Leggetts - Nuisance Wildlife

Over 30 years of experience in controlling all types of wildlife. We take pride in being the only nuisance wildlife agent you will ever need. We do a complete and thorough inspection to find out where your problem animal is entering and leaving, and the damage it has caused.
·Estimates on cost of repair are free at time of inspection.
·We are licensed and insured in the state of Maryland.
·We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for emergencies.
·Simply call 301-432-8480.
·We accept Visa, Mastercard, and Discover credit cards.
·Home location of business is Boonsboro, Maryland.

Skunks begin breeding in February. Their young are born in the first part of May. They have one litter a year consisting of 4 to 6 young, normally, but may have as many as 16. The average life span is 3 years, but can, potentially, live for 10 years. Home range is from one-half to two miles in diameter.

Skunks are dormant for about a month during the coldest part of the winter. They are nocturnal in habit, slow moving, and defend themselves against other intruders. Skunks eat plants and domestic animal foods. They also eat grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, which is their preferred diet. They also eat rats, mice, and small cottontail rabbits. Skunks become a nuisance when burrowing and feeding habits conflict with humans. They burrow under porches and buildings, and dig small holes in lawns, golf courses, and gardens in search of insect grubs. Garbage left outdoors, bird feeders, and bee hives may cause skunks to begin feeding around your residence. If you encounter a skunk, do not disturb it, or go near it, they may spray you with an offensive odor, or they may attack you if infected by the rabies virus. Skunks are one of the primary carriers of the rabies virus. Removal is, normally, done with humane cage traps.

Raccoons weigh 10 to 30 pounds, and can, rarely, weigh as much as 40 to 50 pounds. They breed in February, and have their young in April and May. They have one litter per year, consisting of 3 to 5 young. Raccoons cover a range of 3 to 20 miles. They do not truly hibernate, they just hide in dens and are inactive during severe winter weather.

Raccoons are omnivorous, eating both, plant and animal foods. Fruits, berries, nuts, corn, and other types of grains are some of their plant foods. Animal foods include crayfish, frogs, insects, turtles, eggs, mice, rabbits, muskrats, birds, and water fowl. They can cause considerable damage to garden crops, in particular, sweetcorn. Raccoons also often seek den sites in chimneys, attics, or basements, whichever they can gain access to. Sometimes, in extreme cases, they may tear the shingles off a portion of the roof in order to gain access to your house. It is not normal to see raccoons during the daylight hours. If encountered during daylight hours, they are, normally, infected by some disease. Stay as far away from the animal as you can and seek shelter for you and your pets. Raccoons carry rabies and distemper. Removal is normally done with humane cage traps.

1. If it is a wild animal, attempt to kill the animal without damage to the skull.

2. If the animal is domestic, insist that the offending animal be penned and observed for at least 10 days to see if it gets sick or dies.

3. Cleanse the wound as quickly as possible with soap and water.

4. Keep the dead animal cool, but do NOT freeze it.

5. Always call your Doctor!
He or she will make a decision as to what treatment and/or shots may be necessary based on the type of animal; whether or not the animal escaped; whether or not the animal might have felt provoked; the type and location of the bite; and whether rabies is likely in the area. You may be required to deliver the animal carcass to a veterinarian for processing and shipping to a laboratory for analysis.

Grey fox weigh between 7 and 13 pounds. They are, often times, mistaken for a red fox due to the red outline on the chest and belly. The breeding season for the grey fox is from January to mid-April, with the young being born between March and June. Their litters consist of 3 to 7 pups. Grey fox cover a range of up to 10 miles in diameter. They like to eat berries, mice, grapes, rabbits, squirrels, grasshoppers, most any source of meat or protein, and other insects accessible. They are notorious for eating domestic fowl or peafowl. Sometimes grey fox will dig dens around residential areas, they may also dig holes, much like a dog, under fencing or buildings to gain entry. Control is, normally, done by foothold traps or snares. They are very nocturnal. If seen during daylight hours, do not approach and keep pets and children inside until control agent arrives. Grey fox are very susceptible to rabies and distemper.

The red fox is more like the domestic dog family than the grey fox. Red fox are adaptable to most habitats but prefer open range with moderate cover, where grey fox prefer more dense cover. They mate in February to early March and bear their young 51 to 53 days later. They generally produce 4 to 9 pups.

The coyote, once found only west of the Mississippi river, is now found in every county in Maryland and all states east of the Mississippi. They have become so numerous in Virginia that they now have hired trappers to control their numbers due to the damage they are causing to domestic livestock. They are often seen, but viewed as a German Shepherd dog by the uneducated. It's population hasn't increased enough to cause tremendous problems here in Maryland like our neighboring states. It is just a matter of time until the farmers will be complaining more about their calves, sheep, and goats disappearing. The urban areas will be missing cats and dogs because they use domestic animals as well as numerous wildlife species as part of their diet.

Control is best done with foothold traps and snares. Their litter size is from 5 to 7 pups, and, on occasion, up to 13, and they breed in February and March. They carry their young for 9 weeks, giving birth in April or May. The average weight for a coyote in Maryland is around 35 pounds, varying from 25 to 45 pounds. Coyotes have a very large range, they may only visit your place every 1 to 2 weeks, which makes them hard to control. It is legal to remove problem coyote year around.

Bats are a protected specie and are very beneficial to the environment by controlling insects. One bat will consume 1/10 ounce of insects per night. That doesn't sound like much, but it takes a lot of insects to make 1/10 of an ounce. Bats like to dwell in your attic or under your shutters. They will enter the house through the chimney or through an opening 1/4 X 1 1/2 inch. After entering, they roost on your rafters during the day and leave at night to feed. They will bear their young in your attic and will desposit their guana (droppings) on the attic floor, causing possible airborne disease, such as histoplasmosis, to travel through your home. Bat colonies can only be removed from September through April. A complete inspection is necessary.

Out of the 40 different species of bats, 2 are mainly found on the east coast - brown and big brown. Litter size is one to two. There may be as many as a hundred in a colony. The little brown bats leave your home in the fall to hibernate, then return in the spring to raise their young. Big browns may hibernate in the walls of your home throughout the winter.

Snakes - Garder, Black, Milk, Rattle, Copperhead, and Corn snakes have always been a problem. Most of it is a natural fear of their looks. Actually, snakes are a good control for rodents around your home. It is when you find them in your bedroom or kitchen that makes it frightening. Our intention on our visit to your home is to secure your living quarters. We remove all that we find, set traps to capture the remaining ones and give you a warranty based on the condition of the exterior of your home. All snakes are protected in the state of Maryland and removal is as humane as possible. Maryland boasts 27 species and subspecies of snakes, only 2 of which are poisonous. These are timber rattlesnakes and copperhead. Comparatively, 115 snake species occur in North America while about 2100 species occur worldwide. Our inspection includes estimate for minor repairs, when necessary.

Snakes are rarely aggressive towards humans. If you encounter a snake simply maintain a safe distance and move away from it, or allow it to move away from you.

Snakes are among the most feared and hated creatures in the world, despite the great amount of material that has been written about their beneficial activities.

In reality, they are a complex, interesting, and colorful portion of Maryland's native wildlife and their ecological value is immeasurable. Hopefully, environmental education will dispel many myths associated with our reptile fauna.

Probably the greatest economic value of these reptiles is the service they perform in pest control through their feeding habits. While all groups of reptiles contribute to this service, some species of snakes are particularly beneficial. The pit vipers, as well as both species of black snakes, the Eastern king snake, the corn snake, and the milksnakes are well known rodent predators. King snakes may also feed on the poisonous pit vipers while the smaller snakes and lizards consume large quantities of insects.

This is one of the two venomous snake species in Maryland. The color is a rich, reddish, brown with a series of darker hourglass markings down its back. Its head is usually a bright copper color and its belly is pinkish. It seldom exceeds three feet in length. It has a single anal plate and keeled scales. This is the only Maryland snake that has dark dorsal markings which are narrow on the back and broad on the sides. Copperheads exist throughout the State in remote rocky, wooded areas where they feed on small rodents and other warm-blooded prey. Occasionally, they will feed on aquatic animals. Females give birth to approximately 12 live young which are 8-10 inches in length.

This venomous reptile is the only species of snake in the State with a segmented rattle at the end of its tail. It has brown or black cheveron-shaped markings on a yellow background, down its back. The background color may vary from a bright yellow to a dull gray. Entirely black specimens also occur. This snake rarely exceeds six feet in length. It commonly occurs in the remote rocky, mountainous sections of the State. Females may give birth to as many as 12 live young which are approximately 9-10 inches long. The pit viper habit of congregating at dens, creates a situation wherein considerable numbers of rattlesnakes and copperheads can be seen at one time.