Many people love to see raccoons because the furry creatures look cute and cuddly. Unfortunately, raccoons sometimes move into homes when they need shelter from the elements, so having the animals on your property only increases the odds of having them inside your house. You must know how to keep raccoons away to avoid an infestation. Once raccoons get inside, they are hard to get rid of without professional assistance.

Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control offers wildlife removal when you need it, but we can also show you how to keep raccoons away from your house. We understand that presentation is the most humane way to deal with raccoons, and we are happy to help you make your property an unappealing environment. Here are three things that scare raccoons and what you can do to keep them off your property.

1. Loud Noises Show You How To Keep Raccoons Away

Like many types of wildlife, raccoons are scared by loud noises. Even natural noises like thunder can scare them. If you make a lot of noise on your property, you can easily convince raccoons to stay away. Spend time on your back patio and let raccoons hear you laughing and talking with friends and family members. You can also install speakers and play music to deter wildlife, but make sure the sound is low enough that it doesn’t disturb your neighbours.

2. Bright Lights

Because raccoons are nocturnal, they prefer to avoid bright light. They tend to stick to shadows, so you can often keep them off your property by installing motion-activated flood lights. Although your yard may still have plenty of shadows for raccoons to hide in, the brightness of the lights may be frightening enough to convince them that your property is not a good place to live.

3. Unfamiliar Scents

Raccoons are used to the smells of nature. When they notice unfamiliar scents, they are more likely to avoid the area. You can buy predator scents online and apply them around the edge of your property, but ammonia often works just as well. However, you need to constantly reapply the scent if you want this tactic to be effective in deterring raccoons.

Tips for Deterring Raccoons

If raccoons live on your property, there is a greater risk of the animals entering your home when they need shelter from the elements. Installing elements like bright lights, noise machines and predator scents may deter raccoons, but these are temporary solutions that may not always work.

The simplest way to keep raccoons away from your house is to make your property an inhospitable environment. Providing the animals with easy access to food and water causes them to take up residence on the property, so you should never purposefully feed raccoons. Not only does this set a dangerous precedent for wildlife and convince animals to ignore their instincts, but it also makes raccoons comfortable on your property. They will become bold in their search for food.

One of the most common ways raccoons scavenge for food is by rifling through trash to feast on scraps. The animals are notoriously clever and dexterous, so they can often raise trash can lids enough to wiggle through the opening. To deny raccoons access to your trash, make sure the lids on your garbage bins fit securely. You may also want to invest in latches for your trash cans.

Learn How To Keep Raccoons Away With the Help of a Professional

Raccoons may look cute, but you don’t want to risk having one as a roommate because it could spread dangerous diseases. Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control can show you how to get rid of raccoons and keep them from returning. If you already have furry creatures living in your home, contact us today for raccoon removal in Markham.