How can I prevent animals from dying in my basement window wells? The wells are about two feet deep and have a clear plastic covers over them. The covers don't fit tightly and critters seem to get in. I just removed:
- 15 garter snake carcasses
- 1 live garter snake
- 2 Snake skins
- 4 dead rodents
- 1 live frog
- 2 dead frogs
- 3 dead lizards or salamanders
Many of them had clearly been there for years -- many of the remains were skeletal or desiccated.
Here is a picture of one of the window wells (hammer for scale):
I'd like to prevent this problem in the future. I'm thinking that I could:
- Seal the window wells better (how?)
- Provide a stick or ladder that would allow critters to exit without getting stuck and dying
- Use repellant
Which of those options should I pursue, or is there something better?