Professional Raccoon Removal
Raccoon Removal
Raccoons are one of the most adaptable and common nuisance animals found throughout the United States, as they seem to feel equally comfortable in both urban and rural settings. These opportunistic feeders will live in virtually any habitat, and they will thrive. Raccoons can be a serious nuisance animal, as they can cause property damage, as well as health problems, and they should be removed as soon as possible. Continue reading to learn more about raccoons and how you can get rid of them for good.
Why are raccoons attracted to my property?
Raccoons are motivated mainly by food and shelter, which is a large contributing factor to why they would come onto your property. Fruit trees can be a big attractant to raccoons, as they are fans of many fruits. If you have any small animals or fowl, they may try to make a meal out of them. In addition, any pet food or garbage that is not secured can be very attractive for these animals. Besides food, shelter is also a big attraction. If you have outbuildings or a large stand of trees, raccoons will feel more at home in your yard. If you have large piles of debris, the raccoons may be living in them as well.
The reasons why raccoons would be attracted into your home or garage are pretty obvious. This is generally because of the warmth and security such places provide. This is especially so if the raccoon is a mother looking for a nice, warm place to raise her young. Either way, this is not a good situation for the homeowner.
Why should I remove the raccoons?
While raccoons seem fairly harmless, they should be removed as soon as possible due to the property damage they can cause, as well as the health risks. Raccoons are well-known for their ability to make messes out of homes and properties. They will tear up your garbage, dig up and root through your vegetable and flower gardens, and they can even eat your small animals or fowl you may own. If they get inside of your attic, raccoons are very likely to cause more damage. Insulation is ruined when raccoons begin inhabiting it, as they smash it down and ruin it with their urine and feces. This ruins the insulative properties of the material, costing you money with higher energy bills in the long run. Finally, some raccoons even chew up some of the building materials within homes, leading to a variety of different damages. All in all, raccoons are destructive critters that need to be removed as soon as possible.
Even if you do not include property damage, the potentially deadly health problems raccoons are capable of causing are a big deal. Raccoon roundworm, salmonella, rabies, and E. coli are all commonly encountered when raccoons are around. It is important to understand that these diseases are spread in multiple ways, which makes them a far more serious threat to your family and pets. Raccoons can spread disease through bites, scratches, and other forms of contact. They can also spread these diseases through feces and urine. Finally, raccoon diseases can spread by coming into contact with their saliva, their hair, or even a place where they have walked. As can be seen, removing raccoons is very important, as these diseases can be spread very easily to humans.
How can I prevent raccoons?
Obviously, preventing raccoons is a top priority, since prevention is far easier than removal. If you put in the work and do it right, raccoon prevention can be done very effectively by homeowners. The first place to pay attention to is your yard, as oftentimes, yards attract raccoons into homes. Be sure to lock up pet food and garbage, ensuring that they cannot be accessed by animals. Pick up any and all fruits that have fallen from trees. Be sure to keep any small animals or fowl locked up in a way so that raccoons cannot access them. Clean up any of the debris that can be found around your property, such as woodpiles and similar debris.
Once you have made your yard less appealing to raccoons, you can begin to turn your eyes towards your home. The first step in raccoon-proofing your home is to examine it thoroughly. Look for any problem areas that can provide entry points and be sure to repair them. Using all-weather sealant, aluminum sheeting, or new, treated lumber is an excellent way to do this. Once this is done, you can rest assured that raccoons will not get into your home.
How do I remove raccoons?
Raccoons seem like a simple nuisance animal to remove from homes, however, this is a deceiving notion. While it might be simple to remove a single raccoon from your home with a cage trap and some bait in it, this is often not the situation that is actually occurring. In many cases of raccoon infestations in homes, a mother raccoon has made its way into your attic to find a warm, safe place to have her young. By removing this mother raccoon, you are leaving the baby raccoons alone to die slow and painful deaths. This is not only inhumane, but it can actually create larger problems for you. Dying baby raccoons can lead to terrible odors throughout your home, as well as increased potential for more pest animals to come into your home. In addition, these dead animals can present some health risks to you and your family. Since this is often what happens, it is recommended to hire a professional wildlife removal service to remove the raccoons for you. In most cases, a removal expert will search your whole home for baby raccoons and remove them by hand along with the mother raccoon. This method of hiring a professional will also keep you safe from handling any raccoons as well.
If you know for a fact that you have only adult raccoons in your home, you can try a couple of different removal methods on your own. The most common is a baited cage trap. This device is completely humane and will catch the raccoon safely and effectively. Another method of safe removal is a one-way door. A one-way door will allow raccoons to leave under their own will and will not let them back in. This limits human contact with the raccoons and is an excellent and humane removal method.
Why hire Complete Wildlife Removal?
Here at Complete Wildlife Removal, we pride ourselves on our ability to provide excellent raccoon removal services. Our experts take pride in the humane treatment they provide the animals and the excellent customer service they provide our clients. Based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, we are proud to provide much more than just wildlife removal. No job is too big for us here at Complete Wildlife Removal, as we can also handle wildlife exclusion to keep critters out, cleaning and sanitation after a pest infestation has occurred, animal damage repairs, and insulation installment. No matter what kind of wildlife issue you are dealing with, our experts have years of experience in dealing with virtually every nuisance animal and situation. If you are dealing with any nuisance wildlife issues of any kind, give us a call here at Complete Wildlife Removal, as we would love to help you out for the lowest price possible!
How To Keep a Raccoon Out of My Yard
Finding raccoons in your home is often the worst-case scenario, but seeing them in your yard is not an appealing scenario either. First off, if they are in your yard, that means they are attracted to your home or space for a reason. If they are attracted to your yard, chances are, they will eventually become extremely attracted to your home as well if they can find access points inside. If they find their way inside of your home, there can be all sorts of destruction to foundational parts of your home and they can even be a health hazard to you and your family because of rabies, disease, and bacteria that they might be carrying.
So, if you are seeing raccoons around your property, it is paramount that you remove them as soon as possible or put in measures that will deter them from the space. Here is a great resource to learn more about it at wildliferemovalusa.com. The easiest way to keep raccoons out of your yard and property? Making your space as unattractive to raccoons as possible. Traps can be put in place after they have arrived, but the best way to keep raccoons away from your home or yard is by putting in preventative measures that make your property as unattractive to them as you possibly can.
Raccoons, like many members of the wildlife family, have basic needs just like us. They need a reliable source of food, water, and shelter. Your home and yard are attractive because it gives them access to all three. And — all three are near one another. Your space is a one-stop-shop for all of their basic needs.
Food is the most enticing of the requirements, so beginning with food sources is a great place to start when making your yard or property unattractive to animals. Trash bins are an easy target. Raccoons do not care that the food in your trash bins is usually scraps, leftovers, or rotten pieces of food. Their stomachs can handle a lot and trash bins are a never-ending buffet. Make sure your trash bins are inaccessible. Seal the lids tightly however you can or store them in your garage during cooler months. Trash bin smell can become overwhelming during the summer, so removing them from your garage is understandable. During these hot months, make sure your lids are sealed or that the lids are heavy and difficult for animals to lift and open. If you have pets, their bowl of kibble and water can be attractive to the raccoons as well. Raccoons will help themselves to your dog food and will keep coming back as long as you keep filling it up. Find a way to make your pet food inaccessible outside or you may need to bring it inside.
Another necessity for raccoons, like every other living animal or human on planet earth, is water. Raccoons need regular access to water and this can be created in a couple of different ways on your property. Pet water bowls or dispensers are one place to start. Like with pet food, water needs to be set up for your pets so that it is inaccessible to raccoons. Otherwise, you may need to bring it inside. Water can accumulate at the bottom of gutters if not drained properly or regularly and that can become a water source for raccoons or other animals. Birdbaths are also an easy hydration station for raccoons.
The shelter is another raccoon requirement. Hopefully, they have not found their way into your home just yet, but if raccoons have been seen in your yard, it may be smart to inspect the perimeter of your home and make sure there are no easy access points to the inside. Professionals can swiftly and thoroughly complete this inspection for you. Any weak spots will need to be repaired or closed up so the animals cannot find their way inside. If you have a deck, raccoons may want to take shelter under it. Make the bottom of your deck inaccessible by installing a wall or barrier around the bottom. Make sure sheds or other yard fixtures are closed up well.
Keeping raccoons out of your yard does not have to be complicated and keeping them away typically falls on removing all three of these resources that your home may be provided to animals. Complete Wildlife Removal can help guide you through this prevention process and if you already have animals present in your yard that will not leave the space, we can help remove and keep them away from your yard for good.
How to keep raccoons out of the attic
Raccoons may look cute and cuddly, but they are actually violent. They are scavengers, they usually forage for food, run away and only seek shelter until their next meal.
You have to consider that no one likes to have unexpected visitors, even less if these visitors bring diseases. Raccoons usually seek shelter mostly in backyards, basements, and in the attic of the house, if they have the chance to do so.
We are going to give you the necessary tools to keep these animals away from home, so you can be safe and scare them away in case they come close. Raccoons are usually small animals, but they are by no means harmless.
Aspects to consider before repelling raccoons.
Consider that raccoons are small bandits that will try to sneak into your yard during the night. And if you allow them to, they could even enter your house and get to other areas, like your attic.
Follow these step-by-step tips for safety:
- Call pest experts, animal control, or any other agency that can provide support.
- Keep a constant eye on spaces that may invite these pesky animals to stay. For example broken roofs, open windows, or uncovered garbage cans.
- It is important that you know the laws of the locality where you live; in some places, it is forbidden to evict these animals. It may be classified as mistreatment, and you may even receive a penalty.
- Never forget, put yourself in a safe place and use caution before trying to get rid of raccoons yourself, as they are often violent and transmit diseases
Effective ways to scare raccoons out of your attic.
- You can install motion detection devices.
- Install motion-activated water sprinklers in the yard to prevent them from reaching the attic and other areas of your home.
- You can set traps to catch them and then release them off your property, but be careful not to hurt them.
- Spray them with a product with a penetrating odor, which serves as a repellent. It can be pepper or ammonia, the stronger the smell the faster they leave. Remember that you cannot use poison or any deadly substance.
- Keep garbage containers well covered, avoid leaving them with lids that do not fit well. This way, raccoons won’t be able to turn them over and make a mess inside or outside your home.
- Don’t store food, farm items such as seeds or fertilizer, or anything else that will attract this species to your attic.
Prevention is the best way to ward off raccoons.
These animals usually take the slightest opportunity to sneak into places where they have not been invited. Our best suggestion is to maintain your home’s security and block any possible entry.
- Remember to frequently check the roof of your house, especially the attic roof.
- Keep at least one security camera that allows you to keep an eye on the place.
- Keep windows closed, repair any broken glass.
- You can keep some bright lights on in your attic, they hate light.
- Remove any animal feeders, so as not to attract raccoons.
- Remember that they are omnivorous animals, so don’t skimp on picking up and cleaning up any form of food for them.
- It is okay to use sound to scare them away, a radio with a human voice recorder could help.
In addition to taking into account all these recommendations, alert your children and family not to approach them to play with or try to feed them. It could be dangerous and very harmful to their health. No extra inspection of the surroundings is superfluous.
How to Remove Raccoons from Under Shed
One of the most problematic abilities of raccoons is their capability to find their way into many different places. Since these critters can climb and have prodigious chewing powers, they often create their own access into many homes and buildings. In addition, they often decide to make use of burrows and crawl spaces as well. Continue reading to learn more about how to remove raccoons from under your shed.
Why are raccoons under my shed?
When you get raccoons under your shed, this is often due to a perfect storm of factors. The most important of these is that there was likely another animal that made its way under your shed in the past. Unless your shed has a large gap, the raccoons would have had to use a prior digging nuisance animal’s burrow. This gives them easy access to a warm and secluded shelter in which a mother can raise her young. In addition, there are likely easy food sources around your yard that also attracted the raccoons in the first place.
What damage can raccoons cause?
Raccoons are widely known to cause two major kinds of damage: health risks and property damage. Health risks from raccoons are very serious, as the diseases they carry can potentially be fatal for you, your family, and your pets. Some common raccoon diseases are distemper, rabies, and raccoon roundworm. These can be spread through the raccoon’s feces, urine, and saliva, or they can be spread through bites and scratches, should the raccoon feel threatened.
In addition to health problems, raccoons are also very destructive. If raccoons are under your shed, it is likely they are chewing up lumber and other building materials. If you have any exposed wiring or insulation in your shed, there is also a very good chance that raccoons will begin tearing this up. In addition, raccoons will likely be trying to find a way to get into your attic, which can lead to many more issues.
Can raccoons be prevented?
There are a couple of ways in which you can prevent raccoons from getting under your shed in the first place. First and foremost, it would be very wise to examine your shed, paying special attention to where it meets the ground. Look for any burrows or entry points into your shed of any kind. If you can, consider filling these in to prevent any opportunistic animals from making them their new home. In addition, make your yard less attractive. Do this by keeping any garbage and pet food locked up, do not throw out food scraps, and clean up any debris around your yard that could provide shelter for raccoons.
How can raccoons under my shed be removed?
When there are raccoons living under your shed, the removal might seem very difficult. Not only do you have to rely on using a bated cage trap, but you have no idea how many are living under there. Many raccoons have been educated enough to be scared to enter a cage trap. In addition, many times the raccoons include babies that will die if you remove only their mother.
These reasons are why hiring a professional wildlife removal service is recommended. Wildlife control experts know methods to remove the smartest of raccoons, all while being sure that there are no baby raccoons that will die after the removal process. An additional benefit to hiring a wildlife removal company is that they can repair any animal damage and can provide prevention services to keep any future nuisance animals out of your shed. In addition, they can even examine your home and provide the same services while they are there!
