Raccoon Trapping & Control

Though they are known as the cute, masked bandits who rummage through your trash at night in movies and television, raccoons are anything but charming when it comes to the safety of your property and your family.

Understanding Raccoons

Spread throughout the United States, raccoons are known for a multitude of transmittable diseases and their destructive reputation, which gives homeowners an understandable worry when encountering them in your attic, basement, garage, or trash cans. With an average lifespan of 3 years, removing your problem in an effective way is important in ensuring these wild mammals don’t become your new long-term roommates. 

Partial to the heavily wooded areas of the United States, populations are spread evenly across the country, where they happily call farmland and cityscapes home as well. Though they prefer forested areas, they are highly adaptable animals, burrowing in wood piles, barns, and your house, posing potential risks to livestock and property. As omnivores, their diet consists of just about anything, eating smaller animals such as turtles or mice, fruit, and even insects. Their diet and ability to adapt to different environments make the raccoon a formidable species, deemed invasive in areas of the United States and Europe and often difficult to remove without the help of a professional.

Risks Of Raccoons

Encountering raccoons in the wild may be a serene and natural experience but having them in your crawl space or attic can lead to menacing property damage. They often destroy gardens, breakthrough screens, and nibble through your home’s pipes and wires in search of food and shelter. Raccoons live up to their destructive reputation. 

They do not only have a reputation for mischievous vandalism, but they are also known for hosting a multitude of transmittable diseases that can harm you or your pets. Though cases in humans are incredibly rare, rabies in humans and pets are almost always attributed to bites from infected wild animals. If left unvaccinated, cases of the disease are almost always fatal. There are over 40,000 people a year getting the post-exposure prophylaxis prevention treatment due to possible exposure to rabid wildlife. Rabies is not the only concern, as they are also the definitive host of Baylisacaris, otherwise known as “raccoon roundworm”, an intestinal parasite that can invade your organs, brain, and even eyes. Having these animals near living spaces can pose a serious health risk.

There are many ways to help keep them from moving in, such as sealing potential entryways, keeping trash out of reach, or installing motion sensor lights that frighten them at night, but these methods are not foolproof in keeping these nocturnal bandits at bay. Once raccoons have gone from occasional visitors to permanent tenants, it’s time to get effective help from a licensed wildlife removal professional like the team at Agricole Wildlife Solutions. Contact us today to find out more about out nuisance wildlife removal services.

Frequently Asked Racoon Questions

Q1: What do they eat?

A1. Raccoons are known for their versatile diet, demonstrating omnivorous behavior. They consume a wide variety of foods depending on what's available in their environment. In natural settings, they might feast on fruits, nuts, and seeds, alongside small animals such as frogs, insects, and eggs. In urban areas, they are often seen scavenging through trash cans to find leftovers, showcasing their adaptability. Raccoons are also known to wash their food in water before eating, a unique behavior thought to be linked to their tactile sense.

Q2. Where do Raccoons Live?

A2. They are highly adaptable animals, making homes in a diverse range of climates and environments. Originally, they are found in North and Central America but have been introduced to other parts of the world, including Europe and Japan, where they have adapted well. In the wild, they prefer wooded areas near water sources, as these locations provide ample food and shelter. However, with the expansion of urban areas, raccoons have also made themselves at home in cities, taking advantage of human structures for shelter and trash for food.

Q3. How do Raccoons Behave?

A3. They exhibit a number of fascinating behaviors that reflect their adaptability and intelligence. They are primarily nocturnal, meaning they are most active at night. This is when they do most of their foraging. Raccoons have highly dexterous front paws, similar to human hands, which allow them to grasp and manipulate objects, open latches, and even unlock cages. Socially, they can be quite variable; some exhibit solitary behavior while others live in small, loosely organized groups. Their adaptability to different environments, coupled with their problem-solving abilities, makes them notable for their intelligence among mammals.