If you start to notice signs of damage around your property, it could mean that a wild animal is sharing your property. There are many different species of wildlife that are native to urban areas, and it can sometimes be difficult to tell which one is living on your property. One type of wildlife that is common is raccoons. Although they may look cute and cuddly, raccoons can be aggressive when threatened and may carry a lot of diseases, so it’s best not to co-exist with them in or around your home. Here’s what you need to know to determine if the damage to your property was caused by a raccoon.

Structural Damage

If raccoons think that they can access food or find shelter in a space in your home, they may cause damage to the building. They only need a gap that is four inches wide to access a building. Like many other types of wildlife, raccoons usually try to avoid humans, but they may find their way into chimneys and attics to make a cozy den. If you notice scratch marks on your chimney or have ripped shingles on your roof that give animals access to your attic, the culprit may likely be a raccoon.

Pet Damage

Raccoons are not usually threats to dogs, but they can be dangerous if they are infected with rabies. Cats may be more prone to harmful encounters with raccoons, but other animals such as chickens are usually prime targets. Raccoons sometimes target poultry as an easy meal because the chickens can’t escape their pen. While many other animals often attack chickens, the culprit is probably a raccoon if you notice the following signs around your chicken pen:

• Eggs have been eaten with only the shells remaining
• Chickens have been injured by an attempt to be pulled through the mesh wire of the pen
• Chicken heads have been torn from the bodies and left in a different location
• You find remnants of your chickens left near sources of water
• The breast of the chicken has been torn off and chewed

Landscape Damage

Raccoons are omnivores, so they are just as likely to tear up your garden as to attack your chickens. Other animals such as deer and rabbits may also steal food from your garden, but landscape damage from a raccoon has a few distinctive signs. A preferred garden vegetable of raccoons is sweet corn, and if you start to notice cobs that have the husks pulled back and are only partially eaten, it’s probably caused by one of these masked creatures. These animals are also partial to watermelon and eat the fruit by gnawing a hole in the hull and then scooping out the sweet flesh.

Raccoons can also damage your lawn if you have recently laid sod. While looking for earthworms and insects, raccoons roll back sod to inspect the dirt beneath them.

Call Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control for Raccoon Removal

Because raccoons can be dangerous, it is best to keep your distance. Sharing your property with a raccoon isn’t a good idea because it gives you too many chances for an encounter with the wild animal. At the same time, you don’t want to hurt yourself or the raccoons by attempting to remove them on your own.

Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control can help. Our team of experts has the knowledge and experience necessary to remove any type of wildlife from your property to keep both you and the animal safe. If you need raccoon removal in Coquitlam, call Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Removal today to schedule an appointment for timely and humane removal.