Though many find raccoons to be cute and harmless, having these masked bandits create a large mess in your home or yard is a situation you don’t want to deal with. Raccoons have gotten extremely comfortable with living in close proximity to humans, which makes keeping them away from your home that much more challenging.
Try these 9 suggestions to keep raccoons from targeting your property:
- Close all potential entry points that lead into your house and attic, including pet doors
- Keep pet food inside
- Set up an exclusion barrier around your shed and porch
- Install a fence as tall and slick as possible
- Secure the lids to your garbage cans or leave them in the garage until the day of pickup
- Trim back tree branches that are close to your roof
- Remove bird feeders or make sure to set them up so they are difficult for raccoons to get a hold of
- Clean any fallen fruit beneath fruit trees
- Ensure your home is in good repair
Because raccoons are fantastic climbers, it’s hard to control them from accessing your property. Many people suggest using things like sprays, powders, sprinklers, lights, sounds machines, etc., but there are no devices or products that will keep them away. If you notice that animals are continually getting into your trash, killing the fish in your small pond, and stealing your pet food or birdseed, then until you make the areas less accessible or eliminate the tempting source, the raccoons will keep showing up.
The most effective way to handle your raccoon problems is with preventative repairs in addition to raccoon trapping and removal. With over 30 years of experience in wildlife management, Critter Control® of Orlando knows the behaviors of these wild animals and can assist you with both safely and humanely removing them from your property as well as help you to prevent them from coming back.