How to Keep Raccoons Out of Your Yard and Home

Raccoons look cute with their tiny paws and black-masked faces but in reality, these critters can cause a whole host of problems on your property.

Check out some quick facts about raccoons and four tips for keeping them off of your property.

Quick Raccoon Facts

The first step to beating any type of wildlife infestation is to educate yourself on the problem critter. Let’s take a look at a few important things you should know about raccoons.

Appearance:

This round and fuzzy mammal can grow up to 37 inches long and weigh up to 23 pounds. They have a bushy tail and coloring on their face that mimics the appearance of a mask.

Habitat:

Raccoons are native to several countries, including North America. They can be found in trees and caves, and they often make themselves at home in attics, crawl spaces, barns, and other man-made structures that offer food and shelter.

Diet:

These critters are omnivores. That means they eat plants and meat. Some of their favorite sources of food include fruits, vegetables, and animals like frogs, rodents, and crayfish. They will eat trash and roadkill in a pinch.

Reproduction and lifespan:

Babies are usually born in the spring and become completely independent within eight to 12 months. In the wild, raccoons have a relatively short life of two to three years.

4 Raccoon Removal Tips

Now that you have familiarized yourself with these masked bandits, let’s take a look at five tips for keeping them off of your property.

Identify the Scope of the Problem

In order to devise a plan for keeping raccoons off of your property, you must first determine the size and scope of your raccoon problem. How can you do this if you aren’t a professional raccoon removal technician? It’s easy — all you have to do is pay attention to the clues these little guys are leaving behind. If there are numerous tracks and droppings along with evidence of their feedings, such as tipped over trash cans and food strewn about your property, then you likely have quite the problem on your hands.

Remove Food and Water

Once you’ve determined the extent of your raccoon problem, you can get to work on taking steps to make your property less inviting for them. Removing any sources of food and water is an excellent place to start. Make sure that your trash can lids are secure and that any pet food is stored in containers with tight-fitting lids. You also want to make sure that you don’t have fruit and nuts laying around your yard from trees, and it is important to clean up stray birdseed around your feeders. Whatever you do, do not intentionally leave food out for local humane animal removal the coons.

Reduce Potential Nesting Sites

If they can’t find food, water, and a place to nest on your property, raccoons will be less likely to return in the future. You can reduce potential nesting sites by removing piles of wood and overgrown tree branches from your property. Raccoons often use these items as natural roadways to your attic. Additionally, sealing off access points can go a long way at reducing potential nesting spots. Seal off your chimney and any gaps around your soffits to keep raccoons out of your attic and seal up gaps around the foundation of your home.

Call for Professional Raccoon Removal

When all else fails, it is always appropriate to call in a professional raccoon removal team. Wildlife removal technicians, have the knowledge, skill, and experience necessary to implement effective methods to keep raccoons off of your property. From humane trapping and eviction to exclusion, restoration and cleanup, a professional can do all of the dirty work for you. Not only does this take a weight off your shoulders, but it ensures that there are no animals harmed unnecessarily during the process.