Suburban Raccoons

A Raccoon baffle or a one-way trap door is one of the best ways to get rid of raccoons that have set up home in your attic. The only caution is that if you plan to install a Raccoon Baffle, make sure that the pups or raccoon babies are old enough to leave the den on their own steam and follow their parents. If they cannot get out by themselves, the parents will try to rescue them and they could do a lot of damage to your roof or your home in the process. We have other pictures on this blog showing some of the damage that can be done by these pesky resourceful animals.

A Raccoon Baffle basically is a one-way trap door that allows the raccoons to leave the den but not get back in. If they have young babies in the den, they have been known to practically tear the roof apart to get back in.

Raccoons typically have young in the spring in Northern climates, although they have been known to have multiple sets of pups over a year. In some of the southern states, raccoons will have several sets of pups every year. If you live in the south, this is something you need to be aware of to avoid further damage to your home.

Damage by Raccoons

They can cause a lot of damage. Not only from the raccoons damaging the roof, but also leave a large hole for rain and snow to enter your attic. Mother Raccoons are very protective of their young. If she has babies you may as well wait until they are old enough to travel on their own. Otherwise, you risk the wrath of the mother raccoon.

Once you are sure they are old enough, arrange to install a one-way trap door or raccoon baffle. They need to be able to get out, but not back in. Make sure you cover all other potential entrances with strong chicken wire to prevent new entrances from being created. This is the humane way to deal with the raccoons. However, there is actually another reason that this is the most reasonable approach.

Multiple Dens

Raccoons have 4 or 5 dens in a neighborhood. In addition, there are anywhere from 20 to 100 raccoon families per square mile. That means you and your neighbors will have to deal with them for some time.

Almost 80% of the homes in our area have had problems with raccoons getting into their homes. They can smell a den. They know whether it is used or not and move in before you know what happened. So blocking the entrance is the best approach to avoid dealing with these problems over the long-term.

Install a Raccoon Baffle

Block the Entrances with Heavy Mesh Wire

Once they are gone, use strong heavy gauge wire mesh and cover all possible entrances. Screw nail all of the wire mesh down. Use exterior silicone over the nails to make sure that your roof does not leak. Remove the raccoon baffle and place the permanent wire mesh in its place. Take care to properly seal any holes you need to put into your roof to avoid water leakage.

Even if there are areas where they have not entered, cover these with wire mesh as well. Next, you will have to deal with any damage they have caused inside. Arrange for these repairs caused by the raccoons to be completed.

Cleaning and Repairs

If you are thinking of entering attic space to remove the raccoons or to clean up the mess, be very careful. Breathing the feces can cause organ damage and death. In the dry air of your attic, these feces break down and turn into dust particles. When they are disturbed they will float in the air for you to breathe.

Hire professionals to clean up the attic if they have been there for some time. You may have to replace the insulation and the air vents over the soffits if there is a lot of damage. For more information on raccoon baffles or repair for raccoons and other associated topics visit our site map.

For more details about dealing with raccoons and raccoon baffles or one-way trap doors, click here.

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