Suburban Raccoons

Sometimes, there seem to be just too many raccoons around. They can do a lot of damage to homes and buildings. They can cause a lot of health issues for our pets. Even humans can be susceptible to raccoon roundworms. We discussed this in a previous post in case you are interested. The primary reason for raccoons appearing to grow in numbers is that there is lots of food available for them to eat. They have few or no enemies at all. Raccoons can obtain food from your neighbor’s garbage left out at night. Grubs in your lawn are another food source. Raccoons and skunks are going to be in your area for the food. Raccoon Abatement is a real problem for many consumers.

Animal rights groups may complain and even deter raccoon abatement programs when it involves killing the animals. In places where this is not a problem, trapping, shooting them, etc is acceptable. But this really does not deal with the fundamental problem. If there is lots of food around for them to eat and survive while having babies etc. The first step in any raccoon abatement program is to remove all food sources or protect them so that the raccoons cannot find food to survive on. They will have fewer babies and their numbers will decline over time to more manageable numbers. But this still does not solve the main problem of the damage that raccoons can cause to homes etc. They tend to get into attics, damaging your house and leaving feces and urine in the insulation.

Raccoon Abatement – Protect Your Home

By far the best way to protect your home is to install heavy gauge wire mesh over any potential openings. This step will ensure raccoons cannot get into your attic. If you are unsure of which areas need to be protected, there are animal pest companies who have experience in this sort of thing. They can provide guidance as to the areas you need to protect. This wire mesh will also prevent other animals such as squirrels and birds from getting into these same spaces.

If you have raccoons in your attic already, deal with it quickly before they have babies. Call the above-mentioned companies. They will recommend a one-way trap door to be installed over the opening so that the raccoons can get out but not back in. Once they are out, the trap door can be removed. A permanent heavy gauge wire mesh can be installed to keep them out on a permanent basis. If they already have babies you are going to have to wait until they have grown and can travel on their own before installing the trap door. If the babies are inside with the parents unable to reach them they may try to find another entrance and do a lot more damage!

Some homeowners will remove the babies and set them outside where the parents can find them. They cannot travel on their own so you need to make sure that as soon as the trap door is installed you make an effort to get them out to avoid further damage by the parents trying to rescue them. In addition, you do not want them to die in the attic, creating a smell that is very difficult to get rid of.

We saw this news item about a Raccoon beaten to death. Man Faces Charges on the CBC radio. It was carried later on the TV regarding a raccoon that have been allegedly stabbed by a man. One of the babies was killed as well. The man is facing charges for killing the raccoon and treating the raccoon inhumanely. It does not matter how mad you might be at the fact that these animals have invaded your home.

People who support animal rights just do not understand the level of frustration. Or the amount of damage they can do. They would rather have a family man put in jail than have an animal killed in a manner that is not considered humane.

They should visit a slaughterhouse sometime and then decide what is humane and not humane. Maybe they will not drool over that steak they love in the future. We decided to show this article in its entirety for our readers to warn them of what not to do.

This is an excerpt from the news item that we saw in the paper on Aug 26, 2013.

Raccoon Beaten to Death Man Faces Charges

“An Ottawa man is facing two criminal charges after an adult raccoon and a baby raccoon were found stabbed and bludgeoned to death this summer, according to the Ottawa Humane Society.

The 49-year-old man faces two counts of causing unnecessary pain, suffering, or injury to an animal.”

A further update a few days later indicates that the man is being charged with two counts of causing unnecessary pain to an animal. He could face up to five years in jail for this act. The Humane Society is recommending that he receive the maximum sentence.

He was obviously very frustrated with these animals and they were causing him and his family some distress. They were probably in his home in his attic and he wanted them out to avoid further damage to his home. He took the direct way to get rid of them and did so in a manner that is considered inhumane. His mistake, really he made two mistakes.

First, he chose this method of getting rid of them which is inhumane. It is not a long-term solution since other raccoon families will just move into the vacated den. More on that later. His second mistake was that he did not get rid of the evidence. Apparently, a neighbor saw it and reported it to the police. Now he is facing charges, potential jail time, and loss of income, and his life is potentially ruined. All because in a fit of rage, he chose to kill these animals in a most inhumane way. We will not go into the details.

Bottom Line

The bottom line is you cannot treat any animal inhumanely. The best way to get rid of her raccoons that have gained access to your attic or your home is to build a one-way trapdoor. It allows the raccoons to get out of your house, but not back in. Once you’re sure they are out of the house you can install a permanent wire heavy gauge wire mesh across the opening. This will keep out all future raccoons, birds, and squirrels. In fact, you should cover any potential opening or potential area where an animal can get in your house with this heavy gauge wire mesh.

When you’re installing the heavy gauge wire mesh and screw nailing it into the roof make sure that you use lots of caulking around the screw nails to ensure that there are no water leaks. This is by far the best solution. It is a long-term solution to the problem. It is effective and you stay out of jail if you get caught dealing with these animals in an inhumane way. You get to keep your job, look after your family and live a happy life into retirement. The writers just cannot imagine having to face something like this over a raccoon that was causing you problems with your home.

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Elimination of raccoons is just not possible. We want to say that right at the beginning of this post. This is not because of our concern about protecting wild animals or anything like that. We do not like to see animals die unnecessarily. However, there is another far more practical reason for not eliminating raccoons.

The reason is that it is almost impossible to get rid of them. You might be able to eliminate the current family of raccoons that have taken up residence in one of your buildings or in your attic. But as soon as you do there will be another family moving in as soon as they realize that the den is vacant and available. In addition, if you are unlucky enough to poison one or all of them in your attic or in a location tough to get at, you risk a really bad smell for a long time as their bodies disintegrate. This is not something you ever want in your attic.

Raccoon Elimination – Avoid Poison or Trapping Raccoons

In addition, poisoning might involve your pets or some of your neighbor’s pets and now you have everyone mad at you. Not a good idea. People living in the country will routinely trap them or shoot them and they just know more will come around and they will have to deal with them when that happens. In the city, you cannot shoot them for obvious reasons since you could end up shooting somebody and there are bylaws preventing the shooting of guns inside city limits. There are sometimes bylaws preventing the trapping and removal of animals from their environment which just happens to be your attic and neighborhood. I know it sounds crazy, but these bylaws are in force to protect the animals and not the humans.

What is the Right Way to Eliminate Raccoons

The best way is to prevent them from getting into your home in your attic in the first place. If you suspect that raccoons are in the neighborhood, have someone evaluate your home and assess all of the possible places they might enter your attic. If they are not already in your attic install heavy gauge wire mesh over every potential entrance and screw nail it to the roof and the eaves. Use silicon sealant to seal all crew nail holes.

If they are already in your attic you need to find out if they have babies yet or not. If they do you are going to have to wait until they are old enough to travel by themselves. When they are, install a one-way trap door over the opening so the raccoons can get out but not back in. once you are sure they are out, remove the one-way trap door and install the wire mesh as described earlier.

Now the raccoons will come back and they will try to reenter the den. You may even see their tracks in the snow, but they will not be able to reenter the den in your attic and you have a permanent solution to raccoon elimination. This solution also meets all bylaws and all animal lover’s concerns as well.

Some homeowners will attempt this work themselves, however, most will hire a company that specializes in raccoon elimination. If they tell you that they will trap them, try someone else. You are just wasting time and money trying to trap them. If you are unlucky enough to trap one, you will have one unhappy snarling, and vicious raccoon to deal with. You got him in the trap, but now what do you do with him? Better to hire experts and do the job right in the first place.

Hire the Experts to Eliminate Raccoons

A lot of people will not want to hire experts. It could end up costing you a lot more money by not dealing with the problem properly. They could really make a mess of your attic if they are in there for a long time. If the babies are trapped inside they will literally tear your roof apart to rescue them and now you have the potential for water damage as well. It is just not worth all of the frustration and cost. Do it right the first time and hire an expert.

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Do you really want to deal with this raccoon caught in a trap? Snarling and biting and trying to grab your hands as you move the trap with the raccoon inside?  They have sharp teeth and claws and can cause a lot of damage to a person or their possessions. They may also be infected and could spread disease. Should you consder Raccoon Extermination in this situation?

Raccoon extermination is also not the answer either. You have to deal with dead raccoons, possibly inside your attic or under your deck. Or wherever they have taken up residence. If you do not remove the bodies, you will have a very bad smell as the bodies gradually rot in place.

As a writer, I do not even want to think about this kind of situation. You can hire companies that will look after raccoon extermination. However unless you plug the entrance to the den, other raccoons are just going to come along sometime later to take up residence. Raccoons can smell a vacant den and will willingly take up residence in a vacant den.

What is the answer to this problem? There is one and it is surprisingly simple and will keep raccoons and other animals out of your home for good.

Build a One Way Trap Door Instead of Trying Raccoon Extermination

Professional animal control officers have figured out the smart way to deal with these animals. They know that raccoons cannot be permanently kept away from a den, a food source or their babies. They also know that once you eliminate one family another is just going to come along a short time later. A new family will move in where the old family of raccoons used to live. They have learned to survive very well in the urban environment and no matter what you do, they will survive.

The answer is to eliminate all potential food sources. Use metal containers for garbage that cannot be broken into or store your garbage inside. If they have established a den in your home, attic or outbuildings you probably will have to wait until their babies are old enough to travel on their own. If there are no babies, then install a one-way trap door so the can get out but not back inside the den.

This trap door and the subsequent permanent covering should be of heavy gauge wire mesh that will not let them tear it apart and it should be securely screw nailed into the roof or the side of the building. Use waterproof silicone around the screw nails to seal against water penetrating around the screw nail.

If there are young babies, you will have to wait until they are old enough to travel on their own. Raccoon parents are very loyal to their families and will literally tear a roof apart to rescue their babies and you certainly do not want this to happen to you. There is already enough damage caused by these animals without forcing them to cause more.

Much Better Than Raccoon Extermination

This is a much better solution than considering exterminating raccoons or any other animal. It is a permanent solution to keeping raccoons out of your home, both this family and all other families of raccoons. Raccoons will be in the neighborhood and you may even see them from time to time. But they will not be in your house. They very well could be in someone else’s house, which is not a good thing, but at least they are not in yours.

Extermination is not a nice thing to consider. Disposing of the bodies which are often disease-ridden is not a fun thing and in some localities, there are specific laws to deal with this sort of thing. Trapping raccoons that are fighting mad, spitting and clawing as well as biting is not fun. In fact, it can be downright scary. Much better to deal with an issue like this in a passive way which does not affect the environment in any way what so ever.

Don’t get ripped off by raccoon exterminators who trap them and take them several miles away. You will just have to call them back a few months later. They will have to remove another family and pay another large bill. This approach of applying heavy gauge chicken wire over the opening is by far the best solution. Just make sure that they are all out before you install it. Use a one-way trap door to be sure that they are all gone first.

More raccoon extermination posts are available here, click here.

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