Raccoons cause significant damage and pose serious safety concerns when they invade homes and businesses. Raccoons can also carry bacteria and diseases like rabies.
They dig through trash, overturn gardens, and generally create general mayhem. Here’s how to get rid of them safely and humanely. A licensed Raccoon Removal Texas pest control professional will inspect your property and install exclusion barriers.
Preventative Measures
Raccoons can be quite a nuisance. They’ll rummage through your garbage, raid your garden, knock over birdhouses, and destroy lawn furniture. Not only that, but they can also pose a health risk. Raccoons can be carriers of rabies and raccoon roundworms, which are both harmful to humans.
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to prevent the invasion of raccoons into your property. First, you’ll need to eliminate potential food sources. This means storing trash cans and compost bins inside a shed or garage. If you have a vegetable garden, consider fencing it in. You can also use repellent sprays that will keep raccoons away from your yard.
Another important preventative measure is to keep pets and children from interacting with raccoons. They can carry a variety of diseases, including salmonella and leptospirosis. It’s also important to remove places where raccoons can nest. Females looking for a place to raise their young will rip off facia boarding, vents, and more in search of a secure spot. Lastly, it’s important to be aware that raccoon feces can cause roundworm infections in humans and pets.
Since raccoons are excellent climbers, it’s important to eliminate any possible entry points. This includes trimming the branches of trees, bushes, and shrubs around your home to reduce the number of “bridges” that can be used by raccoons. It’s also a good idea to install a chimney cap and roof vent covers. These can help prevent raccoons from entering your house and damaging the roof.
A professional wildlife control service can help you prevent raccoons from getting into your home or damaging your property. These companies have the equipment and knowledge to safely and humanely get rid of raccoons without harming them. Additionally, they are familiar with the laws and regulations governing animal removal, preventing legal complications.
In addition to raccoon removal, a reputable company will also provide preventative services that will deter them from coming back. This will include a thorough inspection of your home to identify potential entrances and entry points. They will then take the necessary measures to seal those entry points, ensuring that raccoons can’t enter your home in the future.
Trapping
Raccoons are very dexterous and intelligent animals that use their hands to open containers, steal food from pet dishes, and break into houses. This is why they are considered nuisance wildlife in many areas. They can cause serious property damage and spread diseases to humans and pets. Raccoons are known carriers of rabies, roundworm, salmonella, leptospirosis, and distemper, among other pathogens. This makes it important to take steps to prevent their presence in urban and suburban areas.
One of the best ways to get rid of raccoons is to trap them. However, trapping can be risky if you aren’t experienced. In addition, some states require a permit to catch wild animals like raccoons. In this article, we will discuss some tips and tricks for a safe and humane trapping experience.
To begin, choose the right type of trap. There are several options available, including a “pinch” trap that uses a small spring to pinch the animal’s paw when it is sprung. This type of trap is not recommended for outdoor use, as it may injure or kill the animal without releasing it from the trap. A more humane option is a body grip trap, which consists of two large springs that snap down on the animal when sprung. This trap is often used by fur trappers, but can also be effective for wildlife trapping.
Once you have chosen a trap, bait it with high-protein foods that raccoons love. Crisp bacon, fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, chicken parts and entrails, corn, and sardines are all good choices. Then, place the trap in an area where raccoons are causing trouble. Common trapping locations include wooded areas, attics and crawl spaces, and near broken chimneys. Make sure to check the trap regularly. Raccoons are nocturnal, and if you don’t check the trap until morning, the animal might die of starvation or stress.
Once you’ve caught a raccoon, be careful handling it. If you handle the animal too roughly, it could bite or scratch you. Additionally, if the animal has rabies, you should not release it back on your property. Instead, you should relocate it at least ten miles away from your house.
Exclusion
Raccoons are an important part of nature, but they also create problems when they overcrowd residential and commercial properties. Their droppings contaminate insulation and woodwork, leaving unpleasant odors. They also carry pathogens like salmonella, E coli, leptospirosis, and canine distemper that spread to people or pets through feces or bites.
Attempting to handle the situation on your own can cause health and safety issues for you, your family, and your pets. You should also consider hiring a professional service that follows state and local regulations to avoid any legal complications. These professionals have the knowledge and skills to humanely remove wildlife without causing additional harm or stress.
A reputable wildlife removal company starts by conducting a thorough inspection. This helps them identify potential entry points and determine where the raccoons are hiding, such as their den location or if they have babies. They can then set live traps to capture them and humanely relocate them to a natural area.
The next step is to close off entry points to prevent raccoons from returning. Depending on your home construction, this may include repairing gaps and sealing vents. It may also involve cleaning up gardens and securing garbage cans. You can also try using scent-based deterrents, such as predator urine or ammonia-soaked rags.
If you discover animal droppings in your yard, it is a good idea to contact a raccoon control specialist right away. The experts can find the source of the problem and prevent raccoons from entering your house and damaging your property.
Raccoons often enter homes through pet doors in search of food. To prevent this, you can use a magnetic pet door that only responds to the collar of your dog or cat. You can also put a board with nails sticking up on the front of your porch or stable chicken wire over it to stop raccoons from accessing your home.
Another way to prevent raccoons from coming into your house is to block their entry points with caulking. This will keep them from climbing through the gaps. It is a quick and effective solution that will help you save money in the long run.
Sealing
Raccoons are more than capable of causing hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars in damage to your home and yard. The best way to deal with this issue is by preventing it from happening in the first place, or by catching and relocating them before they cause any significant problems. This can be done by using a combination of techniques, including repellents, traps, and exclusion. Wildlife technicians know which methods to use and how to use them to reduce the risk of property damage, saving homeowners time and money in the process.
A comprehensive raccoon control program should start with a thorough inspection of the property. A professional technician will check for entry points, such as open chimney spaces and under-deck spaces. They will also look for the raccoon’s den and any babies that may be present to make an informed plan for removal and preventive measures. This is an essential step in the process, as it allows the wildlife technician to create a tailored solution that will reduce or eliminate your raccoon problem once and for all.
To discourage raccoons from accessing your property, you can reduce the “bridges” they are using to get onto your roof. This can be done by reducing the height of overhanging trees or by removing brush and vines that are climbing up the side of your house or garage. You can also remove food sources that are attracting them by locking trash cans, keeping pet food and compost bins tightly closed, and cleaning up fallen fruits and bird feed on your property. Encourage neighbors to follow these steps as well, as a community approach will help to deter wildlife from the entire area.
If you are dealing with a raccoon infestation inside your home, a wildlife technician will use live traps to capture and safely relocate the animals. In some cases, a one-way door may be used to ensure the safety of any babies. If a baby is trapped, the wildlife technician will manually remove the baby and place it in an insulated box. They will then be relocated to a new den.