What Kind of Damage do Raccoons Cause in an Attic?

Raccoons are cute. There is no denying that those masked faces and ringed tails make a very adorable animal and people do try to keep them as pets. But in reality, these “cute” little animals are intelligent, curious and very, very destructive. If you want a pet, stick to a dog or a cat and don’t let them stay in the attic.



To have a raccoon in your attic, they had to get in somewhere. Most of the time it is a female raccoon, looking to use the attic as a delivery room. So, she will look around the roof to find a weak area, usually a vent or seam, and chew and claw her way in. Besides the animal, this can also let in water and water in the attic is never a good thing.

The first thing a female raccoon will do, once she is in the attic, is tear up insulation to make her nest. They also set up a latrine area for their bodily waste, and since raccoons carry diseases, this will cause the replacement of most of the attic insulation. Not an inexpensive job to hire out.

Raccoons are also very curious by nature and love to take things apart. This can include the ductwork running through the attic. Once the babies are old enough to venture out of the nest, they will join in the fun. A family of raccoons can completely destroy the ducting, causing the heating and cooling system in your house to stop working properly.

Raccoons carry diseases that can be harmful to humans if inhaled or ingested through contaminated water. Usually, humans get sick if they come into contact with raccoon poop. If they poop in the ductwork, it can get distributed in to the airflow. This is a biohazard and takes a professional to clean up.

Wire insulation is also one of the things raccoon can’t help but destroy. It is almost like a toy to them, something that they do just for fun. This ups the ante for fire damage. The insulation around water pipes can cause the water to freeze and the pipe to burst, and raccoons like that, too.

Don’t what for the damage to be done and the expenses to rack up. As soon as you hear a thumbing in the night, call in a professional to evict these ”cute” critters out of your attic.

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