Living in the city one doesn‘t expect to see much wildlife. However, there are some wild things that like living there just as much as we do. That is primarily because humans are a relatively messy people. In the city, there is always plenty of trash and garbage lying around to feed a robust population of rodents and other small mammals. We also like to have a lot of tasty plants with berries and other ornamental attributes on them, which can provide food and shelter for small animals. Ways you can help to minimize the rat, rodent, skunk, opossum, or raccoon populations around where you live are:
1. Check around where you live and clean up all garbage, paper, food, and berries or fruit on the ground. Then walk around and check to be sure you didn‘t miss anything.
2. Put your garbage in metal garbage cans with lids that stay tight and that are attached.
3. Put heavy weights on the garbage can lids to prevent raccoons or other animals from being able to pry them open.
4. Wash out your garbage cans at least once every couple of weeks to keep them from smelling.
5. Don’t allow any standing water on your property for mosquitoes to breed in or for undesirable animals to drink.
6. If you have a garage, store your trash cans in there as opposed to outside where animals can get at them.
7. When you throw away meat or other tempting food, put some bleach or strong smelling cleaner in the bag before you heave it in the garbage can.
8. Make sure any birdseed or bird feeders are out of the reach of squirrels, raccoons, rats, or other seed eating animals.