Prevent And Remove A Raccoon In The Attic
The attic is a prime location for pests and critters to enter and take up residence in your home. One of the largest animals that regularly find their way into attics is the raccoon. When raccoons move into your attic, they bring a host of problems and dangers. While they look cuddly with their masked faces and bushy tails, raccoons pose a real threat to your home, safety, and health. If you have a raccoon in the attic, removing it quickly and safely is crucial.
About Nature’s Masked Bandits
Raccoons are a common site throughout almost all of the United States. However, Alaska is the only state raccoons do not call home. As nocturnal mammals, raccoons are most active during dusk and nighttime, spending their days sleeping out of sight. They live in small groups called nurseries. Because raccoons are incredibly adaptable, they make their homes in various locations.
Raccoon Habitat
In most cases, they go relatively unnoticed, making their dens in trees, caves, and the abandoned burrows of other animals. However, when their territory overlaps with people, they find their way into barns, garages, and homes. When they move into the house is most common to find a raccoon in the attic of homes.
Raccoons Are Not As Friendly As They Appear
Despite their cute and cuddly appearance, raccoons are not friendly or social animals. Often they are aggressive when cornered or approached by humans. Adult raccoons grow upwards of 2 to 3 feet in length. While the average weight is approximately 15 lbs, a large raccoon can weigh 24 lbs. Their large size means you often hear the movement of a raccoon in the attic. It is common to hear rustling and scratching.
Raccoons Pose Serious Health Risks
In addition to the possibility of aggression, raccoons pose additional health risks. Raccoons are known carriers of diseases such as rabies and leptospirosis and parasites such as roundworms. While the risk of rabies, in general, is not high in most areas, raccoons are primary carriers for spreading the disease. Therefore, it is important to avoid contact with raccoons for both people and pets. Finding a raccoon in the attic brings the risks into your home.
Prevent Raccoons In The Home
The best form of raccoon control is prevention. By taking time to perform a few raccoon control tips, you can significantly reduce or eliminate the likelihood of finding a raccoon in the attic. The goal is to make your home as inaccessible to raccoons and other pests as possible.
Seal Entry Points
The first step to preventing a raccoon in the attic is to close up any access points. Despite their bulky appearance, raccoons can fit through tiny spaces. A 4-inch opening is all it takes to lure a raccoon into your home. Next, use silicone or steel wool to plug any holes or cracks. Additionally, make sure windows secure tightly closed and cover vents with chicken wire.
Remove Their Ability To Climb
Even with their bulky bodies, raccoons are excellent climbers. So as best as you can, trim trees around the house to remove access to the roof. Also, placing metal sheeting around the base of trees and edges of the rooftop will make it difficult for raccoons to climb.
Eliminate Food Sources
Another essential step to preventing a raccoon in the attic or house is to remove food and water sources. This is a step that will naturally keep raccoons away. Raccoons are omnivores and scavengers. They are not picky. Having steady access to food and water makes it challenging to keep raccoons away. Make sure to seal garbage cans tightly. Do not leave food and water out for other wildlife or strays. Purchase raccoon-proof bird feeders and clean any access seed that litters the ground. If you have fruit-bearing trees, remove the fruit that has fallen.
Raccoon Removal
Once a raccoon finds its way into your home, it has the potential to do significant damage. For example, a raccoon in the attic will pull out insulation, chew through wires, and defecate and urinate inside. The first step is to trap and remove the raccoon from the home. Next, it is crucial to remove contaminated debris and clean the area thoroughly. Finally, prevention measures, such as sealing entrance points, must be implemented.
Use Professional Help
Removal of critters in the home is a job for professionals. Because of the dangers and health risks contact with raccoons pose, homeowners should not attempt to catch them independently. If you suspect you have a raccoon in the attic, do not approach it. Contact a professional pest removal company immediately.
Contact OMNIS Pest Control
The professionals at OMNIS Pest Control have the knowledge and experience to quickly and safely remove raccoons from your home. Their training allows them to pinpoint entry areas and prevent you from finding another raccoon in the attic. With friendly customer service, experienced technicians, and humane wildlife removal services, OMNIS Pest Control is your premier pest removal company. Contact us today to begin the process of taking back your home from raccoons and other pests.
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