Raccoons using attics or chimneys as dens can cause extensive home damage with their gnawing, scratching, and nesting behaviors. They also create unsanitary messes and transmit diseases. Getting fast professional raccoon removal is crucial before they multiply and the problems get out of hand.
Dangers of Having Raccoons in Your Home
Seeing cute masked bandits raiding trash cans is one thing. But having raccoons access the interior of your occupied home poses some serious risks:
- Property Damage – Raccoons tear insulation, chew wood and drywall, and soil floors with urine and feces. They can cause thousands in damage to attics and walls.
- Disease Hazards – Raccoon droppings contain nasty parasites like roundworms along with diseases like rabies and canine distemper. Their infestations create major health hazards.
- Aggressive Behavior – While raccoons avoid humans outdoors, a mother with babies trapped in an enclosed space will fight viciously to defend her young.
- Recurring Problems – Because their droppings provide a scent marker, other raccoons will be attracted back to the same dens year after year if not properly sealed.
Raccoon encounters around the neighborhood can be fun to watch but inside the home is a different story. Fast removal is a must.
Signs of a Raccoon Infestation
Be on the lookout for these common signs that one or more raccoons may be inhabiting your home:
- Strange noises coming from walls, chimney, or attic like scratching, walking, or grunting
- Damaged interior areas near entry points like torn insulation, broken drywall, or claw marks
- Finding raccoon droppings that resemble small dog feces
- Chimney damper left open with nesting materials visible inside
- Unpleasant musky or urine odors coming from enclosed raccoon dens
- Sighting a raccoon directly coming in or out of an exterior hole or opening
DIY Removal Dangers
With YouTube providing endless questionable DIY advice, some homeowners make the mistake of trying to trap or evict raccoons on their own. This not only risks raccoon attacks and disease but is ineffective and illegal in most areas.
Never attempt amateur removal techniques like:
- Using live traps – illegal to transport and release raccoons elsewhere.
- Toxic chemicals – can harm raccoons and poison home interior.
- Fire or smoke – risks dangerous structural damage.
- Plugging entry holes while raccoons are still inside – traps them with no way out.
- Touching raccoons directly – bites and serious injury risks.
Always call certified professional wildlife removal experts for safe, legal, and permanent solutions.
The Professional Raccoon Eviction Process
Reputable raccoon removal companies use time-tested techniques to get raccoons out while preventing their return:
Inspection – Use cameras and thermal imaging to identify all entry points, nesting areas, and number of raccoons on the property. Note any structural damages.
Exclusion – Install one-way doors or tubes on entry points that let raccoons leave but not re-enter. Monitor until raccoons are fully removed.
Clean-up – Decontaminate all soiled areas with disinfectants and remove spoiled insulation or other nesting materials.
Exterior Repairs – Seal off all possible entryways with commercial-grade exclusionary materials once raccoons are gone.
Follow-up Monitoring – Continue inspecting previously infested areas and listen for noises for at least a week to ensure raccoons do not return before sealing entrances permanently.
Professional raccoon removal follows legal protocols to humanely force raccoons out while preventing long-term property damage or safety risks.
Finding Raccoon Removal Companies Near You
Search for “raccoon removal” plus your city or ZIP code. Look for companies that:
- Are licensed and insured for wildlife removal in your state.
- Have several years of experience performing humane raccoon evictions specifically.
- Provide knowledgeable consultation and customized solutions rather than quick traps.
- Use one-way doors rather than old-school exclusion like chimney caps that can trap raccoons inside.
- Offer humane preventative services like chimney caps after removal.
- Provide guarantees that raccoons will be gone for good after their work is done.
Don’t let lingering raccoon problems escalate. Call raccoon removal expert near Houston for right away if these masked bandits have made themselves at home where they don’t belong.
