For those living in Florida, raccoon control and prevention is a regular part of home maintenance. A wild raccoon in your residence can cause structural damage and destroy your belongings, which can wear your time, money, and patience thin. Preventing them from entering the house is the only way to escape the burden that an invasion can cause, and here’s an overview of how animal control professionals make it happen.
Winter Hibernation
Once the temperature drops, most wild animals will find ways to adapt and keep warm throughout the season. Although they typically prefer to travel in the most tight-knit groups, harsher weather presents a time when raccoons will go against their introvert nature. Seeking out other raccoons to safety travel with, these animals can end up selecting local homes as the perfect spot for hibernation. For a nursery of raccoons, finding an easy access point and the safety of a nice warm home is a winter dream come true.
Raccoon Habits
Natural introverts, raccoons don’t often come out in the daylight. Because they typically sleep during the day and scavenge for food at night, it can be pretty difficult to tell if raccoons are hiding out in your home — even if there’s a whole lot of them. And because some female raccoons have young to raise during the winter, they aren’t likely to leave until their babies have grown or until a wildlife expert safely relocates them.
Health Risks
Raccoons can carry a range of diseases known to affect other animals as well as humans. Rabies is one of the potentially fatal illnesses often found in raccoons. Be sure to look for signs of erratic behavior if you come across one of the critters in your home or yard. If your pets come into contact with a rabid raccoon, however, they have an even higher chance of contracting the illness. Catching the animal to confirm or rule out any health concerns is crucial to the safety of your pets after a raccoon bite or scratch.
Infestation Prevention
If you want to avoid the risk of a raccoon nursery choosing your home as their winter hibernation den, a professional wildlife prevention technician is the safest call. Have an expert come out and perform a full evaluation of the interior and exterior of your home to determine any risks for entry. Once the possible entry points have been identified, your wildlife partner can quickly and effectively repair each hole, gap, or crack that wildlife could take advantage of.
The Smart Choice in Animal Prevention
Critter Control® of Orlando has highly experienced and skilled animal prevention experts trained to handle any wildlife issue that Central Florida wilderness throws your way. We will handle everything from removal to prevention to sanitization. Contact us today for a free in-home evaluation!
