When winter finally arrives in Southwestern Ontario, many of its animals go into a state of hibernation or semi-hibernation (also called torpor). In full hibernation, the animal’s heartbeat will slow, its body temperature will lower, and it will sleep through the entire winter. In semi-hibernation, the animal will slow down and rest, moving very little for several weeks at a time.
Whether the animal is about to enter a state of full hibernation or semi-hibernation, they will look for a warm, safe place, unfortunately for many residents of Hamilton, Mississauga and Niagara, that means that these animals are likely to end up in their attics.
Raccoons and Chipmunks
Raccoons and chipmunks are semi-hibernating animals that are likely to find their way into Hamilton attics this winter. The only fully hibernating animal that is likely to be found in area attics are bats.
Bats
Bats begin their hibernation in mid to late fall and will typically sleep right through until early spring. Attics make an excellent place for bats to sleep because the temperature is often ideal for them. Since bats tend to hibernate in small colonies, if you see one, the chances are that there are several others.
There is a misconception that if bats are hibernating in your attic, you’ll be able to see them hanging from the ceiling, but this is rarely the case. They are more likely to sleep near walls or under insulation because of the warmth. You will more likely be alerted to the presence of bats in your homes because of the sounds they make. Bats will often move around inside walls causing scratching noises – or if the attic gets too cold, they may even try to move to other parts of the house.
If a raccoon finds its way into your attic, you will undoubtedly hear it. Since they are not true hibernators, they will become active anytime the weather warms up, and they will search for food. Having a raccoon in your home can be quite dangerous as they are territorial and can become very aggressive.
What happens when animals come out of hibernation?
When animals across the Hamilton, Mississauga and Niagara Regions begin to emerge from their hibernation this spring, they will have two things on their minds. First, they will be looking for food as they will need to restore the body fat that they have been living on through the winter. Second, they will be looking to mate and have offspring.
Since you certainly don’t want these recently awakened animals to be in your home chewing on wood, wires, and insulation – and you definitely don’t want them to be raising young in your attic – it’s important to contact a wildlife removal service as soon as you suspect that they are there.
If you suspect that you might have animals hibernating in your attic, contact Habitat Wildlife Control today and let us safely and humanely remove them for you.
