How To Distinguish the Animals in Your Basement

Some of the most common household invaders include but are not limited to:

Rodents 

The category of “rodents” covers everything from rats to chipmunks. These critters, alongside squirrels and mice, can find access to an unprotected basement, whether or not you’re contending with pre-existing damage. No matter what, these critters make a point of making themselves comfortable—which means your basement is going to suffer from damage. Squirrels and chipmunks will make nests up toward your ceiling joints, while mice and rats will settle near the floor and chip away at your drywall and your electrical cords. 

That’s not the end of it, either. Mice are often disease-ridden, as are rats. If you’re not careful, you and your family may find yourselves contending with unexpected illnesses. 

Determining what kind of rodent you’re dealing with in your home can be tricky. After all, rodent droppings—the usual sign that you have an unwanted visitor—tend to look the same. When in doubt, take a look at the location of the damage you’ve found in your basement. If it’s higher up on your wall or settled in a joint, you’re likely dealing with a squirrel or a chipmunk. If it’s lower to the ground, you may have a mouse or rat problem. 

Raccoons 

Raccoons are too clever for their own good. These critters, gifted with opposable thumbs, can get in and out of your home with stunning ease if you haven’t made a point of protecting it. Raccoons, like rats, mice, and other smaller rodents can cause an unprecedented amount of destruction in an open basement. These critters like to play with your insulation, eat your wiring, and nest wherever they deem to be most convenient. 

Determining whether you’re dealing with a raccoon or a smaller rodent can be a challenge. When in doubt, trust your ears. Raccoons are large, and they only grow larger once they’ve settled somewhere they feel safe. These critters will make a lot of noise once they’ve settled in your home, giving themselves away as they make a mess of your basement. 

Snakes 

Snakes do not pose an immediate structural threat to your home. Instead, snakes are a health hazard once they make their way into your basement. 

Snakes love nothing more than the opportunity to warm themselves up, especially during the coldest months of the year. If they can get into your basement—most often through wall and floor cracks—then they’ll settle themselves in behind your heater, your sump pump battery, and so on. Again, these critters don’t tend to make nests for themselves, but should a child or a pet stumble onto them, you could be in big trouble. Snakes will not hesitate to defend themselves, meaning someone in your home may stumble away from an encounter with a serious injury. 

It’s not easy to tell whether or not you have a snake in your home. If you’re finding odd, scaly clusters, however, you likely have a dangerous visitor setting up somewhere in your basement. Be sure to check your pipes, as well, or have them inspected by a professional. Wayward snakes can sometimes get stuck, clogging your pipes and generally making a nuisance of themselves. 

Groundhogs and Rabbits 

Groundhogs and rabbits are a little larger than your average vermin. Their size makes it difficult for them to find an access point to the interior of your home. This doesn’t mean, however, that a rabbit or groundhog infestation is impossible. 

Rabbits and groundhogs are burrowers. This means they can carve out hollows beneath your basement. Over time, your basement can sink into these hollows, causing the floor to buckle and your structural supports to fall out of alignment. As your basement develops this kind of damage, rabbits and groundhogs looking to give birth can wiggle their way into your home and settle in. 

Like most rodents, these critters generally leave evidence in the form of droppings once they’ve moved indoors. As mentioned, their damage is fairly substantial. If you notice you’re having trouble leveling your basement floor and that you haven’t had problems with flooding in the past, you might find it easier to track the source of your problem back to an unwanted visitor. 

Reclaiming Your Home 

Whatever you do, do not try and remove a dangerous invader from your home on your own. Instead, if you think you have some kind of animal in your basement, reach out to animal control or a local exterminator. These parties won’t be able to help you repair your home—and repair professionals won’t be able to get rid of the animals you’re dealing with, but they can help you take back your basement. For assistance with the latter,  reach out to the experts serving Columbus, OH, for a free quote on the services you need to maintain a healthy basement that is more difficult for pests and animals to enter. 

Holly Richards-Purpura

Content Writer

Holly is a Content Writer for Groundworks who has written and edited web content for the foundation services industry for over 10 years. With a background in journalism, her passion for the written word runs deep. Holly lives in Columbus, OH, with her husband. Along with educating homeowners, she also has a big heart for the Big Apple.