How to Get Rid of Raccoons
Here are eight ways to get rid of raccoons:
- 1. If the raccoons are inside a house or attic, the most important thing is to find and seal shut their entry hole(s). Be aware that a raccoon in an attic is almost always a female with young.
- 2. If the raccoons are outside, the first step is to eliminate whatever is attracting them to the property. Strap down garbage can lids, bring in pet food, put steel mesh over the goldfish pond, etc.
- 3. In either case, trapping and removal might be necessary. Use a large 12x12x32 steel cage trap, and bait with marshmallows. Relocate trapped raccoons at least 10 miles away. Trapping alone rarely solves the problem, and local laws probably apply.
- 4. Only after the baby raccoons and mother are removed from an attic should you seal the entry holes shut.
- 5. If raccoons are stuck down a wall in a house, you might need to cut a hole in the drywall.
- 6. Raccoons in a chimney might respond to certain types of repellents, like male raccoon eviction fluid. Be sure to install a steel cap on the flu afterward.
- 7. If raccoons are pooping in the swimming pool, install boards with upward-facing nails on the steps.
- 8. Remember, repellent products and devices like noise or light machines do not affect raccoons in any way.
If you have a raccoon under your deck, you will hear scratching and other noises coming from under deck during the night. Because they are busy during the night, raccoons will come in and out of their hiding places. If they have babies to feed, there will be lots of noise and lots of traffic. You want them out of there. How do you go about it? There are no really effective ways to get rid of raccoons. Old wives tales of mothballs and such are really just that: Old wives tales. Mothballs will not get rid of your raccoons. If the raccoon mom has babies, she may be aggressive if she feels her young are threatened. One thing you can do is to make living under your deck unattractive for them. Making lots of noise on your deck with pots and pans or bells may chase the raccoons away for a while. It may chase your neighbors away as well. You can wait until the babies are old enough to be on their own and then close off any openings with chicken wire, but that will take a few months. In many cases live trapping and removal is the best way to take care of the animal.
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How To Get Rid Of Raccoons In Your Garbage
Raccoons are always on the search for food. If they can get into your garbage cans, they will think it’s a smorgasbord. You will not easily persuade them to leave. The only way not to have raccoons in your trashcan is to secure your trashcan lids so that raccoons can’t get into the cans. Once they are already in there, they may get stuck and you’ll have to find something to help them crawl out. If they are getting into the rubbish the best answer is to make that impossible. Since raccoons are nocturnal animals, you won’t see them much during the day. If you have one trapped in your trash can by chance, be sure to tighten the lid so it can’t come out and harm you. Take the entire trashcan, lid fastened securely, far out into the country. Let the raccoon escape from the trashcan there. Pick up any debris that fell out, take your garbage can and drive back home. When you take your garbage can back to its proper place, close the lid tightly. Employ the use of bungee-cords if you must, to ensure that the raccoons cannot open the lid. Also make sure there are no spills when you place your trash into the can. That would be an attractant. The biggest idea is to be tidy so they don’t come around anymore.
How To Get Rid Of Raccoons In Your Garage
People are in the habit of leaving their garage doors open during the day, especially when they are outside working in the yard. When people finally get around to closing the garage doors, a raccoon may already be in there, hunting for anything edible. The homeowner may not notice the raccoon for some time. He will know of the raccoon’s presence when he wakes up in the middle of the night because of noise. Something is knocking over things in the garage. He may see the raccoon frantically trying to get out. The simplest thing is to open the garage doors with the push of a button and let the raccoon escape. The animal may be so scared, however, that it hides behind or under some vehicles. You can’t see it and you’re afraid to have it attack you. It may wedge itself into some spot where it is stuck. You don’t want to start your car in the morning, and find out there is a raccoon under your hood. In any event, if you can leave the garage open overnight it will usually leave. If it seems to have made itself home in your garage then you’ll need to rent a live trap. Be very careful when removing them as they get quit aggressive.
How To Get Rid Of Raccoons In Your Attic
Raccoons are cute animals. They are comical to watch as they hunt for their food at night. They are not cute when you learn that they have made their home in your attic. Not only will they make a racket at night when you are trying to sleep. They will stink up your home with their urine and feces and make a mess in your attic, in general. There are health concerns to consider as well, such as raccoons can transmit rabies. Be wary of a raccoon behaving either very aggressively or very sluggishly! Home owners have tried to get rid of the raccoons themselves. Most repellents don’t prove useful when it comes to eradicating raccoons from your house. They are stubborn creatures and do not want to leave once they have found a nice home. The only effective way to get a raccoon out of your attic is to set up a trap and remove them this way. When removing the animal make sure to carefully select an area that is safe to set them free. You’ll need to make sure there aren’t any regulations in your area. By trying to trap the raccoons yourself, you run the risk of getting bitten or coming up empty handed, so do be cautious.
Go back to the main Raccoon Removal page for more information about how to get rid of raccoon.
Do It Yourself Tips for Getting Rid of Raccoons
Anyone who has ever lived by, or has had a problem with raccoons knows just how destructive and irritating they can be. Raccoons are large ring-tailed mammals known for their distinctive markings. You can always tell a raccoon apart from, a dog for example, by its gray coat, bland bandit mask markings over its face and its tail is ringed with 3 black rings. However, the raccoon’s most notorious feature is its opposable thumbs that it can use to open doors and the lids on your trash cans. Raccoons are also incredibly smart and have shown, in multiple research studies, to understand and figure out puzzles. What does this mean for you and your sanity? Well raccoons have a great memory and will remember your house as being a good source of food, water, shelter, etc. among all the others if you do not take the steps to get rid of them or prevent their presence on your property. Raccoons live near areas that offer shelter, like wooded areas or a convenient shed, and will be drawn any where there is food. Raccoons will tear into your garbage cans, even ones with locking lids. They will open the can, dump it over and then drag garbage all over your lawn. They will also terrorize your pets (the more brazen ones) and eat their food if it is left outside. You definitely do not want this type of visitor coming to your house several times a week, or even every night! If you want to get rid of the raccoons in your area here are some do-it-yourself tips.
Seal Your House:
Not everyone can afford to hire a professional wild life removal service because of the expense. One of the easiest ways that you can get rid of these destructive critters is to exclude them out of your yard. Exclusion is just a fancy word for blocking them out with a fence or making it impossible for them to set up their home on your property. The easiest way to accomplish this is to make sure there are no holes or cracks that would allow them to get into your shed, under your house or in your walls/attic.
Use a Fence:
Another way to exclude raccoons from your property is to build a fence around your entire yard or around the areas that you are concerned with the most. Fences are expensive, so if you cannot afford to build one around your entire property you can build one just around your garden or the base of your house. However, make sure that when you put the fence in you bury it at least a foot and a half in the ground and a few feet above the ground so the animal cannot burrow underneath or jump over the fence.
Trap and Remove:
Trapping seems to be an effective way of getting rid of your raccoon problem, however you must make sure that it is not illegal to trap animals (either live or lethal) in your state. You can easily do this by called the fish and game office or your local humane society. If it is legal, the easiest way to trap is to get a live trap from a hardware store or rent one from the humane society. Bait the trap with something yummy (peanut butter and sunflower seeds work great) and make sure to check the trap every day. Relocate the animal at least 10 miles away from your house so it doesn’t come back
Repellents?
There are raccoon repellents available, but be aware that most do not work. The most common form of repellent is predator urine like that of a coyote or king snake, but they wear off quickly and they are not always guaranteed to work.
