Wildlife removal in Lakeland, FL
From the bungalows around Lake Morton to the newer block homes near Circle B Bar Reserve, Lakeland houses get regular visits from raccoons, squirrels, rats and bats. We find how they got in, remove them humanely and close the gap behind them.
- Homes, HOAs and property managers
- Licensed and insured in Florida
- Humane removal under FWC rules
Schedule a Lakeland inspection
Tell us what you are hearing or seeing. We will get back to you, set up a visit and give you a straight answer on what it takes.
- Firm quote before any work starts
- Call, text or email, your pick
- Licensed and insured in Florida
Quick answer. Critter Guys provides wildlife removal in Lakeland, FL, covering raccoons, squirrels, bats, rats, opossums, armadillos and snakes. We inspect the house, locate every entry point, remove the animal humanely under FWC rules, then seal and repair so it can’t return. Call or text (321) 203-6963 to set up an inspection anywhere in Lakeland, from Lake Gibson down to Lakeland Highlands.
How Lakeland calls usually start
Most people never see the animal first. They notice one of these.
Thumping over the bedroom after dark
Heavy, slow movement at night usually points to a raccoon. Light, quick scurrying is more often a roof rat.
Scratching at sunrise
Squirrels keep daylight hours, so noise at dawn and late afternoon near the roof edge fits a squirrel pattern.
Holes dug overnight in the lawn
Cone-shaped divots in St. Augustine grass or mulch beds, especially on sandy lots, are typical armadillo work.
A smell that won’t clear
A sharp, sweet odor from a wall or ceiling often means something died inside. An ammonia smell points to droppings and urine.
Torn screen on the lanai
Raccoons push through pool cage and lanai screen to reach pet food, trash or a path onto the roof.
Thirty-eight lakes and a lot of reclaimed land
Lakeland has 38 named lakes, from Lake Parker on the east side to Lake Hollingsworth by Florida Southern College and the downtown pair of Morton and Mirror. Add the water-filled phosphate pits around Tenoroc, the Lake Hancock floodplain at Circle B Bar Reserve and the scrub at Lakeland Highlands, and you get a city where most neighborhoods sit close to wild ground.
That shapes the wildlife control work here. Raccoons and opossums patrol shorelines after dark, armadillos dig through the sandy soil on the higher ground, and the big oaks in the older parts of town hand squirrels an easy route onto the roof. Homes that back up to a lake edge or a preserve line tend to see the most traffic, but we get calls from every corner of the city.
Lakeland at a glance
- Polk County, on I-4
- 38 named lakes
- Circle B Bar Reserve on Lake Hancock
- Old phosphate pits turned lakes
What we handle in Lakeland homes
Raccoon Removal in Lakeland
Raccoons climbing from the lakeshore to your roof line, removed humanely with mothers and kits kept together.
Squirrel Removal in Lakeland
Squirrels using oak limbs to reach the roof, cleared out with one-way doors before chewed holes are closed.
Bat Removal in Lakeland
Bat colonies in tile roofs and soffits, excluded outside maternity season with one-way devices, gaps sealed after.
Rat Removal in Lakeland
Roof rats in attics and Norway rats in crawl spaces, trapped, baited outside in stations, then shut out.
Wildlife Exclusion in Lakeland
Sealing roof returns, vents, AC chases and crawl space openings so your Lakeland home stays closed to wildlife.
Attic Cleanup & Remediation in Lakeland
Removing droppings and soiled insulation, sanitizing attics and crawl spaces, and treating the scent trails animals follow.
Animal removal across Lakeland’s neighborhoods
Lakeland is spread out, and the work changes depending on which part of town you live in.
Downtown and the historic districts
The 1920s and 1930s bungalows in South Lake Morton and Dixieland have plenty of character, and plenty of age. Wood soffits soften, gable vents lose their screens, and a lot of these houses sit up on piers with a crawl space below. Up top we usually find squirrels in the attic or roof rats, while opossums and Norway rats move in underneath.
South Lakeland and the Highlands
Toward Lake Hancock, Lakeland Highlands and the Polk Parkway, homes are mostly concrete block and stucco with tile or shingle roofs and screened pool cages. The weak spots shift to roof returns, the AC line chase and gaps where soffit meets fascia. Sandy yards out here draw armadillos, and houses near the preserves see steady raccoon visits.
North Lakeland and the I-4 corridor
Around Lake Gibson, Lake Parker and the warehouse districts off I-4, our work is a mix of residential and commercial. Distribution buildings, offices and townhome communities deal with rats, plus the odd bat colony tucked into a soffit or an expansion joint.
Call at the first noise, not the ceiling stain
Our standing advice is to call when you first hear something, not after the ceiling stains. Critter Guys runs wildlife removal from Orlando out to Polk County and nearby towns like Bartow, and an early look keeps a small problem small.
What Lakeland homeowners say about us
4.9
141 reviews on Google
★★★★★
Called Critter Guys through a recommendation from my sister in Lakeland after we saw a squirrel peaking out from a hole above the garage at my mother’s home in Riverview. My sister had the same issue at her Lakeland home. We got an appointment for the Riverview house right away and Craig came out to do an assessment and estimate. The price was reasonable and Craig was very professional and friendly. He quickly assessed the issue and found 4 holes in the roof. He set up traps and came back a few days later. During that waiting time one of the traps in the attic caught a mouse. So, when he came back, he sealed off 3 of the holes and set up a one-way trap in the 4th hole to draw out any remaining critters. He’ll come back in 2 weeks to close off the remaining hole. He also gave us a 30 day warranty if anything else happens. So far we haven’t seen or heard anything else. I’m very happy with the service received and would highly recommend this company.
Pramela IttoopGoogle review
★★★★★
I can’t recommend this company enough! Josh was absolutely amazing and went above and beyond from start to finish. As a property manager, I work with a lot of vendors, and it’s not often that someone stands out the way he did. …
Andrea GutierrezGoogle review
★★★★★
Awesome customer service patient and kind job well done thanks
Maxine ClarkeGoogle review
Read every review on Google or see more Critter Guys reviews
What our wildlife removal looks like in Lakeland
Every job runs in the same order, because skipping a step is how animals end up back inside.
Roof-to-ground inspection
We walk the roof line, attic and ground level, identify the animal and find every way in. You get a clear plan and a quote before anything starts.
Humane removal
Depending on the species, that means one-way doors that let it leave but not return, or live traps checked on schedule. Mothers and young stay together whenever we can manage it.
Seal and repair
We close each opening with material the animal can’t chew or pry, then fix the soffit, vent or screen it damaged. That’s the core of our exclusion work in Lakeland.
Clean what’s left behind
If droppings, nesting or odor stayed in the attic, we remove it and sanitize so the scent doesn’t call in the next animal.
On the job
Trapping alone versus removal with exclusion
Plenty of Lakeland homeowners try a trap first. Here’s why that often turns into a second call.
| Trap and haul | Removal with exclusion |
|---|---|
| Gets one animal out | Gets every animal out, young included |
| Entry hole stays open | Entry points sealed and repaired |
| Scent trail invites the next one | Scent trails cleaned and treated |
| Often catches a neighbor’s cat | Method matched to the species |
Towns around Lakeland we also cover
We also work the towns around Lakeland, from Plant City on the Hillsborough line over to Bartow and Winter Haven.
Wildlife questions from Lakeland homeowners
Still wondering about something? Call or text (321) 203-6963.
How much does wildlife removal cost in Lakeland?
It depends on the animal, how many there are and how many entry points need sealing, so we don’t quote blind. You get a firm quote once we’ve seen the attic and roof line. Catching a problem early usually keeps the repair side small.
Do you come out to Lakeland from Fern Park?
Yes. Lakeland is a regular part of our Polk County service area, along with Winter Haven, Bartow and the towns in between. Call or text to set up a time that works for you.
Is it legal to trap and move a raccoon myself in Lakeland?
Wildlife trapping and relocation in Florida falls under FWC rules, so moving an animal off your property isn’t as simple as setting a trap. We follow those rules on every job. A trapped animal also leaves its entry point and often its young behind, which is the bigger problem.
Something keeps digging holes in my Lakeland yard. What is it?
Small cone-shaped holes that appear overnight are usually an armadillo rooting for grubs. The sandy soil in south Lakeland makes for easy digging. We can trap the armadillo and check whether it’s burrowing near your slab, pool deck or walkway.
Do you handle snakes near Lakeland’s lakes?
Yes. Most snakes around Lakeland homes are harmless, but Florida has six venomous species, including the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, so nobody should try to identify one up close. Keep pets and kids back and call us.
Do you work with HOAs and property managers in Lakeland?
We do. Townhome communities, HOAs, property managers and businesses call us about rats, bats in soffits and raccoons that keep coming back. We can inspect several buildings and lay out a prevention plan for the whole property.
Hearing something in a Lakeland attic?
Send a text or call (321) 203-6963. We’ll come look, name the animal, show you where it got in and explain what closing it off involves.