With the colder weather here, many of us have started to winterize our lives — whether it be your car or pulling out that winter jacket. Another thing people should keep in mind is prepping the house against those smaller creatures looking to escape the cold.

Manny Batcho is the lead technician for the wildlife removal service Critter Control. He talked about a one-way door that can help evict smaller animals from a hole in a home.

What You Need To Know

  • Key places to check for critters are louver vents, the shutters of a house, dormer corners, soffit boxes and eves, ridge vents and chimneys

  • Consider inspecting a house for animals before. you buy it

  • Hire a professional to remove an animal because it could be dangerous

"You hear noises throughout the early noises and early evenings, and you give me a call and I come out and see a hole like that and I’m like, well it’s clear, you know, there’s squirrels here," he said.

When he arrives at a home for an inspection there are a few key places he checks for critters. Those places are louver vents, the shutters of a house, dormer corners, soffit boxes and eves, ridge vents and chimneys. He says homeowners are often surprised that animals get in those places.

"You see a squirrel in the last place you expect it to be brought up is in your soffit box. Or people think bats and they don't really understand, uh, the capabilities of where they can call home and roost because it only takes, they say, about the size of a, of a dime for them to squeeze into anything," Batcho said.

Manny suggests homebuyers first inspect the house they’re about to buy. He says to check those common areas. Make sure soffit boxes and dormer corners are in good shape and make sure there are no visible gaps to avoid unforeseen problems or expenses.

"If you do have the opportunity, I would suggest checking in with the previous owner or the realtor as, as has there been a history of any critters having been there or has there been exclusion done to the home for critters? Just questions that aren't typical make them typical," he said.

If you suspect you have an unwanted houseguest, Manny says to keep an eye and ear out for scratching or whimpering. Keep a lookout for odors as well. He says people should not try to engage with the animals because it can be dangerous.

"What they should do is observe. Did it run into a hole nearby? Did you see an entry point it was exiting from at the time? What it is, because animal identification is key. I get a lot of people confused as to what it could have been, but don't interact and take things into your own hands and do reach out to a professional," Batcho said.