Critter control on floating homes is important! When you move to a floating home, you explore all kinds of new ideas. New floating home owners think river life is so cute! Those otters! (we thought they were endangered!) Sea Lions! (they can get up on the deck! ) Racoons and Beavers, it’s all so exciting!

We live in the habitat of the wild life on the river. One of the best things about river life is watching wild life, from Bald Eagles to Osprey, Otters to Sea Lions, Beavers to Racoons…..it’s all pretty cool. We live in their habitat, so we have to be respectful. BUT…..please don’t encourage them to make themselves at home on your decks or beneath your home. 

Beavers can be especially damaging to your floating home (they EAT the logs!) and they love to nest in between the logs where it might be warm and dry and they can get a snack anytime they want. But those cute otters love to get up on your deck and amuse you, and then leave a very large deposit in front of your door! Sea lions are big, and difficult to discourage once you have allowed them to invade your floating home space.

Floating home contractors can install critter cages on your float. If you have float work done, ask about adding this important feature to your list. If you hear critters under your floors, have a contractor install lights, music, chicken wire or other imaginative discouragements to your float. In some cases you can do a catch and release of these animals…..move them from your neighborhood to a different place. Do not poison them…….except when…

RATS! Recently we have noticed visible signs of rat infestations. Eww… and hard to get rid of! 

Rats will eat anything from dog feces to compost to leftovers on the grill. And they multiply! So do your best not to get any rats on your floating home, but if you do get them, be aggressive about  trapping them and getting rid of them. I use an electronic beeper system that plugs into my outlets, combined with screens on all exterior openings like dryer vent and vacuum exhaust, and by keeping my home and decks clean of all debris……hosing off the decks frequently, powercwashing a couple of times per season, and keeping attractions picked up.