Raccoon birthing season always proves challenging. Normally, we can quickly catch the mother on her way out of the house to forage. The kits can be more difficult to capture. The younger kits tend to stay near the den which can be tucked away in the attic or down the walls. It can be impossible for us to reach them. Safely removing the kits usually requires cutting in the soffits or ceilings.

Raccoon Kits

It took over six hours to remove these four kits from the subfloor. Every time we cut they would relocate! In the end, we were able to reunite the mother with her babies for relocation.

baby raccoon kits relocated with mother

Raccoons are everywhere in Mobile, Alamaba. They can have three separate breeding seasons in South Alabama. During maternity season, female raccoons will look for safe places to give birth. Areas in your house like attics, walls, crawlspaces, or even on the roof are common places to find a raccoon den.

Bobby Ard, District Manager

Photos of Raccoon Problems in Mobile, AL

When they can’t find a den tree, your attic can make an adequate substitute. Raccoons will enter your home for a variety of reasons. A safe place to give birth is one of the most common. Raccoons begin to mate as early as December to as late as August, with a peak in the mating season around February and March. The gestation period is 63 days and most young are born between April and August. Females can have one to seven young per year with an average of three to four.

If you hear strange noises at night like loud thumping, mewing, whining, or screaming between April to August, you might have a family of raccoons in your attic.

Raccoon Inspection in Mobile, AL

Raccoons are not discriminating when it comes to home choices. They’ll get into any type of house in Mobile.

We inspect the exterior and interior of the home looking for signs of raccoons. Raccoons are strong and their claws can tear through most materials on a home. We check on the roof for missing shingles and holes in the plywood. Soffits, gable vents, and roof returns are common entry points for a raccoon.

Once in the attic, raccoons leave plenty of evidence. They flatten and compress insulation simply by walking on it (they can weigh 10 to 30 pounds). Raccoons create separate latrine sites. They consistently return to these locations, which are commonly found on roofs, attics, woodpiles, haylofts, and on or under decks. Their accumulated feces and urine quickly destroy insulation and saturate woodwork.

Other signs of raccoons we look for include raccoon tracks, damaged ductwork, and frayed or shredded wire.

Critter Control Raccoon Removal in Mobile

Bobby next to bee's nest

The best way to get rid of a raccoon is a cage trap. We set and secure traps near raccoon activty. Inside your home look for signs of tracks or paw prints and raccoon droppings. Outside of your home, look for raccoon droppings, dens, or animal runways. Depending on the location, we might set several traps.

Because the raccoon trap needs to be checked, we do place it in a somewhat accessible location.
Critter Control uses only humane raccoon trapping techniques that are environmentally friendly and ecologically safe to remove raccoons from attics. We bait the trap with sweet items to reduce non-target captures. You can purchase sweet pasts. Fruits like cherries or grapes, marshmallows or jelly work effectively as raccoon bait.

Bobby Ard, District Manager

A raccoon’s natural denning location is the hollow of a tree. Chimneys provide all the same benefits to a raccoon for denning.

As raccoons commonly break into chimneys to raise young, noises like squeaking, purring, rustling, and whining are often heard through the night when infestations are present.

Even with chimney caps, raccoons can get inside of a chimney. Noticing a cap out of place can indicate a raccoon or other critter in your chimney. Sightings of raccoons in chimneys or on rooftops should also incite concern. In this case, these homeowners in Portland heard chattering and scratching coming from the chimney.

How NOT to Get Rid of Raccoons in Chimney

Do not set a fire to smoke out the raccoons. It can hurt the raccoons, and it is a fire hazard. If there is a raccoon den in the chimney, a fire can ignite the materials.

Don’t open the flue or the fireplace in an attempt to get the raccoons out of the fireplace. Without proper precautions, you will have a loose raccoon in the living space of your house. That significantly increases the risk of bites and scratches.

Raccoon in Chimney from Critter Control

Raccoons will leave the chimney for food and water. But they are nocturnal so this happens at night. If there is a female with young, the raccoons are ready to stay for a few months.

At Critter Control we will use a trap at the top of the chimney or one-way valve. We can trap and remove the raccoon harmlessly. If young are present, we can remove them by hand from the fireplace and either reunite them with the mother or find a local wildlife rehabilitator.

Exclusion Work for Raccoons in Chimney

After we humanely removed the raccoon from the chimney, we need to protect it from future infestations. We repaired the chimney and installed a new chimney cap to stop raccoons, squirrels, birds, and other pests from getting inside the chimney.

All photos courtesy of Critter Control of Portland

Raccoons are a common sight in much of Washington and are often drawn to your house by food supplied by humans. Raccoons can find a variety of suitable denning locations or resting spots in your house. While a raccoon in the attic is common, raccoons will also live under your house. Below are some recent examples from Critter Control of Olympia excluding raccoons from people’s homes.

Raccoon Entry Points to Get Under House

Common Areas Under House Where Raccoons Den

Raccoons adapt to various environments, including residential areas. Mother raccoons often nest under a house because it is a safe, warm, and dry place. They generally give birth and raise their kits from March through June. If you find a litter of baby raccoons in the space under your house, it is best to put off the eviction until they leave the nest. If you’ve noticed raccoons around your property, it’s essential to understand the common areas under the house where they may choose to den.

Raccoon in Crawlspaces

Crawl spaces are secluded areas of the home that raccoons often help themselves to. While raccoons commonly nest and raise their young in houses, they rarely do so below the house, opting instead to place the litter up in the attic or walls. A raccoon in your crawlspace, therefore, is likely a solitary adult looking for a resting spot.

How to Get Rid of Raccoons in Crawlspace

Trapping a raccoon is the best raccoon removal from the crawlspace technique. We set cage traps near signs of raccoon activity like tracks or paw prints, damage to insulation, and raccoon droppings. Bait the trap with sweet items to reduce non-target captures. Fruits like cherries or grapes, marshmallows or jelly work effectively as raccoon bait. 

Raccoons Under Decks and Porches.

The spaces beneath decks or porches are especially inviting because they allow raccoons to remain near sources of food and water. Yet another area that raccoons frequent. Common signs that you have raccoons under your deck are rustling and thumping noises, a strong odor of feces or urine, and hand-looking footprints around the area.

How to Get Rid of Raccoons Under Porch

Generally, smell deterrents do not work for raccoon under porch removal. In this case, we tried it. When juveniles are present, raccoon eviction fluid might work. The female raccoon will smell the scent of a predator and vacate the area with her young. It did not work in this case. We set a trap at the only exit point for the raccoons. After we caught the raccoon, we relocated the juveniles to a wildlife rehabilitator in Olympia, WA.

Cleaning and Sanitizing the Area

Properly cleaning and sanitizing the affected area is crucial to ensure the safety and well-being of your household after a raccoon infestation under your house. We follow these important steps:

Raccoon Under House Control

The most effective raccoon pest control in Olympia, WA is exclusions. Whether raccoons are living under your porch or in your crawlspace, the entry point must be blocked. Exclusion means changing your home and property, making it unlikely a raccoon will move in. Exclusion services are the most effective and immediate means of raccoon pest control. While do-it-yourself (DIY) methods are available, such as devices that use noises, lights, or predator scents, they are not long-term solutions.

Critter Control in Olympia specializes in raccoon removal and control. To remove and control a raccoon or family of raccoons on your property, we perform a thorough inspection that helps us develop a personalized raccoon removal plan. We build custom traps that are safe and humane but effectively remove the animal without putting you or your family in danger. We also seal all entry points to prevent future raccoon visits.

In New Orleans, raccoons are most likely to be a problem for homeowners during the spring and early summer months. During this time, raccoons are particularly active as they search for food and suitable nesting sites for raising their young. Additionally, raccoons may be more noticeable in the fall as they seek out warm and secure places to shelter during the cooler months. Therefore, increased raccoon activity and potential issues for homeowners typically occur from late spring through early fall.

Where Do Raccoons Live?

Raccoons are highly adaptable and can thrive in a variety of environments as long as they have access to food, water, and shelter. You can find raccoons living in urban and suburban environments and natural habitats like the swamps and forested areas around New Orleans.

The most common areas you may find a raccoon living in your house are in the attic, inside walls, on the roof, under porches or decks, and in crawlspaces. Raccoons like to live in woodland areas near water sources such as streams, marshes, and rivers. Urban areas, farms, and suburbs also make good homes for raccoons, who have adapted to city life by learning to scavenge from garbage cans, gardens, and crop fields.

Critter Control technicians are comprehensive during the inspection to avoid missing any signs of raccoon activity. What they find will help establish their steps in removing and excluding raccoons. Specific raccoon signs include the following:

Our technicians allow their expertise to guide the inspection process.

Raccoon Trapping

Raccoon trapping is the most effective, safe, and humane way to remove a raccoon. Direct capture, which involves catching a raccoon without traps, is not commonly used because raccoons carry rabies and other diseases. There are legal regulations about raccoon removal and relocation. Depending on your local and state laws, you may be required to obtain a permit for trapping. Also, you may need written permission from a property owner to relocate a raccoon to someone else’s property.

When removing raccoon babies from an attic, our wildlife specialists seek help from a local wildlife rehabilitation center. At Critter Control, we understand all the laws and regulations regarding raccoon removal and ensure you remain compliant. Our trapping process ensures everyone’s safety, as it is a reliable, effective, and humane way of capturing the animal.

Exclusion for Immediate Raccoon Control

Exclusion means changing your home and property, making it unlikely a raccoon will move in. Exclusion services are the most effective and immediate means of raccoon pest control. While do-it-yourself (DIY) methods are available, such as devices that use noises, lights, or predator scents, they are not long-term solutions.

Raccoons are smart and adapt quickly to new things introduced into their environment. They can quickly get used to DIY tactics. Exclusion services by professionals get rid of your raccoon problem for good.

Critter Control identifies all potential and current raccoon entry points. We permanently seal or repair cracks or holes using materials that raccoons cannot break. Exclusion services also involve making your property less attractive to raccoons. We modify your surroundings in the following ways:

Raccoons search for food, water, and shelter. Therefore, removing these resources from your property will reduce raccoon activity.

Photos of Raccoons in New Orleans

All photos were provided by Brett Vreeland, district manager in Louisiana.

Raccoons tend to seek shelter in attics during certain times of the year, typically in late winter to early spring when they are looking for safe and warm places to nest and raise their young. Raccoons give birth from March through June, and litters average two to four pups.

In Chicago, this could mean anywhere from late January through April. However, it’s worth noting that raccoon behavior can vary depending on factors like weather conditions, food availability, and urban development. If you suspect raccoons have entered your attic, it’s essential to address the situation promptly to prevent damage and ensure your safety. Consider contacting a local wildlife removal expert for assistance.

Juvenile Raccoons in Attic

Baby raccoons, also known as kits, can produce various noises in an attic that range from high-pitched whimpers to soft chirps and muffled cries. Their vocalizations can be quite distinct, often resembling a combination of whining and chittering sounds. These noises may increase in intensity and frequency when the kits are hungry, distressed, or communicating with their mother. Additionally, the scratching and scampering of their tiny feet against the attic floor or walls may accompany their vocalizations, indicating their presence and activity within the space.

Baby raccoons look very similar to adults, the only difference being their size. Newborns do not open their eyes until their third week of life, so they are dependent on their mothers. Even after baby raccoons have grown large enough to run, climb, and forage for food on their own, they stay with their mothers for about a year.

Raccoon Trap in Attic

Live traps are the most effective and humane way to remove a raccoon from a property. We set and baited the traps to capture a raccoon but limited the possibilities of catching a non-target species.

baby raccoon in chicago removal

Raccoon Removal from Attic

Exclusion repairs are the most effective raccoon control. Some of the most common damage repairs include chimney caps, roof vents, and shingles. After raccoon removal, we seal all entry points with material to block all potential raccoon entry points. Once the house is protected from raccoon infestations, we apply sanitization and ectoparasite agents to mitigate the raccoon damage in your house.

How Raccoons Get into Your Attic

Raccoons are excellent climbers. They use tree limbs, downspouts, or even siding to gain access to your roof. Once on your roof, entry points include shingles, loose soffits, eaves, vents, or roof returns. Raccoons can take a small entry hole and create a bigger one. Once raccoons are trapped and removed, you need to seal all current and potential entry points for long-lasting raccoon control.

Raccoon Removal from Attic

Even though baby raccoons look cute and cuddly, they will still bite and scratch. Raccoons are not born with rabies but instead exposed to the disease at birth by the mother as she grooms the newborn. Do not keep raccoons as pets! Critter Control of Chicago provides humane raccoon removal that focuses on keeping people and animals safe.

Raccoons are omnivores so they have adapted to live in the urban and suburban environments in Greenville-Spartanburg. Raccoons, like most nuisance wildlife, are attracted to homes and yards that provide water sources, food sources, or shelter. Raccoons will drink water out of puddles, bird baths, buckets, or water bowls.

Why is a Raccoon in the House?

Homeowners are most likely to experience raccoon infestations during the spring and summer months. This period coincides with the breeding season for raccoons, which typically occurs from January to June, peaking around March and April in many regions, including Greenville, South Carolina. During this time, raccoons may seek out sheltered spaces to nest and raise their young, leading them to enter residential properties in search of suitable den sites.

Some of the most common areas for raccoon dens are the attic, the roof, inside the walls, sheds, and under porches or decks.

Juvenile Raccoons in Greenville, SC

Juvenile raccoons rely on their mothers to find safe shelters, and female raccoons frequently choose chimneys as denning sites. Raccoons are typically weaned between 8-12 weeks. This homeowner had a litter of raccoons in their attic and heard soft whining and crying. Raccoon pups make a variety of noises like mewing, crying, whining, purring, whimpering, and screeching.

How to Get Rid of Raccoons in Your Attic

The professionals at Critter Control have been trained with the most effective methods of removing raccoons from attics or from other areas of any home, as it can sometimes be a lengthy process to remove raccoons from the attic.

The best way to get rid of a raccoon is a trap. At Critter Control, we secure raccoon traps and set them away from anything you do not want to be destroyed. We place traps in an area where raccoons frequent. Because the raccoon trap needs to be checked, we do place it in a somewhat accessible location.

Critter Control uses only humane raccoon trapping techniques that are environmentally friendly and ecologically safe to remove raccoons from attics. Once the raccoons in the attic have been removed, our professionals can then identify the point of entry for the raccoons in the attic and repair this area to ensure you will never have raccoons in your attic again.

Photos and video provided by Critter Control of Greenville

Raccoon populations are rising across the United States, creating problems for homeowners. Raccoons are attracted to properties with plentiful food sources, like citrus and other fruit trees, gardens, and access to garbage. They also love water, like swimming pools, ponds, and fountains.

You will notice specific signs of raccoons on or near your property. When you see signs of a raccoon, contact a wildlife control expert to help safely remove them and minimize costly damages.

Raccoon Sounds

Raccoons are active after dark, searching for food and water and socializing. Signs of a raccoon include hearing various noises in your attic, chimney, basement, crawlspace, ceilings, or walls. Examples include purring, chittering, growling, hissing, snarling, screeching, snorting, and screaming.

You may hear non-vocal raccoon sounds, too, like opening your outdoor trashcan and scattering the contents to find food. If you hear movement in your attic, ceilings, or walls, the raccoon is likely destroying drywall, shredding insulation, or clogging vents and pipes. You will also hear the scurrying or pitter-pattering of their feet when they run from one spot to another.

Strange Smells

Raccoons are filthy and have a foul odor. Their fur is greasy and filled with bacteria, germs, parasites, and other remnants from their travels.

If you notice a strange smell coming from your ceiling, walls, crawlspace, or basement, it could signal a raccoon is living with you. Many compare the scent of a raccoon to that of a musky smell, like a wet dog. Contributing factors of a raccoon’s smell include scent glands in its tail that activate during mating season and a combination of the natural oils and filth in their fur.

Raccoons have a unique habit of creating latrines, an area specifically for feces and urine. They use the same one repeatedly. Therefore, they make large waste piles in your attic, walls, or ceilings, and the odors will linger in your living space.

Pawprints/Tracks

A raccoon’s paws have five long toes resembling tiny handprints. The back paws have five toes and a heel. You may find prints and tracks around garbage cans, swimming pools, on the lawn, around water sources, attic floors, and outside your home.

Raccoons have an unusual way of moving, making their tracks easy to identify. When they walk or run, their right hind paw lands next to their left front paw, and their left hind paw lands next to their right front paw. Raccoon tracks appear in two sets, each containing a front and hind paw.

Exterior Home Damage

Raccoons are excellent climbers and can climb on every part of your home’s exterior. Raccoon attempts to find entry points that will create holes and gaps in your home.

Typical raccoon damage includes:

Raccoons also damage your lawn by digging holes to search for insects, raiding bird feeders, scraping bark from trees, stealing garden crops, and devouring fruits from citrus and other trees.

Raccoon Damage to the Interior

Raccoon scratch marks typically appear as a series of shallow, parallel lines on surfaces such as wood, drywall, or insulation. These marks are often around 2-3 inches apart and can vary in length depending on the size and strength of the raccoon.

Raccoons will damage attic insulation. Raccoons will tear and shred insulation materials like fiberglass or cellulose to create nesting sites. Raccoons can trample and compact insulation as they move around in search of food or shelter. Compacted insulation loses its effectiveness in providing thermal resistance, leading to increased energy costs for heating and cooling. Raccoons may defecate and urinate in the attic, causing contamination of the insulation material. This not only damages the insulation but also creates foul odors and health hazards due to the presence of feces and urine.

Garbage Distribution

If you do not securely lock your garbage in a can, a raccoon will rummage through it. Raccoons can lift lids off trash bins, slide doors of dumpsters, undo bungee cords and even turn doorknobs to enter a storage room. Once they access your trash, they scatter it in your yard or along your street.

When other animals see a raccoon messing with your trash, they join in on the fun. Some raccoons climb into cans or dumpsters but can’t climb out, so be careful when checking a trash bin. You may encounter a scared raccoon. Dumpster diving for raccoons means they pick up many different types of bacteria. If you encounter a raccoon, do not try to handle it.

Nesting Materials

Raccoons build nests for two primary reasons: to stay warm and to give birth to pups. If they nest in your attic, expect them to use nesting materials they find nearby. For example, they will rip and tear insulation, drywall, wood shavings, and anything else lying around. They will open storage containers holding your sentimental items and steal them to build a nest. If they can’t find enough materials in your attic, they will drag in leaves, twigs, branches, garbage, and other items from outside.

Strange Smells

Raccoons are filthy and have a foul odor. Their fur is greasy and filled with bacteria, germs, parasites, and other remnants from their travels.

If you notice a strange smell coming from your ceiling, walls, crawlspace, or basement, it could signal a raccoon is living with you. Many compare the scent of a raccoon to that of a musky smell, like a wet dog. Contributing factors of a raccoon’s smell include scent glands in its tail that activate during mating season and a combination of the natural oils and filth in their fur.

If you smell strange odors in your attic, ceilings, or walls, this is a sign of a raccoon and is likely caused by feces and urine. Some describe it as smelling like dog poop, cat urine, rotten fruits, or ammonia.

Raccoons designate latrines, an area specifically for droppings and urine. They use the same one repeatedly. Therefore, they make large scat piles in your attic, walls, or ceilings, and the odors will linger in your living space.

It is imperative to avoid contact with raccoon feces and urine. While their feces is hard and can be picked up and removed, it harbors mold spores that can be dangerous for humans. It may also contain parasites, like roundworm and giardia, that can infect humans when inhaled or accidentally ingested. You risk acquiring bacterial infections, like leptospirosis. It leads to flu-like symptoms and digestive problems. Hantavirus, another disease, can lead to severe respiratory issues.

Seeing Raccoon Droppings

Raccoon feces looks a lot like dog poop. Common sites of raccoon feces and urine piles include dark corners in your attic, hidden spots on your roof, under trees, crawlspaces, and basements. Suppose a raccoon makes a latrine in a hard-to-reach area, like inside your ducts or insulation or between walls. Your and your family’s health is at higher risk for disease exposure. Odors and spores can travel through ductwork to every other area of your home.

Changes in Pet Behavior

Pets, especially dogs, will likely notice you have a raccoon problem before you do. Their enhanced sense of smell and sight alerts them to other creatures living in their space. Dogs will seem obsessed with the area in which they sense a raccoon. They may bark, whimper, growl, or snarl at the location where they sense raccoon activity. They may also pace back and forth or try to get your attention, persuading you to inspect the area.

Your and your family’s safety should be a priority, and so should your pet’s. A dog’s first instinct may be to aggressively approach a raccoon to protect its territory. However, raccoons carry diseases that can be transmitted to pets, putting them in grave danger. Raccoons engage in fights by scratching at the eyes of other animals. They then bite the chest and abdomen area.

If you have signs of a raccoon infestation, hiring a wildlife control expert ensures safe, efficient, and effective raccoon removal.

It is a crisp, clear summer night. A full moon hangs bright white in the sky, and the stars seem to align just right, as you get ready to go to bed.

Just as you’re cozying up, suddenly, you hear the sound of a scratching noise coming somewhere from the attic.

Feeling uneasy, you head toward the unfamiliar noise with a flashlight. And after a few minutes, meet with two neon-studded eyes of a raccoon glaring back at you.

What are your next steps? It is a crisp, clear summer night. A full moon hangs bright white in the sky, and the stars seem to align just right, as you get ready to go to bed.

Just as you’re cozying up, suddenly, you hear the sound of a scratching noise coming somewhere from the attic.

Feeling uneasy, you head toward the unfamiliar noise with a flashlight. And after a few minutes, meet with two neon-studded eyes of a raccoon glaring back at you.

What are your next steps?

How Raccoons Enter Your Home

 In recent years, more raccoons than ever are flocking to densely populated towns and cities. The lack of natural predators, the never-ending food supply, and the safety of our homes provide them with everything they need in order to survive.

The raccoon population has enjoyed an “astonishing” surge over the past 80 years, according to zoologist Sam Zeveloff. They’re apparently at highest density in the suburbs, but they appear to be also growing in cities. 

Raccoons may at first look furry and cute, but don’t let their exterior fool you. They are smart, curious, and extremely determined to do anything to make your house their den site.

There are many ways a raccoon can break into your home like:

Dangers of Raccoons in the Home 

Raccoons are pesky critters that can wreak havoc on your healthy living space and environment.

If spotted in your home, it is best to avoid interacting with them at all costs. You may want to contact a professional wildlife removal company like Critter Control immediately.

To protect your family from diseases and other parasites raccoons often come with, it’s important to be aware of some of the risks and signs to watch out for.

Below are a few of the health risks associated with raccoons.

Furthermore, in the very little time they are in your house, raccoons are capable of destroying your insulation and scavenging on just about anything they find. Attics, chimneys, and sheds offer them the warmth and shelter, making it an ideal place to mate, raise families and keeping out of the cold.  

How to Keep Raccoons Away

Similar to humans and most other animals, raccoons have three basic needs for survival: food, water, and shelter. Your home provides many opportunities for each.

Here are a few factors that make your home attractive to raccoons:

Ultimately, the best way to protect your property is through prevention. Here are a few measures you can take to keep raccoons away. 

Install Chimney Caps 

Chimneys are raccoons’ standard route of entry. They are naturally attracted to nesting spots that are warm, safe, and secluded for protection. If your home has a chimney, installing a cap can help prevent raccoons from entering.

Landscape Your Yard 

Raccoons are infamous nightcrawlers that target suburb roofs. Your roof is more accessible to raccoons with lots of overhanging trees and branches. Trimming or removing these kinds of trees can make it harder for raccoons to climb onto your roof and enter or damage your attic.

Protect Your Trash 

Raccoons can’t resist trash, so you’ll need multiple strategies in this area. Secure non-locking trash can lids with bungee cords or cinder blocks. Double-bag waste meat items to reduce the odor. If possible, keep trash in your garage at night, and bring it out for pick-up only.

Fence the Garden 

Since raccoons are skilled climbers, the most effective fence to install is electric. Use a 2-wire electric fence, placing wires 6 and 12 inches above ground. Set the fence on a timer set to run only after dark.

Remove Food 

Just like most pets, raccoons can’t resist the smell of nearby food. Gather any rotten produce or fallen fruit in veggie gardens or laying in the grass. Bring bird feeders indoors at night or hang them in a spot that isn’t accessible to raccoons.

Keep Pets Secured 

Speaking of food, place pet food inside overnight as well as your pets. Raccoons carry rabies and other diseases that can be passed along to your furry friend. Make sure to routinely give your pets their shots to help protect them from the parasite’s raccoons pass.

When it comes to raccoons, you first have to get them out to keep them out. If you’re worried about the dangers of raccoons near you, call Critter Control today for a free inspection.