Neighbors feeding wildlife and causing a nuisance (Fairfax: houses, buy)

[Mnseca]

Does anyone know if there is any Fairfax county rule or regulation against backyard wildlife feeding? My neighbors are doing it excessively. They don't feed just the birds, but also the squirrels and raccoons. Every day or two, I see the woman who lives there go outside with a giant bag of peanuts, like the kind you get at the feed store, and dump them all over the backyard. There are some bird feeders, too, with sunflower seeds. The number of squirrels in their backyard is astounding - at any given time you can probably see about 20 of them. I also see racoons there, foxes, and even rats. Lots of rats. Unfortunately, my backyard is directly behind theirs. I have constant problems with these things getting into my house. Racoons and squirrels in attics and walls, mice in the kitchen and basement. We have very old houses with lots of ways to get in. I am spending thousands a year having things removed and holes patched up, only to have the damned squirrels chew right threw the siding to get back in. Last year, the raccoons just tore the wood right out of the soffet to get into the attic. And mice! It's horrible, and I have small children and worry about their health. I am at my wit's end. Other neighbors have complained about it and written letters to them, but to no avail. The woman and her husband are very nice, and we don't want to have a problem with them, but we have to do something about it. Any suggestions? They cannot be convinced, so I'm hoping there is some govt agency we can report it to anonymously.

[brava4]

Why would they be trying to eat their way into your house when all the food is in the neighbors yard and what seems to be plenty of it? I would think a certain percentage of your "wild friends" would be in your yard and mice in your house whether they were fed anything or not.

[jmking]

Is she tossing a few nuts at certain areas of her yard or is she literally dumping several bags of food all over the yard? Are there thick woods near by or is your area urban? Can you tell exactly the kind of food?

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by brava4

Why would they be trying to eat their way into your house when all the food is in the neighbors yard and what seems to be plenty of it? I would think a certain percentage of your "wild friends" would be in your yard and mice in your house whether they were fed anything or not.

We live in an old house and don't have this problem. We *once* had a raccoon in our old house, but it fled and never came back when I startled it in the attic. It is not normal to have tons of fauna taking up residence in your house.

It sounds like the neighbor is dumping massive amounts of food in the backyard--which needs to stop. I would call the County zoning authority and get them involved.

[Ffxdata]

Fairfax County has provisions about tall grass saying that it encourages pests, but anything about mice and rats says to call an exterminator.

We have compost bins and have had rats on the exterior of our home and a couple rats inside. Our neighbors keep feeders throughout the year which encourage birds, squirrels, and rats. We also have a pest management contract and have had very few problems and nothing close to an infestation. Have you talked with a pest company about the issue?

[Mnseca]

Originally Posted by jmking

Is she tossing a few nuts at certain areas of her yard or is she literally dumping several bags of food all over the yard? Are there thick woods near by or is your area urban? Can you tell exactly the kind of food?

It's suburban, with wooded lots, and it's about 10lbs of peanuts and sunflowers a day. It's not a few nuts. We practically fund a pest control company with the stuff that breaks into our house. Problem is, the excessive feeding has caused an overpopulation of rodents and raccoons. They need a place to live, and the trees are all taken, so our nice wooden house looks warm and cozy. I'm going to start calling around tomorrow to see if there is some agency that can put a stop to this.

[airjay75]

I think Fairfax County animal control is probably who would respond to this. To report something to them, you generally just call the non-emergency police department number and they will send an animal control officer out. The county website says they do not respond to "nuisance" wildlife calls. Not sure what crosses the line from nuisance to an actual problem. They give examples of things like rabid animals and dog bites that are not nuisances and things they will respond to. Seems to me that at a certain point, excessive feeding of wildlife is more than a nuisance. Hopefully they will at least send someone to check it out.

[jmking]

Originally Posted by Mnseca

It's suburban, with wooded lots, and it's about 10lbs of peanuts and sunflowers a day. It's not a few nuts. We practically fund a pest control company with the stuff that breaks into our house. Problem is, the excessive feeding has caused an overpopulation of rodents and raccoons. They need a place to live, and the trees are all taken, so our nice wooden house looks warm and cozy. I'm going to start calling around tomorrow to see if there is some agency that can put a stop to this.

It sounds like its out of control. Thats too bad because I used to feed squirrels at my old home in Fairfax. Loved them little fellows. But never like what you are experiencing. Do you have an HOA? If you do I'd give them a call. Animal control as mentioned would be the other route.

[brava4]

Maybe you and your family should embrace them..

[lqda4]

Buy yourself a 10-lb bag of peanut and hire this guy?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EWiealG_NA