How to keep raccoons away from your house?

Raccoons, like humans and most animals, have three basic needs: food, water, and shelter. Unfortunately, your property offers raccoons plenty of opportunities to get all three.

What do raccoons eat?

Wild raccoons survive by hunting or eating plants. They prefer to live near bodies of water where they can eat crayfish, frogs, fish, snails, and clams. If given the opportunity, they will also eat eggs, insects, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and sometimes even carrion.

Raccoons aren't picky eaters . Leftover food from humans is the primary cause of raccoon nests in residential yards. They are opportunistic feeders: when they find an easily accessible food source, they settle in and search for more. This can be anything from pet food to fruits or vegetables that have fallen in your yard. Even garbage cans are popular with raccoons!

If you don't act quickly when faced with a raccoon infestation, you will encounter many problems:

• Raccoons can build dens in your attic or chimney.
• Raccoons make a lot of mess when they eat . Whether it's food scraps, garbage, pet food, birdseed, or garden crops, you'll find it everywhere!
• Excess fecal matter in certain areas of your home .
• They can destroy your insulation , crush it, and cause energy loss. They break attic fans, roof vents, gable vents, and other ventilation systems.
• They can carry a variety of parasites and diseases , such as mites, lice, fleas, worms, viruses, rabies and distemper, all of which can be transmitted to humans and pets.

Raccoons are nocturnal animals , which makes them difficult to spot. It's therefore important to pay attention to the traces they leave behind. Here are some things to look for:

• Overturned bins, damage to your garden or fish pond, an overturned or empty pet food container, overturned bird feeders, and a disturbed compost heap are all signs.
• Footprints or teeth marks.
• Feces.
• Raccoons have very foul-smelling urine that can often be smelled from inside the property, in addition to their droppings.

Secure your bin

Raccoons are attracted to garbage. If you leave your garbage outside, make sure it's in a heavy bin with a sturdy lid . You can also use a rope to hold the lid in place, attach it to a fence, or secure it to a post.

Eliminate pet food

Pet food should be kept indoors to ensure that raccoons keep their distance. 

Pick up the fallen fruit

Raccoons may enter your garden to eat fallen fruit from your fruit trees or plants. Keeping your garden as clean as possible will make it less attractive to raccoons.

Fence your garden

Raccoons roam gardens, fish ponds, and compost heaps in search of food. Installing an electric fence is the safest way to keep raccoons out of these areas . Raccoons can dig, climb, or otherwise make their way through ordinary fences.

Spices

Because it irritates their sense of smell , chili peppers are one of the most effective scents for deterring raccoons. Regularly using scents like spices, predator urine, or oils will help them learn that your property is off-limits.

Onion and pepper

You can try a mixture of equal parts onion and pepper boiled in water. This mixture can irritate their sense of smell and emits an unpleasant odor that may repel raccoons. Since the smell will fade over time, you'll need to use this mixture at least twice a week if you want to keep raccoons away for good.

Peppermint essential oil

Peppermint oil is a common essential oil with applications in a variety of industries, in addition to being effective at repelling raccoons. Purchasing a peppermint-based wildlife repellent spray may be effective. 

You will need to reapply the perfume as it fades, which may be daily or weekly depending on the strength of the perfume.

Garlic

For those of you with a garden, planting garlic bulbs will keep them out . This method lasts longer than others and you don't have to repeat it.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is another excellent spice to use, as it creates a strong odor that raccoons dislike. However, the irritation caused by cinnamon is temporary, so you need to use it daily.

Use a trap

Before setting raccoon traps, be sure to read your local laws regarding the capture of raccoons or other small animals . Raccoons can build dens and shelters in a variety of places, including chimneys, attics, walls, and tree hollows in your yard. Place your trap where raccoon activity is visible.

Raccoon control services

RD is a professional pest control company offering a variety of fast, safe, and effective extermination services . Our team can help you with raccoon control, wildlife management, and damage repair, helping you protect your home from pests.

We offer residential , commercial , and agricultural services to ensure your home, business, or farm is protected from raccoons! If you have a pest problem, click here to see the different packages we offer or contact us for a quote!