If you’ve heard strange noises in your attic or found torn-up insulation, you may already suspect raccoons have taken up residence in your home. These adaptable and highly intelligent animals are experts at finding their way into attics, chimneys, and crawl spaces, posing significant challenges for homeowners. Raccoon proofing your house can feel daunting, and recognizing the signs of raccoon infestation is critical. 

Skedaddle’s wildlife removal services in Atlanta offer humane and effective solutions to remove raccoons and prevent future invasions, ensuring your home stays safe. It’s essential to know how to deter raccoons from your property, but the removal process requires a professional approach to ensure both safety and long-term results.

Why Raccoons Are a Major Challenge in Urban Environments

Raccoons thrive in urban areas because cities provide them with ample food, shelter, and water. They are resourceful creatures that can adapt to human-made environments with ease. The trash left outside at night, gaps in property structures, or accessible soffits and vents are all invitations they are quick to exploit. Once they’ve entered your home, their ability to cause damage is unrivaled. Raccoons rip apart roofing materials, ducts, and insulation in search of warm, safe shelter, leaving behind droppings that carry harmful bacteria and parasites.

The cleverness of raccoons makes them difficult to manage. They are strong and dexterous, able to widen small gaps to gain entry into attics or crawl spaces. Additionally, raccoons are nocturnal, meaning they typically become active when most people are asleep. You might only notice the signs of their presence when you see shredded siding, chewed-up wires, or droppings. These challenges demonstrate why professional intervention is often necessary to handle their removal effectively and safely.

For homeowners, one of the biggest frustrations is the difficulty in keeping raccoons from returning after removal. Raccoons are territorial creatures that will attempt to re-enter their chosen den site if their entry points aren’t thoroughly sealed. With their sharp claws and determination, even materials like aluminum or vinyl may not stand up to their persistence. Proper raccoon proofing measures require expert evaluation and repair to eliminate potential vulnerabilities and prevent future infestations.

Recognizing the Signs of Raccoon Infestation

Knowing the signs of a raccoon infestation is crucial to addressing the problem promptly. Physical evidence is often the first clue, such as damage to roof vents, shingles, or siding. But there are subtler signs that homeowners should be aware of:

• Noises at Night: Raccoons are nocturnal, so if you hear scratching, thumping, or chattering noises overhead at night, it could indicate raccoons occupying your attic or walls. Additionally, baby raccoons make chirping or crying sounds, which can signal the presence of a litter.
• Droppings and Odors: Raccoon droppings may be found near entry points or inside attics. These droppings pose a serious health risk as they can carry harmful parasites like Baylisascaris roundworms. Persistent foul odors may also result from their waste.
• Damage to Entry Points: Raccoons are skilled climbers and will use soffits, gutters, or access points around roofing structures to get inside. Look for torn or partially gnawed materials around vents, chimneys, or eaves.

Addressing these signs quickly is essential to limiting the damage raccoons can cause. Their presence can lead to the destruction of insulation, electrical hazards, and contamination of living spaces, all of which can require costly repairs. Ignoring the problem or attempting DIY removal can make things worse, as raccoons are highly defensive and could attack if they feel threatened.

Why DIY Removal Is Risky and Ineffective

Many homeowners consider tackling raccoon removal on their own, but this approach is rarely effective and can be dangerous. Raccoons are not only resourceful but also defensive, particularly if there are babies involved. Without the right equipment or expertise, you could face serious risks when attempting removal.

First and foremost, raccoons can carry a number of diseases like rabies, leptospirosis, and salmonella. These diseases are transmitted through bites, scratches, or exposure to their droppings. Handling a potentially infected or aggressive raccoon without proper precautions can put your safety at risk.

Furthermore, DIY methods often fail to address the root causes of a raccoon infestation, such as structural vulnerabilities in the home. Temporary fixes like patching holes with basic materials may not hold up against the strength and determination of raccoons. Additionally, improper removal techniques can lead to unintended consequences. For example, sealing an entry point without confirming that the raccoons are out of the attic can trap them inside, causing even more significant damage as they attempt to escape.

Another risk is not recognizing the presence of baby raccoons. If a mother raccoon feels her young are in danger, she may become aggressive. Removing baby raccoons requires specialized equipment and knowledge to ensure their safe and humane relocation. Attempting to address the problem without professional expertise often leads to wasted effort, ongoing infestations, and increased repair costs.

How to Deter Raccoons from Your Property Effectively

Raccoon-proofing your house is an important step in preventing future problems. While complete prevention isn’t always guaranteed, you can take these measures to make your home less appealing to raccoons:

1. Secure Potential Food Sources

• Ensure trash bins are tightly sealed.
• Avoid leaving pet food outside overnight.
• Secure compost bins to prevent access to food scraps.

2. Inspect and Fortify Your Property

• Check for structural vulnerabilities like roof vents, chimneys, and gutter lines.
• Install heavy-duty screening over all ventilation openings.
• Trim tree branches away from your house to limit climbing access.
• Repair damaged siding or roofing materials promptly.

3. Use Bright Lighting

• Install motion-detecting floodlights or bright lighting around your property.
• These nocturnal animals typically avoid well-lit areas.

If raccoons have already taken up residence in your home, DIY methods may fall short of solving the problem effectively. Turning to a professional wildlife removal service ensures a safe, efficient, and humane approach to raccoon-proofing your property.

Experts can address the issue comprehensively, minimizing risks and preventing future infestations. By combining professional help with preventive strategies, you can significantly reduce the chances of raccoon problems and better protect your home in the long term.

Why Skedaddle Is the Right Choice for Raccoon Removal

When it comes to removing raccoons, experience and expertise matter. At Skedaddle, our humane and thorough approach ensures that the issue is resolved efficiently and with minimal stress to homeowners. We start with a detailed property assessment to identify all vulnerabilities and entry points, developing a customized solution to remove the raccoons and prevent them from returning.

One advantage we offer is specialized equipment, such as thermal imaging cameras, which help pinpoint the exact location of raccoons and their babies. Our technicians are trained to safely remove baby raccoons by hand and use heated baby reunion boxes to ensure their comfort and safety while waiting for their mother to relocate them.

After removal, we clean and decontaminate the affected spaces to eliminate health hazards and odors that could attract more wildlife. Our team also reinforces vulnerable areas with durable materials to protect your home against future invasions. With decades of experience, we’ve refined our methods to provide the most effective and humane wildlife removal service available.

Protect Your Home—Act Now

Raccoons may be fascinating creatures, but their presence in your home is far from charming. The damage they cause and the risks they pose to your health and safety make professional removal the best path forward. At Skedaddle, we combine over 30 years of experience with advanced techniques to resolve your raccoon challenges for good.

Don’t wait for the problem to escalate. Call Skedaddle in Marietta today and take the first step toward reclaiming your home. Our trained experts are here to help you every step of the way, ensuring a raccoon-free future.