Owning a home comes with its own responsibilities mainly in the form of maintenance. One of the higher priority tasks of the outer segment is keeping the rain gutters free of debris and functioning. This is especially true and relevant if you are living in a heavy weather region where you get rainfall and storms occasionally.

The debris of our gutters often comes in the form of tree leaves, branches, and dust. However, from time to time we might come across a tiny fellow that formed its home in our gutter system. These animals can come in every shape and size. We at Art of Gutter love animals and wanted to form a shortlist of our favorite ones that you might encounter in your very own gutters.

Types of Animals That Live in Our Gutters

We separated our list into two; the cute and mostly harmless ones, and the feral and could-be dangerous type. Check them out below!

Cute Animals That You Would Love to Meet

Now this section is one of our favorites when talking about gutter protection systems. These cute fellows tend to bring a shine and smile to our day when encountered. While some of them can cause unwanted problems to our homes, many of them are harmless, provided they have an adequate space of natural environment. We wanted to highlight our cute friends for you on our shortlist!

 

 

Cats

They say that dogs are people’s best friends, we know one or two people that might have something to add to that in the form of none other than the majestic cats. If your home is located in an area where there are numerous cats wandering around, there is a high chance that some of them will climb up to your gutters. Most of the time they won’t be living in it permanently but it is a good idea to maintain your gutters or get new ones to prevent them from coming in the first place.

 

 

Birds

Tree leaves, twigs, and a rather remote location; what else can a bird want for its nest? Gutters are natural bird nest locations with their corners and open areas. If left unattended birds can lay eggs and be rather aggressive towards anyone approaching. Our solution? Make a small birdcage and relocate the birds if possible. That way you’ll have a beautiful neighbor from nature right beside your home!

 

Squirrels & Chipmunks

Two of the most common critters found in our gutter systems are none other than the infamous squirrels and chipmunks! They can easily climb to from nearby trees to our roofs and make their nests in them. The situation can get out of control pretty quickly if they are left unattended. We recommend trimming your trees to prevent this “high squirrel & chipmunk traffic” zone near your roofs. You can alternatively lead them away to another makeshift destination by luring them with tasty nuts and food.

Animals That You Might Want to Approach with Caution

Generally speaking, animals found in our gutters won’t be dangerous. However, on occasion, you might encounter dangerous variants as well. We recommend contacting relevant city services when dealing with such ones especially if you are inexperienced. Nevertheless, they are mother nature’s beauties and here is our list for them.

 

 

Opossums

Opossums are a marsupial species that are similar in features to their raccoon counterparts. They are frequently found in Australia and the Indonesian islands of New Guinea. In the US you can encounter them up into Texas and as far north as Nebraska. Their species are also found along the west coast of California, Oregon and Washington. If you live or lived in those states then you might know their infamy for breeding fast. We suggest calling in the city services to relocate them in a humane manner.

 

 

Raccoons

Raccoons are mischievous nocturnal animals that like to hoard food and form nests in our roofs. They can be friendly from time to time but they have a reputation for tending to become aggressive as well. That’s why we recommend never dealing with them alone unless you have experience. City services would be an efficient option for handling them.

 

 

Lizards

Lizards mostly gather up in a location due to the formation of breeding grounds for insects such as mosquitoes, flies, and bees. The solution to getting rid of them is pretty simple, you eliminate their food source and they will be moving out. If you tend your gutter system regularly, you will be naturally reducing their feeding grounds and they will dissipate in a calm manner.

 

 

Snakes

People who never thought of them may be wondering; “Snakes in our gutters? Really?” The answer is, a definite yes. Believe it or not, snakes have been observed to be creeping and nesting around many homeowners’ gutter systems. It is also very easy for them to climb or enter our gutter systems due to their structural sizes. Gutters also tend to harbor rodents, which are the main food source of snakes. We highly recommend contacting wildlife professionals to relocate them in a humane manner.

 

 

Insects

Insects come in every size and shape in our gutter protection systems. They can range from flies, mosquitoes, bees, beetles, and many more. They can be dangerous if they have stingers like bees and can form nests. The nests can also cause unwanted damages through blockings during heavy rainfall season. On a plus note, you can create natural honey mead with the water trapped inside of a beehive. (There is a belief that this is how the first honey mead was found centuries ago.) They can also create unwanted odours, proliferate molding or fungus. Regular maintenance is the best way to prevent these and many more from happening.

 
As an expert tip, we recommend that you have high-quality gutter systems installed in your homes that require little to no maintenance for your gutters. This way you won’t be needing to deal with situations such as snakes, opossums, and many more potentially problematic animals. These systems can be made from high-quality materials such as micro mesh. Micro mesh is a cutting-edge tech gutter protection system that allows nothing to pass through it except for mother nature’s rainwater. It comes in options of 5-feet and 6-feet and there is a flat version as well.

 
You can get your gutter guards from us and have the help of a local professional to install them in your home. We also have installation guides to help you if you choose to do them in a DIY fashion. Finally, you can also check our page to learn more about who we are.
 
All in all, this is the end of our blog post covering cute and (rather excitingly) dangerous animals that can be found in our gutter systems! If you are interested in learning more information regarding gutters, gutter cleaning, and gutter protection products you can check our other blogs such as "What Should You Pay Attention to When Installing Gutter Protection Systems" & “How to Clean Your Gutters in 4 Easy Steps”! We’re sure you’ll find more information in regards to gutters and homecare with our future blog posts as well. Until next time, be safe and in good vibes!