Thinking of bringing back the 90s with some sweet memories? Well, there are some other things that can also go back in time without you noticing. Such as raccoons, which have now started to make their home in our attics and roofs. If you are facing a green furry beast intruding your house, then you must be wondering how to get raccoons out of the attic. The article will help you get rid of these pests once and for all. So keep reading to know more!
How To Get Raccoons Out Of The Attic?
Install Metal Mesh Over Your Ventilation Holes
Raccoons are notorious climbers. If they can gain access to your roof, they can make their way into your attic through any gaps or openings. Raccoons can also gain access to your attic through any ventilation holes you have installed in your home. These could be for your heating system, your water heater, or your chimney. To prevent raccoons from getting into your home through your attic, you’ll need to seal any openings with metal mesh. Raccoons can also gain access to your home through your dryer vent. To prevent them from doing so, you will need to install a metal mesh over your vent. If you have a pet door installed in your back door, you’ll also want to install a metal mesh over it to prevent raccoons from getting in.
Set Up A Live Trap
If you see raccoons on your property, the best way to get rid of them is with a live trap. Raccoons are solitary animals that generally roam alone. If you trap one raccoon, there’s a good chance the rest of the raccoons will move on to find food elsewhere. Raccoons are also nocturnal creatures, so they only come out at night while you’re sleeping. If you trap a raccoon during the day, it’s likely there are more raccoons in your neighborhood. If you trap a raccoon and there are no more raccoons nearby, you will have to set another trap to catch the rest. Raccoon traps can be purchased online or in your local hardware store. To trap a raccoon, you’ll need to bait the trap with food. Raccoons are omnivorous creatures that will eat anything, but they have a sweet tooth and are particularly fond of sugary foods.
Lay out the smelliest food as bait
If you’re setting a raccoon trap, there’s one thing you can do to increase the chances of catching a raccoon. Raccoons are very driven by their sense of smell. They will often return to places where they have previously found food. By laying out the smelliest food you can find, you’ll increase the chances of attracting a raccoon to your trap. Raccoons are particularly attracted to peanut butter, bacon, and fish. If you want to use any of these ingredients to bait your trap, lay them out on some newspaper a few feet from your trap.
Why Do Raccoons Come To The Attic?
Lack Of Available Food And Water Sources
Most raccoons that have taken up residence in your attic are just passing through. They are likely looking for food and water sources since they don’t have any in the area. Raccoons are opportunistic omnivores that will eat almost anything, but they prefer insects, fruits, and small mammals. If there aren’t any water sources nearby, or if your neighborhood doesn’t have any nearby ponds or lakes, raccoons will be dehydrated quickly. Dehydration can be fatal for these creatures in only a few hours. Raccoons also need a lot of food to maintain their weight. An adult raccoon can eat up to 15% of its body weight in food per day. If they don’t have enough food sources nearby, they’ll go to the next best thing: your house.
The Buildup Of Trash And Unemptied Waste
Raccoons are also one of the few types of animals that eat other animals’ waste. This includes the uneaten food in your trash can and the feces of your pet animals. These animals are called omnivores because they eat almost everything. Raccoons regularly feast on pet waste and leftover food from backyard barbeques. Raccoons seem to be drawn to areas with a lot of trash and unemptied waste. They may not come to your attic to feed on your trash and poop, but they will come to find a place to sleep. Raccoons are nocturnal, which means they sleep during the day and are active at night. Raccoons will nest in areas that provide shelter and protection from outside predators. The best place for a raccoon to nest is in your attic or roof, where they feel safe from predators like house cats. Raccoons are also known to be extremely messy with their waste, so their presence inside your house may cause issues in more ways than just noise and smell.
Too much shelter and protection in the area
If there are raccoons in your attic, they are likely mating and reproducing in your attic. Raccoons breed and have baby raccoons in the spring. The babies are called kits and are born hairless and blind. Once they are born, they need shelter, warmth, and protection from predators like house cats. Raccoons that have found a nice, warm attic to nest in will stay there until their kits are grown. This can take between 6 and 10 weeks, depending on the weather. When their babies are grown, the raccoons will move on to a new home. If you have a raccoon family living in your attic, you may notice a lot of scratching, biting, and gnawing noises. These noises are caused by raccoons needing to expand their living space.
Raccoon motherhood season (spring)
As mentioned above, the raccoon maternity season is in the spring. During this time, female raccoons are looking for a warm, dry place to give birth to their kits. They are attracted to attics because they are warm and dry. Raccoon mothers may also be attracted to attics because they smell like animals that have already been there. Raccoon mothers, like all mothers, are protective. Even though they are not likely to harm your family, they are still very protective of their young and will bite if they feel threatened. Raccoon mothers may be attracted to your attic because they smell another raccoon family living there already. If there are already raccoons living in your attic, they will make more noise, scratch more frequently, and expand their living space. They may also leave behind raccoon droppings and urine.
Don’t Feed The Animals
One of the first tips for preventing raccoons from coming back to your yard again is: don’t feed the animals. If raccoons are coming to your yard, you probably already know they are getting food from there. They are wild animals and don’t need to be fed by humans. Tossing out corn cobs, dog food, or chicken feed is a great way to attract raccoons and other wild animals to your yard. If you don’t want raccoons coming back to your yard, then you need to get rid of the food source. It’s as easy as tossing it in the trash. It’s also important to note that raccoons are most likely to come back to your yard if there’s a source of food for them within 5 to 10 yards of where they first discovered it. If you have a raccoon problem, and you’re trying to get rid of them, don’t feed them.
Install a Motion-Activated Light
Another way to prevent raccoons from coming back to your yard again is to install a motion-activated light. Raccoons are shy and they prefer to avoid contact with people whenever possible. And once they realize they’ve been spotted, they will flee the scene and try to find a new place to live. So once you’ve installed the light and it goes on when a raccoon walks nearby, they will probably become spooked and look for a new place to live. While this isn’t a foolproof way to get rid of raccoons, it will help keep them away. It’s important to note that you need a light with a wide enough beam to cover an entire area. You should also make sure you install it in an area where it doesn’t disturb the neighbors.
Add a Fencing Barrier
A fencing barrier is another way to prevent raccoons from coming back to your yard again. Raccoons are good climbers and they can easily scale a fence that’s only a few feet high. You don’t need to build a 10-foot fence to keep raccoons out; a 4-foot fence will work. Another option is to install a wire mesh barrier on the top of your fence. Raccoons can climb, but they’re not great climbers, so a barrier on the top of your fence will keep them out. You can also install mesh wire mesh on the bottom of your fence to prevent raccoons from digging their way underneath it. This is a great option if you have a yard that’s close to a body of water. And it’s an added bonus that the barrier will also keep other creatures out, such as rabbits, groundhogs, and moles.
Use Odour Repellants
Another way to prevent raccoons from coming back to your yard again is to use odor repellants. You can choose from a variety of sprays and gels that are designed to repel raccoons. Odor repellant isn’t as effective as other raccoon repellent techniques. But it’s still a good way to keep them away. The only issue is that it needs to be reapplied every week or two because the smell wears off. You can also combine the use of an odor repellant with other methods of keeping raccoons away. For example, you can spray the repellant on the corn cobs you feed the birds. That way, you kill two birds with one stone: the raccoons will stay away, and the birds will still have enough food.
Conclusion
Raccoons are generally shy creatures that would prefer to avoid contact with humans. If you have raccoons on your property, it’s important to make sure they don’t get into your home. Raccoons can cause a lot of damage, and they can be difficult to get rid of once they’ve settled in. To prevent raccoons from getting into your home, you’ll need to make sure that their access points have been sealed up. Raccoons can enter your home through your roof, chimney, and any gaps in your foundation.
