The raccoon population has exploded in the last few decades, making human interactions with this deceptively cute creature all too common. You can often find a curious raccoon in trashcans and gardens rummaging for food. They can make their way into attics, basements, and even the walls inside your home if they find a hole they can fit through.
As innocent as they might look, raccoons are some of the most destructive of the common critters found in and around the average suburban home. They can carry rabies, get aggressive, and leave toxic fumes in your home from their droppings and urine if they linger for too long.
Raccoons can be incredibly frustrating for residents with gardens and ponds with exotic fish—these cunning omnivores eat almost anything. Like a thief in the night, they’ll run away with their bellies full of your prized cabbage, carrots, and, yes, even your koi. When we provided our raccoon removal services, at Critter Stop we found that having these critters could cause a very high level of stress in homeowners.
As pesky and costly as these critters can be, they are essential to our natural environment. They only enter your home or yard when they need to. Resorting to inhumane solutions to a pest issue may be dangerous, not just to the animal but your family and pets as well.
Instead, you might want to take preventative measures to keep critters away before you resort to calling a professional raccoon removal service. So, what can you do to prevent and deter them?
Here are some tips to follow that will keep raccoons out of your property and keep everyone safe.
When we have provided our raccoon removal services, we have found that the most common places to find raccoons on your property are in your attic and your yard. Here are some signs to look for.
No matter the kinds of foods you grow, these animals will pull up your vegetables and pick your fruits if they are accessible. Installing affordable chicken wire fencing to protect your garden is an excellent preventative measure. Also, pick any ripe fruit on your fruit trees regularly and gather anything that’s fallen from your trees before nightfall to deter hungry critters.
The best place to keep your trashcan is indoors or inside a garage. Raccoons have the dexterity to open pretty much any trashcan. Your leftovers from dinner are the perfect nighttime meal. Place your bins somewhere inside if you keep waking up to a yard full of trash; you can even go a step further by purchasing a bin with a lid that locks in place.
Just like human trash, raccoons will gravitate to anything edible and accessible in your yard. Pet food needs to be kept inside at night. If you’re used to feeding your pets on your patio, you may purchase a bowl you can take in and outside. Do a quick sweep when bringing pet food inside after dinner—don’t leave anything out for a wandering raccoon to nibble on overnight.
Raccoons find their way into your home and yard because they need warmth, safety, and food. They don’t intend to harm you. Poisons could seriously harm them, as well as any pets or children that could come into contact with the chemicals.
In our experience providing raccoon removal services, handling these animals could be just as dangerous as spreading poison around your home. It’s best that you don’t attempt it. Picking up this animal or trying to wrangle it into a cage may cause unnecessary stress resulting in aggressive behavior, like biting or scratching.
You can follow these tips and still be susceptible to a critter that won’t leave or keeps coming back. In that case, you need to call an expert. Finding a removal service that offers good customer service and has positive reviews is key to successfully solving your critter problem and actually repairing the damage they caused.
When you can’t seem to scare those pesky raccoons away, you need qualified and trustworthy experts to help. Critter Stop raccoon removal services always include a free consultation and a thorough inspection of your home. We seal your home, trap the critters, and even repair damage caused by raccoons and other animals. Best of all, we pride ourselves on the humane treatment of the animals we catch and keep away from your home.
Are you looking for professionals to get the job done right? It’s time to call us at (214) 234-2616. Let us help you stop those critters!
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