With their distinctive bandit masks and dexterous paws, raccoons can seem like intriguing nighttime visitors. But when they set up camp inside your home, attic, or chimney, these pesky prowlers quickly wear out their welcome. Raccoons cause messes, property damage, and possible health hazards when they take shelter in residential buildings. Raccoon removal humanely while closing up their entry points is key to reclaiming your home. This comprehensive guide covers effective DIY methods for identifying raccoons, excluding them, trapping, cleanup, and prevention.
Why Raccoons Invade Homes
Several factors draw raccoons to take up residence on properties:
- Shelter – Attics, crawlspaces, hollow walls, and chimneys provide protected areas for nesting and raising young.
- Food sources – Pet food, unsecured trash, bird feeders, gardens, compost, and outdoor grills offer easy meals.
- Safety from predators – Dogs, coyotes, and other threats are scarce near homes.
- Available water – Sources like ponds or pet water bowls allow drinking and wetting food.
Raccoons exploit openings in roofs, foundations, chimneys, and vents to gain entry. They may also come down chimneys if dampers are left open. Any access point larger than about 4 inches square allows a raccoon to squeeze inside.
Signs of Raccoon Activity
Look and listen for these common signs that raccoons have invaded your home:
- Noises – Chittering, scratching, walking around in walls and attics, especially at night when raccoons are most active.
- Tracks – Look for hand-like, five-toed paw prints around suspected entry points.
- Droppings – Tubular scat is often left near nests or in confined spaces like attics.
- Odors – A strong musky smell comes from raccoon scent glands and urine.
- Damage – Shingles, soffits, vent screens, or walls torn open to access sheltered denning sites.
- Visual sightings – Distinctive bandit-masked face, bushy ringed tail, and stocky build.
Risks of Having Raccoons Around
Allowing raccoons to remain on your property poses several risks:
- Structural damage from raccoons accessing, clawing, chewing, and nesting in confined spaces.
- Electrical hazards and fires from raccoons chewing wires in walls and attics.
- Parasite exposure from raccoon droppings accumulating in dens. Roundworm is a concern.
- Mess and contamination from feces and urine soaking into attic insulation.
- Aggressive behavior if raccoons feel threatened, especially mothers protecting kits.
Humane Exclusion
For long-term control, the goal is to exclude raccoons by sealing shut all possible entry points into structures. Walk the home’s perimeter and inspect for holes or gaps where utilities enter, around vents, eaves, chimney flashing, foundations, or leaning sections of siding. Use strong materials like cement, commercial sealants, galvanized steel or hardware cloth, metal flashing, copper mesh, or expanding foam to close openings and holes wider than about 4 inches across.
Chimney caps and vent covers prevent roof access. Ensure covers are made of sturdy galvanized steel, plastic, or concrete to thwart chewing. Continue exclusion work until all major openings are sealed to prevent persistent raccoons from re-entering. This shuts down the home as a shelter option.
Trapping Raccoons
Once entry points are closed off, trapping is the most effective and humane way to remove raccoons inside your home or attic space. Two trap types work well:
Cage traps – These metal enclosed traps lure raccoons in with bait but prevent escape. Place traps near active areas. Once caught, cover traps to keep raccoons calm until relocation is possible.
One-way doors – These devices allow raccoons to leave attics but not re-enter. Install over main entry/exit holes once other openings are sealed. Monitor until all raccoons exit.
Inspect traps daily. Release any captured raccoons outdoors at least 5 miles from the capture site to prevent them homing back. Continue trapping for several weeks until no more sightings or noises, indicating full removal. Then seal final exit points.
Natural Repellents
Though less effective alone, the following natural scents and substances may encourage lingering raccoons to move on:
- Ammonia or vinegar-soaked rags placed around den holes
- Coyote or predator urine near entry points
- Bars of deodorant soap around the property
- Capsaicin/chili pepper powder where raccoons traverse
- Motion-activated lights or sounds to startle raccoons
- An outdoor radio tuned to talk radio stations
Use repellents abundantly inside and outside the home to motivate straggler raccoons to abandon your home as shelter. Reapply frequently for best results.
Attic Cleanup and Disinfection
Once raccoons are removed, a thorough attic and home cleanup helps eliminate all signs of the invaders:
- Remove all nesting debris, droppings, urine stains, and any dead raccoons. Wear protective gear to avoid diseases.
- Disinfect soiled areas and wood surfaces with enzymatic cleaner, hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, or bleach solutions.
- Seal off entry points between the attic and living spaces to prevent parasites like roundworms spreading indoors.
- Install lighting, additional ventilation, and dehumidifiers in the attic to make the space less welcoming long-term.
Prevention
To avoid future run-ins with raccoons:
- Inspect exclusion work and seal any overlooked gaps or openings.
- Trim back tree branches and bushes that allow roof access.
- Remove food attractants by securing the trash and pet food.
- Use nighttime motion sensor lights and sprinklers to deter prowlers.
- Set humane traps or trail cameras to look for renewed activity.
Conclusion
With persistent exclusion repairs, extensive trapping, cleanup, and prevention, homeowners can reclaim their properties from destructive raccoons humanely. Don’t tolerate sharing your space with these masked bandits! By sealing up entry points, trapping smart, and staying vigilant, you can easily indulge into bat removal, rat removal or squirrel removal.
