Critter(s) under the house

[Dan Musicant]

Used to be that access to the crawl space of the house was available to all manner of animals. A few years ago I closed off all access but one, put finely sifted dirt in front of the one remaining access, made sure that no creature had traversed it for a few days and closed off the last access. Done.

A few weeks ago I noticed that the covering for one access had come off, so I put finely sifted dirt across the door jam and yep, foot prints. Probably a cat, I think. I put a dish with ammonia in it and a rag inside the door there, but the foot prints have reappeared a couple of times.

How can I repell the animal? If I see no footprints for a couple of days (3 preferred) I think I can deduce that there are not animals in there and I can close the space again. I sure don't want to have to go in there and remove a decomposing animal. Thanks for ideas/help.

Dan

Email: dmusicant at sonic dot net

[bob haller]

any animal capable of digging can get under your home, the cat may be visiting hunting for mice rats etc....

when you sealed up the crawlspace did you provide air circulation?

might be a good idea to crawl under there and look around every couple of years. as a routine maintence check

[Don Phillipson]

If you want a permanent solution, install in the unique access space the door subassembly from a Have-a-Hart trap, configured so as to allow exit only but no entry to the crawlspace.

[mike]

I had a problem with a possum under my shed. He redug access as fast as I could plug it up. Managed to kill one with ammonia. Bad decision. I had more maggots and flies than I could count. People told me I had to block access at least two feet deep. That wasn't reasonable. I toyed with the concept of a pressure-switch activated stun gun. The fix was to raise the whole thing a foot and leave it open. No more possum. I think you're stuck with the two foot deep solution. The stun gun is pretty risky from a legal standpoint.

A related issue... my neighbor had a problem with racoons eating his vegetables. I put up a motion-activated webcam and we watched 'em evade the trigger in the traps he put out. Fascinating. Of course, once you trap one, you've got to get rid of it. Around here there aren't any legal ways to do that.

[Peter]

Last time (6 years ago) we had critters burrowing under our house (near-in suburbs, not a rural setting) it was a family of red foxes. Mama, dad, and 3 cubs. Very adorable, but not wanted. Trappers didn't believe us until they caught one. The others were trapped in succession after a number of ammonia soaked rags were stuffed down the access hole. We filled the burrow hole with concrete and covered the concrete with top soil.

[tangerine3]

I would not want to hurt any cats, since cats are not varmin, but if it's some sort of varmin, I dont just use ammonia, I mix bleach with it. The vapors will drive out anything. I dont know if I'd do this for a house, but I have used it on sheds and critters that tunnel under my driveway. I have had something large digging under a shed, and I just used the bleach and ammonia for the last 3 days. I had tried everything else, even dumped in some used anti-freeze. Everytime I fill the hole, it came right back. I think this will work. If not, I intend to put some plastic tent stakes on each side of the two holes , put bare wires in the shape of a grid, and connect them to an electric cattle fencer. I know that will stop them. I zapped a coon once with the fencer and it never came back.

[Stormin Mormon]

I'm not sure it did any good. But, I stuffed a lit highway road flare down a woodchuck hole, one time. And then back filled it with dirt.

The fence charger might work. Hope not to zap a neighbor, or a child.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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[Dan Musicant]

:On Apr 22, 8:30 am, Dan Musicant wrote: :> Used to be that access to the crawl space of the house was available to :> all manner of animals. A few years ago I closed off all access but one, :> put finely sifted dirt in front of the one remaining access, made sure :> that no creature had traversed it for a few days and closed off the last :> access. Done. :>

:> A few weeks ago I noticed that the covering for one access had come off, :> so I put finely sifted dirt across the door jam and yep, foot prints. :> Probably a cat, I think. I put a dish with ammonia in it and a rag :> inside the door there, but the foot prints have reappeared a couple of :> times. :>

:> How can I repell the animal? If I see no footprints for a couple of days :> (3 preferred) I think I can deduce that there are not animals in there :> and I can close the space again. I sure don't want to have to go in :> there and remove a decomposing animal. Thanks for ideas/help. :>

:> Dan :>

:> Email: dmusicant at sonic dot net : :any animal capable of digging can get under your home, the cat may be :visiting hunting for mice rats etc.... : :when you sealed up the crawlspace did you provide air circulation? : :might be a good idea to crawl under there and look around every couple :of years. as a routine maintence check

There's air circulation, well certainly enough to let animals breath.

I could go under there today but that doesn't mean I'd know if animals weren't hiding.

Email: dmusicant at sonic dot net

[Dan Musicant]

I was thinking of making my own one-way door, a bit of a project. Didn't think that they have them premade. I'll look into that. Thanks.

Email: dmusicant at sonic dot net

[Dan Musicant]

There was a hole next to the entry site whose door came off, don't know that it was related. Looked like a burrowing animal. I think maybe a cat is going in/out the door and something else had burrowed inside, likely before the door came off. I plugged up the hole with rocks and dirt. Will see what happens. Meantime, the "cat" keeps going in and out, ammonia be damned, so far.

Email: dmusicant at sonic dot net

[Jim Elbrecht]

one whiff, if it doesn't kill you.

Nope- chlorine gas is possible. You might make mustard gas if you had some sulphur in whatever you were cleaning.

Jim

[Stormin Mormon]

Really?

Makes some nasties, but I don't think that's mustard gas. real answer.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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Mixing ammonia and chlorine produces mustard gas and it will f-ck you up with one whiff, if it doesn't kill you.

[Robert Macy]

Back in the days of working on Ion Implantation machines that used various 'fun' gases for doping - phosphine, Boron tetrafluoride, Arsine, and one more name, can't remember. I was told that one of them made mustard gas, don't remember which one. Might have been the phosphine. Military likes to do things with phosphor.

Do remember the most used, boron tetrafuoride, when it hit air broke down into hydrofluoric acid of significant concentration. Enough that it took out all your mucosa linings. And I can vouch for the pain one gets from just being exposed to 3% HF acid in the commercial form, called Whink. Under your fingernails, don't notice, until later THEN feels like your nails are being pulled off for a couple of days - until the tissues heal..

May have been phosphine. Remember the physicist said, if you smell it, you're dead. He had actually gone through a phosphine leak, smelled it, but didn't die. Just did a LOT of damage to him. What did it smell like? Wet hay, he said.

[Robert Macy]

Just remembered my father's father's brother died after returning from WWI and the complications from exposure to mustard gas.

My grandfather only described his brother's grueling death, once, then never spoke of it again.