Suburban Raccoons

We decided to do a post about raccoons in urban areas and try to cover as many topics as we can in one post. Instead of searching through various posts, readers can browse this longer post to cover all of the topics. The focus is on removal of raccoons. We have listed the index below and will write about each of these areas to give you more detail about how to deal with raccoons in your attic and home based on real experience that we have had with our own home. This is a rather long article, however it covers a great deal of detail that you really should read if you are having raccoon problems and want to learn more about removal of raccoons.

Our Experience with Raccoons in the Attic

• A Funny Story About Raccoons in our Attic
• Raccoons in attic
• Trapping Raccoons
• Raccoon Bait
• Removing Raccoons from home
  • Raccoon deterrents
  • What to do With Raccoons When You Catch one
  • Bylaws & Raccoons
  • How to Get Rid of Raccoons
  • Install a Raccoon Baffle
  • Removing Raccoons Safely
  • Dealing with Baby Raccoons in your Attic
• Health Risks
  • Raccoons Scat in the attic
  • Safety concerns with raccoons
  • Raccoon Droppings and Health Risks
  • Is Breathing in Air with Raccoon Feces bad
  • Rabies and Raccoons
• Insurance
  • Damage Caused by Raccoons
  • Raccoon Roof Damage
  • Insurance Coverage for Damage from Raccoons
  • Is Damage from Raccoons Covered by Insurance
• What do raccoons eat?
  • Raccoons digging up Lawn
  • Wild Raccoons
• Raccoon deterrent
• Raccoon repellant
• Intelligence of Raccoons
• Raccoon extermination
• Poisoning a Raccoon

Our Story About Removal of Raccoons

Our Experience with Raccoons in the Attic – We have always had raccoons in our neighborhood and have lived here for over 20 years, but never were they in the attic or in anyone else’s attic that we know of. One winter we could hear noises in the attic over our living room and after some investigation, we could see two adults and two young baby raccoons. We tried a lot of different things to get rid of them and finally settled on using a professional wildlife removal company. But before we get into that there is one funny story that we want to quickly tell.

A Funny Story About Raccoons in our Attic

One night I am standing on the front step when a baby raccoon came around the corner of our garage across the driveway. We both see each other at the same time and we both are surprised, to say the least. I am standing in his way of getting back into the den which is in the attic of our home. He stands on his hind legs and hissed at me and then advances! I only have my shorts on, no shoes, and the front door for some reason is jammed and I cannot open it. What do you do in a situation like that?

Well, I turned around and raised my arms and hissed back at him. He was shocked, to say the least, and turned around and ran back around the garage. I pounded on the front door to get my wife’s attention to open the door! Everyone has made fun of me each time I tell that story!

Raccoons in Attic – This is actually a serious subject. Raccoons can do a lot of damage to your home and they carry various infections that can harm humans as well. These particular raccoons climbed up the brick of our home, onto the roof, and then pushed the soffits back to get into the attic. They then set up a house, had their babies, and made this their headquarters for a few months while they raised their young. Fortunately for us, they did not do a lot of damage, however, we had a very difficult time getting rid of them until we found the right solution.

Removal of Raccoons – Trapping Raccoons

Initially, we tried loud music, then moth balls, and several other solutions that did not work. We then purchased a wild animal trap for $100, which was a humane trap so that we could remove the raccoons and let them loose in a remote area. These raccoons were very smart. Each night I would place some bait inside the trap and each night the bait would be gone, with the trap still set. Eventually, we did catch the two youngsters, but the adults were just too smart to go into the trap. We took the two youngsters into the country and let them go.

Raccoon Bait – You can use a variety of bait in the trap. Most will work in terms of attracting them but they were just too smart to actually enter the trap. We used jam, peanut butter, meat, and honey. It was all good, they like to eat it all, but would not go inside the trap. They would reach inside the trap through the wire mesh which was just large enough for them to stick their paws inside and reach the food.

Removal of Raccoons from Home –

Before we talk about how we actually got rid of these raccoons we wanted to cover a few other quick topics to save you time and money.

Raccoon Deterrents – Deterrents such as loud music and noise do not scare them at all. They are used to humans and other than staying away from us are not bothered by loud noises, mothballs, etc. Don’t waste your time or money on some of the things that are advertised online. They just do not work.

What to do With Raccoons When You Catch One

If you are lucky enough to catch one, there is no use letting the raccoon loose anywhere near your home. They will just return to your home where their den is and move right back in. We dropped two young raccoons out in the country which is actually against the law in many cities and towns. If you plan to do this yourself, check the bylaws first and make sure that you take them far enough away to avoid these particular raccoons returning. Note that other raccoons living in your neighborhood will just move into the now vacant den in your attic after a few weeks. So this is really not a good solution.

Bylaws & Raccoons – Some towns and cities actually have bylaws that prohibit removing raccoons more than 2 or 3 blocks from where they were caught. This sounds crazy, but it really does not matter. There are so many raccoons living in suburbia that others will just move into the vacated den, that you might as well not bother trapping these raccoons at all. The bylaws are also written in most cases to make it illegal to poison them too. After all, do you really want a dead raccoon smelling up your attic! Or killing a family pet by accident?

How to Get Rid of Raccoons – The best way by far to get rid of raccoons is to install a heavy gauge wire mesh over the entrance to the den. Screw nail the wire mesh into the roof to hold it in place. Place a bead of silicone caulking around the screw nail to prevent any water leakage around the screw nail.

Install a Raccoon Baffle

If the raccoons are still in the attic, you will need a one-way trap door installed across the entrance to your attic where the raccoons go in and out. This way they can get out of your attic, but not back into the den. Make sure that you read the section on dealing with young baby raccoons before you attempt this.

Removing Raccoons Safely – Using the one-way trap door is by far the best approach. Not only do you make sure that the raccoons are removed, but they also will not stink of your attic. The other major advantage is that no other raccoons can enter the attic. This is a permanent solution to keep all of the raccoons in the area out of your home. Once you are sure they are out of the attic, replace the one-way trap door with a permanent wire mesh over this entrance and any other potential area that they might be able to use. This approach also works to keep birds and squirrels out of your attic as well.

Dealing with Baby Raccoons in your Attic

Baby raccoons present a specific problem. If you install the one-way trap door across the entrance before the young raccoons are old enough to leave the den, they will be trapped inside and the adults outside. Raccoons are very family-oriented and will do just about anything to rescue their babies. They will tear your roof apart. The only solution is to wait until you are sure they are old enough to travel and then install the one-way door so they can get out but not back in.

Health Risks – Raccoons living in your attic will present a number of health risks. The longer they live in your attic, the more damage and raccoon scat or poop is left inside your attic.

Raccoons Scat the in Attic – Not only is it messy, it is also dangerous to your health. More on this topic later. Basically, consumers will need a specialized team of people to go into the attic, remove all of the insulation and raccoon scat, and then install new insulation. They must dispose of the old insulation etc following proper environmental processes.

Safety Concerns with Raccoons

Raccoons will fight back if cornered and they will defend their young. They have sharp claws and sharp teeth. Avoid cornering a raccoon and if you have one in a trap be very careful. A large adult raccoon can be very dangerous unless handled properly.

Raccoon Droppings and Health Risks – raccoon droppings in an attic, dry up, and pulverize in a hot attic. When someone goes into an attic, these particles are disturbed and will float in the air. If you are not wearing a mask and wearing protective clothing you will breathe these particles into your lungs and get them on your skin and clothes. Next thing you know they are inside the living area of your home which is a very dirty messy thing to deal with.

Is Breathing in Air with Raccoon Feces Bad – There are microbes in the feces of raccoons that can live through dry periods and in attics. If you breathe air in a place where there are dried raccoon feces, chances are you will breathe these microbes into your lungs and develop lung diseases as well as liver and even brain diseases. This can lead to death in humans if not treated. So, yes it is very bad to breathe in the air where there are raccoon feces. Take all of the precautions necessary, such as air masks and protective clothing if you are going into the attic.

Rabies and Raccoons

Raccoons also contract rabies from time to time. Keep your distance if you see a raccoon during the day or acting in an aggressive manner. They could have rabies. Keep your pets and children at a safe distance.

Insurance – We were very upset to learn that we had raccoons in our attic and even more upset to learn that our home insurance does not cover the removal of the raccoons or the damage from the raccoons. Check your insurance policy, they are all different and yours may or may not provide coverage.

Damage Caused by Raccoons – Our damage was limited to repairing the soffit, installing the one-way trap door, and cleanup the insulation. We hired a company to do the job and had to pay for it ourselves. But the damage can be much more significant.

Raccoon Roof Damage – We have seen pictures of roofs torn apart, siding ripped off homes all in an effort by the raccoon to try and get back into the den where their babies are. If this was not bad enough, the rain can then enter through this damaged area of your roof causing even more water damage. Make sure they are all out before you install a one-way trap door or a permanent solution.

 

Insurance Coverage for Damage from Raccoons

We are not covered by our insurance company and we are not sure if other companies provide this kind of coverage. Check yours out before you take any action at all.

Is Damage from Raccoons Covered by Insurance – even the roof damage was not covered by our insurance company. In some cases, they will cover the damage but not the original cause. This did not apply to our particular insurance company.

What do raccoons eat? – Urban raccoons are very versatile and will eat just about anything. They roam the woods looking for birds, frogs, fruit, etc and if they are in an urban area, garbage night presents a feast for them. We no longer put our garbage out the night before, since the raccoons in the area will tear the bags apart or tip the cans over to get at scraps of food that is placed in the garbage. They tend to do very well in our neighborhood.

Raccoons Digging up Lawn – You can quickly tell if you have grubs in your lawn when you see the lawn dug up and the grass scattered around. Raccoons and skunks consider these large white grubs which eat the roots of your grass a delicacy. Removing grubs as a source of food will preserve your lawn and deter raccoons from invading your space.

Removal of Raccoons –Wild Raccoons

are very cautious around humans and you probably will seldom see them. Urban raccoons on the other hand are used to living near humans and will not run from humans unless threatened in some manner. Be careful around any raccoon you see, they can be quite dangerous.

Raccoon Deterrent – There are lots of raccoon deterrents, some useful and practical, and many that are not. For example, the best advice is to remove all potential sources of food so that they are not attracted to your home or neighborhood. Make sure your garbage is locked tight and avoid leaving foods out overnight. Block all potential entrances with heavy gauge chicken wire and keeping a dog will also help to keep most animals away.

Raccoon Repellant – repellants such as loud noises, mothballs, blood meal, and other things such as various kinds of animal urine just do not work. Don’t waste your time or money on these things.

Raccoon Intelligence

These animals are very smart and especially those that have been raised in urban areas. They are used to humans and their ways. These raccoons also have mastered many obstacles that we have put in their way. They have a lot of dexterity in their front paws and can manipulate various locks etc to get where they want to go.

Raccoon Extermination – exterminating raccoons that have invaded your space works for awhile. But then new families just move in and you have to go through all of the efforts again. Also, what do you do with the carcass, since many municipalities do not want them disposed of in the garbage? Decomposing animals smell pretty bad.

Poisoning a Raccoon – poison at the risk of endangering pets and other animals in the area. If one dies inside your attic, you have to get it out. Believe me, that is not a pleasant task in addition to the possible harmful health issues. Besides, new raccoon families will just come along and move in. Select the correct long term solution so that they are kept out of your home forever. Use a one-way trap door to get them out and keep them out.

Installation of raccoon baffles and wire gauge covering any potential openings should be included in your annual maintenance tasks for your home. For more information on home maintenance tasks, click here.

Save

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.