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HOW TO GET RID OF RACCOONS

Contact us for professional Raccoon removal, control, and clean-up services. We also offer coaching services and products for a fee. If you're a do-it-yourselfer, check out the suggested techniques below.

    INFORMATION

  1. Why we want to keep raccoons around.

    Raccoons are not only important to the food chain, but they're beneficial in that they eat insects, mice, and just about anything else. While this IS a benefit, it's also a negative quality because they will dig through your garbage cans, gardens, and will even break into your house to consume pet food or other food that's left out. Raccoons are out and about year round (during the night) and just about everywhere in the US as long as there is food and a place for their den.

  2. Why do we get rid of raccoons?
    Raccoons, while aesthetic, can cause quite a lot of trouble and are considered a nuisance animal. Not only can they cause a lot of damage to your property by tearing up gardens, defacing property, and digging through trash cans; to your home whether it's in the attic, a crawlspace, or a chimney; but they can also carry diseases like rabies, salmonella, tularemia, and roundworm. Raccoon scat can carry roundworm and should be taken very seriously, if ingested it can cause symptoms as small as an upset stomach and illness or as extreme as blindness and death. Raccoons can also carry fleas and ticks that may spread to your pets or family and infest your home if they are living in an attic, crawlspace, chimney, etc.

  3. Raccoon Repellent

    Something to consider when dealing with a raccoon, is a repellent. We sell one called "Raccoon Kick Out" and there are others on the market. Chemicals are blended together to cause the raccoons irritation and to urge them to leave their denning site. Contact us for pricing and purchase.
  4. Dead Raccoons

  5. If you think that there is a dead raccoon on your property, it's important that it is removed as soon as possible in the proper way and, if possible, by a professional. When raccoons die, like all things, they decay. This decay allows for the smell, maggots, and flies that will surround and consume the corpse to infest the area where the animal has died such as a chimney, attic, crawlspace, walls, under a shed, etc. Dead raccoons need to be removed using goggles, gloves, and full body suits for best protection and prevention from any spread of possible disease **RACCOONS THAT ARE KILLED SHOULD BE TAKEN TO A BURN PLANT OR BURIED AT LEAST THREE FEET UNDER THE GROUND**
  6. Dead Raccoon removal on City, County, or State Property

  7. If there is a raccoon problem in your home, office, or other structure that is being caused by an infestation from city, county, or state property, you may be able to refer us to the city, county, or state so that they can hire us to remove the problem. We do not remove dead raccoons off of city, county, or state properties unless contacted by the respective authorities to do so.
  8. PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH TRAPPING/KILLING RACCOONS

    1. If you trap a mother raccoon and remove her (whether you relocate it or kill her) you have to ask: what about the babies?
    2. The best way is to have a mother remove the babies and THEN block off the area
    3. There are several ways of moving raccoons out through harassment
    4. You may have to kill the animals
  9. KILL OR KEEP ALIVE?
    The problem with killing a raccoon is that if a mother is dead she can't retrieve her young. It may help to kill raccoons on a property so that they don't keep coming back, but if you kill a raccoon and she has young then the raccoons can wander around or starve, die, and rot in areas where you might not be able to access them. If you are unsure about a raccoon problem, it may be best to call in a professional.

    Steps to Getting rid of raccoons:

    1. Why We Want to Keep Raccoons Out
    2. Raccoons, once inside of a structure, can damage it by tearing up things inside, digging through food and gardens, and leaving urine and feces everywhere. They can also contaminate the area with certain diseases contained in their excrement such as roundworm. They can also die and begin to rot inside of a structure and cause a maggot/fly infestation and spread more diseases. Once a raccoon is inside a structure, they may make a den and proceed to have kits, the problem here is that many people find that trapping raccoons is easy, but they forget that there are often babies that accompany said raccoon. When a mother is trapped/killed by someone untrained to do the task, they risk leaving behind 2-7 kits that can either spread out, get lost, and make the problem worse, or die in the attic, wall, crawlspace, etc. The mother helped keep the babies together and alive, by removing her and not them, the problem will only grow worse.

    3. When to Get Rid of Raccoons
    4. You should ALWAYS get rid of raccoons, but once you realize that you have a raccoon problem you need to find how they're getting in before you can get them out. Then, you need to find out if the raccoon is alone, or if she has babies with her, if she does the process gets trickier. The best thing to do is to call a professional to help, someone without experience and proper training could cause unwanted harm to the raccoon(s) or the area they are located in. The best time to get rid of raccoons is before their babies born.

    5. Places to Check for Raccoon Entrances
    6. Raccoons are extremely resourceful and are very good climbers. This gives them access to many places not only in the home, but on property and inside boats, RVs, and barns. It's important to remember that raccoons always look for the highest point. When searching for raccoons, keep your eyes towards the sky because they live high and they WILL attack from heights. Raccoons can get into your house via:

      • Crawlspaces
      • Openings in walls
      • Siding areas that have been ripped off
      • Underneath the overhang's of roofs
      • Under areas where soffit has been ripped off
      • Underneath porches/patios
      • Vents to the attic
      • Eves
      • Chimneys
      • Open doors and windows
      • Pet doors
      • Raccoons also make their own entrances by ripping and tearing through structures
      Check your entire house for entrances, these will need to be properly sealed.
    7. How to Identify Raccoon Droppings
    8. Many times, places that raccoons are nesting in can be identified by the accumulation of poop in the area. Raccoon droppings look a lot like large cat, or small dog, droppings. Many times, the feces will have berries or fruit seeds embedded in it from the food it has ingested.

    9. Information about Raccoon Droppings
    10. Removal of raccoon waste should not be taken lightly, the feces may contain roundworm which can be fatal to humans if ingested, especially young children. Removal should involve goggles, masks, gloves, and full body suits to prevent and risk of disease spread and contamination. Look on internet for more information on how to identify roundworm in feces.

    11. Cleaning up Raccoon Feces
    12. When cleaning up raccoon feces, it's important to decontaminate the fecal matter and the area where it is found before you touch/remove it. Safety measures should be taken by using goggles, gloves, masks, and full body, hazmat suit for protection against this hazardous waste.

    13. Get Rid of Raccoons
    14. Getting rid of raccoons should be the number one goal when it comes to protecting a structure or a building. The problem is that there are many different places, and ways, that a raccoon may enter a building. The other problem is that you may not be able to get rid of ALL of the raccoons in your area, there are just too many raccoons in the world for that, but you can manage them to the point where they no longer manage you. Raccoons also don't always come in groups of one or one and a few kits, there have been instances where there are 11 raccoons in a crawlspace; another where there were 33 in an attic. Raccoon problems are hardly the same for everyone so different precautions must be taken. Try to take away the food source or their access to food in your home, set up traps (there are plenty of different kinds), raccoon vents, or (if the law in your area permits) you may be able to kill the raccoon. If a raccoon has babies, you may have to physically remove them but you also might be able to get the mother to relocate herself AND her young with harassment techniques and chemical applicants.

    15. Block Raccoon Entrances
    16. It is important to block a raccoon's entrance whether it be a hole in a wall, an attic, a chimney, etc. They need to be blocked off PROPERLY so that the structure they are residing in is still able to function as it is supposed to but also so that the raccoons can't enter again. Our professionals can help you seal up your home and keep raccoons from reentering .For example: raccoons are very capable of tearing off chimney caps that are not high quality (this may include the ones you get from places like Home Depot).

    HOW TO

    1. How to Trap Raccoons

      There are many traps that can be used for raccoon removal. There are different styles of traps like body gripping traps (these can be dangerous to humans and pets), cage traps, container traps (safer for removal). Use marshmallows and peanut butter as bait and/or Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

    2. How to Get Rid of Raccoons in the Attic

      Raccoons take shelter in attics not only for their warmth, but for the protection they provide, and not only from the weather. Male raccoons will hunt the young down and kill them in order to prove their dominance to the female. The female raccoon searches out safe places for her and her new young to stay. When dealing with raccoons in attics we have different products that we use. Some animal control companies suggest ammonia soaked rags be placed in or outside of the den. This may or may not be legal in your area so check the label for legal use. We also have raccoon repellents that we use to cause raccoons to vacate an area. It's important to get them out of the attic and keep them out so that they don't tear up insulation, wiring, or anything else.

    3. How to Get Rid of Raccoons in the Chimney

      There are several types of chimneys/fireplaces out there, make sure you identify the kind of chimney and how the raccoon is getting into it. Make sure that you have a chimney cap, and not a cheap one from Home Depot, but a high quality chimney cap that raccoons can't rip off and are legal in your area (and that are safe in your home). Sometimes wire mesh is used to block off a chimney, this can be dangerous and cause smoke to back up inside of the structure, chimneys should be properly capped.

    4. How to Get Rid of Raccoon Droppings

      Once again, make sure you use hazardous material strategies so that nothing is breathed in or spread around such as: goggles, gloves, masks, and a full body suit. Make sure that the area and feces are decontaminated BEFORE you attempt to remove the droppings. Keep young children and pets away from areas where raccoon droppings can be found to keep them from being infected by any disease the scat may contain. RACCOON SCAT CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS. You may have to do more research on this if you have more questions.

    5. How to Get Rid of Raccoons in the House

      Raccoons usually enter a home (the centralized part of your home not so much the attic, crawlspaces, etc.) with the intent of finding food, be it pet food or something you may have left on the counter. Once a raccoon gets into a home they can tear everything apart from blinds and drapes to carpets and furniture; they can also attack pets or humans. If a raccoon is in your home they have usually entered through an open window, door, pet doors, and fireplace openings. Make sure that doors and windows are closed, and pet doors are shut or blocked off at night so that raccoons don't have an entrance. The last thing you want is to come face to face with a raccoon inside of your home. REMEMBER, raccoons are NOT attracted to messes, they are just looking for a place where they can eat, drink, and possibly live safely. Do keep your house kept up, though. By letting siding and wood rot, you may be creating entrances for raccoons.

    6. How to Get Rid of Raccoons in Walls

      We use special products and repellents to get raccoons out of walls. By placing an ammonia soaked rag inside or near the area that they are using as a den or even using harassment tactics to get the raccoon to vacate the area. REMEMBER, once a raccoon is removed, it is not necessary to kill the animal.

    7. How to Get Rid of Raccoons in the Vents of the House

      Raccoons usually use vents for exploring or as a tunnel opening to their den and not for their actual dens, though they do nest there sometimes. Remember that raccoons love crawling into dryer vents, vents on the roof, and through vents on the side of a wall. Again, ammonia can be used in this situation IF it is legal in your state. There are also natural raccoon repellents that may be used also (we sell a product called Raccoon Kick Out) to remove raccoons naturally.

    8. How to Get Rid of Raccoons on the Roof

      Many people believe if they cut their trees down, raccoons will lose access to the roof. This is true in a lot of cases. The problem with that is people forget that raccoons are excellent climbers and can crawl directly up siding, stucco, brick, and even metal very easily. You can see how cutting down trees and bushes won't always stop the problem, so consider HOW they're getting on the roof to begin with. Of course once they have access to a roof they like to play around and leave feces to bake in the sun. Sometimes your roof is just a playground for them, they like to be up high wherever they are. This is important to remember when they get into a structure. When you're looking for a raccoon keep in mind that they live high, they'll attack high. The higher they are the safer they feel so always look up. They rarely hide down low.

    9. How to Get Rid of Raccoons on your Porch
    10. Raccoons usually come to porches to eat pet food that has been set out or even get into bird feeders. It's important that you remove this food source so they stop seeing your house as a fast food place and switch hunting spots. Raccoons can also use decks and porches to get into places inside of a home. Check to see if there is any way that this is possible under your deck and refer to how to seal the entrance.

    11. How to Get Rid of Raccoons in the Barnyard/property

      Raccoons enjoy living in wooded and enclosed areas and high up in haystacks. This is a little trickier because you can’t always remove the food source so easily here. If raccoons are coming onto your property and digging through your trash cans, try bungee cords or other sealants to prevent them from opening the lid. If you have a bush, tree, or garden that supplies food to the animal you may have to use electric fencing to keep them away. If it's a barnyard and you have to feed your animals, raccoons will take advantage and feed on the grain and other food for horses and cattle. Since you can't remove the food source, this would be a time to use a trap, or even shoot, the animal if it is legal in your area.

    12. How to Get Rid of Raccoons out of Crawl Spaces
    13. When raccoons are confronted or blocked into a corner, like a chimney or crawlspace, they have the advantage and can attack. They are very defensive of themselves and their young which is why they're there. It can be very dangerous dealing with raccoons in attics and crawlspaces so getting them out (not going in) is your best bet. Use traps and harassment methods for this. One technique people use is to wait for raccoons to leave at night, block off the hole, and call it a day. You can also wait for the young to grow and leave (end of spring or early summer) before you try and remove the mother.

    14. How to Get Raccoons out of Window Wells, Garbage Cans, and Dumpsters
    15. Either tip the garbage can or dumpster over so the animal can crawl out, or install a low pitched ramp like a rough 2x6 or 2x12 piece of wood at a slight angle so that the raccoon can use it to climb out.

    NEED HELP GETTING RID OF RACCOONS?

    If you are having problems, or don't want to deal with the raccoons yourself after reading this article, please give us a call at 1-888-488-7720, you can also contact us through email. You can also call one of the technicians from your area and they can help you figure out a solution. REMEMBER: Raccoons can be dangerous and working with them can be very complicated; it's best to hire a professional. Check out our YouTube channel and our website, AllstateAnimalControl.com, or use other Google resources to help you solve your problem. We do offer coaching solutions. Please send digital photos of your problem and we can coach you over the phone and ship you products for a fee.