Nine of the animals that cause most of the calls in north central Indiana — what the damage looks like, where they get in, and how the job actually goes.
Moles are the single most common call in this part of Indiana, and the one homeowners most often waste money on. Grub treatments, castor oil, sonic spikes and gum in the run don't take a mole out. Trapping the active run does.
What you'll see
Raised ridges snaking across the lawn, ground that gives underfoot, cone-shaped dirt mounds, and grass browning in strips where roots got cut off.
Why it matters
A single mole works a lot of ground fast. Left alone through a season, tunnels wreck a lawn's root structure and open runs that voles then move into.
How the job goes
We find the main runs — most surface tunnels are dead ends the mole never uses again — and set traps in the ones actually in use. Expect roughly one to two weeks with several checks. Yards with heavy pressure from surrounding fields sometimes need a second round.
Voles get blamed on moles and treated wrong as a result. A mole eats grubs and worms and tunnels below. A vole eats plants and runs on the surface — different animal, different fix.
What you'll see
Narrow bare runways worn through the grass, small holes with no dirt mound, chewed bark low on young trees and shrubs, and hostas or bulbs that vanish.
Why it matters
Vole numbers climb fast, and winter damage under snow cover shows up all at once in spring — girdled trees and dead patches through the landscaping.
How the job goes
Runway trapping at the active paths, plus a look at the mulch beds, tall grass and ground cover giving them the shelter to keep at it.
Groundhogs — woodchucks, if that's what you call them — are the expensive ones. A burrow under a shed, barn or slab keeps growing, and the dirt they move out is dirt that was holding something up.
What you'll see
A main hole eight to twelve inches across with a fan of fresh dirt, plus quieter back doors nearby with no mound at all. Garden rows stripped. Settling or cracking where a burrow runs under concrete.
Why it matters
Undermined footings, collapsed shed floors and equipment dropping a wheel into a hole. Burrow systems also get inherited — close one animal's den without sealing it and the next one moves in.
How the job goes
Live traps at the active entrances, checked on schedule until the burrow is empty. Then the holes get closed out so the system isn't sitting there waiting for the next tenant.
A raccoon in the attic is the call that can't wait. They're strong enough to tear open a soffit, and a female with a litter overhead will do serious damage to insulation, ductwork and wiring in a matter of weeks.
What you'll see
Heavy thumping overhead after dark, chittering from young in spring, torn soffit or roof edge, flattened insulation, and trash cans or chicken feed hit night after night.
Why it matters
Chewed wiring is a fire risk. Droppings in an attic are a health issue. And a raccoon that's found a way into one house will keep using it.
How the job goes
Inspection first to find every entry and check for young, then trapping, then the entry gets sealed. Sealing a hole with an animal still inside makes the problem worse, so the order matters.
Skunks den under decks, sheds, porches and crawlspaces, and most people find out the hard way when a dog goes to check.
What you'll see
Odor around the house that comes and goes, small cone-shaped digs across the lawn where they've been after grubs, and a worn path under a structure.
Why it matters
Beyond the smell, it's a rabies-vector species in Indiana and a bad thing to have denning where kids and pets play.
How the job goes
Handled carefully and quietly — the goal is getting the animal out without setting it off. Then the space underneath gets closed so nothing else moves in.
Cute right up until the patio starts settling. Chipmunks tunnel along foundations, under slabs, steps and retaining walls, and they carry the dirt off instead of leaving a mound.
What you'll see
Clean holes about two inches across with no dirt pile, usually tight against a hard edge. Bulbs dug up. Bird seed disappearing.
Why it matters
Tunnel networks under concrete wash out over time and cause slabs, steps and walls to settle and crack.
How the job goes
Trapping at the active holes, and a look at what's feeding them — spilled bird seed is usually the reason the population is that high.
Bats are handled differently from everything else on this page, and it matters that you know why before you call anyone. They are not trapped and they are not relocated. The only correct fix is exclusion — letting the colony leave on its own and sealing the building so it cannot get back in.
What you’ll see
Bats flying out from a roof edge, gable end or chimney around dusk. Dark staining at the gap they use. Droppings piling below the entry point or in the attic. A dry chattering sound in the walls on hot evenings.
Why it matters
Accumulated droppings are a health concern in an occupied building, and a bat found in a room where someone was sleeping is treated as a possible rabies exposure — that is a call to your doctor or county health department, not something to wait on. Don’t handle a bat with bare hands.
Why the timing is restricted
Several Indiana bat species are protected under state and federal law, and during the summer maternity season the young cannot fly. Sealing a building then traps flightless pups inside, which is both illegal and a far worse problem for the homeowner. Exclusion work is scheduled around those restrictions, so the honest answer is sometimes that the work waits.
How the job goes
Inspection to find every gap a bat can use — the openings are smaller than people expect. One-way devices go over the active entries so bats leave and cannot return, everything else gets sealed, and the devices come off once the building is clear.
A pond problem more than a house problem, and one that gets expensive quietly. Muskrats tunnel into banks and dams below the waterline, and you don't see it until the bank drops.
What you'll see
Bank edges caving in, cut cattails and vegetation piled at the water, V-shaped wakes at dusk, and holes visible when the pond is low.
Why it matters
Runs through a dam or levee can lead to a washout, and repairing a failed pond bank costs many times what trapping does.
How the job goes
Water trapping at the active runs and bank dens. Ponds bordering wetland habitat usually need checking again each season.
Depends on the animal, the property and the number of visits. You get a firm number at the inspection, before traps go out. The phone call itself is free.
Do you relocate?
The Trapper is licensed for live trapping and relocation in Indiana. Handling follows DNR rules, which vary by species.
How long does it take?
Most mole and groundhog jobs run one to two weeks with scheduled trap checks. Animals inside a structure are usually faster.
Animal inside right now?
Call, don't fill out a form. Keep pets and kids clear, shut interior doors to hold it in one room, and open an exterior door on that side if it's safe.
Will it come back?
Another one will use the same hole if it's left open. Every job ends by showing you the way in and what closing it takes.
What about bats?
Excluded, never trapped or relocated, and the timing is set by state and federal protections. If a bat was in a room with a sleeping person, call your doctor or county health department first.
Do you do repairs?
Ask at the inspection. Sealing entry points is part of most jobs; larger structural repair gets quoted separately.