The short answer is hopefully none; however, occasionally we do find animals living in Metro Atlanta crawlspaces. Let’s talk about who these guys are, and why they may choose to live under your home. Coming in first on our list in the popular Camel Back Cricket. These guys love to congregate in dark, damp spaces. If you have them, generally you do have a moisture issue under the house. Easiest way to solve the issue is to encapsulate and dehumidify the space, as they will not tolerate a dry space.
Small rodents such as Roof Rats, Norway Rats, Mice, and Chipmunks are next. Some areas have more of these than others, but pretty much anywhere in Atlanta you could experience this problem. If this is ignored, it can get nasty. They can chew on wires, enter air ducts, and even peek inside your home when you’re not looking. We had a customer in McDonough who had a rat issue…when it got quiet in the kitchen, the mama rat would poke her head through a small hole in the floor and then dart across the kitchen. Though they’re small comparatively to other animals, rodents are amongst the most feared because they are quick and tend to startle people. We do a lot of Soda Blasting jobs in Atlanta after rodent infestations in the crawlspace. This removes much of the odor created by the urine and feces buildup.
Next come some of our mid-sized mammals such as Opossums and Cats. Though rarer to find in the crawlspace, by far their favorite activity under your house is called “croaking.” They love to find a nice out of the way impossible-to-get-to corner of your crawlspace and die. If you think your crawlspace is just where the cats go to nap, think again. They will litter your space with pounds of cat squeeze in no time, and we charge a premium to clean it up.
Last but not least of course are Snakes. We do see them under homes, and they are usually common Rat Snakes that are living under your home to eat your rats. Most of the time we’ll see them stretched out of top of the exterior walls. Rat snakes are non-venomous and generally will cause no harm to you. They are good to have around for rodent control but not many people actually want them under the house.
Now, as for oddities, the craziest thing I have personally seen under an Atlanta house would be a job inside the city limits of Decatur where the owner kept 30 goats in the crawlspace. They used it as the barn, and yes it smelled like a barn. Several inches of goat pellets covered the whole crawlspace floor. For some strange reason, the very friendly couple dressed in tye-dyed t-shirts were having a difficult time selling the house.