* Dealing with problem raccoons humanely and effectively
- Problems live-trapping raccoons
- Alternatives to trapping (repellants, barriers)
Raccoons are nocturnal, so they are most active at night and sleep during the day. Young raccoons are very curious and active and will often stray short distances from their nest to explore during the day while their mother is sleeping. If you see an alert young raccoon, or a group of young raccoons without their mother, do not pick them up or assume they are abandoned, they will generally return to their den on their own, or their mother will come to collect them. She may wait until night or when it is safe, however, to do so, so provide her ample time to do that. She will be able to locate them easly by their crys and scent. You should only assume a raccoon is in distress and take it in to a vet or rehabilitator if it has an apparent injury, it's eyes are closed, or it is unresponsive and lying on its side. The mother will only come down to the ground when it is safe to do, so you should watch closely from a fair distance away or from a window in a nearby house. If you know the location of the nest, which is often times high in a tree, you can promptly return the baby to the nest or leave it at the base of the tree at night and the mother will come down and retrieve it. The mother will not abandon her baby because you have handled it.
If the mother does not retrieve her young and you have to take the raccoon to a vet or a wildlife rehabilitator, place it in a box with a warm towel and a WARM hot water bottle. BE VERY CAREFUL TO NOT BURN THE RACCOON.
If you find baby raccoons in your cottage or attic, please refer to the problem section below.
Problems live-trapping raccoons
Many people believe that live-trapping raccoons is the most humane and effective option in dealing with raccoon problems. There are, however, many problems associated with live-trapping, as follows:
* removing an adult raccoon from an area will likely result in her young starving to death. Raccoon young stay with their mothers for a relatively long period off time and will even hibernate with their mother for the first year. Without a mother to den up with over winter, the survival rate of the young raccoons is considerably reduced.
* relocated animals are at a disadvantage and will often die, as they have no den or food stores, and will likely be chased from the area by more dominant animals.
* Removing one animal from an area will only create a habitat void which will encourage another animal to take up resisence in that space, and home owner problems will begin again. A better solution is to remove food sources and use a repellant and a barrier device.
Raccoons in attics and places you don't want them to be
Removing food sources, such as dog food and open garbage, is the easiest way to discourage raccoons from moving in. To prevent raccoons from nesting in attics, etc., block the entrance hole with wood or a piece of wire mesh and use a repellant. Metal inserts are available for chimneys. First, check the area to make sure the raccoon is out of the area and make sure there are no nests with babies. If you find a nest with babies, if the mother is away, you can very carefully move the nest a few inches away from its original spot, being careful not to harm the delicate young. If the mother is present, you can shine a flashlight on her periodically to disturb her. Once the mother realizes that her nest has been discovered, she will move her young. Give her at least a couple of days to do so. Once the raccoon and her young have left the area, you can block the entrance hole and place repellants in the area. There are commercial raccoon repellants available or you can use mothballs, Cayenne pepper, cloths soaked in ammonia, or the following organic repellant recipe:
Raccoon repellant recipe - 2 Tablespoons of tabasco sauce plus 1 tablesspoon of Cayenne pepper in one litre of water. (Fill squirt bottle and spray the area you don't want chewed or the raccoon accessing.) *Note: reapply every few days.