Wildlife in Your House? GTA Pros Who Handle Squirrels, Skunks & More

The GTA sits on one of the most active urban-wildlife corridors in North America. The Don Valley, Humber River, Rouge River, Credit River — these ravine systems run directly through residential neighbourhoods and function as highways for raccoons, squirrels, skunks, opossums, and chipmunks. If your home backs onto a ravine in Rosedale, Leaside, or the Kingsway, wildlife pressure is not a question of if — it is a question of when.

Squirrels are the most common attic invader after raccoons. They chew through plastic roof vents in minutes, and once inside, they gnaw on wiring, tear up insulation, and store food caches that attract secondary pests. Red squirrels are worse than grey squirrels — smaller, more aggressive, and they chew through materials that grey squirrels leave alone.

Skunks den under decks, porches, and concrete stoops. The digging is the first sign — a half-moon shaped hole at the base of the structure. Skunk spray near a foundation wall can seep into the basement and make the house unlivable for days. Opossums are less destructive but still a nuisance when they den under decks or in garages.

Ontario law requires all wildlife removal to be humane. One-way door exclusion is the legal standard — no trapping and relocating past 1 kilometre. The animal leaves on its own, the door prevents re-entry, and the entry point gets sealed permanently. Simple, legal, and effective.