Combating the Masked Raccoons
There are just a few problems with raccoons living so close: they often trash houses, crawl spaces and gardens in their search for easy food and nesting sites. They can spread disease. They can get aggressive if they don’t get the food they expect or if they run into a pet. Avoid run-ins by keeping them away from your home.
First, meet the neighbors!
Raccoons are medium size mammals weighing about 13 to 18 lbs (6-8kgs). They are nocturnal and very intelligent. They are very agile, fast, and have five dexterous toes on each front foot. They are excellent runners, climbers, and swimmers making them formidable opponents.
However, they aren’t dangerous as long as they’re kept out of homes, not fed and not cornered.
Raccoons also can carry diseases that are dangerous to humans, as well as distemper which is infectious to dogs. Raccoon feces also contain parasites which are transmissible to pets and people, some are fatal.
Guidelines in keeping these animals away
1. Don’t feed them. Some people think it’s cute to have raccoons around and will feed them. But the animals very quickly become used to getting food from humans and will lose their fear of them and possibly become aggressive if they’re not fed. So don’t start. Also don’t feed your pets outside your house. If you leave a bowl of dog food it will temp them to start coming.
2. Tighten the lid. Raccoons will keep returning to a food source such as a garbage can that they can open. If food isn’t easily obtained, that will encourage them to move on. So buy trash cans that lock or are otherwise secured. Or, simply put out the trash in the morning after raccoons have gone back to their nests.
3. Seal the entire house, throw out any hiding place you don’t need. Raccoons don’t mind living with us. They have become adapted to suburbs, they’ll nest anywhere – in the ceiling, in the walls, virtually any place that is dark. In short, raccoons are always looking for a convenient nook.
If they are in your house
- Try hosing them out. Animals do not like water sprayed at them.
- Turn on the radio. If they are hiding inside the house walls you can try tuning a radio station with people talking. It seems raccoons don’t like our voices and should hopefully move out in 24 hours.
If these tricks do not work call MINAET. They are the experts of trapping these wild animals. You should not try to catch it yourself, they are dangerous.
