Raccoons are common pests in the city. Although they're cute to watch, they can become a nuisance if they start hanging around your property. Female raccoons can be aggressive about getting into your attic for a safe place to have their young and raise them. Raccoons can destroy an urban garden, spread diseases to your pets, and destroy your attic or crawlspace. Plus, raccoons can carry rabies, so you don't want them around. 

There may always be raccoons visiting your neighborhood and walking across your property, but when they start tearing up your roof or bothering your pets, it's time to call a raccoon removal professional to get rid of the pests. Here's how they might go about raccoon removal.

Live Traps Are Usually The Solution

Many states have laws about how you can remove and deal with raccoons. You may not be allowed to kill them, and there may be laws concerning where a raccoon can be relocated. The most humane way to get raccoons off of your property is through live trapping. Since raccoons can bite and carry rabies, it's best to let a professional deal with trapping the raccoon. They can set the trap and then pick up the raccoon. They can also tell by the droppings found and the number of footprints if there is just one raccoon or multiple pests on your property.

Exclusion Is Needed For Attic Raccoons

If you have a raccoon in your attic, there's a good chance it's a female with babies. The babies are usually removed by hand first and taken to a wildlife rehabilitation center. Then the female is trapped and reunited with the babies or released in an appropriate place. The wildlife removal professional then seals the entry hole into your attic so the raccoons can't get back inside. Since raccoons are capable of doing a lot of damage with their strong paws, it may be necessary to block holes with metal to keep them out.

Habitat Changes Are Important Too

Once the raccoon or raccoons have been removed from your home, you'll want to make changes to your property so you won't attract other raccoons. This may start with cleaning the area where raccoons got in your attic and removing feces from your yard so the odor doesn't attract other raccoons. You should also remove pet food and bird feeders so they don't attract raccoons. Even though they're cute, you shouldn't feed raccoons. They can find plenty to eat on their own and feeding them encourages the pests to hang around and investigate your property for a place to live.

Contact a local raccoon removal service to learn more.