How to Get Raccoons Off Your Property
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How To Get Rid Of Raccoons Easily
Protect Your Garden from Pests – Discover Effective Solutions and Tools!
Raccoons can be a nuisance in homes, outhouses, and gardens. These omnivores eat fruits, crayfish, insects, frogs, bird eggs, grains, berries, nuts, and other plants and animals. They become a problem when they destroy plaster and electrical wiring, rip shingles and insulation, loosen boards, dig up grass and rockeries, devour crops, or cause other damage while foraging and burrowing.
These mostly nocturnal animals are two to three feet long and weigh ten to thirty pounds. They are easily recognizable by the black "masks" on their faces, curly tails, small, rounded ears, and gray to gray to black or brown fur.
They like to wash their food with their front paws, which look like little human hands. Signs of raccoons include footprints on the ground, piles of nesting material, droppings (droppings), claw marks on porches, trees, and woodpiles, and unusual noises such as grunting, squealing, hissing, or chattering. You can hear them in your attic, crawl space, or other areas. When they hang around trash cans, they often leave the trash lying around.
Three Ways to Get Rid of Raccoons
Because they are furry animals, raccoons are protected in many states and you must have a license to catch or hunt them. Contact your state Department of Natural Resources and check local regulations for more information.
However, capture is not recommended because raccoons can transmit rabies. (Not all raccoons are carriers of rabies, but they are wild animals that carry other diseases as well, as well as viruses, bacterial infections, and parasites such as roundworms and fleas.)
While other nuisance pests can be caught and released elsewhere, raccoons shouldn't. In some states, you must have a permit to arrest them, and in most states, it is illegal to move raccoons past your property.
It would probably be an ineffective method of removal anyway, as adult male raccoons can establish a territory of up to 20 square miles, and even if you took them 10 miles away, they would likely find their way back.
Additionally, relocated raccoons often die outside of their homes range from starvation, predation, and other factors. If a raccoon makes unusual sounds or seems aggressive or lethargic, put it aside and call a wildlife removal service. You can be angry.
If using a trap, use only a human trap designed for live animals and check the raccoon frequently. Stuck animals become stressed and can be injured or killed trying to get out.
There are other effective ways to control raccoons like these.
Exclude them
Exclusion is considered the best way to get rid of raccoons. That means keeping them out of the places you don't want them to be.
In houses, sheds, and other outbuildings, close any holes, screens, windows, or other entrances you might use. Secure loose boards, siding, tile, and vents. Repair cracks in the foundation or openings in the eaves. Install a wire mesh veneer fireplace. Raccoons often enter chimneys to have their babies. Limit access to your roof, where raccoons can get in, by trimming tree limbs at least three feet apart.
Seal open spaces under porches and decks so raccoons cannot hide or nest there.
Warning
Make sure there are no raccoons before sealing any openings. You don't want to catch a raccoon inside!
Enclose your garden or individual plants you want to protect with a mesh screen. Set the fence deep enough in the ground so these furry thugs can't dig. Raccoons will dig or extract edible and ornamental plants to find fruits, vegetables, seeds, larvae, insects, or underground crops like carrots.
They are good climbers, so for best results, hot-joint on a single strand of wire at the top and bottom of the fence. The voltage must be high enough to stop them, not high enough to damage or kill them.
If you have a small fish tank, use a preventative fence like a fence. The raccoons will eat the fish and plants in your lake.
Add fallen fruits or vegetables and discard.
Scare Them Away
Although raccoons adapt quickly and easily to new experiences and environments, some mechanical methods can keep them out of your home and garden, at least temporarily.
Consider motion-activated sensors that flicker, make noise, or spray water. Scarecrows, windmills, and aluminum trays tied to fishing lines may scare you for a while, but raccoons will often figure out how to get around the huge impediments.
Deter Raccoons Naturally
Some people say that home remedies that use natural or organic ingredients will either ward off raccoons or drive them away. You may want to try them, although some are folkloric methods, and success is not guaranteed.
Spread cat or dog fur or human hair around your yard. The smell is said to keep raccoons away. Raccoons can also be deterred by dog and cat urine. To drive them away with the sound, put on heavy metal music or a full talk radio channel.
Mix the ground garlic cloves with the chili powder and spread out on the patio or garden. Scattered blood meal or wood ash is said to work too. You can also dip the peppers in water or mix a bottle of hot sauce with water and sprinkle the mixture on the areas you want to protect.
Dip cotton balls or rags in ammonia and place them around your attic or crawl space. Make sure humans and animals cannot reach them or smell dangerous ammonia fumes.
Contact a licensed pest or wildlife control professional for further assistance.
What Attracts Raccoons to Homes and Gardens?
Raccoons are intelligent and inquisitive animals that seek convenient sources of food, water, and shelter. They will nest in abandoned barns or buildings, or in hot, dry attics and tight spaces, and feast on easily accessible fruits and vegetables.
Pet food left outdoors is attractive too, so put food bowls away after your pets eat or feed them indoors.
How to Prevent Raccoons
You can buy animal repellants with strong odors that raccoons don't like, but usually need to be reapplied after it rains and passes quickly. Currently, there are no chemicals registered to control raccoons. Toxic baits are not recommended due to the danger to humans and animals.
Instead, use tight-fitting lids on trash cans; Straps with elastic laces; or load them with heavy objects. You can also keep the cans in a locked shed or another outhouse until you can get rid of the trash. Also, protect compost bins.
Remove water sources so raccoons don't visit to drink and wash food. Remove or block bird feeders and seed containers. If you use them as a feeder, keep the soil underneath free of spilled seeds.
Remove piles of sticks, leaves, and other debris that raccoons can use as a grave.
FAQs
Where Do Raccoons Come From?
Raccoons can adapt to living almost anywhere. They like to be near water and hardwood trees, so they tend to inhabit areas around rivers, lakes, and swamps.
When it's time to give birth to their chicks or take shelter during cold weather, they nest in bushes, hollow trees, barns, crawl spaces, attics, or burrows. Mainly active at night, they will go out during the day to look for food.
Do Raccoons Bite?
Yes, raccoons do bite. Raccoons are aggressive, although a normal, healthy raccoon (one that doesn't have rabies, for example) may first growl or puff up its fur to try to scare a person or other animal. A raccoon that feels threatened or unable to escape may bite or scratch.
Do Raccoons Carry Diseases?
Yes. Raccoons can carry viruses such as rabies or distemper, as well as bacterial infections such as E. Coli, Salmonella, and parasites. Any human or animal bitten or scratched by a raccoon should receive immediate professional medical attention. Anger, for example, can be transmitted through saliva in a raccoon's mouth or on its claws.
Raccoons can also carry fleas, lice, and ticks that can carry serious diseases. People and animals can get sick from handling or feeding raccoons or even cleaning up their droppings. Always wear gloves when handling raccoon droppings and dispose of them in a doggy bag just like you would a dog. Then wash your hands well to be safe.
How Long do Raccoons Live?
Raccoons typically live five to twenty years in the wild. Females can have a litter, with one to seven babies, called kits, in April or May. Raccoons seek warm and safe places to raise their young, which makes houses and outbuildings attractive.
Will Raccoons Go Away on Their Own?
Raccoons that find their way into your yard or garden will likely stay nearby unless they die or find another easily accessible food source. The best way to get rid of these opportunistic animals is to eliminate this food source or make it inaccessible through one or more of the prevention methods.
Also, don't hesitate to call a professional wildlife removal service. They can work with you to eliminate the troublemaker and help prevent him from returning.
Enjoy This Video Tutorial About How To Get Rid Of Raccoons Easily With 5 Useful Tips
Source: Helpful DIY
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Last update on 2025-04-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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