Silver Bullet Pest ControlScratching above the bedroom ceiling, a torn soffit over the porch, or droppings in the attic of an older Leonia house? Silver Bullet Pest Control finds every way the animals are getting in, gets them out the humane, legal way, and seals the house so the next raccoon or squirrel can't move in.
4.9 stars on Google • NJ License 90568B • Licensed by NJ Fish & Wildlife • 15+ years • Hablamos español
Text a photo of the hole, the damage or the droppings to 973-510-2585 and we'll tell you what animal you're likely dealing with.
Wildlife exclusion in Leonia, NJ means getting raccoons, squirrels, bats or birds out of your house without trapping them inside, then sealing every gap they could use to get back in. Silver Bullet Pest Control, based in Garfield and licensed by the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, inspects the whole roofline, uses one-way doors where they fit, and closes entry points with materials animals can't chew through. Call or text 973-510-2585 for a free quote.
Leonia is a small Bergen County borough with a lot of what wildlife likes: big old shade trees, quiet residential streets, and Overpeck County Park and the Overpeck Creek along its western edge. Raccoons, squirrels, skunks and bats live in that green space and the backyards around it, and in fall and late winter they go looking for a warm, dry place to den or raise young.
Much of the town is older single-family housing — colonials, Victorians, Tudors and bungalows, many with deep eaves, dormers, wood soffits, chimneys and attic vents that have been weathering for decades. Every one of those details is a possible way in once wood softens or a screen rusts out.
Getting rid of one animal doesn't fix the house. If the gap stays open, the smell and nesting material left behind tell the next animal where to go. That's why exclusion — sealing the building — is the real job.
The noise, the timing and the damage usually point to one of these:
Raccoons are strong enough to tear their way in, and a mother will move into an attic or chimney to have her young. They flatten insulation and leave latrines, so cleanup is often part of the job.
Gray squirrels are the most common attic animal in Bergen County. They chew constantly — wood, vents and sometimes wiring — and they have litters in late winter and again in summer.
Bats slip in through gaps the width of a finger and leave guano that needs careful cleanup. Birds nest in vents and dryer exhausts. Both are handled with timing and one-way devices, not by trapping them inside.
| Where they get in | Usual animal | How we close it |
|---|---|---|
| Soffit and fascia corners | Squirrels, raccoons | Repair the opening and cover it with heavy-gauge metal mesh or flashing |
| Gable, ridge and roof vents | Squirrels, bats, birds | Screen or guard the vent with chew-proof material so it still breathes |
| Chimney flue | Raccoons, birds, bats | Install a chimney cap after the animals are out |
| Roof-to-wall gaps and dormers | Bats, squirrels | Seal gaps with exclusion materials suited to the spot |
| Plumbing stacks and pipe gaps | Bats, mice | Fit guards or seal around the pipe |
| Under porches, decks and sheds | Skunks, groundhogs | Buried mesh barrier along the edge after the animal leaves |
| Dryer and bathroom exhaust vents | Birds, mice | Replace with a guarded vent cover |
We check the whole house, not just the hole you found. Animals that lose one door test the next weak spot. More on this: animal entry point sealing.
We walk the outside and the roofline, then check the attic. We note every entry point, every weak spot, and signs of which animal is inside and whether there are young.
Where it fits, we install a one-way door on the main entry so animals can leave and can't come back. If there are babies, we plan around them so no young are sealed inside.
Once the animals are out, we close every other gap with chew-proof materials, then remove the one-way door and seal that opening last.
We can remove droppings, nesting material and damaged insulation and treat for odor. We check back to make sure nothing is trying to get back in.
See how one-way doors work on our one-way door squirrel exclusion page.
Bats are protected, and New Jersey limits when they can be excluded so young bats that can't fly yet aren't trapped inside:
We do acoustic bat surveys ourselves, so in the off-season we can confirm whether bats are still in the attic before any sealing happens. During the closed season we can inspect, plan the job and get you on the schedule for the first legal date.
Found a bat in a bedroom? If a bat was in a room with someone sleeping or with a child, don't release it. Keep it contained and call the local health department about rabies testing, then call us.
Raccoon latrines, bat guano and squirrel nests don't leave with the animals. Left in the attic, they hold odor, attract insects and tell other animals the space is good for denning.
Learn more about attic insulation removal and replacement.
If an animal or her babies are still inside, they'll chew a new hole — often into the living space — or die in the wall.
Trapping doesn't close the gap, and relocating wildlife is regulated in New Jersey. Another animal usually moves in.
Animals get used to them fast, especially a mother with young. The smell bothers you more than the raccoon.
Squirrels and raccoons chew through foam and window screen in minutes. Exclusion needs metal, not filler.
Seeing baby animals? Read about baby squirrel and raccoon season in NJ before doing anything.
We give a free quote after we see the house. These are the things that move the price:
| Factor | Smaller job | Bigger job |
|---|---|---|
| Number of entry points | One or two gaps | Many gaps around the whole roofline |
| Animal | One squirrel | Raccoon family, or a bat colony |
| Roof and access | Low ranch roof, easy reach | Steep or tall roof, three stories, dormers |
| Damage to fix | Small hole | Rotted soffit or fascia, torn vents |
| Cleanup | Little or none | Latrines, guano, insulation replacement |
| Timing | Animals out quickly | Babies present or bat season limits |
Call or text 973-510-2585 with photos of the outside of the house and where you hear the noise. Same-day visits are often available.
Tell us what you're hearing, when you hear it, and where on the house you think they're getting in. Photos help a lot.
🔒 Your info stays private · Hablamos español.
Removal gets the animal out; exclusion keeps all animals out by sealing every entry point. Removal alone usually means another animal moves in within weeks, so we do both: get the animals out humanely, then seal the house.
Most homes take one visit to inspect and set up, then several days to a couple of weeks for the animals to leave through one-way doors. We seal the last opening once activity stops. Bats and baby animals can stretch the timeline.
Squirrels are most active at dawn and dusk and sound light and quick. Raccoons are active at night and sound heavy, like someone walking. Torn vents or lifted shingles point to raccoons; neat chewed holes point to squirrels.
Not until you know nothing is inside. Sealing an animal in — especially a mother with young — leads to chewing into the house or a dead animal in the wall. If you aren't sure, call or text us a photo first.
No. In New Jersey bat exclusion is allowed April 1–30 and August 1–October 15, not May 1–July 31, and from October 16 to March 31 only after an acoustic survey shows no bats. We do those surveys ourselves.
Yes. We remove droppings and nesting material with HEPA equipment, treat for odor, and remove and replace damaged attic insulation when it needs it.
Our approach is exclusion — letting animals leave and sealing them out — because it fixes the reason they got in. Relocating wildlife is regulated in New Jersey, and trapping alone leaves the house open.
It depends on how many entry points the house has, the roof height and access, the animal, and whether there is damage or cleanup. We give a free quote after inspecting the house.
Yes. Silver Bullet Pest Control is licensed by the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife for wildlife work and holds NJ pesticide license 90568B.
Sí. Hablamos español. Llame o mande un texto al 973-510-2585 para una cotización gratis.
Real photos from our recent jobs. We show only the street and town, never the customer's exact address.
Bird & pigeon control for a home on Chestnut St in Ridgefield, NJ by Silver Bullet Pest Control.
Bird & pigeon control for a home on Chestnut St in Ridgefield, NJ by Silver Bullet Pest Control.
Rat & mouse control for a home on S Newman St in Hackensack, NJ by Silver Bullet Pest Control.
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Updated November 2026 by the Silver Bullet Pest Control team, Garfield, NJ • NJ License 90568B
