How to Deter Raccoons From Your Home

Raccoons are urban creatures that can easily become unwanted house guests. These smart animals can crawl into a crawl space, burrow themselves in a basement, shimmy down the chimney and even welcome themselves in-between the walls. The presence of raccoons in the home can cause many different problems, but you do not need to stress. Keeping these critters at bay requires some understanding as well as a few preventive measures to protect your home.

Instructions

    • 1

      Locate possible places of entrance within your home and secure them. Mother raccoons like to find and use attics to shelter their young. Fully inspect your roof, vents and other eave areas, and try to locate openings where raccoons could crawl through and gain access. If you notice any openings, it is possible that raccoons may be already inside the house. If not, secure and close those openings to avoid their entrance. Send the message that your house has no vacancies by closing holes and shutting off entrances to crawl spaces.

    • 2

      Get rid of any temptation by making your house less inviting for raccoons to come in. Raccoons love garbage. They are omnivorous, so these not-so-picky eaters are likely to head for garbage cans for available food sources. After you have noticed that the animals are getting into your trash can, strap the lid down with bungee cords. These cords make it more difficult for the raccoons to get the food they are wanting. Without a food source, the raccoons will then look elsewhere.

    • 3

      Take preventive measures for your pets. Raccoons like to nibble on kibble just like Fido and Fluffy, but that doesn't mean they should share. Fend the unwanted critters off by feeding your pets inside or in an enclosed place, like a garage. Keep this in mind every time you feed your pets.