Tag Archives: Raccoon Damages

What to Do When Raccoons Move Into Your Attic

What to Do When Raccoons Move Into Your Attic
What to Do When Raccoons Move Into Your Attic

Furry freeloaders living in your attic? When raccoons move in, rapid NJ raccoon removal is the first thing on your mind. However, this task must be handled carefully to avoid compounding your problems.

What to Do with Raccoons Living in Your Attic

January to September, it’s wise to assume the raccoon in your attic is a mother with babies. Luckily, these devoted, protective mothers will move their babies if given the chance. There are a few ways to accomplish this:

1. Wait.

Raccoon families typically only stay for short periods. Some will move babies to another site during the nesting season. Others will vacate when babies are fully independent at summer’s end.

2. Humane harassment.

A top carrier of rabies and often vicious when cornered, never attempt to physically remove raccoons on your own. Instead, make your home inhospitable. Inside or outside the den, place a bright light and a radio tuned in to a talk station for a few days/nights. Place a bag of used kitty litter outside as a scent deterrent. Avoid ‘one-way doors,’ which often leave babies trapped inside. Use a ‘newspaper test,’ taping 2-sheets of newspaper over the entrance to verify eviction.

3. Professional assistance.

Short on time/patience? Professional NJ raccoon removal can speed this process, safely and humanely extricating animals and disinfecting the site.

Need to give furry bandits the boot, fast? Contact Stern Environmental today. 

Do You Have a Raccoon in Your Attic? The Telltale Signs

Do You Have a Raccoon in Your Attic? The Telltale Signs
Do You Have a Raccoon in Your Attic? The Telltale Signs

Raccoons knocking over your trash cans are bad enough. Having one inside your attic is even worse as they present health and safety risks. Raccoons are common in northern New Jersey, where they destroy roofs and walls while spreading disease.

To protect your home from damage and avoid illness from these rabies-carrying intruders, get NJ pest control services to safely handle raccoon removal.

Sounds & Signs of Raccoons in the Attic

Raccoons make enough noise that you’ll probably hear them walking around. They are most active at night, but urban wildlife may cause noise at any time.

Take a flashlight to the attic and shine it around. This helps identify a raccoon nest because their eyeballs will reflect the flashlight.

The smell of raccoon musk, urine, and feces will be obvious. Their poop looks a lot like cat poop. Squirrels leave smaller pellets.

Beware of Raccoon Problems in the Summer

It’s most common to get a pregnant mother raccoon who wants to give birth and raise her young in the safety of the indoors.

Be careful, though, because a concerned mama will be aggressive and defensive. If you block her out with the kids still in the attic, she will destroy whatever she needs to get back in.

NJ pest control professionals offer humane removal, cleaning and disinfecting, and blocking raccoons from getting back inside your home.

Need help removing a raccoon nest from the attic? Contact us at Stern Environmental for NJ pest control by your local wildlife removal experts!

What Kind of Damage Can Raccoons Cause to Your Home?

Raccoon's Do More Damage Than You Think
Raccoon’s Do More Damage Than You Think

Ever watch a movie where the parents go away on vacation, leaving the kids behind, only to come home to a completely trashed house? That’s the kind of destruction you can expect when raccoons take over your home.

Has there been a bash at your place while you were gone?
Signs of a raccoon invasion encompass an array of damage, including…

  • Toppled trash cans.
    How many times do you want to retrieve yesterday’s smelly garbage from your front lawn?
  • The destruction of insulation.
    Costing you thousands in heating and cooling costs, raccoons reduce the effectiveness of insulation by compressing insulation and clearing large areas of it for nesting.
  • Damage to electrical and ductwork.
    Left unaddressed, this damage could lead to fire, water damage and mold.
  • Structural damage.
    Torn out soffit, ripped up flashing, holes in drywall and more.
  • The distribution of urine and feces.
    Turning your home into a giant litterbox, from floor to ceiling, and possibly infecting it with deadly diseases including roundworm, distemper, and rabies.

And that’s just the tip of the iceburg!
Destructive by nature, raccoons can completely destroy your home, shredding everything from your books and toilet paper to your living room sofa, all while leaving a plethora of grubby little fingerprints behind them. Cute? We think not.

Raccoons partying to hearty in your home or business? Contact Stern today.