Raccoons are intelligent, resourceful, and cute animals whose antics are fun to watch on nature channels, view at the zoo, or enjoy in the wilderness. But bring their behaviors to your back yard and you risk dug-up vegetable gardens, overturned trash cans, and emptied bird feeders. Here are a few tips for dealing with the issue.
Indoors
If raccoons have moved into your home, first make sure that you’re not dealing with a mother and her babies. If the kits are not old enough to take care of themselves, shooing the mother away will kill them. It’s best to wait until the offspring grow into adulthood and leave before doing anything to the mother who may stick around.
Gentle harassment may be all you need. Loud noises from a battery-operated radio, bright lights from a spot, and bad smells from a bowl of vinegar may prompt adults to leave, especially if used together. Because raccoons are nocturnal, try your strategies at dusk before their typical activity hours.
Once they’ve vacated your home, seal all possible entrances with such heavy materials as metal flashing or wire mesh. This prevents your absent guests from returning.
Outdoors
Noise is also an effective deterrent outdoors. Set up a loud radio by the area of raccoon activity. Tune it to an all-night talk show. The sound of humans will prevent them from approaching. You can also try a single strand of electric fencing or spread hot sauce with capsaicin.
If the animals are getting into your outdoor trash cans, the simplest way of dealing with them is to buy trashcans that are specially made to keep wildlife out. You can also secure the lids on trash cans you now have by piling weights on the lid or tying it down with rope or bungee cords. You can also try storing your trash cans in a protected area, such as your garage
Arguably, the most convenient way of dealing with a raccoon problem is to call in a professional like Arrow Exterminating. The sooner you contact us then the sooner we can help you live in a critter-free environment.
