Having raccoons on your property is a complicated problem. Raccoons can make a mess of your yard, cause property damage to your home, and expose you to diseases through their feces. Raccoon removal in Milwaukee is necessary to deal with raccoons that are already on your property, but there are things you can do to help keep them off your property, and they are relatively simple.

1. Light Up Your Lawn

Raccoons are nocturnal creatures. They are omnivores, which means they may hunt and feed on animals that are smaller than they are, but they are not apex predators, which makes them vulnerable. They are clever and use the cover of darkness to their advantage, but if a light is shone on them suddenly, they are likely to become startled and run away. Therefore, one way that you may be able to keep raccoons out of your yard is to install motion-activated lights around your property. As the raccoons enter your yard, their movements will trigger the device that turns the lights on. Thus, the raccoons are scared away from your lawn with a minimum of effort on your part outside of the initial installation of the lights.

2. Fix Your Fence

A large hole in your fence provides a passageway by which a raccoon can enter your yard. A small hole in your fence can become a bigger one. Raccoons are strong and smart; their paws are very nimble. They are more than capable of finding a weakness in the fence that they can exploit and manipulate it until it gives them what they want. Therefore, you should inspect your fence frequently for any signs of damage, and if you find any, you should perform the necessary repairs right away.

You should also choose a fencing material that prevents raccoons from climbing it. Raccoons are skilled climbers, so a chain-link fence won’t do you much good. They might use it as a ladder. However, a vinyl privacy fence made of panels without gaps between them and made out of a smooth material that is hard to get a grip on may be an effective deterrent.

3. Control Your Trash

Raccoons love feeding on human garbage. Not only does it taste good to them but it is convenient. Raccoons will go to great lengths to get the delicious garbage they love, which means that you have to take extra steps to make it inaccessible to them.

Raccoons are pretty clever at figuring out how to get garbage cans open. They’ve figured out that some of the cans may spill open if knocked over. An animal-proof trash can with a tight-sealing lid may be effective at foiling their attempts to get to the garbage.

Raccoons locate food by smell, and the odor of a garbage can is often as good as a neon sign saying, “FOOD” as far as they are concerned. Therefore, anything you can do to minimize the smell of your trash may help keep raccoons away from your garbage cans. Whenever possible, you should rinse out disposable food containers when you are finished using them before throwing them away. You should also use heavy-duty plastic bags to help contain the smell and make sure they are sealed tightly.

It is not only the smell of the garbage itself that can attract raccoons. It is sometimes also the smell of the garbage can. Anything that spills over the side or leaks out may have its own odor that lingers on the can long after the trash is picked up, and the smell may attract raccoons. To prevent this, you should wash your garbage cans once a month.

Call Skedaddle for Raccoons on Your Property

If you’re wondering how to get rid of raccoons, it is always best to call a professional because raccoons that feel threatened can become aggressive. Skedaddle’s process is good for you and the raccoons alike because we remove them without harming them.