Do you like to see how cute raccoons are? Well maybe you are not the only one. These cute creatures are identical with the ring-tailed and long fingers. Their face look like wearing bandit mask. Well it’s not exaggerate to call them bandit. Why? Because they are very smart! They always find a way to sneak and looking for foods and shelter, including to your property!
Actually they can be found in forest, marshes, or prairies. Or they lived in old hollow trees. But now, they are so well-adapted to city life! These adaptable creatures like to move into home, yard, attic, chimney, or old buildings. And this is the beginning of conflict with human neighbors! It will be a problem if raccoons use human resources to meet their needs.
Urban areas have plenty of things that attract coons. That’s why we have summarized for you 20 great tips to remove raccoons from your property. The list contains easy ways to remove raccoons, from what you can do easily at your home and most importantly, without harming both of you and the rascals. But before talking about 20 great tips to remove raccoons from your property, let’s get to know more about these mammals.
The Characters of Raccoons
The Latin name for raccoons is Procyon Lotor. They are nocturnal animals active at night. They use special sense of touch to hunt within the pinch of darkness. Raccoons tend to live in dry and warm places like tropical islands. Their length is around 60 to 90 centimeter and weighted until 13 kilograms.
Raccoons mate during February until March. The female adult can carry the babies for 60 days before giving birth during early summer [1]. They will live together with the babies until age 2 or 3 months and start exploring together. In this case, they need proper shelter to store their babies. And your attic is apparently their favorite place. They will make a hole from your roof and make your attic as their territory to raise the babies. We will talk about this later in the section of 20 great tips to remove raccoons from your property.
Basically they are scavengers, not predators. They hunt for scraps and not eyeing on prey. But these fur-bearing animals still considered wild and less predictable. Yet they love to play. Mostly they will run away during direct contact with human. But there is big possibility that they will attack if they feel in danger.
Lightning Speed Grab
So what are the foods for raccoons? They like cat foods, nuts, insects, vegetables, and sometimes protein source like chicken. During spring and summer, they tend to store up body fat. They will eat insects, frog, and fish more. Meanwhile during late fall, they prefer nuts, sweet corn, and berries. In winter they will hibernate and less active comparing to the other seasons.
The hunched appearance of raccoons when they walk is the result of their hind legs, which are longer than their front legs. And you need to highlight their special ability: grab foods in lightning speed! They have dexterous front paws with long fingers to hunt food. Sometimes they also come to your yard and scrub their fingers on the grass.
What is The Threat from Raccoons?
Once they come into urban areas and living close to you, it is possible that you have direct contact with the. And for those who are curious, we have the list of threat from raccoons below:
- The outbreak of rabies once happened in Washington DC in 1892. But mostly at that time, the rabies only affected animals, not humans.
- Fleas and Distemper. Raccoons are wild animals that might be the source of fleas and distemper infestation if you have direct contact with them. We never know the things that they interacted before, considering that they also love to dive in the trash.
- Obesity and Skin Infection. These also the threats by raccoons, in the same way like the previous point. They may give you skin infection during direct contact.
- Intestinal Parasites. You have to understand that during their food-hunt time, raccoons know no boundaries. They can eat anything in the trash, including foods that trigger the parasites.
- Scattered Garbage. Don’t be surprised if you find out that your garden is devastated by these little rascals! They are very quick in looking for foods, but cleaning what they have done is not included in their job list. Scattered garbage is inevitable, every now and then.
Considered Pests or Just Leave Them Alone?
There are two controversies about raccoons’ presence around your property. Some consider them as pests. But the others think they just do what they need to do. If they do belong to your property, do not attempt to scare them! You may think about holistic environment, where you share living space with other creatures. The bonus point is, you can give mutual benefit from each other. But if you don’t feel comfortable with their presence, it is good to know the proper act from 20 great tips to remove raccoons from your property. Find out which one suits you the most. The more you understand about raccoons, you can pick the proper act to remove raccoons from your property.
20 Great Tips to Remove Raccoons from Your Property
Once again, it is important to know your situation. If you are sure that they live in your yard, attic, chimney, or old buildings around your home, then it’s okay to do the act. Most importantly is to do it in gentle way. Do not once try to kill or shoot them, because in most areas it is illegal and forbidden. So let’s start the list of 20 great tips to remove raccoons from your property:
1. Keep Your Yard Clean
When these ubiquitous mammals come to your property, it is better to check why they choose yours at the first place. Do you keep let food or the other messes outside? If yes, then it’s not their fault to choose your property. Raccoons are easily attracted to foods like fruits, water, and bird feeders. From now on, remove food or water source as good as possible. Mow your lawn regularly. Pick up trash on your yard and keep your chimney clean.
2. Install Fence
Don’t hesitate to purchase a fence to discourage animal from wandering in. It is their point of entry. Detect the areas where they come sneaking to your yard, and guard it with fence. It is still possible for raccoons or other creatures to climb your fence and be your closest neighbor, but installing a fence is a good prevention act.
3. Protect Your Trash Can
Raccoons have mischievous nature if it is related to trash can. They always find a way to jump in and looking for foods, with the mark of scattered garbage on your yard. What to do, then? Please don’t let any smelly foods present inside your garbage. If necessary, double bag your trash. Keep the garbage in metal cans, and secure it tightly. Keep it airtight. You can place bungee cord on top, or place heavy rock on the top of the can.
4. Barbeque Grill
Do you often invite your friends and relatives to enjoy barbeque time outdoor? It must be really fun. But you will find unexpected guest like raccoons if you are not cleaning the grill thoroughly. The food leftover on the grill will attract the rascals to sneak into your yard.
5. Keep Out the Food
If you often keep the food container or fruits outside, then it’s time to change the way you do it. Keep out the bird feeder or fruit indoor. Place them in airtight container to make sure that their smart hands are not interfering.
6. Close Their Entry Point
Inspect as detail as you can the access point of raccoons to your attic or home. It must be related with hole about 7 centimeter diameter. Check your broken vents. During rainy season, you can also check footprints left by these bandit-mask mammals around your home.
7. Cover with Newspaper
When you have already notice the exact entry point from raccoons, you need to cover it permanently. But before doing this, you have to make sure that they don’t get trapped inside the house. Remember, raccoons are great in sneaking with no sound. To do this, cover the hole with newspaper. Put it at 8 until 11 p.m. Watch closely to make sure that they are not trapped inside and can’t re-enter to your house. Inspect for about 48 hours before securing the hole permanently.
8. Block the Outdoor Entrance
It is a good thing if you know precisely the entrance of these ring-tailed animals. Once you know their entry point, block their entrance with pieces of screen. You can also choose wood or bushes to cover the entry point. They will feel that it’s difficult to sneak into your yard by doing this tips to remove raccoon from your property.
9. Protect Your Fish Pond
These omnivores like to soak their foods in water first before consuming it. And your fish pond may be a great facilitation for them to do this. That’s why it is better for you to place ceramic pipes or wire basket around the fish pond. Make sure that the installation is strong enough compared to the weight of raccoons.
10. Purchase Trap
This is the other great tips to remove raccoons from your property. Purchase live trap to catch these smart mammals. You can lure with their favorite food like salmon or tuna cat foods. Make sure that you know how to do this properly, because being injured is the least thing that we expect. Once you are able to catch raccoons in your trap, bring them far away for your home. Choose wooden area that can be their next proper habitat. Release raccoons gently to their new home. The benefit of using this way is you can do it many times using the trap that you have. Make sure that the size is big enough for raccoons
11. Eviction, Exclusion, Removal, Reunion
The 8th from 20 great tips to remove raccoons from your property is adapted from the research and experiment done by National Geographic at Washington DC. This is applicable if you have raccoons living and consider your attic as their territory. Especially for raccoons family who are raising their babies in your attic. How to do it? Relocate the babies when the adults are away. It is important to make sure that they are away because they will get mad if you are interfering the babies. Move the babies to a soft-covered and warm box. Bring them outside to attract the adults. They will look for their babies. But make sure that the box is not accessible from outside. Once the mother comes outside, you can relocate them. This experiment was done by John Hadidian, senior scientist for wildlife at the Humane Society of the United States. This method, eviction, exclusion, removal and reunion is nominated as the best model to remove raccoons from your property effectively.
12. Noise Activated Machine
Besides noise, you can also use motion activated machine. This works like an alarm. You can scare the raccoons at night, during the most active moment for nocturnal mammals. They don’t like something unpredictable. But remember, raccoons are fast learner. They will know the pattern and getting used to it. So you need to change the method and location regularly.
13. Turn On the Radio
This is effective to remove raccoons from your attic or garage. They don’t like the sound of radio. Turn the radio on in high volume to scare them and prevent raccoons from sneaking around your property.
14. Play with the Lights
Place the source of strong lights neat the attic or your yard. Turn it on at night, the most active time for raccoons. This will annoy them and force them to leave their territory.
15. Sprinkle Hot Spices
Take the hot spices from your kitchen. What you need to do first is boil water for 20 minutes. Add yellow onion and pepper. Place it on sprayer. You should spray it around the yard to discourage raccoons from exploring! Do this once in every 3 days.
16. Raccoons Repellent
You can make your own raccoons repellent at home! Mix one bottle of chili like Tabasco with water and one teaspoon of detergent. The soap will help the repellent adhere to the areas. Spray the repellent on plants, yards, shrubs, and trees. Reapply after rain. Don’t forget to wash the fruits and vegetables from your yard once you harvest them, okay?
17. Alcohol and Vinegar
These two things, alcohol and white vinegar can be a perfect combination to remove raccoons from your property. Mix it and spray it around the yard. The raccoons can’t stand the smell and acidity of alcohol and vinegar.
18. Mothballs
You can also consider to spread mothballs to the attic or area that claimed as the territory of coons. The strong smell from mothballs will disturb them. They strongly hate the smell and will look for another shelter. Make sure to spread another batch once the former mothballs has been sublimated.
19. Cinnamon
Raccoons don’t like the smell of cinnamon. You can place cinnamon powder anywhere around your property, from yard until attic. They don’t like the smell. Do this constantly and move from one area to the others.
20. Exterminator
Help from professional exterminator is one of the tips to remove raccoons from your property. They know what to do regarding the presence of raccoons around your home. This is a great option, moreover if you are dealing with the babies. They know the proper act that is allowed by the animal control.
After understanding 20 great tips to remove raccoons from your property, you also need to check the local conservation office. Basically they forbid you to kill or shoot raccoons. So the option of relocating them to wooded area is a good idea. Tolerate more towards their presence and ease with the dynamic. If they are not doing destructive thing, you don’t need to take extreme action to remove them. Apparently, when you are in direct contact with them, you just need to do as simple as children’s song: clap your hand and stomp your feet and mostly they will run away from humans.