Polk County, FL Animal Control Experts

Humane animal control backed by 30+ years of Central Florida experience, a lifetime sealed-entry warranty, and same-day response on most calls.

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30+ YearsCentral Florida Experience

Lifetime WarrantySealed Entry Points

Same DayResponse Available

Humane MethodsLicensed & Insured

Professional Animal Control services in Polk County, FL. Dr. Critter specializes in the nuisance wildlife that gets into Central Florida homes, mostly attic rodents, raccoons, snakes, and bats and provides expert wildlife control throughout Central Florida.

Animal Control in Polk County, FL — key facts: Dr. Critter has worked Central Florida wildlife since 1996 — nearly three decades of wildlife control work across Central Florida. Our team is registered with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) as a nuisance wildlife control operator, and the trapping, exclusion and relocation of nuisance wildlife is governed by FAC 68A-4.001 and 68A-9.010. We serve Polk County and the surrounding area with same-day response, lifetime warranty on structural exclusion work, and a 4.9-star rating across 378 Google reviews. Most wildlife intrusions in Central Florida structures need both the active animal removed and the entry point sealed, and often remediation of contaminated insulation — we handle it as part of a single quoted job rather than billing the cleanup as a surprise second invoice.

Florida wildlife facts & law: According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, all 13 of the state's native bat species are protected, bat maternity season runs April 16 through August 14, and Florida Administrative Code 68A-9.010 makes exclusion during that window illegal. April 15 is the last day a building can be cleared without a permit, and the work cannot resume until August 15. The same rule governs how: FWC requires an exclusion device to stay up a minimum of four nights, and the work to be done when overnight temperatures are forecast to reach at least 50°F, so the colony can actually leave. According to University of Florida IFAS Extension, a roof rat female produces litters of five to eight pups after a gestation of only 21 to 23 days and can raise four or five litters a year, which is how one unsealed roofline gap becomes 20 to 40 rats inside twelve months. UF/IFAS also reports that the nine-banded armadillo, the only armadillo species in Florida, gives birth to four genetically identical young per litter, so one breeding pair is enough to leave an entire yard pocked with digging. On snakes, UF/IFAS puts Florida at roughly 50 native species of which only six are venomous, and records that just four of those six occur in central and southern Florida: the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, the pygmy rattlesnake, the cottonmouth, and the harlequin coral snake. So most of what turns up beside a pool deck here is harmless, and under FAC 68A-4.001 it is protected too. Because raccoons and bats are the state's principal rabies-vector species, FWC rule 68A-9.010 sets what may lawfully happen to one once it is caught: released on the capture property, released off site only on 40 or more contiguous acres in the same county with the landowner's written permission, taken to a licensed facility, or euthanized humanely. Relocating it to a park or a patch of woods is on none of those lists.

Sources: Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission; UF/IFAS Extension (rodents); UF/IFAS WEC220 (snakes); CDC.

Why Choose Dr. Critter for Animal Control in Polk County?

Emergency Response 7 AM–11 PM - Seven days a week, including weekends and holidays
Insured, and registered with FWC - as a nuisance wildlife control operator
Lifetime Warranty - We guarantee our work
Humane Methods - Safe for animals and your family
Local Expertise - We know Polk County and its wildlife challenges

Emergency Animal Problems?

Don't wait if you're experiencing:

An animal loose inside the living space
A trapped or injured animal
Aggressive wildlife near children or pets

Call 800-932-7287 immediately for emergency service!

Our Control Process in Polk County

Free Inspection - Complete property assessment
Humane Removal - Safe extraction of all animals
Entry Point Sealing - Prevent future intrusions
Cleanup & Restoration - Remove contamination and odors
Lifetime Warranty - Guaranteed protection

Common Animal Issues in Polk County

Our experienced technicians regularly address these problems:

Attic and crawl space intrusions
Structural entry points
Droppings and contamination

Get Professional Help Today

Don't let nuisance wildlife damage your Polk County property. Contact Dr. Critter for immediate, professional assistance.

Call 800-932-7287 now for your free estimate!

Reviewed by: Steve DeMoor ("Dr. Critter"), founder, Dr. Critter Wildlife Control. Florida wildlife control professional since 1996. About Steve DeMoor →

Last updated September 15, 2026

Polk County is one of the areas covered by our wildlife removal service, which sets out how a job is inspected, quoted and warranted wherever we work.

Who to call in Polk County, and for what

Polk County has two entirely separate systems for animals and people ring the wrong one constantly. Polk County Animal Control handles domestic animals: stray and roaming dogs, cats, bites, cruelty complaints and licensing. They do not remove wildlife from a private building. Anything wild that has got into or under a structure is the property owner's responsibility under FWC rules, handled by the owner or by a nuisance wildlife control operator working under Florida Administrative Code 68A-9.010. Pest control is a third thing again, licensed for insects and rodents, working to a different scope. If something is moving in your ceiling at two in the morning, the wildlife side is the one you want.

Which Polk County page you actually want

This page is the general one. If you already know what you are dealing with, the species page will answer you faster and in more detail:

Bat removal in Polk County: the only species with a hard legal date attached, and the one where calling in June means booking August.
Armadillo control in Polk County: the Lake Wales Ridge sand, and the burrow that shows up as a collapsed driveway rather than as an animal.
Opossum removal in Polk County: usually blamed for a hole another animal opened.
Roof rat control in Polk County: the attic call we take most often in older Lakeland and Winter Haven.
Snake removal in Polk County: lake edges, grove edges and canal banks, mostly non-venomous and mostly protected.

What the county itself does to the call mix

Polk is large and it is not one place. The Green Swamp runs along the northern edge, the Lake Wales Ridge runs down the spine as dry ancient dune, Bone Valley phosphate country takes up the south and west, and the Winter Haven chain of lakes sits in the middle of the populated part. Ridge sand digs easily, which is why armadillo work is heavier here than in the coastal counties. Reclaimed mine land and the lake edges keep raccoons, opossums and snakes moving through the subdivisions that back onto them. The older housing stock in Lakeland, Winter Haven, Bartow and Fort Meade is where the attic work concentrates, and roof rats are most of it.

When to call, by season

Raccoon work climbs from March into June, when females move litters into attics and the job becomes a hand-removal rather than a trapping job. Roof rat calls climb from October as nights cool. Armadillo digging tracks rainfall rather than the calendar and gets worse for two or three nights after any hard rain, in any month. Bats are the exception with a date on it: exclusion is barred from April 16 through August 14 under FAC 68A-9.010.

Call or Email Today

Need animal control in Polk County, FL? Contact Dr. Critter today for immediate assistance and a free estimate.
800-932-7287

We Can Bill Your Insurance

We can help you file an insurance claim for damages caused by wildlife. Dr. Critter has strong relationships with insurance companies and can assist you in navigating the claims process. We have a proven track record of success in helping homeowners recover costs for damages caused by raccoons, bats, and other wildlife.

Why Polk County Homeowners Choose Dr. Critter

Three decades of Central Florida animal work, backed by methods designed to keep them out for good — not just take them away.

30+ Years of Experience

Central Florida wildlife has predictable patterns. We've worked every neighborhood, attic style, and species since the 1990s.

Lifetime Warranty

Sealed entry points are guaranteed for life. If anything gets back in through one we sealed, we return at no charge.

Humane Methods

One-way exclusion, live trapping, and prevention — not poison or lethal traps. Safer for your pets and the animals.

Same-Day Response

Most Polk County calls get a technician out the same day. The phone is answered seven days a week from 7 AM to 11 PM, and typical arrival runs 60 to 180 minutes depending on the city.

How We Handle Animal Control

A repeatable four-step process — the same approach we've refined over thousands of animal calls in Central Florida.

Free Inspection

We walk the property, identify entry points, signs of activity, and the species we're dealing with. No charge, no obligation.

Humane Removal

Live trapping or one-way exclusion (mandatory for bats). Animals are relocated or excluded without harm, in compliance with Florida law.

Seal Entry Points

Every chew point, roof gap, and exclusion seam gets repaired with materials matched to your roofline. This is the step that prevents return visits.

Cleanup & Warranty

Attic decontamination if needed, damaged insulation replaced, and your lifetime warranty registered against every sealed entry point.

Other Wildlife We Handle in Polk County

Dr. Critter covers every common wildlife species in Central Florida. If you're not sure what's in your attic, we identify it during the free inspection.

Close-up of a bat resting on a wood beam

Animal Problem?

Florida's Top-Rated Animal Control Experts Can Help!

800-932-7287

Lifetime Warranty & Money Back Guarantee

Only Dr. Critter offers a Lifetime Warranty and a Money-Back Guarantee, providing you with unmatched peace of mind. If animals return after our initial service, we'll return to address the issue at no additional cost. Our commitment to customer satisfaction is unwavering. We understand that wildlife problems can be stressful and disruptive, and we strive to ensure your complete satisfaction with our services. If you are ever unhappy with the outcome, we will do whatever it takes to make it right.

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