Raccoon Removal
Do you need to get rid of raccoons? We can help!
Raccoon Removal Strategies
Hear what a raccoon sounds like
Raccoon Problems
Signs a Raccoon Infestation
Raccoons are ever recognizable with their black-masked face and nocturnal habits. Mother raccoons may destroy and enter parts of your home, especially your attic, in order to create a suitable place to raise their young.
Raccoon Noises
The most common sign of a raccoon in your house is the noise. Homeowners hear movement noises like thumping and scurrying and vocal sounds. Typical vocalizations include purring, chittering, growling, snarling, hissing, whimpering, and even screeching.
Physical Evidence
Nocturnal critters, spotting a raccoon is rare. Homeowners are more likely to see physical evidence like raccoon tracks and raccoon poop.
Trash cans flipped over and the bags of trash in them destroyed is a telltale sign of a raccoon.
Raccoon Damages
When raccoons decide to den in attics, they can cause significant property damage. They can create entry points through soffits, gable vents, roof returns, roof vents, and shingles. Once in your home, they will use available materials like insulation to create dens. They also destroy home gardens, birdfeeders, and make messes of trash cans and garbage bins.
They establish latrine sites that can pose serious health risks if located on your properties. Raccoon feces carries Baylisascaris procyonis (raccoon roundworm) which can spread to people and pets.
In addition to raccoon roundworm, raccoons spread diseases and parasites like rabies, tularemia, giardia, salmonellosis, canine distemper, and leptospirosis.
Ectoparasites like fleas, ticks, lice, and mites can live on raccoons. These parasites can find news hosts once they have been introduced inside your house.
Humane Raccoon Removal & Control Strategies
Full Inspection
The purpose of the inspection is to develop a custom plan to solve your raccoon problem, repair raccoon damage, prevent future raccoon problems, and apply sanitization agents. We first inspect the area you first noticed an issue. From there, they will look for entry points inside your home, investigate your property including your roof, and identify physical evidence like raccoon tracks and droppings.
Raccoon Trapping
Cage traps are the most effective and humane way to remove a raccoon from a property. We set and bait the traps to capture a raccoon but limited the possibilities of catching a non-target species. Once the raccoon traps are set, we check it frequently. If juvenile raccoons are present, raccoon repellents have limited effectiveness. Otherwise, we can hand capture the kits.
Exclusion & Restoration
Exclusion repairs are the most effective raccoon control. After raccoon removal, we seal all entry points with material to block all potential raccoon entry points. Once the house is protected from raccoon infestations, we apply sanitization and ectoparasite agents to mitigate the raccoon damage in your house.
Where Do Raccoons Live
Wooded areas near water are the raccoons natural habitat, and common denning sites include hollow trees, ground burrows, brush piles, and abandoned animal burrows. Raccoons have adapted to thrive in human environments. Houses, buildings, sheds, and garages provide resources for food, shelter, and water.
Female raccoons primed to raise litters are particularly fond of infiltrating buildings to set up nest sites in attics, between walls, and inside chimneys. As the pests are adept climbers, they take advantage of nearby trees, downspouts, and utility poles to gain access to homes. Uncovered chimneys and vents, torn screens, loose shingles, and broken windows also heighten the possibility of finding raccoons in the house.
Exclusion is the best raccoon control for your house or property. Our wildlife control professionals can then identify the point of entry for the raccoons in the attic and repair this area to ensure you will never have raccoons in your attic again.
Raccoons are one of the larger pest animals. The most common area we find them is in attics, but they can cause problems on roofs, under houses, and in your yard. Nocturnal critters, you'll hear them running and moving in the middle of the night.
Raccoon in Attic
Raccoons are agile and intelligent creatures that often make their nests inside attics. They gain access by climbing downspouts, scaling siding, and walking across overhanging tree branches. Unsecured vents, chimneys, and attic windows also aid in easy entrance. If raccoons are determined enough, they may even rip apart siding and bend open vent covers to enter attic spaces. While raccoon repellant can help some, it is only a temporary solution
One of the larger animals that can get into your attic, ceilings have collapsed from the raccoons weight.
Raccoon in Attic Removal
Thumping, rustling, and scratching sounds coming from the attic are clear indications of animal infestations. Raccoons are especially playful and like to tumble about, making loud noises that disturb residents. Young raccoons also like to chatter and chirp when calling for their mothers. Additionally, while raccoons generally dispose of waste away from nesting sites, they may let their droppings and urine collect in attics. The overwhelmingly foul smell quickly permeates houses.
Raccoon in Chimney
Raccoons commonly den in chimneys because they are often unsecure and resemble tree hollows. Raccoons can manually remove chimney caps.
Raccoon Removal from Chimney
Do not open fireplace in an attempt to rescue a raccoon from your chimney. You will give access to your entire house to the pest. The professionals at Trutech will create an ideal solution to get rid of a raccoon in your chimney.
Raccoon on Roof
Raccoon Control on Roof
Preventing a raccoon from climbing onto your roof is difficult. These clever creatures can climb virtually any surface. Raccoon traps are the best way to get rid of a raccoon on the roof, but the trap must be monitored frequently. Installing metal flashing and tree trimming is the best way to stop a raccoon from climbing onto your house.
Raccoon Under the House
The spaces beneath decks or porches are especially inviting because they allow raccoons to remain in close proximity to sources of food and water.
Raccoons Removal from under House
To get rid of raccoons under your house, we start with trapping to remove the animals currently under there and then can install a product called dig defense to keep those animals from gaining access back under decks and foundations.
Raccoons in Backyard
Signs that raccoons are in the backyard include ransacked trash cans, empty bird feeders, tracks, the presence of urine and feces, and garden damage. Their unique ability to grasp objects with their opposable thumbs coupled with their natural curiosity frequently leads raccoons to break into homes and outdoor sheds. Finally, expensive landscaping is often damaged in the pest’s search for insects found in the soil.
Raccoons in Trees
Tree hollows are the preferred natural den site for raccoons. Though sightings of the pest are rare given their nocturnal nature, property owners are able to detect the presence of raccoons in trees. For instance, raccoons often leave tracks in the dirt around the base of trees they’re living in. These tracks are distinct in their resemblance to tiny human hands. Their claws, which make them excellent climbers, are used to scratch trees, walls, and fences, and finding scuffed paint and tree bark typically points to raccoon infestations. At night, residents may hear chattering, growling, or snarling sounds. Finally, the presence of droppings at the base of trees points to the existence of raccoon populations in the area.
Raccoons Control in Yard
Protecting your entire yard from a raccoon is not feasible. It is possible to protect target areas of your property. Installing barriers or electric fences can prevent raccoon damage inside a garden. Conical tree guards will stop a raccoon from climbing trees.
Raccoons in Trash
One of the most effective preventative measures you can take is to secure your garbage can.
Raccoons keep varied omnivorous diets and common meals include berries, nuts, fish, insects, waterfowl, and bird eggs. As the pests are also opportunistic feeders, they won’t hesitate to scavenge in trash cans and compost piles for discarded bits of human food. Raccoons are especially enticed by garbage bins without well-fitted lids as their nimble hands and impressive dexterity allows them to easily break into the trash.
Frequently Asked Questions
Raccoons typically cause problems by rummaging through garbage cans, raiding pet food, and disrupting quiet neighborhoods at night. However, like most wildlife, raccoon behavior may turn aggressive when these pests feel threatened.
Raccoon teeth and claws are sharp, and these powerfully built animals can reach up to 20 pounds in weight. As a result, a raccoon attack, though rare, can be dangerous to people, cats, and dogs.
There are a number of diseases that people can be exposed to by coming in contact with raccoons. The common ones include rabies, leptospirosis, and baylisascaris infection. These raccoon diseases have symptoms like pain, fatigue, fever, vomiting, and diarrhea that mimic the flu, making many victims underestimate the need to seek medical attention. Left untreated, more serious ailments like organ failure can develop.
Many residents want to know how to deter raccoons rather than how to trap them. Trapping is an effective way to remove these pests, but it also comes with some dangers to users. Several raccoon deterrents may help while posing less risk.
Scare and Harassment Tactics
Raccoons prefer dark, quiet places like attics, chimneys, or gaps beneath decks. Keeping these areas well-lit and playing loud music can disturb their rest and force the pests to move. Pinwheels, balloons, or empty soda cans blowing in the wind may also deter raccoons.
Unfortunately, sound, light, and frightening tactics become less effective as the animals get used to them. These cheap, easy methods are a good first step but may not be enough to keep raccoons away for good.
Habitat Modification
Eliminating sources of food and shelter in the yard is another raccoon deterrent. Homeowners can:
- Screen attic, porch, and foundation vents with heavy duty wire mesh.
- Secure the garbage can lid with bungee cords or buy a new bin with a tight-fitting lid.
- Remove outdoor pet food or seal it in secure metal or glass containers.
Certain tastes and smells may also repel raccoons. Homeowners can buy a wide variety of sprays, granules, and oils that claim to drive away these pests.
Taste Raccoon Repellent
Since raccoons dislike spicy tastes, some homeowners spread hot pepper products over areas where the pests like to climb or dig. Many sources suggest cayenne pepper, but this is often not potent enough to keep raccoons away. Hotter oils may harm plants, pets, birds, and beneficial insects like lady beetles and honey bees.
Odor Raccoon Repellent
Many stores also sell fox, coyote, or bobcat urine as a raccoon repellent. While the smell of fresh waste from one of these natural predators may keep the pests away, urine granules usually don’t have much effect.
Mothballs are another common scent deterrent that pest experts do not recommend. They can be toxic and are harmful to pets, humans, and other wildlife as well as raccoons. In fact, these intelligent pests may just bury or remove odor repellents to get rid of the smell.
Property owners may be alerted to the presence of raccoons under decks through various sights, sounds, and smells. The pests designate an area to eliminate waste, known as raccoon latrines, that smell abhorrently and contribute to the spread of disease. Finding a latrine in the yard is a sure sign of infestation. Additionally, raccoons make scratching noises and vocalizations throughout the night that may keep residents awake. The presence of tracks around private properties also points to the existence of raccoons under decks. Finally, individuals can test for the presence of the pests by situating a few sticks just outside deck openings. Placing them so that no animal could move through without disturbing the sticks allows for safe raccoon detection.
Thumping, rustling, and scratching sounds coming from the attic are clear indications of animal infestations. Raccoons are especially playful and like to tumble about, making loud noises that disturb residents. Young raccoons also like to chatter and chirp when calling for their mothers. Additionally, while raccoons generally dispose of waste away from nesting sites, they may let their droppings and urine collect in attics. The overwhelmingly foul smell quickly permeates houses.
Since they are voracious and messy eaters, raccoons leave behind telling signs of their presence. In the search for bits of digestible food, the pests discard paper products, plastic bags, and similar pieces of garbage. Therefore, when property owners are dealing with raccoons in trash, they’re likely to wake up to debris strewn about their yards. Additionally, given the prospect of a steady food source, raccoons will construct nests nearby. Individuals may also be alerted to raccoons in the trash by the sighting of adults, tracks throughout lawns, and the odorous presence of raccoon latrines.
Though sightings of the pest are rare given their nocturnal nature, property owners are able to detect the presence of raccoons in trees many other ways. For instance, raccoons often leave tracks in the dirt around the base of trees they’re living in. These tracks are distinct in their resemblance to tiny human hands. Their claws, which make them excellent climbers, are used to scratch trees, walls, and fences, and finding scuffed paint and tree bark typically points to raccoon infestations. At night, residents may hear chattering, growling, or snarling sounds. Finally, the presence of droppings at the base of trees points to the existence of raccoon populations in the area.
