Raccoons are not meant to be pets and can be quite bothersome if they find their way onto your property. If a raccoon finds pet food, garbage or other items within its reach, it is likely to tear into them and cause an unwanted mess. Some raccoons are even clever enough to figure out how to get into basements or attics inside residential homes. If this happens, it is very important to know how to get rid of the raccoon without harming it or getting bitten in the process. These are some ways to safely remove a raccoon from your property.
Remove What Attracts Them
If you see a raccoon getting into pet food or trash cans, move these items indoors to prevent it from having access to them. If you have trees that have dropped fruit, berries or nuts on the ground, this can also lure in unwanted pests such as raccoons. Pick up any fruits, berries or nuts from the ground so the raccoon will no longer view this area as its own personal buffet.
Birdseed that often accumulates under or around bird feeders is also very attractive to raccoons. In some cases, if you can remove everything within close proximity to your home that lures the raccoon in, it will move on and find somewhere else to hunt for food.
Raccoon Repellents
There are raccoon repellents on the market that may make the raccoon want to leave your property. Granular repellent can be sprinkled where the raccoon has been on your property. Liquid repellent can be sprayed to keep it from getting into trash cans, under porches or anywhere close to your home. This type of repellent has an odor that raccoons do not like, and it may send them running away.
Electric Raccoon Repellents
There are also electric repellents that have motion sensors, and these will spray a raccoon with water if it gets too close to your home. Some of these also play a sound that only animals can hear as well. This may scare the raccoon and prevent it from coming back to your property.
If the above methods do not work, it may be time to contact an exterminator. An exterminator will most likely set a live trap in an area the raccoon has been seen and bait the trap with food that lures the raccoon into the trap, and once the raccoon is caught, it will be taken to a wooded area away from your property and released from the trap.
To learn more, contact an animal removal company.
Having pests in your home is more than just annoying. Many of the common pests that invade homes are actually dangerous. Rats can bite young children, spreading serious diseases like leptospirosis and salmonella. Cockroaches can spread E. coli, and many people are allergic to proteins in their bodies. Regardless of which pest is bothering you, it is important to get rid of it as soon as possible. Pest control companies can do a lot of this work, but it is also important to be informed. After all, you are the one who lives in your home and needs to take preventative measures against pests every day. Learn the basics here on this blog, and put them to use.