Animal exclusion means keeping animals out of a house for good instead of catching one and waiting for the next. The work has four parts: find every way in, get the animals already inside out alive, seal each opening with material they cannot chew or pull apart, and repair the damage. A sealed opening stays closed as long as the material holds and the house around it stays sound. What lets animals back in is almost always a new opening, not an old seal giving way. Michael Gerbino of Cypress Critters & Pests does this work himself. Call 713-775-8799.
What does exclusion actually involve?
It starts with a walk around the whole house, not just the corner where the noise was. Michael looks at the roofline, the soffits and fascia, the roof returns where two rooflines meet, the gable and attic vents, the chimney, the pipes and air conditioning lines that come through the roof, the garage door corners and the foundation. Then he goes into the attic to read the tracks, droppings and nesting and to find the paths the animals use.
Next the animals come out alive, with live cage traps or one-way doors that let an animal leave and keep it from getting back in. Nothing gets sealed until every animal is out, because an animal shut inside will tear its way out or die in the wall. In spring and early summer that includes checking for young.
Then every opening gets closed, and the damage gets fixed: torn soffits, chewed vents, soiled insulation. The full step-by-step is on the animal exclusion and humane live trapping page.
What materials keep animals out?
The material has to match the animal that is trying to get in. A screen that stops a mouse will not stop a raccoon, and a patch that looks fine to a raccoon can be chewed through by a squirrel.
| Opening | Animal that uses it | What closes it |
|---|---|---|
| Roof returns and soffit gaps | Raccoons, squirrels, roof rats | Heavy galvanized mesh and metal flashing fastened to solid wood |
| Gable and attic vents | Raccoons, squirrels, rats, birds | Metal vent covers or hardware cloth over the vent |
| Chimney top | Raccoons, birds | A chimney cap |
| Gaps around pipes and AC lines | Rats and mice | Metal mesh packed in the gap and sealant over it |
| Under decks, sheds and slabs | Opossums, skunks | Mesh buried in the ground so they cannot dig back under |
Soft fixes like spray foam, plastic screen or tape do not hold. A roof rat can get through a hole about the size of a quarter, and a squirrel can chew through soft material in an afternoon.
Why does trapping alone not last?
Attics around Houston are warm, dry and quiet. An animal that lived there leaves a smell, and the next one follows it to the same hole. Catching the animal without sealing the hole is paying for the same job again in a few weeks. Exclusion is what makes the result last, which is why Michael pairs every removal with sealing.
What can undo an exclusion job?
Sealed openings stay sealed. Problems come from changes to the house, and most of them are easy to spot once you know to look:
- Roof work. A new roof or a repair can mean the roofer pulls off mesh, flashing or vent covers and does not put them back. Tell the roofer what is there before the job starts.
- Wood rot. Mesh fastened to fascia board is only as strong as the board. Rotten fascia can open a fresh gap next to a good seal.
- Storms. High wind can lift shingles and peel back soffit panels in places that were never open before.
- New holes from other trades. A new cable line, dryer vent or AC line cut through the wall leaves a gap around it unless someone seals it.
- Tree limbs. A branch resting on the roof gives a squirrel or raccoon a bridge to look for weak spots.
In The Woodlands, where trees hang over most roofs by design, limbs are the one to watch. Animal exclusion in The Woodlands covers that kind of house.
How do you keep a sealed house sealed?
A few habits go a long way. Trim limbs back from the roofline. Walk around the house after a big storm and look up at the soffits and vents. Listen in the attic at dusk and before dawn now and then, when animals are moving. If anyone works on the roof, ask them to leave the mesh and vent covers in place. If the noise comes back, call Michael at 713-775-8799 and he will look at what changed.
For the longer background on the idea, there is an older post on this site, Animal Exclusion: the essential guide to protecting your home.
When to call
Call when you hear animals overhead, when you trapped one before and the noise came back, or when you see torn soffits, bent vent covers or chewed holes along the roofline. Michael quotes after he sees the entry points, because the number and height of the openings, the animal and any repair needed are what shape the job. Start with the exclusion page, or call or text 713-775-8799.
Questions people ask about how long exclusion lasts
Will the animal get sealed inside my attic by mistake?
Not when the work is done in the right order. Michael does not seal a house until every animal is out, using live cage traps or one-way doors first. In spring and early summer he checks for young before anything is closed, because a mother shut out will tear a new hole to reach them and young left behind die in the walls.
Can a new roof undo the exclusion work on my house?
It can. Roofers sometimes remove mesh, flashing or vent covers to do their work and do not put them back the same way. Before the job starts, show the roofer where the seals are and ask that they stay. After the job, look at the roof returns and vents, or have Michael check them.
Can I seal the holes myself with spray foam?
Foam does not stop animals that chew. A squirrel or rat goes through it quickly, and a raccoon pulls it out. Openings need galvanized mesh, hardware cloth, metal flashing or a proper vent cover fastened to solid wood. Sealing before every animal is out also risks trapping one inside the house.
How can I tell if my exclusion is still holding?
Listen and look. A quiet attic at dusk and before dawn is a good sign. From the ground, check that the mesh at the roof returns and the vent covers are still flat and fastened, and that no new holes or torn soffit panels have shown up after storms or roof work. If something changed, call Michael.
