Raccoon

Raccoon Control and Removal

Raccoons are usually classified as a pest species due to their

habits

of living in human dwellings. The most common

complaints include

the following:

• Raccoons living in the attic

• Raccoons living in the chimney

• Tipping over garbage cans

• Stealing pet food or bird seed

• Sick, potentially rabid raccoon

• Presence is alarming dogs/pets

For these reasons, many people wish to have this nuisance

animal

trapped and removed.

BEHAVIOR:

Raccoons are talented animals, and very well-

adapted

to live in almost any setting with ample food and water

sources -

including urban and suburban areas. Raccoons have

a variety of

skills that allow them to exhibit a variety of behaviors,

most revolving

around the basics: foraging for food and seeking

shelter. Regarding

the former, raccoons are omnivores, and

opportunistic. They will eat

from garbage cans (which they open

the lids of or tip over) and

dumpsters (which they sometimes get

stuck in), and they will often

steal pet food. Dog or cat food left

outside is pretty much an open

invitation to a raccoon, as the

animal has no fear of any dog or cat,

or oftentimes, human. If

the pet food is indoors, the crafty raccoon

will still get to it - they

will rip open a screen to get inside the patio

where the food is

laid out, and will often find the food storage, and

break into that

as well. I've frequently observed raccoons entering

pet doors

and eating the pet food inside the house. In one case,

raccoons

were entering the pet door, going through the kitchen,

down the

hallway, across the living room, into the parlor, and up on

the

piano to the cat food bowl. Amazing! Raccoons are primarily

nocturnal, so most of this mischief happens at night.

RACCOON FACTS:

ARE THEY BAD ANIMALS?

Certainly not. They can be

described

as cute and talented, and are well adapted to survive

in both the

forest and the city. They get into trouble with people

because they

are so adaptable, clever, and handy. As with all

animals, they

usually just do what they need to do to survive.

Oftentimes this

means ripping a hole in your roof and living in

your attic. It's true

that once inside; they can really trash the

place. They will usually

rip up the duct work, tear the insulation

off of pipes, rip up wires,

trample or pull up the insulation, rip off

any paper lining, and

sometimes even damage wood joists. The

bigger problem may be

the biohazard contamination they cause.

They urinate and defecate

in the attic, and the droppings can

contain raccoon roundworm -

transferable to humans, or

diseases such as canine distemper,

transferable to your pets.

They also may bring in the fleas and other

parasites associated

with wild animals. It's just the way they are.

They also get into

trouble with those nimble hands. They'll break

into and open

anything they can find, so people may find the trash

cans

knocked down, or the pet food bag in the garage ripped apart.

They're just looking for food.

BUT DON'T THEY HAVE RABIES?

Many people seem to

believe

that all raccoons carry rabies - a disease that is highly

misunderstood. First of all, rabies is a virus, contracted in via an

infected animal - raccoons are not born with rabies any more

than

you are. Second, if a raccoon does contract rabies, it's

going to die.

It doesn't just happily go about its business, ready

to infect any

person it comes close to. Third, the virus is only

transferable in the

very short-lived contagious stage, in which

the animal is in the

throws of death - walking in circles, hind legs

possibly paralyzed,

foaming at the mouth, etc. At this time, the

virus is transferable via

saliva. I, along with almost every

nuisance wildlife expert in the

country, I'm sure, am called

constantly with reports of rabid

raccoons: "but I saw it outside in

the daytime!". If it looked healthy, it

didn't have contagious

rabies. Sometimes raccoons simply forage at

night - after all,

haven't you ever gotten out of bed for a midnight

snack? Finally,

for whatever reason, there's only been one

documented case of

rabies transmission from raccoon to human in

the US. Most

cases of human infection are due to bats.

HOW DO I REMOVE THEM MYSELF?

There's a reason

professional wildlife trapping companies exist. First of all, it's

probably illegal for you to trap and relocate raccoon on your own

the state you live. In many states, because the raccoon is a

rabies

vector, it's often illegal to relocate them. Most private

citizens don't

have the means to humanely euthanize trapped

wildlife and

properly dispose of or cremate the carcass. Other

regional laws

regarding wildlife trapping may prevent you from

self-trapping as

well. Second of all, for those that lack

experience, mistake abound.

I've seen firsthand my share of big

mistakes - from catching non-

target animals like the neighbor's

cat, to setting the trap in the

wrong area and seeing a trapped

raccoon tear up adjacent screens

or wires, to causing the animal

to suffer, to being badly bitten while

attempting to move the trap.

Sometimes wildlife trapping seems

simple, but it's a science,

and there's a lot of intangibles that a

professional recognizes

ahead of time, and a novice simply does not

know about. One of

the biggest problems I see is that people have a

raccoon in the

attic, and set a trap on the ground or on the roof, and

catch a

raccoon, and drive it off to "the woods". The greatest danger

this case is that the raccoon in the attic is a female with a litter of

young - in fact, most raccoons in attics are females with young.

you remove the mom, she'll go on a desperate treck of many

miles

back to your attic, in order to get to her babies. She may

fail and

die, or she may make it back, and never enter a trap

again. If she

doesn't make it back, now you've got a bigger

problem - four

squealing young in your attic. They will either

cause damage, or

suffer and die, and then cause a terrible

stench in your home. The