How To Get Rid Of Raccoons in Backyards

Raccoons might appear cute but are often destructive pests that may carry diseases.

Having them near your family could be dangerous, and once inside, they're challenging to remove from homes.

In this guide, you'll find tips and techniques to get rid of raccoons in your backyards and family homes. Read on for info on removing raccoons from your property forever using preventive measures, scare tactics, repellents, and humane removal solutions.

Indicators Of a Raccoon Presence

As nocturnal creatures, raccoons might visit your home at night, engaging in destructive behaviours. One clear sign of a raccoon invasion is ransacked garbage.

Using their human-like hands and opposable thumbs, an opportunistic and hungry racoon can access your trash, lifting lids from cans with no trouble. In addition, they’re also likely to tear through the walls of your home, using their sharp claws to gain inside access.

Other telltale clues left behind include tracks and paw prints – which are distinct and appear much larger than other household pets, such as skunks.

What Factors Draw Raccoons to Your Yard?

Raccoons, being omnivores, eat everything from plants and human waste to leftover dog food and bird feed. They don’t discriminate with their diet, so bring your pet’s kibble and anything remotely raccoon-friendly.

Additionally, uncovered swimming pools attract raccoons, who use them as toilets, with the water masking the smell of raccoon urine from possible predators. Keeping your pool covered is advisable to prevent your family from swimming in raccoon waste.

Raccoons, especially mothers, may venture onto your property searching for uninhabited shelters, which may include garages, attics or even an unused dog kennel to safeguard their babies against predators.

Are Raccoons in Backyards Dangerous? Understandably, homeowners might prefer not to live or coexist with racoons because they’re typically portrayed as disease-riddled despite their adorable features.

But while raccoons may carry illnesses, posing health and safety risks, their nature is more destructive than aggressive. The only instance in which they’ll resort to attacking is when they’re sick, feel threatened or are trying to protect their young. With that said, it's never a good idea to approach or feed a raccoon without professional assistance, as you can't be certain that your neighbourhood visitor is free of disease. Sick racoons may be infected with anything from rabies to leptospirosis and canine distemper, which can be transmissible to humans and canines. This trifecta of disease may even prove deadly.

Is Raccoon Waste Hazardous?

Most people think the only way of contracting illnesses from a raccoon is through attack, but that's not the case.

While getting bitten may lead to becoming ill, exposure to infected raccoon urine and faecal matter can be just as dangerous, especially for pets who ingest racoon waste.

Raccoon urine, for example, might contain leptospirosis, a potentially fatal illness for pets. Although typically affecting other animals, the disease may also jump to humans, potentially causing death if left untreated. Being strongly odorous, you’ll quickly identify racoon urine when you smell it. Unfortunately, since raccoons tend to live in dark attics and use the pool as a toilet, you won't always know they have left their life-threatening mark.

Similarly, racoon excrement might be infected with giardia or carry roundworm eggs. If your dog has eaten or been in close contact with excrement, they could become extremely sick. If they do so, seek out veterinary assistance urgently.

It's crucial to have your dog's stool tested to prevent the worst from happening. Maintaining a clean environment will also keep your property raccoon-free.

What Do You Do If You're Approached by Raccoons In Your Background?

Raccoons and other pests have grown accustomed to people and often don't keep their distance. But as previously mentioned, despite preconceived ideas about the species, raccoons don't typically attack unless diseased, provoked or cornered.

That said, encountering a raccoon at close range might be intimidating. What do you do if you meet one exhibiting aggressive behaviours? Make noises, clap your hands together and try to make yourself appear bigger to scare it away. While it might return later, you’ll have enough time to retreat indoors and contact a professional pest removal service.

When Will a Raccoon Attack?

Though raccoon attacks don't happen regularly, when people get bitten, it's often a result of a raccoon mother protecting her babies.

Raccoons infected with rabies or canine distemper also show violent tendencies, so remember never to approach or feed them. If you have pets, ensure they stay inside your home until it's safe.

If you suspect a raccoon infestation on your property, closely monitor for signs of illness. A raccoon with rabies will present unusual behaviours, like wandering around during the day (remember, they're nocturnal creatures), acting erratically, and even becoming vocal.

Phone the professionals if you come across a sick raccoon aimlessly roaming. Wildlife experts can end the animal's suffering humanely if it can't be saved.

Preventative Measures Against Raccoon Invasions

Use our below tips and tricks to defend your home against invading raccoons.

Home and Property Upgrades

Raccoons nest in attics, chimneys, side vents, and other cosy nooks in your home.

They'll rip and poke holes into your home's facade to reach these areas, needing only the tiniest openings to gain entry.

Sealing holes around the home with wood, caulk, concrete, and expandable foam can block raccoons from entering small spaces.

You can also install an electric fence and similar barriers to prevent raccoons and unwanted guests from entering your property. Forget about non-electric gates. As adept tree clumbers in the wild, raccoons can easily scale towering obstructions, no matter their height, if they're not electrified.

Install Garden Security

Your garden may also be at risk from these hungry pests, especially if it's filled with delicious plant varietals. Remember that raccoons aren't selective about what they eat, so they might discover tasty treats within your yard.

Cover your lawn and veggie patches with building materials, like mesh, to save your garden from potential ruin. It’s not a fail-proof installation, but it might discourage a persistent raccoon for a while.

A Clean and Hygienic Home

Keeping raccoons away is as simple as maintaining a clean and tidy home and property. Since raccoons love rummaging through trash, deter them by securing your trash can lids with bungee cords or locks.

Repellants

Raccoon repellents are controversial and somewhat ineffective because they smell awful to humans and aren't all that reliable in warding off unwanted pests.

Unlike you and your family, raccoons can grow accustomed to the potent smell or learn where the repellants are kept and avoid those areas, rendering them completely ineffective.

But if you are desperately looking for a budget-friendly solution for your raccoon problem, you might consider trying liquids like ammonia or even vinegar. Soak cotton balls with these fluids before placing them strategically around the home. Remember that raccoons adjust to unfamiliar scents quickly, so remember to change up the locations regularly.

If you're still having trouble with raccoons around your bins, sprinkle bleach across the top of the lids as an additional measure.

Should I Try Trapping Raccoons In Backyards?

Animal catching might be used as a last-ditch effort to remove raccoons. Despite cages being a highly effective way of trapping unwanted pests, many professionals advise against using them. Setting up traps without prior experience is complicated and risky. You also don’t want to ensnare a curious and unsuspecting house cat instead.

You’ll need to read up on laws and regulations before implementing this method anyway. Because raccoons carry life-threatening diseases like rabies, trapping and freeing raccoons might not be allowed in your area. If you decide to trap your raccoon (and are permitted to do so), here are a few key considerations to consider. Find a Durable Cage: trapped raccoons will attempt to escape a trap by gnawing and tearing through. Select the Right Location: set up your cage in a shaded area, avoiding direct sunlight. Remember you want to manage your racoon issue humanely and not resort to cruel practices, such as exposing them to heatstroke while enclosed in a sun-baked pen. Use Raccoon-Friendly Food as Bait: avoid catching innocent felines by introducing bait that only raccoons will be enticed by. They’re not fussy with food, so you have many options from which to choose.

Don't Use Traps in Attics & Confined Spaces: raccoons hiding out in your attic are generally mothers with their babies. By trapping the mother, you risk leaving the young behind, who may die if they aren’t cared for by an adult raccoon.

Call in Animal Control: involve professionals to remove live raccoons from your home to avoid breaking the law or getting hurt.

Takeaway

Has your house been raided by raccoons? Although raccoons don't always pose an immediate threat to your family (watch out for mothers, their babies, and the sick), they’re pests you don’t want around.

Prevention is key. Once these "masked bandits" take up residence, it’s challenging to evict them. Block entryways into your home, fix weak infrastructure, cover your pool and keep your home clean and pest-free.

Already hosting uninvited guests? You can use natural repellents and smells to chase them away. Be warned that these are only temporary fixes, and your unwanted guests will return once they're used to the smell.

For a permanent solution, animal trappings can work to trap and release humanely. Still, there is complicated legal legwork involved in obtaining one and huge risks involved in its operation, especially when mothers, babies, or diseased animals are involved. Best to call in animal control if you’re in doubt - they’re experts in handling and relocating wild animals.