nuisances in our urban setting by eating garden plants, digging up lawns, rooting through garbage or taking up residence in houses, garages and sheds.

The best way to deal with issues caused by our small furry neighbours is to prevent the issues in the first place.

Here are some simple ideas you can take to prevent conflict with our furry wild neighbours:

• Don’t feed wildlife.  This doesn’t just mean leaving food out for wildlife.  It means making sure that we aren’t providing any kind of food source.  Keep garbage and compost locked away in a garage or shed, and firmly secure the bin lids.  Keep pet food indoors.  Store bird seed inside, and clean up spilled seed.  Use squirrel-proof bird feeders and hang them where wildlife can’t get to them.  Pick up fallen tree fruit right away.  
• Secure garbage and compost. Use tight fitting lids to help make bins hard for scavenging animals to open.  If the bin doesn’t have a good built-in closure, secure the lid with a bungee cord.  Thoroughly rinse all recyclable food containers.
• Keep a clean and tidy yard. Remove old woodpiles and keep sheds in good repair.  Prune overgrown bushes.
• Keep critters outdoors.  Check the outside of your home, garage, and any outbuildings for holes in the foundation, walls, windows or roof.  Close off all openings.  Keep chimneys closed with appropriate materials.  Trim trees so they don’t overhand your roof.
• Repel animals from your property.  Use motion-detector sprinklers and lights in your yard.
• If an unwelcome visitor has made a home in yours:  Playing a radio continuously in your attic may encourage squirrels who have taken up residence to move on.  Your best bet is to have animals removed by a professional.
• If raccoons are digging up your lawn:  They are probably after grubs living in the soil.  The solution lies in controlling your grub problem. A pesticide-free solution is the use of nematodes, microscopic worms that are applied to lawns for control of White Grubs and are available at garden centres and hardware stores.

Who should you contact?