Raccoons can cause significant damage to your home or property. Wildlife removal professionals use live traps to humanely remove raccoons and relocate them to a natural habitat. They also perform inspections to locate entry points and use one way doors or exclusion meshing to keep raccoons from coming back.
Manually removing a mother raccoon with babies is too risky to do without professional help. Keeping them away from the house in the first place will make sure they find a better living spot! Get professional help from Raccoon Removal Texas today.
Often, the best solution for raccoon removal is to humanely trap and relocate the animals. This is done by professional wildlife trappers that use live traps to capture raccoons without harming them, then safely relocate the animals far away from your property. This saves you the trouble of starving baby raccoons crying in your attic at night, and the cost of cutting holes in the drywall to remove them! This also helps to prevent the reentry of other raccoons or other wildlife into your home after the mother raccoon and her babies have been removed.
It is very important to have the right kind of traps set for raccoons. The wrong traps can cause the animal to become sick and possibly die, or worse, become injured in a trap that is too small. In addition, it is important to inspect and maintain the traps regularly to make sure that they are working properly so that raccoons cannot escape. In addition, it is important to inspect your home and look for any areas where the raccoons could access. This includes checking for signs of raccoon activity, such as fresh paw prints and droppings in your attic crawl space, and chewed wires or attic insulation that need to be repaired.
Some homeowners resort to poisoning raccoons in their chimney or other places where the critters may be living up close and personal, but this is not only a terrible idea for the raccoons, but it is a very dangerous method for your family and pets. Poisoning animals is also illegal in many states, and it will not help your raccoon problem to be any safer in the long run.
It is also important to note that it is very common for raccoons to return to their old homes even after they have been trapped and moved from them. This is a result of the fact that raccoons are wild animals that prefer safe, secure, and completely dry areas to live in. To help prevent raccoons from returning to their old homes, it is recommended that the following methods be used:
Exclusion
Raccoons can spread disease when they enter a property, leaving behind parasites and feces. The bacteria they carry can cause illness in humans and pets, and their droppings can lead to damage to the roof and siding of buildings. They also dig up lawns looking for grubs to eat, which can leave unsightly holes in the yard. The best way to eliminate a raccoon problem is to exclude them from your home or garden, keeping them where they belong.
A raccoon’s natural habitat is in a tree or on a hillside, so they usually will not stay long in an urban or suburban area. They are highly adaptable and able to find food in a variety of ways, including by raiding trash cans, getting into gardens, or entering buildings in search of shelter. Raccoons can also spread rabies and canine distemper, which pose health hazards to unvaccinated dogs.
If you see a raccoon in an attic, wall, or chimney, it is almost certainly a female with her litter. It is important to remove the babies, as they cannot survive without care. This is a time-consuming process that may require special equipment, depending on the location of the nest. After the young are removed, it is necessary to seal up the entrance point and prevent future raccoons from coming in. This often involves capping chimneys, patching holes, screening crawl spaces and decks, and installing vents that animals can’t access.
Wildlife professionals are trained to identify raccoon entry points and the specific conditions that may be creating an environment where they want to live. This allows them to make recommendations for prevention and repairs, as well as a plan for humanely trapping and relocating the animals to a new habitat.
Exclusion is a lengthy and costly procedure, but it is the only truly effective method of keeping raccoons out of your home or garden. It requires a thorough inspection of your property, checking for entry points and signs of the animals’ presence. A professional will assess the situation and use durable materials that can withstand the determination of these intelligent creatures, such as heavy-duty wire mesh and galvanized steel flashing. It will also include a thorough check for raccoon hiding spots and baby raccoons that need to be protected.
Damage Repair
The feces of raccoons can contain dangerous bacteria like Listeria monocytogenes and the parasite Baylisascaris procynis, which can be harmful to people, pets and livestock. The animals also contaminate gardens, yards and ponds with their waste.
While raccoons may seem cute, they are not welcome visitors to your property. They can carry diseases that can be spread to humans and pets, including canine distemper and rabies, as well as create unsanitary conditions with their dens, guano and droppings. They can also destroy your garden or trash bins, rummage through garbage cans and raid your ponds for fish.
When raccoons come inside, they can damage your roof and chimney with their claws, chew through electrical wires, destroy insulation, tear down shingles and cause stains on ceilings and walls from their urine. They can also urinate and defecate in attic spaces, resulting in costly repairs to your home and possible health issues for you and your family.
There are several ways to prevent raccoons from invading your yard and home. One way is to cover attic vents and crawl space openings with heavy hardware cloth. You can also block access to their favorite hiding spots with wood piles, and eliminate sources of food, such as pet food left outside overnight and unsecured trash can lids.
Another method is to use humane trapping, which can be done professionally or DIY in certain situations. This can be effective for removing raccoons from attics, crawl spaces and other secluded areas. However, it should be used only after an inspection to ensure that the mother and her kits are not trapped.
A more long-term method is to use repellents. Cayenne pepper, sprayed around the perimeter of your home, and predator urine can be highly effective at keeping raccoons away. However, the odors must be repeated regularly to remain effective.
An experienced wildlife specialist can help you decide the best course of action to control a raccoon problem, taking into account state and county laws that limit trapping and relocation. They can also advise you on preventing future problems by evaluating the location of your raccoon problem and advising you on how to make the area inaccessible to the animal.
Cleanup
Despite their cute appearance, raccoons can cause a lot of damage to homes and gardens. Their rummaging and digging can dismantle garbage cans, tear through shingles or siding, and invade attics, causing costly repairs. They can also carry diseases like rabies and parasites, making their presence a health risk for humans and pets.
If you have a raccoon problem, there are several methods of humane raccoon removal. The most effective is exclusion, preventing the animals from coming into your home or yard through physical barriers and one-way doors. This can be done by a professional, or you can try to seal off entry points yourself. Repellents can also help, although the effectiveness of these products varies. They should be used sparingly to prevent over-exposure and need to be reapplied regularly to be effective.
Trash cans are the main temptation for raccoons, earning them the nickname “trash pandas.” They can use their nimble hands to open lids, or knock them over and spill the contents. Investing in animal-proof trash cans with locking lids is an inexpensive and easy way to deter them. Similarly, placing your compost bins in an enclosed area or closing off access to wood piles can make your property less appealing. If you have a pet, move their food bowls indoors overnight and keep your yards clean to avoid attracting raccoons.
When they do get inside, raccoons leave bacteria-laden droppings and urine, contaminating insulation and drywall. A raccoon infestation may also contain ticks and fleas, which can be a serious health risk for humans and pets. A wildlife control expert can safely remove dead raccoons and sanitize the areas they have contaminated.
Racoons will not stay where they are uncomfortable, so prevention is a must. Covering attic vents and crawl space openings with heavy hardware cloth can deter them. Eliminating food sources, such as unsecured trash cans or pet food left outdoors at night, and blocking access to crawl spaces and decks can be helpful too.
While coexisting with local wildlife is always a good idea, it’s not realistic for some properties. Raccoons are smart and resourceful, posing structural and health risks when they get too close to homes or gardens. The best humane raccoon removal method is often exclusion, which can be done with one-way door systems or professionally installed barriers. Other options include repellents, motion-activated lights, and acoustic devices that emit a noise similar to the call of an owl to scare away the creatures.