How To Remove Raccoons From Under Deck

Raccoons may exist adorable, intelligent creatures but they can also cause extensive harm to your dwelling. They're also one of the most mutual rabies-conveying species and they can spread other diseases similar roundworm salmonella, tetanus, and Listeriosis.

Raccoons around your property aren't just a threat to y'all; your animals are also at risk. Dogs that come into contact with raccoon saliva can develop Coonhound Paralysis or Canine Distemper (CDV).

You lot see testify of raccoons around your home: tipped trash cans, emptied pet food bowls outside, and knocked-down bird feeders. You lot may even spot raccoons walking through your one thousand or fifty-fifty right upwards to your home to peek in your windows at night. These steps volition aid you get rid of raccoons around your holding for good.

In this article, I'll share at a ton of important facts about raccoons, and nearly importantly, how to become rid of raccoons for skillful.

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Here Are the Best Means to Get Rid of Raccoons
- 1. Secure Trash Cans
- 2. Don't Get out Pet Food Exterior
- 3. Raccoon-Proof the Bird Feeders
- 4. Consider an Electrical Debate
- 5. Protect Roof Vents and the Chimney
- 6. Seal Entry Points Under Sheds and Decks
- seven. Prune Around the Thousand
- 8. Find the Indicate of Entry into Attic
- 9. Use an Excluder One-Way Door (Attic)
- x. Use a Alive Trap (Nether Deck or Home)
- 11. Scare the Raccoon Out of the Den (Under Deck or Abode)
- 12. Employ Scents to Scare Away Raccoons

Hither Are the Best Ways to Get Rid of Raccoons

i. Secure Trash Cans

If it'south easy to go into your trash cans, you're essentially laying out the cherry-red carpet for raccoons. It isn't enough to simply shut the lid, either; raccoons are perfectly capable of lifting and removing trash tin lids in search of food. They'll fifty-fifty knock the trash can over and pry it open if the lid doesn't come off easily.

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The all-time manner to secure your trash is with a inexpensive trash can lid strap. This low-price solution also keeps out flies and dogs.

2. Don't Leave Pet Food Outside

Any pet food dishes you have exterior for your dog or cat should be brought inside before it gets nighttime. Raccoons love finding pet nutrient, specially when there's a water dish nearby. Y'all'll come across them picking upwards the kibble with their hands and dunking it in the water before eating. The problem is when you leave pet food outside, raccoons volition brand a habit out of stopping by your house. They may even make up one's mind to nest under your porch or deck for easy admission to what seems to be a reliable source of food.

3. Raccoon-Proof the Bird Feeders

If you have bird feeders, you've probably already dealt with chipmunks and squirrels trying to steal the bird food. Raccoons besides love finding a huge supply of basics and seeds. Making your bird feeders raccoon-proof volition too keep squirrels and chipmunks at bay to salve the bird seed for the birds.

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You can stop raccoons from climbing your existing bird feeder pole with a wrap-around bird feeder baffle or stopper without removing the pole. Don't use a regular squirrel bamboozle because they aren't large enough to stop a raccoon.

Another option is merely bringing your bird feeders inside every night although this does become tedious.

Related Article: 12 Best Squirrel Proof Bird Feeders

4. Consider an Electric Argue

Raccoons are attracted to all types of food sources, including compost piles, koi ponds, and gardens. 1 of the easiest ways to protect these areas from raccoons and brand your dwelling less inviting is a simple electric contend kit.

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This electrical garden fence kit is a very affordable solution to go along raccoons at bay and protect your prized tomatoes, corn, and melons. You can also use it around your pond to keep goldfish and koi safe from prowling raccoons. The fence energizer comes with 250 feet of 17 gauge spool aluminum wire. It won't impairment raccoons and other pests who touch the fence merely information technology volition provide a memorable shock.

5. Protect Roof Vents and the Chimney

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Raccoons honey to climb into chimneys to nest and enhance babies. Vents can also requite like shooting fish in a barrel admission to the attic. To block entry, choose quality stainless or galvanized steel roof vent covers and chimney covers — not aluminum or plastic models that raccoons can easily rip off.

This galvanized steel vent cover protects vents from damage. Information technology's also a great fashion to prevent raccoons from getting dorsum into your attic if they've already nested there before. The sturdy blueprint and wire pattern volition keep out almost annihilation, including roof rats, squirrels, bats, birds, and raccoons.

For your chimney, choose a galvanized steel model similar this one from Draft Male monarch to baby-sit confronting raccoons and other pests.

6. Seal Entry Points Nether Sheds and Decks

Don't make it like shooting fish in a barrel for raccoons to ready a den nether your shed, deck, or porch. Potential entry points should be sealed off before the raccoons discover them. If raccoons have already moved in under your home, read the guide below for removing them first earlier you seal up the surface area.

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A cost-constructive and simple fashion to raccoon-proof the open up area under a shed or porch is installing a metal mesh barrier. A galvanized metal mesh should exist installed partially underground to proceed raccoons from excavation it up or bending it out of place. Dig a trench around your shed or the opening of your deck and bolt the steel mesh to the side of the structure. Make certain it's buried at least six inches under the ground and back-make full the trench.

To seal off open areas below your shed, deck, or porch, utilize a durable 10-gauge galvanized steel mesh. This mesh should exist installed at least 6 inches deep beneath the basis and back-covered. This type of galvanized metal mesh is a good selection as long as it's mounted securely to the deck or shed to prevent raccoons from tearing it away or digging nether information technology.

seven. Prune Around the M

To reduce possible nesting areas on your property, it'due south a practiced idea to give your backyard some TLC. Go rid of any woodpiles on your property then piece of work to trim tree branches that hang over the roof. In that location should exist at least a v-foot gap betwixt any branch and your roof. Make sure yous don't have any arbors or trellises that requite a raccoon easy admission to the roof. While y'all're tidying up your yard, brand sure you pick up whatsoever fruit or basics that have fallen from your copse as they're an like shooting fish in a barrel and bonny source of food for raccoons.

How to Get Rid of Raccoons in Attics

Raccoons are intelligent and great at adapting to new environments. In urban and suburban areas with reduced den sites and nutrient sources, your habitation volition expect similar a great place to motion in.

Raccoons don't build their ain dens; they prefer to make their home in a rock or tree hollow. Of class, raccoons have learned that sheds and attics offering cracking protection and close access to food. Attics provide raccoons with shelter and warmth and they ofttimes come up with insulation textile that tin can be used to build a nest. Considering they're bang-up at climbing, getting into your cranium may not pose much of a problem at all. The Tips beneath should become rid of raccoons in the attic and proceed them out.

8. Find the Point of Entry into Attic

A raccoon only needs an opening most 4″ across or smaller. Here are simply some of the ways raccoons can get into your cranium:

Plumbing mats. The vents on your roof that connect to your plumbing system to exhaust sewer gases are a swell entry point for raccoons. To install these vents, a pigsty is cutting in the roof for the pipage. The opening is then covered with a rubber mat that's like shooting fish in a barrel for raccoons to pull up and chew through.
Roof edge. The edge of your roof can be vulnerable to raccoon impairment. If the edge of your roof is compromised past years of rain, raccoons tin chew through the damaged wood and shingles to become access to the cranium.
Roof and soffit intersection. The place where your soffit rests higher up the department of roof (commonly where a lower and upper roof meet) is an easy entry point for a raccoon. Raccoons simply need to button the soffit open up with their shoulders and hands and climb within.
Roof vents. Your roof vents ventilate your attic. As raccoons explore your roof, they'll feel the warm air escaping and realize at that place's a cozy den inside. Raccoons can easily destroy "pest-proof" aluminum and plastic vent covers.

Once you discover how the raccoons got in — don't make the mistake of sealing the opening!

There'due south a skillful take chances you'll just seal baby raccoons away from their female parent. Equally y'all should be looking at first-hand testify of how destructive raccoons can be, the final thing you lot want is for the mother raccoon to tear your house apart to reunite with her babies.

9. Use an Excluder One-Style Door (Attic)

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After identifying how the raccoons got in, you tin identify a ane-way door live trap that allows the raccoon out merely not dorsum in.

The Tomahawk Excluder is a skillful selection equally it's affordable, sturdy, and reusable.

Set the trap so the raccoon will leave the opening to provender but instead get stuck in the trap. This may grab merely the mother or it may grab young raccoons besides.

If baby raccoons remain, yous will need to physically remove them and relocate them with the mother. We'll go over the best way to practice this adjacent.

What if yous observe babe raccoons in the attic?

Y'all tin make the attic inhospitable and disturb the nest by spraying a potent-smelling substance like cider vinegar and release the mother. The mother raccoon will return to your cranium to retrieve the babies and motion on to an alternate nest.
Yous can advisedly remove the babies from the attic. If you do this, place them in a warm towel on the basis side by side to the trapped mother at the edge of your property. Release the mother and, every bit long as you have covered the archway to your attic, she volition take the babies and relocate.

If the female parent raccoon has already been trapped and released or killed and y'all observe orphaned babies in the attic, they probably take a capital punishment equally well. In many states, orphaned raccoon babies are considered "nuisance" progeny and they can't be rehabilitated legally. A wild fauna center probably won't have them.

Releasing Trapped Raccoons

Trapping the raccoons in your attic is just the first step: side by side comes how to get rid of the raccoons for good.

Before we become over how to release trapped raccoons, a word of caution:

Some states require on-site release or on-site euthanasia of trapped nuisance animals like raccoons. In Ohio, for example, it'southward illegal to relocate any animal with a high potential for rabies, like skunks, raccoons, and bats.

These laws are in place for skilful reason. They help finish the spread of rabies. They also protect the animals. Inquiry shows relocated animals take a poor rate of survival in their new location because they don't know the area or how to fodder and may face attack from native animals.

That means you may have a choice: killing the raccoon on your property or releasing it right there.

That doesn't have to exist a bad thing. Raccoon mothers maintain alternate nest sites just in instance their primary nest is destroyed. In one case the raccoons are trapped and out of your attic, y'all should be able to simply repair the impairment, shut their admission, and let them become and so they tin return to their secondary nest — exterior of your home.

How to Get Rid of Raccoons Under House or Deck

While an attic is ane of the best dens for a raccoon — it's warm, comes with included nesting material, and information technology's safety from predators — the expanse under your deck or porch or in your crawl infinite is a shut second.

The skilful news nearly getting rid of raccoons under the house or in a crawl space? At that place's less take a chance of finding babies compared to raccoons in the attic. Mother raccoons with a litter prefer creating a den off the footing such as in a tree or attic. If you lot have a raccoon under your house or deck, it's probably a male raccoon or a female person without young. This makes getting rid of the raccoon much easier.

Removing raccoons from under your deck or shed requires a simple approach: trap the raccoons, utilize an exclusion barrier to prevent them from returning, and so let them go.

Here are the steps to take to get rid of raccoons under a firm or shed.

10. Use a Alive Trap (Under Deck or Habitation)

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Fix upwardly your live raccoon trap most the opening where they're getting under the structure. Make certain you allurement the trap properly. While raccoons volition eat almost annihilation, including pet nutrient, the all-time thing to use is marshmallows. Raccoons love sweets and marshmallows won't concenter a cat into the trap.

Once the raccoon is trapped, you lot can install an exclusion device every bit explained beneath. Brand sure all animals living nether your house or shed have left before installing an exclusion method!

Once the exclusion method is in place, y'all can release the raccoon. Unless yous're going to kill the raccoon on your property, it's recommended to release it shut to where information technology was trapped. In many states, this is also required. As long every bit the exclusion method is in place, the raccoon won't motility back under your shed or deck.

Related Article: 5 Best Ways to Get Rid of Skunks

Safety Tips for Alive Trapping Raccoons

Now that we've gone over ways to get rid of raccoons around your belongings, nosotros'll explore how to become rid of raccoons nether a house or in an attic. This often involves live traps to temporarily remove the raccoons before they're released on the property (or euthanized).

If you choose to live trap a raccoon, remember that raccoons can be very dangerous. In add-on to the diseases they tin spread, they can also be vicious when cornered or trapped. Utilize extreme caution when trapping and releasing a raccoon.

One time a raccoon is caught in a trap, handle the trap very carefully. Raccoons tin can and volition accomplish through the muzzle to destroy or hurt anything they can — including you! Make certain you lot wear heavy-duty gloves when handling the trap. Never stick your fingers into the trap or hold the trap close to your body. It helps to place a heavy blanket over the trap while you movement it to help calm the raccoon and reduce the run a risk of injury to yourself.

Next comes the nearly unsafe part of trapping a raccoon: releasing it safely. The good news is animals aren't like humans; when released from a trap, their instinct is to seek encompass and safe, non get revenge.

Virtually traps allow you to open the door without getting your hand too close to the cage itself. You may fifty-fifty exist able to manipulate the mechanism with a pole to stay far away from the cage. Place the cage on a level surface and remove the blanket. Stand behind the cage and so it opens in the contrary management and facing shrubbery or foliage that the raccoon can run into right away. When you open the cage door, the raccoon's instincts should take it in the opposite management of you.

xi. Scare the Raccoon Out of the Den (Under Deck or Home)

An alternative to live trapping the raccoon temporarily is waiting for the raccoon to leave to hunt or scaring them away from the den. You can use a portable radio and a mechanic's light or a rag soaked in cider vinegar to brand them exit the expanse. E'er confirm that the animals have left the expanse earlier using an exclusion method.

How to Exclude Raccoons from Under the House

Brand sure y'all check and ostend in that location are no raccoons — specially baby raccoons — under your deck or house. Next, seal up whatever entrances the raccoons were using. If you have lattice nether your deck, nail chicken wire over information technology.

Related Article: nine All-time Mole Traps

12. Apply Scents to Scare Away Raccoons

If raccoon are coming into areas that you do not want them to like in the garden, around chickens, or around rabbits then certain scents may change there presence. Fox urine could be used to scare the racoon away. As well having cat or dog can reduce the likelyhood of raccoons coming effectually since these animals are seen every bit perdators to raccoons. Hond dogs are used to tree raccons so they can be easily hunted. Raccoons also endeavour and avoid other scents such as ammonia and peppers.

Signs of Raccoons

Raccoons aren't small. When yous have raccoons in your cranium or around your home, they'll leave behind tell-tale signs. Watch for the post-obit signs of raccoons and then have steps to get rid of them if they're too close to your home.

Harm to Your Domicile

Raccoons can be very destructive. If you doubtable a raccoon problem, inspect your dwelling for damage such as:

Chewed electrical wiring
Soffit damage
Damaged or pulled-off gutters
Turn-up or ripped off siding or shingles
Gnaw marks or holes near windows or other possible entry points
Damage to your HVAC or air duct systems
Damaged vents, including outdoor and roof vents
Harm to insulation in your cranium

Raccoon Nesting Materials

Raccoons similar to brand cozy dens, whether they build their dens in a tree or nether your home. Yous may run into nesting textile strewn around your hard, in your attic, in your garage, or under your deck. Raccoons will utilise almost whatever organic material for nesting similar newspaper, vesture, or cloth. Sometimes they'll even steal nesting material from your trash.

Raccoon Droppings

Raccoon droppings are easy to recognize. You'll usually find raccoon droppings in the garden, well-nigh your trash cans, in your m, on a raised horizontal surface like a log, or effectually a tree. Raccoons defecate in a communal expanse chosen a latrine. Raccoon carrion is dark in color, ii to iii inches long, and with a tubular shape. You tin easily tell raccoon feces autonomously from dog poop past the presence of berries, twigs, and undigested matter.

Raccoon Prints

Raccoon prints are definitely distinctive: they look like tiny human being anxiety and handprints with hook marks at the ends. You lot'll probably run across these pocket-size footprints effectually your trash, garden, and garage. You may even run across scratch marks on your bird feeder post, flower pots, and trash cans.

Raccoons Knocked Over Trash

If you get outside and find your trash cans tipped with trash strewn everywhere, there'due south a good chance raccoons have identified your abode equally a source of food. Tipped-over trash doesn't mean you necessarily have a raccoon problem but you could if you don't take steps to prevent it.

Raccoons Patrolling

If you have raccoons nearby, y'all will probably run into them patrolling your belongings at night. You lot may see the cogitating optics in the bushes, near your trash cans, under your porch, or in the garden. They may climb upwardly trees, explore the trash and garden, or walk in a straight line across the lawn. Raccoons are curious; y'all may even see them peep in your windows if they can accomplish. It's normal to come across raccoons occasionally walking through your property just nightly sightings mean they probably have a den or food source nearby.

Signs You Have Raccoons in Your Attic

You sometimes hear noises coming from your attic. What could it be? While it may be squirrels or even bats, loud thumping noises may be a sign that a mother raccoon has made your attic into her den to heighten her young. The following are signs of raccoons in the attic:

You hear thumping sounds or what sounds like an fauna walking in the attic
Yous hear them leaving afterward dusk or returning at night
Some noises may happen during the mean solar day fifty-fifty though raccoons are nocturnal
Y'all may hear whining or loftier-pitched crying sounds from baby raccoons (or kits)
You lot see damage to your roof. This may exist located on the border of the roof or at the vents or soffits

Visually audit your attic for raccoons is a practiced idea, although do this with care. You may see the raccoons in the attic or babies left backside while the mother searches for food. Raccoon debris and urine may also be visible.

Frequently Asked Questions Almost Getting Rid of Raccoons

What to Do if Y'all Find Abandoned Baby Raccoons?

What happens if y'all find what appears to be abandoned or orphaned baby raccoons in your attic, under your deck, or elsewhere on your property? This isn't uncommon simply there's a good chance the babies aren't abandoned; their mother is probably out looking for nutrient.

Raccoons usually have litters of 3 to vii young or kits. Raccoons are built-in with fur and open up their eyes once they're 19 days old. By the age of 6 to 7 weeks, babe raccoons weigh effectually 1.v pounds and are gear up to be weaned. They will stay with their mother during the fall and some may remain with her during the winter.

Information technology's very mutual to see unattended raccoon babies during the day or night if you find their den. The mother uses every chance she gets to provender for food and she may even be active during the day, especially in the spring and summertime when the babies are small-scale.

Female parent Raccoon May Return

Unless the mother raccoon is unable to, she will return for the babies.

If you find the infant raccoons exterior of their den, y'all can protect them until the mother returns by placing a towel and upside-down laundry basket over them. You tin also put the babies in a cardboard box with a towel to keep them warm. When the female parent returns, she will tear open up the box or flip the laundry handbasket to get them.

If the baby raccoons are in a den on your patio, in your chimney, in your attic, or under a deck, you lot tin use the mother raccoon's dedication to force them to relocate. You can carefully remove the babies from the den while wearing protection to avoid catching any diseases. Place them in a cardboard box with air holes close by simply exterior of the den. Use exclusion methods like steel gauge mesh to close access to the den and look for the female parent to return and relocate the babies to another den site.

Do Raccoon Sprays and Raccoon Repellent Work?

You'll run into lots of raccoon repellents on the marketplace only the truth is most don't work. Physical removal and exclusion methods are the best ways to tackle a raccoon problem. With that said, some raccoon sprays and products can be useful at temporarily driving raccoons out of their den so you can seal it up.

You lot can apply a hot pepper spray to help baby-sit your garden and other areas against raccoons. Bonide Hot Pepper Wax Animal Repellent is marketed for gardens but it can also be applied around other areas decumbent to raccoons similar the trash or around your shed. Still, it isn't guaranteed to work and exclusion methods are a amend bet. To become raccoons to get out their nest so you can install an exclusion barrier, you can try spraying apple cider vinegar or soaking a rag in vinegar and leaving it near the archway.

What Kind of Harm Can Raccoons Crusade?

Raccoons aren't but cute trivial "burglars;" they're also notoriously destructive. One of the greatest dangers of raccoons is their feces which can spread roundworms and other parasites and diseases.

If raccoons go into your attic, they can chop-chop crusade extensive harm. Raccoons will tear into your dwelling to gain entry to the attic, destroy your insulation, and fill up the infinite with feces and urine. Raccoons tin besides impairment your electrical and ventilation systems which can atomic number 82 to a burn or water impairment.

Even if raccoons don't actually get into your home, there's another problem they leave behind: overturned trash cans and trash all over your lawn.

Related Article: 13 Best Means to Go Rid of Groundhogs

My name is Christine and I'm living in Southwest Ohio where I was born and raised afterwards a decade spent living in Southern California.

While I loved working as a Pest Control Technician in Western Ohio, I did not enjoy the hours.

I decided to find a new career and now I work every bit a writer and help others find solutions to their pest problems online.

In my gratis time, I enjoy traveling and going to as many metallic concerts every bit possible.