Answers to what people actually ask us.
Six years of phone calls. These are the questions that come up most. If yours isn't here, call (317) 512-3779 and ask - we answer our own phones and the conversation is free.
Note: this page should carry FAQPage structured data covering the questions below.
General and first call
What does an inspection cost?
Inspections run $99-$179 depending on the size of the home and whether we need to set ladders for a roof walk. That fee credits toward the job if you hire us, so if you proceed it's effectively included in the bid. We'd rather charge for the inspection and do it thoroughly than give you a "free" guess at the front door and then upsell from a position of half-information.
Are you licensed?
Yes. We're licensed by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources as a Nuisance Wild Animal Control Operator, which is the license required to handle non-domestic wildlife in this state for hire. We carry general liability insurance and workers' comp on the crew. Happy to send certificates of insurance to property managers or commercial customers on request.
What's your service area?
Indianapolis and the surrounding metro - Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Noblesville, Zionsville, Greenfield, McCordsville, Pendleton, Anderson, Fortville, and Muncie. Roughly the donut counties (Hamilton, Boone, Madison, Hancock) plus Marion. If you're outside that ring, call anyway - sometimes we can route a job, and if we can't we know who to refer you to.
How fast can you come out?
In normal weeks, 24-48 hours for inspection. In the spring rush (March through June), it can stretch to 5-7 days because every attic in the city has raccoon babies. For active emergencies - an animal loose inside the living space, a bat in a bedroom, a skunk under the porch with a litter - we try to fit something same-day or next-morning.
Do you give estimates over the phone?
Not real ones. We can give you a range - "a typical raccoon job runs $X to $Y" - but the real number depends on entry points, roof access, attic conditions, and species. Anyone who quotes you a firm price without seeing the building is either guessing or planning to add to the invoice once they're on site. That's why we charge for inspections.
Are you the cheapest?
No. There are companies in this market that will trap an animal and leave for half what we charge. Our work includes the inspection, the trapping, every entry-point seal, and a two-year warranty on the seals. If you compare apples to apples - actual exclusion work, warranted - we're priced in the middle of the market and we finish the job once.
Do I have to know what's in my attic before I call?
No. Most people don't. The inspection figures it out - sometimes from droppings, sometimes from entry-point sign, sometimes from chew patterns or hair caught in a gap. If you can describe the noise (timing, pattern, location), that helps us bring the right gear on the first trip. But if all you've got is "something's up there," that's enough to start.
Can my insurance cover this?
Homeowners insurance generally won't cover the removal itself or the exclusion work - they treat wildlife as a maintenance issue. They will sometimes cover the consequential damage (chewed wires causing a fire, contaminated insulation needing replacement, water damage from a chimney cap that animals tore open). If that's the situation, we can write the damage report your adjuster needs.
The work itself
What's exclusion?
Exclusion is the process of sealing every place an animal could get into the building. On a typical home that means closing soffit gaps, capping chimneys, sleeving roof vents, sealing gable vents, screening the foundation, and fixing whatever else the inspection turned up. Without exclusion, you're just removing the current tenant - the next one moves in through the same opening within weeks.
Why does it cost more than the cheap guys?
Because we do twice the work. The cheap version is set a trap, catch the animal, leave. Our version is inspect the whole building, identify every entry, trap or one-way-door the animal out, seal every opening with materials that match the house, and warranty the seals for two years. The bid is bigger because the scope is bigger. The job stays done.
Do you use poison?
Not for wildlife. Poison kills the animal somewhere inside the structure or somewhere a pet or a child of a neighbor could find it. A dead raccoon in a wall cavity in July is a problem you'll smell for two months. For rodents in a commercial setting we sometimes use bait stations as part of an integrated approach, but on a residential wildlife job, no.
Do you relocate animals?
Indiana DNR rules dictate this. For most species, relocation is restricted or prohibited - the state's position is that moving an animal across the landscape spreads disease and stresses the animal. For raccoons, skunks, opossums, and groundhogs, the legal option is generally on-site release or humane euthanasia. We follow the rules and we'll tell you what they require for your specific situation.
How long does a typical job take?
Inspection day is one trip, usually 60-90 minutes. The actual removal and exclusion is typically 2-5 days from start to finish - we set traps or a one-way door, give the animal time to exit, then return to complete the seals once we're confident the building is empty. Bat jobs run longer because of mandatory exit-monitoring periods. Big commercial jobs can take a week.
Why do I need an inspection if I already know what it is?
Because knowing what it is solves a quarter of the problem. The other three-quarters is finding the entry points, understanding the building's failure pattern, and writing a scope that closes everything. We've had customers swear they had a squirrel and find raccoon scat. We've had customers report bats and find a bird. The inspection answers questions you didn't know to ask.
Can I do this myself?
The removal piece, sometimes. The exclusion piece, almost never - not because you can't physically do it, but because spotting all the entry points on a building takes practice. We've inspected behind plenty of DIY exclusion work and found three more openings the homeowner missed. Also, bats and skunks have legal restrictions on who can handle them, so those should not be DIY.
Do you handle commercial properties?
Yes. Restaurants with rooftop equipment attracting starlings, warehouses with overhead door gaps and mice, churches with bell-tower bats, apartment buildings with shared attic spaces, office parks with chimney issues. Commercial work needs more coordination (tenant scheduling, COIs, after-hours access) but the underlying trade is the same. We work with several property management companies in the metro.
DNR and legal questions
What's the bat maternity blackout?
From approximately May 1 through August 15 each year, female bats in Indiana are raising flightless pups inside roost sites. Indiana DNR prohibits eviction work during this window because evicting the mothers strands the pups, which then die inside the structure. If you have bats and call us in June, we'll inspect and plan the job, but the actual eviction has to wait until mid-August.
Why won't you trap bats?
Trapping bats is prohibited by Indiana DNR and generally counterproductive. The legal method is exclusion - we install one-way exits at every opening the colony uses, the bats fly out at dusk to feed, and they can't get back in. After a 5-7 day monitoring period with no return activity, we seal the openings. It's slower than a trap but it's how bat removal is actually done.
What about endangered species?
Indiana hosts several bat species protected at the federal level (Indiana bat, northern long-eared bat) under the Endangered Species Act. If we identify a roost as a protected species, the work has to be coordinated through US Fish and Wildlife guidelines, which can add timeline. Most attic bat colonies in central Indiana are big brown bats, which are not listed - but we identify the species before scoping the job.
What's the Migratory Bird Treaty Act?
A federal law that protects nearly all native bird species, including their nests and eggs. Translation: we can't remove an active songbird nest from your dryer vent or bathroom fan vent. Once the chicks fledge, we can clear the vent and install screening to prevent re-nesting. House sparrows, European starlings, and pigeons are non-native and not protected, so those we can address year-round.
Are skunks and raccoons regulated differently?
Yes. Both are classified as nuisance wildlife under Indiana DNR but the handling rules differ - skunks have additional restrictions because of rabies vector status and the practical issue that any disturbed skunk creates a different problem. Raccoons cannot legally be relocated under most circumstances. Either species, captured under a nuisance permit, must be handled per DNR rules. We know the rules and follow them.
Damage and cleanup
What's the smell after a job?
Depends on what was up there and for how long. Raccoon urine and feces in insulation can take weeks to dissipate on their own. We offer attic decontamination as an add-on - removing the soiled insulation, treating the framing with an enzymatic cleaner, and re-insulating. For severe contamination this is the difference between a usable attic and a permanent smell problem.
Will my insurance cover damage?
Sometimes. Most homeowners policies exclude rodent damage but cover consequential damage from wildlife - chewed wiring that caused a fire, contaminated insulation needing replacement, water intrusion from a chimney cap pulled off by a raccoon. We can write a damage assessment for your adjuster. The claim outcome depends on your specific policy.
Is raccoon roundworm real?
Yes. Baylisascaris procyonis is a parasite shed in raccoon feces. Eggs can survive in the environment for years and cause serious illness if accidentally ingested. The practical implication: if you've had raccoons in your attic, the latrine sites need professional cleanup. We wear PPE for this work for good reason. Don't try to clean it yourself with a household vacuum.
Is bat guano dangerous?
It can be. The primary risk is histoplasmosis, a fungal infection caused by spores that grow in bat (and bird) droppings. Risk goes up with the size of the deposit and the level of disturbance - sweeping a guano pile aerosolizes spores. Significant guano accumulations should be cleaned with PPE and HEPA equipment. Small deposits in a sealed attic that no one enters are lower-risk but still worth addressing.
Do you replace insulation?
Yes. After contamination removal we can re-insulate with blown-in cellulose or fiberglass to whatever R-value your job calls for. For attics with significant contamination this is often the right move - you get clean insulation, better R-value than the old stuff, and the smell problem goes away with the soiled material.
How do you decontaminate?
Soiled insulation comes out by vacuum or by hand into sealed bags. Framing and structural surfaces get treated with an enzymatic cleaner that breaks down the proteins in urine and feces. For heavier contamination we follow with an antimicrobial fog. PPE throughout - tyvek suits, P100 respirators, gloves. Then re-insulation if scoped.
Warranty and follow-up
What does the warranty cover?
Two years on every entry-point seal we installed. If an animal of the same species we worked on gets back into the building through any opening we closed, we return and re-seal at no charge. Most callbacks happen within the first 90 days if they happen at all - which is why we space follow-up walks at the 30-day and 6-month marks on bigger jobs.
What's not covered?
A new opening that wasn't there when we worked on the building. Storm damage that creates a fresh entry. A tree branch dropping on the roof. Contractor work (roofer, sider, HVAC) that opens up an area we didn't touch. Damage caused by a different species than the one in the original scope. We'll tell you straight if a callback is a new opening rather than a missed one.
What if I see a new animal next year?
Call us. If it's the same species and we did the original exclusion, that's a warranty visit and there's no charge. If it's a different species (we excluded squirrels and now you've got bats), that's a new scope - we'll come do a fresh inspection. If you see actual evidence of activity rather than just suspicion, document it (photos, droppings, sounds) before you call.
Do you require a service contract?
No. We don't sell annual service plans for residential customers. Wildlife exclusion is project work - we close the building up correctly once and the warranty handles any miss. Commercial properties sometimes opt for quarterly inspection contracts because the building keeps changing (new tenants, new equipment on the roof) but that's customer choice, not a requirement.
How do I file a warranty claim?
Call (317) 512-3779 or email info@wildlife-guys.com. Tell us what you're hearing or seeing and when it started. We'll schedule a return visit - usually within a week, faster if there's active interior activity. The original work order is on file; you don't need a copy. There's no claim form and no waiting period. We come look at it.
Pricing
Do you charge by the animal?
No. Animal-count pricing is a structure designed to inflate the bill on a job with a litter. We bid the scope: inspection + removal of whatever's in the building + exclusion of every entry point + the warranty. If we trap one raccoon or six during the same job, the price doesn't change. The work is closing the building, not counting heads.
Why is the bid range so wide?
Because two houses with the same animal can have very different scopes. A ranch with a single soffit gap and a clean attic is a fast job. A two-story with eight entry points, contaminated insulation, and a chimney needing a custom cap is a multi-day job with three times the materials. The bid range you see on our site reflects real spread, not bait-and-switch.
Do you offer payment plans?
For jobs over $2,500 we can split into two payments - half at trap-set, half at exclusion completion. For larger contamination and re-insulation projects we'll work out a structure that fits the scope. We don't carry financing in-house but most customers in that range have a credit card or HELOC option that works. We accept cards, check, and cash.
Will the price change once you start?
Only if the scope changes and only with your sign-off. If we open up the chimney and find a second nest we didn't see from the ground, we'll stop, show you, and get authorization before adding to the bid. The number on the original work order is the number for the original scope. No surprise upcharges, no "we found more than expected" tacked on at the end.
Question we didn't answer?
Call us at (317) 512-3779. The conversation is free.
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