Protect Your Home From Chewing Damage Caused By Raccoons

Most people associate raccoons with hillbillies or life in the country. Few people realize that, like the coyote, raccoons are becoming a more and more common suburban and even urban dwellers. This is because raccoons are amazingly adaptable to their surroundings and, like people, eat just about anything.

With the rise of expanded suburban living, leash laws, and urban sprawl, raccoons and some of their other forest friends, like opossums and skunks, are rapidly becoming part of the urban and suburban landscape.

Although they are cute and it can be fun to watch their antics on nature shows on the Discovery Channel, raccoons are classified as a pest species because of their habit of taking up residence in human dwellings. It is not that they are not cute, rather raccoons, like squirrels, tend to damage and soil the houses they invade and make into their homes. They also are a nuisance in terms of getting into garbage which can then attract other pests, like rats. Raccoons can, on occasion, also carry rabies.

Regardless of their cuteness or the warm, fuzzy feelings you might have toward these very charismatic, furry creatures, they are still wild animals with sharp teeth that they are not afraid to use if need be. Always be careful if you spot one, and don't be lured into getting too close by those TV programs that show how funny and nice they are.

Do-It-Yourself Raccoon Removal is a Challenge

Because raccoons are wild animals and, like any other wild thing, can put up a vicious fight if they are cornered, some people think they will just get a cage and try and trap the animal themselves, thereby saving themselves some money. You should know, however, that it is probably illegal for you to trap a raccoon and then take it somewhere else and release it. If you can't trap it and then take it somewhere else, then that means you have to kill it. Very few people know how to humanely euthanize trapped wildlife, so for your safety and to be humane, you really need to have someone involved who is licensed and is able to handle the animal humanely and, if necessary, safely dispose of its remains.

One reason many states do not allow people to trap and release raccoons is because the animal may be infected with rabies. In fact 40% of all reported rabies cases now come from raccoons, with skunks and foxes coming in second and third.

Home Raccoon Remedies De-Bunked

As soon as people find out they have a raccoon in their attic, the first thing they think about is whether they can get rid of it themselves. So, they go surf the Internet to see what other people are doing.

Out on the Web are a lot of sites that have all kinds of "home remedies" or do-it-yourself solutions. These can range from coyote urine to ultrasonic emitters, to loud rock music and bright lights. Unfortunately, raccoons are highly adaptable, like suburban and urban life, are clever and relatively fearless creatures, and are not deterred by any of these small inconveniences.

Some of the chemical repellents recommended for do-it-yourselfers are basically composed of mothballs (i.e., naphthalene) or ammonia. These chemicals are very stinky and give off a smell that will permeate your house with an odor that is nearly impossible to get rid of until it dissipates on its own six or more months away. Truth be told, they don't really seem to effect raccoons much.

Predator urine that you can spray or apply to entrance areas is sometimes touted as the be-all and end-all of keeping raccoons or other varmints out of your attic or eaves. Although these might be great for generating revenue for the seller, they are marginally to not effective at all when it comes to deterring wildlife which has taken up residence.

A similar story holds for the ultrasonic devices you can see being sold as repellents. Raccoons and other mammal invaders into your house are generally not affected by lights or a radio playing up in the attic. Only if you are personally up there, will they tend to vacate. As soon as you leave, though, they will return to your house and their new home.

Breeding Disaster

Raccoons typically nest and have a single litter in mid-April but may invade your home at any time. Raccoons can carry fleas, mites and diseases that may infect your household pets. They are the leading carrier of rabies and canine parvovirus (distemper). Raccoon feces may contain a roundworm that can pass to humans so it's important to have nesting sites professionally cleaned and disinfected or wear gloves and a mask if you do it yourself.

Stern Environmental Group provides safe, fast, humane removal of raccoons and their kits (babies) from your home. We remove nests and feces, disinfect the area to remove parasites and disease organisms, and deodorize the site. (Raccoons have a distinctive musky scent that's not particularly pleasant and can linger for months after they abandon a nest.) At Stern Environmental Group we specialize in 24-hour emergency raccoon removal services in the New York City metropolitan region servicing New York City, parts of New Jersey and parts of Long Island. If you have a wildlife problem, contact us today. You'll sleep well tonight when you get "STERN" with your pests.

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