Raccoon Removal

The Animal Control’s Raccoon Removal

Raccoons are some of the most popular wildlife intruders across the United States. There are plenty of things on the human property that has been known to attract the attention of a raccoon, which is why these notorious scavengers are causing so many problems for Americans everywhere.

In our years of experience, we have come across a lot of raccoon situations in and around human homes, and have learned pretty much everything there is to know about raccoons, and how to get rid of them safely and humanely, of course.

In the lines below, we will share with you some of our thoughts on raccoon removal. We will take you through popular and efficient techniques, preventive steps you can take, as well as what you should do if you want to attempt DIY removal. So read on, but first, a word of introduction.

How do we remove raccoons?

At Nuisance Wildlife Control, we specialize in the safe and humane removal and exclusion of pesky raccoons. This means that we’ve developed efficient ways to remove the bothersome animals from your property, without actually harming them, which we think is only fair. We don’t see a purpose in hurting the raccoons, since the only crime they’re guilty of is looking for nourishment (which is natural).

So we use exclusion devices, and live traps to rid your home of raccoons once and for all.

What are live traps?

Basically, a live trap is a humane answer to the traditional animal trap. Using some sort of appealing bait, we will attract the raccoon inside this cage, basically, and then use the cage to relocate the raccoon or family of raccoons from your property, to somewhere where they can’t bother you or anyone else. This, we find, is a great and efficient way to get rid of raccoons that are bothering people, without actually causing them harm.

What are exclusion devices?

As we’ve seen, a raccoon will sometimes try to set up shop in your home, or in your garage or shed. Typically, wild animals are attracted to parts of your property that are less circulated, such as the shed, barn, or so on. If the raccoon is inside your property somewhere, the first thing we will do will be to identify the raccoon’s entry point and install the exclusion device. The exclusion device will vary in shape, depending on the size of the animal. Generally, it will allow the raccoons to exit the property, in order to look for food, without actually allowing it to come back inside, though. This is a highly efficient way to get raccoons out of your home, without harming them in any way. We will then seal the entry point using material that doesn’t allow other wildlife to chew or claw through it. 

How much does raccoon removal cost?

Raccoon removal can vary in price, depending on the particular situation, the number of raccoons, the amount of damage already caused, and so on. This is why we at Nuisance Wildlife Control offer free estimates that you can benefit from either by calling us at (256) 636-1168 or by contacting us online throughout the week.

Our expert team of wildlife removal professionals will be able to give you a rough estimate of the overall cost for removing unwanted raccoons from your property so that you can better plan your budget.

What happens after raccoon removal?

Once the raccoon has been safely escorted off the premises, we will then focus on repairing the damage it has caused. Since raccoons are voracious scavengers, they can cause quite a bit of damage, in order to get to their food, and can also leave behind dirt that exposes you to a wide array of serious bacteria.

We will also advise you on future prevention methods that you may want to implement, in order to stave off future raccoon invasions. Because while raccoon removal is important, focusing on prevention is even more important, and we find, beneficial for the property owner since it will save you a lot of trouble in the long run.

Speaking of which, what’s attracting the raccoon to your home?

This is an important matter to consider, since the moment you figure out why there are raccoons on your property, you also figure out how to stop them from being there, right? The truth about raccoons is they are notorious scavengers by nature. They love to eat, and they love to eat pretty much anything you can think of, which also makes them difficult to keep away, really. 

Raccoons are usually attracted to human properties because they tend to view them as great sources of nourishment. Since raccoons really aren’t picky eaters at all, it can be quite difficult to remove all edible attractions from your home. Still, we can try.

They may also be attracted to an open water source, such as a pet bowl, a birdbath, or a leaky pipe. Like any other living creature, raccoons need water to survive, so really, you might have to remove the water source from your home, if you want to keep raccoons away. 

Lastly, sometimes raccoons are attracted to human properties because they have identified an easy nesting area on your property. Often enough, this can be a pile of firewood, a shed, a dog house, a chicken coop, and so on. They may also be attracted to flower beds, which they just love tearing up. 

So really, it’s often difficult figuring out just what’s attracting the raccoon in question to your home. However, the more of these possible attraction point you cross off, the lower the chances of attracting raccoons will be.

Raccoon prevention – here’s what you need to know!

There are many things you can do in order to prevent raccoons from visiting your home. 

You can keep your garden and yard neat and tidy. 

This will not only deter raccoons from approaching but is also a great way to keep other nuisance wildlife at bay. The cleaner your yard is, the easier it becomes to spot unwanted animals, which obviously poses a serious risk for the animals. Now, these creatures may be bothersome, but they’re certainly not dumb and are likely to avoid properties where they’d be easily discovered.

Keep trash cans indoors.

While this may not sound all that appealing at first, it’s well worth it, in terms of raccoon invasions. Raccoons are infamously attracted to trash cans since these often are easy to topple and allow access to leftovers, compost, and all sorts of other edibles. This is why we recommend investing in sealable trash cans. These will be a little harder for you to open, and a little pricey, but worth it, since they will also be impossible for raccoons to open!

Keep pet food indoors overnight.

Since raccoons are largely nocturnal creatures, it might be a good idea to bring pet food and pet water bowls indoors before you go to bed, to deter them from approaching your home. 

This might also mean giving up on bird feeders or birdbaths, as these may also be attracting raccoons, or picking up fallen fruit in the evening since that is also edible.

Can you get rid of raccoons on your own?

A lot of our clients have tried getting rid of unwanted raccoons on their own, to some degree of success. This often seems like a worthwhile alternative, since it costs less. Though, at the risk of tooting our own horn, let us say, it’s not as easy as it seems.

If you think you are capable of safely and efficiently removing a raccoon on your own, you can research and purchase either a live trap or an exclusion device from a local specialty store. Careful though, if you opt for live trapping, we suggest that you check on the trap regularly, to make sure you don’t leave the raccoon trapped too long. 

Alternatively, you can try a raccoon deterrent device. This is usually a device that’s activated by movement, and that will give off a sound or bright light to scare off nuisance raccoons.

However, in our years doing this, we’ve rarely seen people who’ve successfully gotten rid of raccoons on their own. While we don’t discourage it, we’re simply warning you that it may end up costing you a lot more time, energy, and in the end, even money, than calling a professional. So if you’ve got raccoon troubles, make sure you call us at Nuisance Wildlife Control today!

Who are we?

Nuisance Wildlife Control is a locally-owned wildlife removal company in the Northern Alabama area. Indeed, we service all of the Northern Alabama regions, with locations in Decatur, Huntsville, and Madison, AL. We have more than thirty years of experience in the removal and exclusion of wild animals, such as skunks, squirrels, bats, birds, and of course, raccoons. 

During this time, we’ve heard a lot of questions on the matter, and have advised all of our clients on how to make their home raccoon-free.