Raccoon Removal
HOW
MUCH DOES RACCOON REMOVAL COST? If the raccoon(s) are
outside, the cost will be less. There will probably be a one-time
service visit and trap setup fee, and a fee per-animal trapped and
relocated or euthanized as state law dictates. The total cost for
ground trapping service might be around the
$200
range. If you have raccoons inside your building, such as a family
of raccoons in the attic, the cost will be higher, because it will
likely involve removal of the litter of babies, sealing shut the
entry hole or holes, repairs to the damage they have caused, and
perhaps attic cleanup if necessary. The cost of this service might
be
$400 or more. Costs vary by situation and
city. The only way to know for sure is to call and get a free
price quote over the phone.
GET
LOCAL PRICE
Raccoons are strong, agile, adaptable, and they are very common in
urban areas. They commonly break into garbage cans, dumpsters,
steal pet food, or even enter homes via pet doors. They are great
climbers, and they commonly enter attics of homes. They will rip
open a hole and set up a denning area, and raise a litter of
babies. They can cause a great deal of damage, and spread diseases
with their feces, so removal is usually recommended.
COMMON PROBLEMS: Raccoons are now much more common
in cities than in the forest. They have learned to adapt to
urban environments, use human shelter and food sources, and
they have largely lost fear of people. They are agile, strong,
intelligent, and have nimble hands. Thus, they cause some of
the following problems:
- Breaking into an attic, and setting up a nest
- Crawling into a chimney and living there
- Eating from garbage cans, pet food, bird seed, etc.
- Killing and eating pet birds, decorative fish, chickens,
etc.
- Depositing feces in swimming pool, on porch, yard, etc.
- Digging up your yard, eating crops, etc.
- Concern over fearless raccoon, or attack on pets.
- Concern about a sick or rabid raccoon on property.
RACCOONS IN THE ATTIC: This is a very complex case.
This almost always involves an adult female and a litter of
baby raccoons. The nest of baby raccoons must be found &
removed, and the mother trapped. Here are the general steps
for removing raccoons from an attic.
- Step 1: Inspect the home, and find the entry hole(s),
which are very large and obvious.
- Step 2: Enter the attic. This is crucial. You might see
the adult female.
- Step 3: Search the attic carefully, and find and remove
the litter of baby raccoons by hand, and place in sack.
Beware of attacking female.
- Step 4: Use a trap divider and place the live babies as
"bait" to lure the female into the cage trap. This is
difficult, and must be done just right.
- Step 5: Relocate the whole family together, at least 10
miles from capture site.
- Step 6: Repair the entry holes with pro-grade repairs, and
fix other damage in the attic.
- Step 7: Clean the attic, removing all feces, and spray
with enzyme cleaner.
GENERAL RACCOON TRAPPING: Raccoon trapping is
subject to state laws regarding capture and relocation or
euthanization of wildlife. If you have unwanted raccoons
outside the home, in some cases, the only fix is to trap and
remove the nuisance wildlife. We can safely, legally, and
effectively catch and remove your nuisance raccoons. Trapping
is an art, and most amateur attempts go awry for a variety of
reasons. An intimate knowledge of raccoon behavior, both prior
to and after trapping, and of various raccoon trap types is
necessary to ensure that the raccoon is trapped and removed
without incident.
- STEP 1: Determine if trapping is necessary, or if there is
a preventative alternative.
- STEP 2: Select the right trap for the situation, of at
least a dozen types of raccoon traps.
- STEP 3: Set the traps in the correct areas, in the shade,
camouflaged, on a flat sturdy surface, away from any
obstructions or areas that can be damaged, etc.
- STEP 4: Use the correct bait. Don't use meat-based baits,
which can attract stray cats.
- STEP 5: Monitor the trap daily, remove trapped animals
(carefully!) and transport them.
ATTIC DECONTAMINATION & OTHER SERVICES: In some
situations, it may be desirable to clean your attic after
you've removed raccoons from the space. They can leave behind
large amounts of droppings, urine, hair, oils, food, nesting
material, and so on. These remnants can attract insects like
cockroaches, and the scent left behind can encourage new
raccoons to attempt to chew or break their way into your
house. It's possible or likely that mold will grow on the
areas of feces and urine, which damages wood or sheetrock.
Some of the mold can potentially cause diseases that people
can catch, and some of the feces themselves can cause
diseases, such as Salmonella or Leptospirosis, and raccoon
feces can contain roundworm eggs, which can infect people.
It's also adviseable to repair any torn ductwork in an attic,
along with torn pipe insulation or chewed electrical wires.
- We remove or vacuum all droppings, or remove all the
soiled insulation.
- We fog the attic with a special enzyme-based cleaner that
destroys any organic matter and deodorizes the space.
- We repair damage, such as ductwork, electrical wires,
pipes, insulation, and more.
The above is just a brief explanation of some of our raccoon removal
and control methods. I haven't even addressed the dozenss of other
potential cases that we deal with, from raccoons under a shed, to
dead raccoon removal, to dealing with a sick or dangerous raccoon
situation, etc. I will describe some additional raccoon information
below, but just give us a call any time, and we can describe in
detail how we will resolve your specific raccoon problem in your
town.
Sometimes the best place to start is learning about the animal itself.
Learn
About Raccoons - their
natural diet,
if raccoons live or travel in packs, whether they live in
urban areas, or wild areas,
average sizeand
mating habits. It's important to know the
symptoms of a sick raccoon, as well as what to do if you
encounter a sick raccoon - as well as what kind of
diseases you can get from Raccoons. We can also give advice on
What attracts raccoons and generally
How to keep raccoons away from your property. Learn how to identify
Raccoon Feces, and learn about whether or not
raccoon feces are dangerous to touch or breathe. One of the questions we get most is:
Do all raccoons have rabies? Learn, too, if
a raccoon that is active during the daytime rabid.
We often get asked about
Baby Raccoon, as well as if
you should feed a found baby raccoon, and
What should I do if I find an orphaned baby raccoon wandering about?.
Raccoons can find a means to get into trouble just about anywhere. We have advice about not only about
Raccoon Prevention , but what to do to keep thece nuisance animals out of just about anywhere, including:
Raccoon in the Attic - Info about what to do if you have raccoon in the attic.
Raccoon on the Roof - If you hear scratching on the roof, and think it's a raccoon.
Raccoon in the Chimney - Information about removing raccoon in a chimney.
Raccoon in Chicken Coop - Information about how to keep raccoons out of a chicken coop.
Raccoon in the Walls - What to do if you hear raccoon in the walls, scratching.
Raccoon in Bird Feeder - How to keep raccoons out of my bird feeder
Raccoon in Garden - How to keep raccoons out of your garden
Raccoon under Porch - What to do about a raccoon under the porch
Raccoon and Garbage Cans - How to keep raccoons out of your garbage cans
Raccoon and Pools - How to prevent raccoons from pooping in your swimming pool
Raccoon in Dumpster - How do you remove a raccoon stuck in a dumpster?
The best way to
Get Rid of Raccoon is to prevent it from entering/damanging your property to begin with. And, believe me, raccoons can cause a lot of
damage. Though you can check to see if
Homeowners Insurance Pay for
Raccoon Damage, as well as if
The City Or County Animal Services Will Help Me With A Raccoon Issue?If you had a raccoon in your attic, you'll need to know
how to clean raccoon feces out of an attic. Learn more, too, about
what diseases raccoons carry.
We did an analysis of
Raccoon Repellents for your property, your
attic, as well as for your
chimney. We also can offer advice about using
mothballs or ammonia to help repel raccoons, and can answer the question:
What is raccoon eviction fluid?. We can also offer advice about how you can know if there are
Baby Raccoons in the Attic, and what to do if you do indeed have a
nest of raccoons in the attic.
If the critter has already made it into your house there are few options about how to remove it. First, you may want to consider
Is it legal for me to trap a raccoon?. Learn about
How To Trap a Raccoon, as well as
What Bait Catches Raccoon, and
What equipment is needed to trap a raccoon? After you have successfully captured the animal, you need to think about what to do
afterwards - including where to
relocate the animal. You may also want to read:
Is it safe to handle a raccoon with bare hands?. If the raccoon is just too smart for your cage, we have advice:
What to do about a cage-shy (hard to trap) raccoon? Ultimately, you need to consider:
Should I hire a pro, or remove raccoons myself? and
Will A Pest Control Company Remove A Raccoon?
I often get asked
How to Kill a Raccoon, and
What are some humane ways to kill a
raccoon? whether in the home or
in the yard. There are some pretty important questions about how, when, and why to kill a raccoon. Of course, the next question we get asked is about
How to Find and Remove a Dead Raccoon.
These intelligent but pesky creatures can bring a lot of damage to your property - you'll want to move quickly to remove any raccoon from your
House, your
chimney, out from under your
shed or porch, and even
out of a wall. Learn how to get raccoons out of your
attic and off of your
Roof, and how to catch one with a
snare pole. Learn what
Bait is best for catching raccoons, and even if they make
good pets.
Read more about how to
Keeping Raccoons Away from your property altogether - but especially to keep them out of your
house and
attic. Find out if raccoons
attack people, and the first steps you should take if a raccoons got
inside your house. Learn if you should ever
poison a raccoon and if they do in fact
use tools. Read about
raccoon roundworm, what
wildlife rehabilitators do with raccoons, if a raccoon in the attic will have a
nest of babies, and how to get raccoons out of your
attic.
Raccoon Biology and Information
The North American Raccoon or Procyon lotor in scientific terms is
an abundant mammal the size of an extra-large house cat that is
prevalent in many different habitats across the North American
continent.
Biology - This mammal is an omnivore, which means it eats a
wide variety of food. Mainly a raccoon’s diet consists of bugs,
plants and fish when on its own. Close to cities it scavenges
rubbish bins for all sorts of food scraps that people toss. It has
very agile front paws that it can use in much the same manner a
person uses their hands. Its physical distinctions are its ambling
gate, hunched back and dark facial mask. The raccoon has often been
hunted for its, soft thick fur for apparel and its tail used for
decorative features.
Life Cycle And Reproduction - For the longest times it was
thought that these mammals were very much a solitary animal. Many
studies that were done in the nineties have shown they live in
groups according to gender. These nocturnal creatures tend to breed
when there is an increase in daylight hours. Generally from the end
of January to some time in middle March is when they start to mate.
Although this time period can fluctuate and it doesn’t always seem
to relate to solar cycles. Also, if the female raccoon doesn’t get
pregnant or aborts the pregnancy she can become fertile between 80
and 140 days later. They are pregnant for around 63 days after which
they usually deliver between 2 and 5 babies, which are also called
kits. The size of the litter does vary geographically and some
studies have shown larger litters are born where their mortality
rates are higher-nature at its best! The babies are deaf and blind
when they are born but this only lasts about 21 days. Mother’s tend
to nurse their young until they are about 16 weeks old. After which
the kits have been introduced to the social group the mother tends
to feed with (usually other female raccoons from her family tree)
and they start to live on their own. In captivity they have been
known to live close to 20 years though the wild members of this
species generally average closer to five years.
Habitat - Generally speaking the raccoon enjoys living in
forests and they often choose the hollows of trees or crevices in
rocks to make a den. Most often they like to select an area that is
near a marsh or river so there’s a steady food and water source.
Since raccoons love small fish and crustaceans found in swampy
watering holes this makes these environments their ideal living
quarters. When living in more urban areas they may choose an
outbuilding or even an attic to get out of the elements and raise
their young.
Common Diseases These Animals Can Spread - One of the most
well-known diseases a raccoon can carry is rabies. Often it’s
important that a person steers clear from a raccoon that is out in
the day time or appears to not be afraid of humans. These are signs
the animal may be sick and this could mean rabies, which of course
is transmittable to humans and distemper which dogs can get. They
are known to be riddled with many forms of parasites including
roundworms. These are easily passed to a person’s pets. In addition,
their habit of playing in creek beds makes them carry salmonella
bacteria.
Common Nuisance Complaints - These are some of the most
adaptable mammals on the North American continent. Because they
enjoy a wide variety of food scraps that people toss in their
rubbish, living close to humans can be the ideal situation for them.
Common complaints are that they have set up a home in the attic or
garage and occasionally a dog house. A mother can become very
aggressive when defending her young. They do carry diseases that can
be passed on to pets and people alike. Their scat or droppings carry
high amounts of bacteria that can cause health problems when it
dries and spores go airborne. They can be very destructive with
rubbish bins, outside pets and their agile hands help them to get
into otherwise secure food stuffs.