The easiest, and hardest, way to keep Lafayette animals out of your yard, home, and garden is a fence. They're surprisingly complex.



Let's talk pests, and the humane ways of dealing with them. Once in your home, the options for humane eviction of squirrels, rats, pigeons, etc., are limited. You can get them out alive, but it's difficult, and it will make you wish you'd taken more preventative measures before the problem got out of hand. The easiest way to keep Louisiana animals out of your territory? Build a fence…but build a good one. Even if it's small.

Mind you, we prefer the term ‘exclusion barrier.' ‘Fence' brings to mind pickets, barbed wire, or chain link, none of which do much to keep animals out anyway. Exclusion Barriers are much more specific, tailor-fit to certain animals, and – most of the time – tasteful enough to not be seen. What you end up with will strongly depend on the animal you don't want, and where you don't want it.

All variations, however, still follow certain rules.
The first rule? Slope. It's not enough to have a fence – it has to be difficult to climb, or dig under. Consider two options – the first, a plastic barrier to keep Lafayette snakes out of your yard; and the second, a mesh barrier to keep squirrels or rats out from underneath a deck or porch. Both barriers have completely different materials, each matching the abilities of the pest they're preventing. Snakes can't scale a plastic barrier, and rats can't chew through wire mesh. In extreme situations, though, a snake might try to scale the plastic, and the rat might try to dig under the mesh.

If, however, the plastic barrier slopes outward, it will be more difficult to climb. If the bottom, buried part of the wire mesh slopes outward, away from the deck or porch, the rat will have a hard time digging under it. Picture trying to climb a straight fence, and then trying to climb one that leans towards you…or digging under a fence that curves towards you after it goes underground. It's difficult.

Second? We just mentioned it – bury half of the barrier. Almost all Louisiana animals will try to dig under it. If it's part buried, they won't be able to.

Third? Know your undesired Lafayette animals, your barrier materials, and your environment. Small animals require tight wire mesh; big animals might just need a chain-link fence. Hot Arizona days will corrode plastic, so choose steel; rainy Washington days will rust metal, so choose plastic. Snakes will slip through most mesh, but not plastic; rabbits will chew through plastic, but not mesh.

The biggest rule, though? Make sure your barrier is secure. Anything not bolted down will eventually become a doorway for unwanted guests. That part of the Louisiana pest removal process is the hardest. Build a good barrier, and you'll avoid it.

Visit our Lafayette animal removal home page to learn more about us.