Can we still consider raccoons wild animals?
Technically, they are. Their natural habitat is in heavily wooded areas where there’s an abundance of trees, food, and water. But over the past few decades, these furry creatures have been moving into urban and suburban areas in large numbers. In Southern Ontario alone, there are over 1.1 million of them. Call us for raccoon removal services in Milton.
As their population increases at astounding rates near human settlements, where do they live?
Raccoons will live in places such as barns, sheds, abandoned cars, and even attics.
If you suspect that a raccoon has made its way into your attic, you’ll need to know the safest measures to take to ensure the safe removal of the animal.
But before we discuss how to remove the animal, it’s important to understand why it’s in your attic in the first place.
The Reason Behind Having a Raccoon in Your Attic
There’s a strong possibility that the raccoon in your attic is female and pregnant and has identified your attic as a safe and warm place to give birth to her young. Having this information is important when trying to remove raccoons because you don’t want to orphan the baby raccoons and you wouldn’t want to distance a mother from her babies. Properly removing both the adult raccoon and the babies takes lots of skill and experience.
What Will a Professional Do?
An experienced Raccoon Removal Milton professional will be able to:
- Find the entry points
- Install a one-way door to allow the animals to exit
- Seal up the entry points once the animals have been removed
- And their work is guaranteed for two years
Regarding the baby raccoons, the professional will be able to enter your attic and by hand (while wearing gloves), remove the baby raccoons. There is usually around three to five of them.
Can You Try to Trap it Yourself?
Trying to trap the raccoon yourself will not yield the best results. If you trap and relocate a mother raccoon, she’ll leave behind her young, who cannot yet survive without her. The relocated raccoon is also at risk because when they’re placed in areas far from their home territory, they will be vulnerable.
It may also not be legal to trap and relocate the raccoon, depending on your state laws. For instance, in Ontario, trapping and relocating a wild animal more than 1km away from where you found it is illegal.
What Measures Can You Take?
1. Think of why the raccoon is in your attic in the first place.
Your attic is quiet, dark, and safe for her and her babies. If these conditions change, the mother raccoon may just decide to take her babies and leave. Adding some light so that the attic is no longer dark, and some sound so that it’s no longer quiet, may just be enough for the mother raccoon to change her mind about making your attic her nest.
2. You can also try to remove whatever is attracting the animal to your home.
Maybe you have pet food lying outside or perhaps your garbage lid can easily be opened. If you can identify what is attracting the raccoon and immediately eliminate it, they might stop coming.
Sometimes though, your attic is too comfortable for the raccoon to leave. In this case, you’ll need to call in a wildlife professional to have them removed.
Your Best Option is a Professional Company
Trapping, removing, and relocating raccoons takes a lot of skill and effort. And if there are baby raccoons involved, extra precautionary measures should be taken to ensure that both the mother and her babies get relocated safely. Contacting a wildlife removal company in Milton will help to ensure that the animals are removed in the most humane way possible from your property.