Summer brings a sense of warmth and the promise of long, carefree days. However, for residents experiencing an intrusion, it signals a period of vigilance. Understanding raccoon behaviours is crucial as these clever nocturnal creatures are in constant search for food and shelter. They are drawn to accessible gardens, unsecured trash bins, and even pet food left outside, creating a nuisance for homeowners.
Skedaddle’s expertise lies in identifying what attracts raccoons and implementing strategic measures to deter them effectively. This approach ensures a harmonious summer, undisturbed by unwelcome wildlife. To safeguard your haven, our team offers professional advice on how to prevent raccoons from turning your property into their playground. With the right knowledge and support, enjoy a serene and wildlife-free season, keeping those curious creatures at bay.
What Attracts Raccoons?
Raccoons in Coquitlam are no strangers to human environments, often seeking out shelter, food, and water near residential areas. These animals are as clever as they are cute, utilizing their dexterous paws and agile bodies to prie open trash cans, dig through gardens, and even find ways into your attics or basements.
Knowing what brings raccoons to your property is the first step in preventing their unwelcome visits. Raccoons are attracted to a source of food, a safe place to den, and accessible water. Common attractants include:
- Garbage: Open trash cans or bins with easily accessible odorous waste are raccoon magnets.
- Pet Food: Leaving pet food outdoors can be an open invitation for raccoons to dine.
- Gardens: The pests love the sweet fruits and garden vegetables you grow.
- Shelter: They’ll take advantage of openings in sheds, basements, or attics for denning.
- Water: Any standing water, from a pet’s outdoor bowl to a puddle, can entice a raccoon.
- Compost Bins: Unsecured compost bins are a treasure trove of food scraps for raccoons.
- Bird Feeders: These can provide an easy meal for raccoons, who are adept at accessing the seeds.
- Fruit Trees: Fallen fruits are an easy source of nutrition for these creatures.
- Outdoor Grills: Residue from grilling can attract raccoons looking for scraps.
- Ponds or Water Features: Such features can attract raccoons not only for drinking water but also for food if they contain fish.
Understanding the Fluffy Bandits
Before we go into the details of raccoon removal, it’s important to familiarize yourself with these wild creatures. With their distinctive masked faces and ringed tails, raccoons are among the most recognizable and intriguing creatures in the animal kingdom. Often spotted rummaging through trash cans or waddling along urban and suburban landscapes, these mammals have adapted remarkably well to various environments.
Exceptional Adaptability
Raccoons have shown an extraordinary ability to adapt to changing environments. Originally inhabitants of forests, they have seamlessly integrated into urban settings. Their omnivorous diet, which includes fruits, nuts, insects, and occasionally trash, allows them to thrive in a multitude of habitats.
Dexterous Hands
One of the raccoon’s most fascinating features is its highly dexterous hands. Raccoons have five fingers on each hand, which they use with incredible skill to open containers, unlatch cages, and even uncork bottles. This dexterity is also used to examine their food and objects in their environment, showcasing their curiosity and intelligence.
Nighttime Activities
Raccoons are primarily nocturnal, meaning they are most active during the night. This nighttime activity helps them avoid predators and allows them to search for food with reduced competition from other animals. Their excellent night vision and sensitive whiskers help them navigate and locate food in the dark.
“Washing” Behavior
Raccoons are often observed engaging in a behaviour that looks like “washing” their food in water before eating it. While scientists once thought this was a necessity for moistening their food, it’s now believed to be a habit stemming from their natural instinct to search for food in aquatic environments, using their sensitive hands to feel out prey.
Communication Skills
Raccoons communicate with each other through a variety of sounds, including hisses, whistles, screams, and purrs. These sounds convey different messages, such as warnings of danger or signals during mating season. They also use body language and facial expressions to communicate, further underscoring their complex social behaviours.
Incredible Memory
Research has shown that raccoons possess a remarkable memory for solving problems. In experiments, raccoons demonstrated the ability to remember solutions to tasks for up to three years, highlighting their intelligence and problem-solving skills.
Solitary Yet Sociable
While raccoons spend a significant portion of their life alone, they can also display sociable behaviours. During the colder months, raccoons have been known to sleep in communal dens for warmth and protection. Additionally, female raccoons raise their kits in close-knit family units, teaching them survival skills until they are ready to venture out on their own.
Raccoons continue to captivate us with their intelligence, adaptability, and mysterious nighttime antics. These fascinating creatures remind us of the complexity and diversity of nature, even in our own backyards.
The Strategy for a Raccoon-Free Property
It’s not enough to merely discourage raccoons; you need to strategize to effectively protect your Coquitlam property. While fascinating creatures, they can become quite a nuisance when they decide to make your property their playground or pantry. Their quest for food and shelter can lead to overturned trash cans, raided gardens, and even structural damage as they seek entry into attics or crawl spaces. However, there are humane and effective strategies you can employ to deter raccoons and protect your property.
Raccoons have a notorious reputation for rummaging through trash in search of food. One of the most effective deterrents is to secure your trash cans with tight-fitting lids, preferably with locks or clamps that raccoons can’t easily open. Consider using metal cans, which are more difficult for raccoons to chew through or knock over. Placing ammonia-soaked rags near or on top of your trash cans can also serve as a deterrent due to their strong smell.
Raccoons are attracted to properties that offer easy access to food, water, and shelter. By making your property less inviting, you can discourage them from staying. Remove food sources by keeping pet food indoors and covering compost bins. Eliminate standing water in your yard, and trim tree branches that provide easy access to your roof. Securing your garden with fencing and opting for trash bins instead of bags for yard waste can also help deter raccoons.
Motion-activated sprinklers can be an effective way to scare away raccoons without causing them harm. These devices detect movement and spray water in the direction of the motion, startling raccoons and discouraging them from returning. Install these sprinklers around the perimeter of your property, near gardens, or any other areas where raccoons frequent.
Raccoons prefer to forage in the dark, so brightening up your yard with motion-activated lights can deter them from approaching. Similarly, radios or motion-activated alarms that emit sudden noises can create an uncomfortable environment for raccoons, encouraging them to seek quieter, darker areas.
If raccoons become persistent or cause significant issues on your property, it may be time to consult with professional wildlife control experts. These professionals can safely and humanely relocate raccoons and provide further guidance on preventing future invasions, ensuring your property remains raccoon-free.
By implementing these strategies, you can effectively deter raccoons from your property, minimizing damage and maintaining a peaceful coexistence with local wildlife. Remember, the goal is to discourage raccoons in a way that is safe for both the animals and your family.
Skedaddle is Your Ally in Keeping Coquitlam Safe
When dealing with raccoons or any wildlife on your property, expert assistance is the safest, most effective way to ensure a humane outcome. As Coquitlam’s leading wildlife control service, Skedaddle combines expertise with a passion for the safety and well-being of both people and animals.
Why Skedaddle?
With a sterling reputation and a commitment to their community, Skedaddle is the ideal partner in maintaining your sanctuary from wildlife intruders. Our approach is a blend of experience, knowledge, and humane removal techniques. Our services include:
- Inspections: We perform meticulous inspections to identify raccoon entry points.
- Removal: Using the latest in humane exclusion devices, we ensure your home is free from raccoons.
- Sanitization and Repair: We not only rid your property of raccoons but repair the damage and clean their mess, ensuring a healthy environment.
- Prevention: Our experts offer preventative measures to keep raccoons from returning.
Trust Skedaddle with your home, and enjoy peace of mind knowing you are in capable hands.
Call Skedaddle for Humane Raccoon Removal
The breezes are warmer, and the sunsets beckon, but this summer, don’t share your haven with raccoons. Follow these guidelines to safeguard your home against these adorable yet mischievous creatures. Always remember, a wildlife-free home is a safer, healthier one.
Ready to protect your space and enjoy a raccoon-free summer? Contact Skedaddle now and see how we can help you make your home a raccoon-proof fortress. Your summer should be worry-free. With our team at Skedaddle, it will be just that — enjoy every beautiful day without fretting over wildlife.
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