Suburban Raccoons

We noticed that some of our readers were looking for information on how to build a coon trap. Our message here is do not waste your time and money. The right long-term answer is to install a one way trap door over the entrance to the den in your home or building so they can get out but not back in. Do this before they have babies and do a lot of damage to your home. Once they are out of your attic, replace the one way trap door with heavy gauge wire mesh. They can never get back in again. Cover all other areas that could be potential entrances with heavy gauge wire mesh.

How to Build a Coon Trap – Buy One

If you must trap the raccoons for some reason, the easiest approach is to buy one on one of the online websites such as Kijji  or Amazon. You can get great deals and when you are finished, you can resell it and get your money back as long as the trap is still in good condition.

Trapping raccoons does work for the current residents, although some of them are pretty smart and will avoid going into the trap as much as possible. The real problem is that the den that now exists inside your attic is like an advertising beacon for other raccoons in the area. Even if you repair the entrance, other raccoons can smell a vacant den and will come visiting.

If you do trap the raccoons successfully, repair the entrance and any damage inside your attic. Be careful and take the proper precautions to protect your health. We have other topics on this site that discuss this issue. Cover the entrance and any other potential entrance with heavy gauge wire mesh to prevent raccoons or any other rodent from entering your attic.

A raccoon one way trap door malfunction can occur if it is not properly installed. If the raccoons are still going in and out, then it might be time to call in the professionals. Have them install one that works and lets the raccoons out but not back in. The longer you allow them to live in your home, the more damage they are going to do.

They will damage your insulation by packing it, urinating on it and leaving feces all over the place. You can review a few of our other posts to see the damage and the mess that they leave. The pictures show it all. Our posts discuss the right way to get rid of them so they stay permanently out. There is also a proper way to dispose of the contaminated insulation. Make sure the people doing the work avoid any health risks.

Raccoon One Way Trap Door Malfunction

The trap door must open outwards and immediately close to avoid them getting in again. Raccoons are very adept with their claws. They can manipulate things almost as good as humans can. The trap door must be constructed in such away that they cannot reopen the door. This will stop them from re-entering the attic or the  interior of the building you are trying to keep them out of.

A professional company will install them properly making sure that there are no leaks in the roof caused by the screw nails used and then remove the door once all of the raccoons are out. A permanent wire mesh will be installed over the opening to keep them out. while they are at your home you can also arrange to have all other potential openings closed off as well with wire mesh to avoid any future problems. In addition they will tell you how to deal with any raccoon babies that may or may not be inside the den.

Some people may feel that this is cute, a mother raccoon relaxing while her pubs play in a small recessed area in someones attic but raccoon trappers will tell you a much different story! Well not really when you consider the mess and the damage they are causing. First consider the feces and the urine that is being left by this raccoon family. Someone has to remove this and clean it up – and this is definitely not a fun job!

Secondly, these same raccoons did a lot of damage to the side of the house. They got into this attic and probably did a lot of damage to the front of the house in the process. Just take a look at some of the other pictures on this web site. Observe some of the potential damage that can be accomplished by determined raccoon parents looking for a den to have their babies.

Raccoon Trappers – Dealing with Raccoons

A lot of companies will promote the idea of trapping raccoons and removing them from the site of their den. They may relocate them to another location, hopefully far enough away that they will not return. However once a den has been vacated, chances are that another family will just move in. They will take over this already established den unless a permanent solution is found to stopping them. Raccoons can tell if a den has been vacated. Also, whether it is available for a family to move into or not. So unless you do something to prevent them from getting back into your attic, another group is just going to move in.

Don’t waste your money using raccoon trappers. We believe that a one-way trap door should be installed so that the raccoons can get out but not back in. If they do have babies, you also need to make sure that the babies are removed as well. You can place the babies in a box outside. The mother will move them to another location.

However, with a one-way trap door installed, she will not be able to get back inside your attic. If the babies are also removed, she will not tear your roof apart to rescue them. Once they are out, remove the trap door. Install heavy gauge wire mesh over the opening so that no other raccoons, squirrels, or birds can find their way into your attic. This is the best long term solution to dealing with any kind of animal or bird in your attic, including raccoons.

Raccoon Trappers – Not The Answer

We are repeating and summarizing the message here to make our point. Trapping raccoons is just not the right long term answer for many consumers. Block the main entrance to your attic that they are using. If not, there is almost a 100% chance that the den in your attic will be reoccupied within a few weeks or months. Forget about raccoon trappers. Block the entrance with heavy gauge wire mesh so that they can never get back in again. Unfortunately, your neighbors may also have a problem. You may want to pass along the message to them as well.

Whenever raccoons find their way into a homeowner’s attic, most homeowners will grasp at just about any solution to get rid of these pesky animals. If a raccoon catcher comes to your doorstep and suggests that they’re going to catch the raccoon’s and remove them, you better ask for another solution. This just does not work. Many people spend a lot of money wastefully. Consequently only to have a problem recur several weeks later or months.

Raccoon Catcher – Why Raccoon Traps do not Work

The problem is that raccoon’s in the wild and in suburbia can smell a den that is not in use. There are many raccoon’s living in a square-mile even in suburban areas . They will reoccupy a den that has been left empty even if it is in your attic. So trapping a raccoon is about the worst thing that you can do from a purely practical perspective. In addition the trapper will release the raccoon within a mile of your home. As a result making it very possible that the next set of raccoon’s in your attic could be in fact the same ones that were trapped. They also charge a lot of money for this service. The raccoons or at least another family is just going to move in. Don’t waste your money on a Raccoon Catcher!

Why Poisoning Raccoon’s Does not Work

Poisoning raccoon’s just does not work either. You risk poisoning the raccoon and having them die in your attic. As a result creating a very bad smell and ruining your house. You also risk poisoning family pets and pets of your neighbors.  The adults might be able to leave, however the young babies could die of starvation. Which is not a very nice thing and you still have the smell. You then may have to hire someone to go in and remove the carcass and the insulation. However this is expensive and hazardous to your health due to potential disease. The solution just does not work either for all of the above reasons.

Installing a One Way Trap Door Works

By far the best approach to remove  raccoon’s from your attic is to install a one-way trapdoor over the entrance that they are using to get into your attic. A Raccoon Catcher may not want to discuss this approach. Find someone else if they are not interested in installing a one way trap door. In addition you should install heavy gauge wire mesh over all other possible entrances. They will be able to get out but not back in.

Before you install the one-way trapdoor make sure that their babies are old enough to travel on their own and can get out of the attic. If they have Young babies in your attic they will literally tear the roof apart to save their young. Although it is frustrating you may just have to wait until the babies are old enough to come out of the attic through the one-way trapdoor on their own.

Once they are out you then can remove the trapdoor and install the heavy gauge wire mesh over the opening and make all repairs that are necessary. Most installers will leave the one way trap door in place for a few weeks and then replace it with a heavy gauge wire mesh over the opening and repair any damage that may have been done.

This is the best solution to keep the raccoon’s, squirrels and birds out of your house. Not only will you get the current set of raccoon’s out of your house, you also keep all other animals forever getting into your home and that is a good thing. Remember that if you have the shingles on your roof replaced you will likely have to have the wire mesh removed and then re-installed.

Many people have tried raccoon traps to no avail. The writer even tried using a raccoon trap. We eventually gave up with the trap turning to a professional who had a much different solution. Before you spend $100 buying a raccoon trap read the rest of this post and then decide what you want to do. These raccoons are smart enough not to go inside the trap and trigger the door to close.

We had raccoons in the attic and tried to trap them. We manage to get two of the young raccoons into the traps and took them out into the country, but could never trap the adults. They were just too smart for us and we found it very frustrating. Somehow they were able to get the food we put inside the trap, but they would not go inside and they did not trigger the trap to close. This was a humane trap like the ones shown in the picture. We tried loud music, moth balls and of course trapping. None of these worked at all.

Raccoon Traps – Install a One Way Trap Door Instead

The solution is to install a one way trap door across the entrance to the den, so they can get out of the den, but they cannot get back in. This is very important. You do not want them to be able to get back into your attic, however you must make sure the babies are old enough to get out. Installing a one way trap door will keep this family of raccoons out and all of the other families living in the area out as well. They just seem to know when there is a den that is vacant. Trapping will  only deal with the current family and within months another family of raccoons will take their place. This is one of the most frustrating challenges to deal with around your home. You cannot control them and that is what is really frustrating!

Make sure the Young Pups are Old Enough to Travel

Adult raccoons will try to get back inside by tearing the roof apart if their babies are still inside, so make sure they can get out. Our last post talked about raccoon poison and why this also does not work. If  you are lucky enough to trap a raccoon, you are going to have one spitting clawing biting mad raccoon on your hands so be very careful. Just remember that other raccoons will be along soon to claim the vacant den. Installing a one way trap door is the only way to deal with them.

Also if you do catch a raccoon in a raccoon trap, some cities and municipalities have bylaws that make it illegal to release them more than a half mile from were they were trapped. Rest assured they are just going to come back to your home the next night! This law may seem ridiculous, at least to us it does, but we are not going to try and break the law or suggest that you do. It is just a whole lot easier to install that one trap door, wait for them to leave and replace the trap door with a permanent wire mesh so they can never get back in again.

Block Squirrels and Birds

Don’t forget to also place a wire mesh over any other locations that might be possible for the raccoons or squirrels to gain access to your attic. Birds also like to make a nest in locations that are protected from the weather and a bit warmer. They have even been know to make a nest around chimneys or in chimneys. A wire mesh over all potential locations will keep the birds and squirrels out as well. When you do the job , do it right the first time and block all animals from access to your attic.

We welcome comments and helpful stories about dealing with raccoons. Remember that raccoon traps really do not work well at all.

This topic probably brings shivers to all of the animal rights activists. As soon as you hear the word trap, you probably think of a poor animal struggling in a less than humane trap trying to get away from very sudden threatening situation.  Let me reassure you, this post is about the proper way to get rid of raccoons that may have found their way into your home in your attic. There are humane traps that you can use for raccoon trapping.

We have shown a picture of one on the left.  They do work on young raccoons who do not have a lot of experience around humans. However, the older adults know how to deal with these traps. They manage to steal the food out of the trap without setting it off. So our message to anyone reading this post is don’t waste your time with various raccoon trapping endeavors.

One Way Trap doors

There is actually another reason to not bother using traps for raccoons. Once raccoons have established a den, whether it is in your homes attic or elsewhere other raccoons can smell a den. They can also tell if it is occupied or not as well. So if you trap the raccoons and remove them to another location which is also illegal in some locales, another family of raccoons is just going to move right in.  The best way to avoid trapping raccoons is to install a one-way trap door at the entrance to the den so they can get out and not back in. Just make sure that the babies are old enough to travel, otherwise, the adults may do a lot of damage trying to rescue their young.

Does Raccoon Trapping Work

In other words, will the adults go in the trap? In my experience, the adults will avoid the trap altogether. They have had experience with traps and know that they are dangerous.  I have tried baiting the traps with meat, with peanut butter, with cheese and even jam which they like! As you can see from the picture above, the wire mesh of the trap is reasonably tight. In other words, it looks like they would have trouble getting through the mesh to get at the food without going inside the trap.

Somehow when I used a humane raccoon trap like this and baited it with one of the above treats, they somehow reach through the mesh with their paws and got most of the bait! Amazing dexterity and agility, as well as the smarts to stay out of the trap. We did manage to catch two of the young raccoons, but the adults were too smart for us and even if we did, we found out later that it would have been a waste of time. Another family of raccoons in the area would have just moved in.

One Way Trap Door

Instead of focusing on raccoon trapping, we ended up hiring a company to block all potential entries from any animal to any spot on our roof. As well as a one-way trap door at the main entrance. They were gone within a few days since once they exited the den in our attic, they could not get back in. Raccoons are nocturnal so they go out at night to hunt for food and water. They might have received a surprise when they could not get back into their home that first night even.

Before you feel sorry for the raccoons, know that they just found another unsuspecting home to move into. They are smart and they know were to look for dens in nice warm attics and I am sure they found another that night.

If you are planning on trapping raccoons to get rid of them don’t bother wasting your time. they will just come back or another family is going to move in. We have other posts that provide more detail about installing one-way trap doors, so if you have this problem you may want to read one of these. Readers who want to contribute a comment about their experience with raccoons and in particular trapping raccoons are welcome to leave a comment. We will even approve a link for good comments

There are all sorts of raccoon traps available in hardware stores as well as those advertised on the Internet. Generally speaking, there are good quality raccoon trap and they can be used to trap raccoons as well as other animals such as squirrels, rabbits, groundhogs, and other animals that may be causing problems for you around your home and even in your attic which is the problem we had. Note, you really do not want to catch a skunk in your trap for obvious reasons!

Essentially a family of raccoons set up home in our attic and raised two young babies and generally made a mess before we could get them out. Along the way, we learned a few things about raccoon traps and getting rid of raccoons which we would like to share with you and hopefully help other people deal with this problem.

Raccoon Trap

The trap above is an excellent humane trap that would work well for many animals, however, for raccoons, they simply will not work. Suburban raccoons just have too much experience dealing with humans, and they will not enter these traps. Sure you might get one or two to enter, but not all of them! They are just too smart no matter what food you put in the trap. The young ones will fall for it but not the parents! They have seen them all before and know what happens when they go inside a trap like this.

Raccoon Trap Does Not Work

For starters, do not try to trap the raccoons while their young are in your attic unless you also plan to go in the attic and remove the young raccoons as well. The parents will always come back to the den and if you have blocked the entrance, they will literally take your roof apart trying to get back into the den to return to their young babies.

Raccoons also have 4 or 5 dens in a neighborhood and there are at least 20 families per square mile, so if you remove one group another group is going to make their home in this den.  You must take steps to get the raccoons out, effectively block the entrance with strong wire mesh and spray the inside of your attic with a chemical that gets rid of the odor of raccoons. Only then do you have a chance of not having repeated raccoon problems?

Our Trapping Experience

We tried trapping them and were successful at trapping and removing the young raccoons once they were old enough to travel.  They simply were not smart enough to stay out of the trap. We used a humane animal trap and placed the raccoons in a forest area. The adults are another matter. Being far more experienced at this, the adults refused to enter the trap and would try to get at the bait through the wire mesh of the cage.

They would not enter the trap at all, although there was lots of evidence of them trying to get at the food. So the trap really was a waste of money.

One Way Trap Doors

Instead of using a raccoon trap, what we had to do was install a one-way door over the entrance, and leave this in place so we could be sure that the adult raccoons had left, before permanently sealing the entrance with a heavy gauge wire mesh that is screw nailed into the roof and the brick. Make sure that you place silicone sealant over the nails to avoid future leaks.

Effectively this is a far better approach to getting rid of raccoons vs. placing a raccoon trap to catch them. Additionally, this approach avoids dealing with a snarling enraged raccoon. Who is trying to get out of the raccoon trap if you are lucky enough to catch them as well as other animals that might venture into the raccoon trap such as skunks?

Once they are gone and you have sealed the entrance as previously mentioned, not other raccoons are going to get in. We have seen tracks in the snow on our roof were they have come back to test it only to find their way blocked. We do not know if they are the same raccoons or a new family, but they did not get into our home again.