Helpful Tips To Minimize Raccoon Activity This Fall

Raccoons are one of the few urban animals to be active throughout the colder months. The presence of raccoons is more visible during the fall season. This is because fall is the season that raccoons search for warmer safe dens. As soon as raccoons sense the drop in temperature that signals the approach of the colder seasons, they begin to look for dens in which they can live out the season. Most attics, barns, and sheds are perfect shelters for these wildlife creatures. Once a raccoon has established a home on your property, removal and control become a priority. Here Lookout Pest Control, formerly Any Pest Inc., discusses helpful tips to minimize raccoon activity on your property this fall.

Health Concerns

Nuisance raccoons cause health concerns for humans and their pets. Most diseases are transferred only through direct contact. Simply being near a raccoon is not considered a risk. Pets should receive regular vaccinations from your veterinarian to reduce risk. Report any direct contact with your pets to your county’s animal control office. Any human contact with raccoons should be reported to the county health department. If you observe an obviously aggressive animal, report this to your regional office.

As with all wildlife, raccoons should not be approached or handled by humans. One reason for leaving raccoons undisturbed is their susceptibility to numerous diseases including canine distemper and parvovirus, in addition to zoonotic diseases (humans can get from animals) such as rabies and raccoon roundworms. Even though raccoons may be carriers of rabies, not all raccoons have rabies. Typically, rabid raccoons will exhibit aimless wandering and lack of coordination, or they will exhibit aggressive behavior that can include attacks and self-mutilation.

Raccoon Prevention Tips

• Seal Your Garbage Bags – Racoons have a strong sense of smell and can easily sniff out food and garbage. Make sure to tightly seal the bags that your garbage is stored in to prevent strong odors from leaking out and reaching unwanted wildlife. Scented trash bags are a good alternative to prevent raccoons from smelling garbage.
• Tighten Your Lids – While raccoons are handy critters, they’re not very strong. Place a cinder block, a few bricks, or a heavy rock on the top of your garbage can’s lid to keep them from getting inside. Another preventative measure you can take is to use a bungee cord to keep the lid shut. Place the cord over the lid and attach it so the lid is nearly impossible to come off.
• Lock Your Cans (if possible) – A garbage can that doesn’t lock can make for an easy meal. Make sure that the garbage can you are using has a potential locking capability. If you ever see a crack in your can or your lid is busted, be sure to replace your garbage can as soon as possible.
• Repellents Can Be Helpful – There are a lot of raccoon repellents out there, but a few household items such as ammonia and cayenne have been known to work. Simply placing them on or near the garbage cans to keep raccoons from getting into your trash.
• Install Preventative Lights – Raccoons are nocturnal animals and prefer to scavenge in the dark. To keep them away from your property, install motion-sensing lights around your home. This way if they ever try to sneak up around your house, they’ll be scared off by the sudden flood of light.
• Clean Your Trash Cans – When you store your trash cans outdoors, it’s important to clean them out and disinfect them regularly to remove lingering odors and trash residue. Use ammonia when cleaning out your trash cans, as raccoons find the scent of ammonia to be very unpleasant.

Call Lookout Pest Control Today

Keep in mind, it is difficult to catch raccoons, and it is best to leave this up to the professionals. Here at Lookout Pest Control we are qualified to capture and relocate these animals so that you won’t have to. Our wildlife professionals have provided cost-efficient, quality wildlife control to our customers for over three decades. When it comes to raccoon control in metro Atlanta, we can take care of your situation in an efficient and timely manner.