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Home › Wildlife Exclusion

The part of wildlife control that actually ends the problem

Wildlife Exclusion: How We Seal South Jersey Homes for Good

Anyone can set a trap. Exclusion is the craft: finding every gap an animal can use, repairing it in materials teeth can't beat, and standing behind the work. This page explains what exclusion is, what it costs, and when it fails.

Short answer: Wildlife exclusion means permanently sealing every point where animals can enter your home: rooflines, soffits, vents, chimneys, and foundations, using steel, hardware cloth, and proper flashing. At Acorn Wildlife every exclusion starts with a photo-documented full-home inspection and is backed by the Seal-Tight Warranty.

Wildlife Exclusion: How We Seal South Jersey Homes for Good

What Is Wildlife Exclusion?

Acorn technicians on a ladder sealing an upper-floor entry
Roof-edge damage where an animal forced its way in

Most of our competitors sell trapping with repairs as an afterthought. We think that's backwards, and it's why every Acorn quote covers removal and exclusion together. An animal that got in once has marked the route for the next one.

Short answer: Exclusion is construction-grade animal-proofing. After the animal is removed, we repair the entry it used and every other vulnerable point we found during inspection, so the next raccoon, squirrel, or rat that checks your roofline finds steel instead of a gap. It's the difference between removing an animal and ending a problem.

The Inspection: How We Map Every Entry Point

Every job starts with a full-home inspection, roofline to foundation, included in the price. The tech photographs each entry point and each vulnerable spot that hasn't been used yet, and your written quote itemizes them. You see exactly what we saw, so nothing on the estimate is mysterious. A 1960s colonial in Cherry Hill or Marlton commonly has 8 to 12 points; a tight newer ranch might have 2.

Common Entry Points We Seal

A rotted fascia gap at the roofline that let wildlife into the attic

Roofline & Fascia

The number one entry on older South Jersey homes. Gap flashing and steel closure.

A torn soffit entry point above a snowy roofline

Soffits & Eaves

Torn returns rebuilt with hardware-cloth backing, painted to match.

A louvered attic vent with the gap animals used to get inside

Vents

Gable, roof, and dryer vents screened in steel without choking airflow.

The Acorn truck and ladder set up for a rooftop chimney cap install

Chimney Caps

A proper cap ends the den site permanently.

A groundhog at a ground-level gap along a South Jersey foundation

Foundation & Crawl Space

Ground-level gaps that let in rats, snakes, and skunks.

Nesting debris and chewed wiring in attic insulation before cleanup

After the Sealing

Droppings out, insulation assessed, cavity sanitized.

The Acorn Seal-Tight Warranty

If animals get back in through a repair we made, we come back and make it right at no charge. The terms are written in plain English, including what voids them, on the warranty page. No local competitor defines their warranty in writing. Ask them; then read ours.

When Exclusion Fails: The Honest Version

Marcus Sheridan says the question you're afraid to answer is the one your customer is already asking, so here it is. Exclusion fails in three ways. One: a point gets missed, which is why our inspection is photo-documented and itemized, so you can see the coverage yourself. Two: the homeowner declines part of the quote to save money, and the animal uses the open point; we mark declined items on the estimate for exactly this reason. Three: new damage opens a new hole, storms and rot don't honor warranties. What you should take from this: exclusion is a system, not a patch, and anyone selling you a single-hole patch is selling you a return visit.

Exclusion FAQs

Can't I just foam the hole myself?
Foam stops air, not teeth. Squirrels and rats chew through it in a night, and foam over an occupied den seals the animal inside your wall. If you want one DIY step that helps, photograph the hole and send it to us before anything goes in it.
Do you have to remove the animal first?
Yes, always. Sealing an occupied den is how animals die in walls and mothers tear new holes to reach litters. Removal and exclusion are sequenced parts of one job, never shortcuts around each other.
Will the repairs be visible?
Our standard is repairs a neighbor won't notice: materials matched and painted where practical. Steel screening behind a gable vent is invisible from the street. Before and after photos are part of your job record.
How long does exclusion take?
Most full exclusions are done in a day; large or tall homes can take two. Bat exclusions run on the legal calendar, which we plan with you during inspection.

Seal It Once, Correctly

Photo-documented inspection, itemized quote, warrantied repairs. That's the whole pitch.