While raccoons are technically ‘wild’ animals, nowadays they are mostly considered an urban pest. And it’s easy to understand why. Delicious food scraps everywhere, at every street corner and neighbourhood, and thriving vegetable gardens to raid too. City life is a darn good life!
I think we can all agree, raccoons are mostly adorable… from a safe distance anyway. 🙂
However, while they are digging through our garbage for tasty treats, raccoons can also cause a huge mess and damage if they actually get inside your home.
With all forms of wildlife control, it’s always better to prevent a problem before it occurs than to deal with it once it happens. So with that in mind, let’s review these 5 quick tips to help you keep raccoons away and make sure you never have to deal with one of these masked bandits inside of your home.
#1 Fort Knox Your Garbage Cans
Raccoons have earned their affectionate nickname of trash pandas. The trash we humans produce is one of the main reasons they love to hang around near me. That means if you want to keep raccoons away, the first thing to think about is what you do with your garbage.
Raccoons are smart and surprisingly strong. Also, their front paws resemble little hands, making them extremely dexterous.
- Use raccoon-proof garbage cans – You’ll need a can with a lid that locks down tight so that raccoons can’t knock the lid off, even if they knock the bin over.
- Bungee cords or cement blocks – If you can’t find a specialized can, you might be able to secure the lid of your garbage can with bungee cords or blocks, but be aware that raccoons can be extremely resourceful.
- Garbage shed – Depending on your garbage situation, it might make sense to build a little shed to store your bins and to keep the raccoons out.
- Store in Garage – Alternatively, you may be able to store your garbage in your garage until it’s ready to go out.
“PRO TIP: It’s also a good idea to store any particularly smelly garbage such as meat or fish in plastic bags before you throw it away to make it less attractive to neighborhood raccoons.”
#2 Remove tasty food sources
Trash is a major attraction to raccoons, but it’s important to remember that it’s not the only food they can eat.
Raccoons are omnivores, and will eat anything humans will and quite a few things we won’t. That means you’ll need to think carefully about any food source your property might be providing.
- Fruit trees – If you have fruit trees, make sure you get rid of fallen fruit as quickly as possible.
- Birdfeeders – The same goes for birdfeeders, since nuts and seeds are very much on a raccoon’s menu.
- Pet food bowls and compost bins – also provide excellent all-you-can-eat buffets for raccoons. Remember that raccoons are nocturnal, so it’s especially important to bring in any food or birdfeeders overnight to give the raccoons less to feed on.
- Grubs – another food source you may not have considered is grubs in your lawn. These bugs are the immature stages of different species of beetle, and raccoons love to pull up your grass and eat these tasty critters. Using an appropriately labeled pesticide can help eliminate grubs and remove another raccoon food source.
- Water – also, don’t forget about water. Raccoons love water, so a water feature such as a pond can be a very tempting target for them. Remove any sources of standing water raccoons could use to get a drink, especially at night.
#3 Trim back bushes and trees
Raccoons are excellent climbers and are well adapted to the forest habitat they call home. Overgrown bushes and trees that lead to your house can therefore provide them with a safe and convenient way to get to your property.
Make sure to trim back the branches of any trees that come in contact with the roof of your house so that raccoons can’t easily climb up there. If possible, trim the branches back about two meters to be on the safe side.
The same goes for ground-level shrubs and bushes, which provide cover for raccoons to approach your house. Trim these back so that raccoons have to cross open ground to reach your home.
#4 Use physical deterrents
If raccoons are still traipsing through your yard even after you’ve removed food sources, you can try employing physical deterrents to keep them away.
Your choice of deterrent will depend on what space you’re trying to deter them from entering. Deck, shed, porch, attic, etc.
Motion activated sprinklers – Another option is a motion-activated sprinkler. These sprinklers fire a jet of water when they detect movement, which can chase raccoons off. However, raccoons aren’t easily scared, so these methods may only have limited usefulness.
Sheet Metal or Plastic Tree Guards – These are smooth, cylindrical guards that wrap around the trunk of a tree or pole to prevent raccoons from climbing. They’re usually made of sheet metal or heavy-duty plastic and can be adjusted to fit the tree’s diameter.
Fence Installations – Install a tall fence that leans outward at a 45-degree angle, making it difficult for raccoons to climb over.
Electric Fences – A small, low-voltage electric fence around a garden or property perimeter can deter raccoons without causing them harm. It delivers a mild shock that discourages further attempts to climb or enter the area.
Prickle Strips – These are strips with spikes or sharp points that can be attached to the edges of roofs, fences, and around the base of trees or poles. The spikes are uncomfortable and will deter raccoons from climbing.
Prevent Burrowing with Trenching – Raccoons can burrow underground to gain access, so trenching is one way we keep them out. This involves digging a 18-24inch deep trench around the area where they have gotten into (or previous denning sites) and installing wire mesh so they cannot dig back in. *Only do this if you have found evidence of burrowing at your property. Inspect the area first.
We had this one client who experienced a pretty rowdy raccoon party on their shed. To prevent this, we implemented anti-climbing deterrents. Small plastic spike strips were adhered along the edges to help prevent access.
#5 Try scent-based deterrents
The jury is still out on some of these approaches. You’ll likely find loads of anecdotal evidence online of their effectiveness, but we have not found any of them to be a sustainable approach that works every time.
Predator urine – Sometimes, predator urine can be effective in convincing a raccoon that your yard is not a good place to hang out. You can buy the urine of raccoon’s natural predators, like coyotes and cougars, to keep them off your property.
Natural spines and essential oils – Natural remedies with strong scents can work: Cayenne Pepper, Peppermint Oil, a Garlic and Onion mix.
Ammonia – rags soaked in ammonia can be inserted into possible denning locations, or placed near areas where raccoons are causing trouble. The strong odor mimics predator urine, scaring raccoons away.
When using scent-based deterrents, it’s important to reapply them after rainfall or over time as their effectiveness can diminish. Additionally, combining physical and scent-based deterrents can provide a more comprehensive solution to deter raccoons from your property.
“NOTE: Raccoons can have multiple denning sites in a given area. So even if you are successful in removing them from one site, they’ll likely just move onto one of their other dens in the area.”
What happens if a raccoon is already in your home?
You’ll likely need professional help to get them out. Most services for raccoon control involve safe removal and relocation (never extermination). Generally raccoons will be trapped using live traps and safely relocated once out of the property. Following removal, we implement tip no.4, followed by entryway exclusion so they cannot get back in.
And how to tell if it’s a Raccoon vs another animal/rodent?
Did you actually have a raccoon in your home?
Owner Mike Londry spoke to Vancouver Is Awesome about it recently, commenting that when you have a raccoon in the attic, you’ll know about it. Because it can sound like there’s a party happening up there with fully-grown humans stomping around!
For mice they are mostly unnoticeable during the day, while rats and squirrels are significantly louder – but really only noticeable in the evenings or at night. Check out this post where we compare the sounds for each rodent to help you identify the intruder.
What do we recommend? And what do we normally do?
Check roof
Raccoons are good climbers so they will often get into your home through the roof.
Similar to squirrels, raccoons are more of a problem in people’s homes in springtime (mating season). Due to their strength and dexterity, they can cause significant damage to cedar shingle roofs, especially a roof at the end of its lifespan. Homeowners should watch for broken shingles and consider roof replacement as a preventative measure against raccoon damage.
Check the roof for any gaps and block them off with a roof patch or quarter-inch galvanized steel mesh.
Our procedure
As with skunks, if raccoons are denning under a shed, front porch, or under a deck, a Westside Pest Control technician will assess the work required and provide the customer a free quote for exclusion work required to remove the animals from that space and permanently seal the area off. This usually involves an activity called “trenching”, where we dig a 18-24 inch deep trench in the ground to install wire mesh so they cannot dig back in.
On the morning of the service rags soaked in ammonia are inserted into the denning location, which emanates a very strong odour which makes the raccoons if inside to leave the den humanely, so that later in the day the technician can come back and perform the exclusion work.
If the technician cannot be confident the animal has left the den site, then a one-way door can be used which allows the animal to leave, but not get back in. A follow-up would be scheduled to remove the one-way door once the animals have left, and the area would then be permanently sealed to prevent further entry by wildlife.
What now?
Keeping raccoons out can be tricky, so you may be better off hiring a professional. Give the Raccoon Control specials a call and find out how we can help you keep your home and yard free of these cute but destructive creatures.
Want more? This post is part of a multi-series of easy DIY tips for a variety of household pests. Go get expert tips for combating Rats, Mice, Ants, Squirrels, Fruit Flies, and more.