The Animal Kingdom & Claustrophobia – A Dangerous Combination.
I had never actually cornered an animal until a week or so ago. A tiny bunny ventured into our backyard and our little kids closed in on it wondering if it actually yielded Peeps or Jelly Beans as commonly misconceived by our young audiences. As they corralled the cowering lil’ bunny I had the image of Monty Python’s Holy Grail “that’s no
ordinary bunny” scene and laughed at the possibility. For a moment my boys gently pet the wild animal and experienced “the wild” as can only be experienced in city limits with the exception of travelling petting zoos and smelly pet stores. From that point in the week I have dealt with a few wild animal issues that led to the inclination to write about it in this venue since I can easily draw the relevance to this site.
“Bees your weapons are useless against them” – Tommy Boy
Honey bees in an apartment wall can be a very bad thing. I must have the greatest tenant ever, he was cordial and understanding about the weird happenstance and put up with the little noisy producers of sweetness but quite scary in groups protected class of insects. As they became trapped inside the apartment they died off in hundreds in the window that would not provide them a path to freedom. The moral of the story here, if you limit their access in and out, the thousands who are trapped in stay trapped so be careful which direction you send them. Oh, and make sure you call a bee-keeper not an exterminator for honey bees.
The smallest of animals always create the most damage.
On more than one occasion small dogs and even cats have ruined all the flooring in a few of the rentals I lord over. It is hard to imagine how something so small can cause thousands of dollars worth of damage. I have the receipts to prove it. I am yet to meet a pet owner that openly admits that their pet is not house-broken and urinates like a pirate anywhere and everywhere. We often convince ourselves that domesticating something intended to be free and wild can yield positive results indoors. Moral: check up on tenant’s pets as frequently as possible. The longer you wait the more expensive the repairs become. Tenant’s, when you find yourself thinking “it’s just a [enter pet type]….it will live” that is when you should give the pet away to a caring family immediately. Please.
Raccoons don’t belong in your air ducts.
If you have open holes in your home/property cover them with paper first. If a couple of days go by without the paper being dislodged or torn away, you can surmise that there are no animals in your dwelling and you can safely cover the opening. Guess what happens when you trap an animal inside with nowhere to go? We found a raccoon with its’ arm stretched out of a wall vent like a prisoner reaching for keys. You can imagine that a trapped animal will go crazy after being stuck in walls less than 6″ wide. Lesson learned: call a animal removal specialist first, they should give you helpful hints and suggestions before they make it there and charge you. Even if they have to remove the animal it is not to expensive and well worth paying for compared to the alternatives. A good visual inspection of the property monthly will help prevent all sorts of pestilence from your walls and air conditioning.
Big dogs bark very loudly.
The best security system is not always a big dog as many people seem to think. Big dogs in backyards make perfect sense, big dogs in 1 bedroom apartments simply do not. I will let you know in on a little secret, leave the TV on instead. Most people looking to steal, rob and pillage will keep on walking if they think someone is home. Sure big dogs will do the trick, but the moral of this enitre entry is don’t keep animals in spaces they don’t belong. Pets will literally go crazy if they are kept in environments not suitable for their kind. Crazy big dog equals a very dangerous situation.
This is starting to be a really big problem for a lot of home owners, and yet is not talked about all that often when it comes to property management. Good post.
I was not been bred of the animal right variety personally but seeing what these animals do when not cared for spacially convinced me that landlords, home owners and tenants alike have to respect the creatures well being. Thanks for reading and rest assured at least one property manager thoughfully considers more than just collecting rent.