During the spring and summer, raccoons are giving birth and raising babies. Raccoon kits stay with their mothers for up to four months before they are weaned. Raccoons have adapted to live alongside humans and may make a den inside your house, or if not, somewhere nearby. Because raccoons can cause property damage and potentially spread disease, you should contact wildlife control in Okanagan for raccoon removal as soon as possible after you discover them on your property.

Where Are Raccoons Likely to Make a Den?

Raccoons are excellent climbers, and in the wild, they often make dens up in trees. Therefore, they are likely to climb up the side of a house and make a den in the chimney or the attic. However, raccoons are opportunistic and aren’t too picky about where to build a den as long as it offers sufficient shelter. They may also build a den in a crawlspace or underneath a deck if they can get to it. Other areas on your property where they might build a den include abandoned vehicles, barns, sheds, or brush piles.

How Do You Know if You Have Raccoons in Your Home?

Raccoons are fairly large animals that tend to make a lot of noise when they take up residence in houses. They are most active at night, so you’ll probably hear them banging around the ceilings or walls before you actually see them. Raccoons’ paws are strong and dextrous, so if they are determined to get into your home and they can’t find a way in, they can make one themselves. Therefore, you may notice damage such as torn soffits, vents, and gutters as the raccoons make a hole to get into your house.

Another sign that raccoons are on your property is a “latrine” site. Raccoons choose a site where they all go to defecate. If you find a latrine site on your property, do not approach too closely. Contact with the feces can expose you to raccoon roundworm.

How Can You Deter Raccoons From Your Property?

You may have heard of a lot of do-it-yourself raccoon deterrents using sound, lights, smells, and tastes. These deterrents may work for a short while but become less effective over time as the raccoons adapt to them. Raccoons build dens where food is most readily available, so the best way to keep them off your property is to restrict access to food. This can be challenging since raccoons can eat almost anything. Here are some things you can do to keep raccoons off your property:

• Have locking lids for trash cans and compost bins
• Bring in pet food dishes and bird feeders at night
• Pick any overripe produce out of the garden
• Gather fallen fruit and nuts from trees

Look for places where raccoons are likely to hide and find ways to make them inaccessible. You can use hardware cloth or chicken wire to seal off spaces under decks and around the bases of sheds. Look for possible entry points around attics, eaves, and chimneys and seal these off as well. Overgrown grass, shrubs, and brush all provide cover where raccoons can hide as they are out foraging for food. Keep your lawn well mowed, your shrubs pruned, and your lawn will be less attractive to raccoons because there won’t be as many places to hide.

What if You Already Have Raccoons on Your Property?

If you already have raccoons on your Okanagan property, call Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control for raccoon removal. Our professional technicians will identify the entry point and find the den. If there are raccoon kits, they will be removed to a heated box outside so the mother can relocate them to a new den. We will clean up any contamination and block off the entry points so the raccoons cannot get back in. Find out about all the wildlife removal services we offer in Okanagan.