As we get into the chilly months, wildlife may start to appear on your property, such as raccoons. Some people find raccoons as cute creatures – but be careful! They’re wild animals that can threaten you and your pets’ life.
At Apple Pest Control, we understand the lack of control over pests in or around your home. We’re here to help you understand their behavior and figure out the safest ways to repel raccoons for your family and pets’ safety.
Where Do Raccoons Like to Hide?
Raccoons aren’t particularly picky when it comes to locations and what food the surrounding areas have to offer. Raccoons can be found hiding away at chimneys, wooded areas, trash cans and even vents – basically anywhere that’s hollowed enough to hide and live in.
What Risks Do Raccoons Pose?
Raccoons are wild animals and can spread rabies, – this can be life-threatening to our pet’s health because it can manifest quickly. Raccoons are also found to be carriers of fleas, ticks and lice.
Raccoon droppings can be dangerous for our health, too. Inside their droppings, salmonella and leptospirosis can be found. If you have kids that like to play outside and happen to come across droppings, while rare, it can also contain raccoon roundworm eggs that can transfer to your kids. This egg is called Baylisciris, and once formed into larvae, it may end up in the eyes or brain – blindness or death are the consequences of this.
How to Keep Raccoons Away From Your Home And Pets
There are a few raccoon repellents that aren’t harmful to our health. Keep in mind they’re on your property to hunt for food. Raccoons have a strong sense of smell – you can use this to your advantage to put out something strong that they don’t like such as onion, garlic, or Epsom salt.
Don’t leave out trash cans and bring them inside the garage or shed, a place that’s safe and secured. Also, make sure to keep pet food inside. However, if you must leave pet food outside, do it during the afternoon, when raccoons are more likely to be asleep. Another alternative to feeding your outside pets is to put their food on a raised surface that raccoons wouldn’t be able to climb. If your pet happens to leave any food leftover, bring the food inside.
Raccoons also have sensitive eyes, thus explaining why raccoons are often found exploring during the night. You can get a repellent flashing light to be placed in your yard to get them away from the property.
Be sure to seal off any hollow areas or openings to prevent raccoons from living and hiding in them. Make sure you seal your vents with hardware cloths or anything that can let the air flow freely without blocking it.
Contact the Pros!
If you’re in need of help to get rid of raccoons, contact us today! At Apple Pest Control, we don’t just stop at repelling raccoons, we also offer organic or standard pest control and can guarantee you professional and effective results for your family and pets’ safety.
