Raccoons can be a real problem if you live in an urban setting. These little buggers can cause a host of problems for you and your family. Not only are they aggressive, often getting into fights with pets, they are also destructive to property, breaking open trashcans and pushing their way through windscreens, all for the sake of having a meal. Chances are, if you have raccoons living nearby, they are going to be scouting out your property for free room and board.
Discouraging the raccoons is key
Raccoons need to be discouraged from staying on your property. You can do this in a number of ways, but the most important thing to remember is that raccoons aren’t dumb animals. They are quite smart, and they have a reason for everything that they are doing. If you can help remove the reason for them to be on your property, they will move somewhere else. Consequently, if you give them a reason to stick around, they will stay for as long as they can.
All they want is food and shelter
A raccoon’s primary motivation in life is to find food. If a mother raccoon is pregnant, she will want to find a nest for her young as well. If your property is full of food sources or places for a raccoon to take shelter, then you know you are going to have a problem. The best way to prevent raccoons from taking residence is to work to actively eliminate all sources of food and shelter for them. This means that you should be willing to remove all pet food from the area, as well as make sure that if you have edible plants that they are fenced in with strong, thick fencing.
Monitor entryways into your home
Some ambitious raccoons will try to get into your home for shelter. A pregnant mother will especially be looking for a great place to hide away. You should check your house for any entryways that a raccoon could squeeze itself through. A great way to monitor if raccoons are moving in and out of an entryway is to use newspaper. Line the hole or exposed area with newspaper. Then, after a few days, check on the hole. If the newspaper has been pushed aside, then you know a raccoon is getting into your house through that entry. You should seal it up.
Hire a professional for removal
If you realize that you have a raccoon living in your home, you might be considering the different methods necessary to remove them. However, it is a bad idea to try and remove a raccoon on your own. It can be risky and dangerous and further, if the raccoon has babies somewhere inside of the house, it will always figure out a way to return to your home. Also, there are certain legal restrictions dictating how you are allowed to trap and relocate them. You’ll need a professional to locate the entire raccoon family and remove them together. This is the only way to ensure that your home will end up raccoon free.
Need Raccoon Removal Services near you? Have raccoon problems? If yo’re in the Burlington, Oakville, Hamilton or Greater Toronto and need help, contact Regional Wildlife Services now!
