Apr 26, 2009
SOURCE: The Oakville Beaver
Nature’s “masked bandits” have a reputation for their intelligence and ingenuity, but when raccoons move into your home these very traits we admire become a homeowner’s worst enemy.
Take a preventative approach to raccoons to keep them from wreaking havoc in your household.
Human homes make ideal nesting sites for raccoons. Chimneys, roofs and attics are perfect warm, dry den sites if these animals are ‘invited’ to come in. Using their skilled manipulative paws, they are able to open jars, cans and even door latches. These same skills make getting through most building materials (wood, roof shingles) a breeze.
Blocking access is key to preventing raccoons from making your house their home. Once they are in, if you block entry points they will work their way through them, particularly a mother raccoon trying to return to her young. It is important that potential entry points are covered off to deter entrance in the first place.
Heavy gauge wiring is used to secure any potential openings. It is best to leave this task to professional wildlife services that will not only identify the points of access, assess the state of the den (i. e. where in the breeding cycle the raccoon may be), but also recommend the most humane strategy for removal. Professionals are also trained to remove raccoons with minimal harm and stress to the animal.
“Leaving a raccoon alone is not an option in most cases once they’ve built a den in your home,” said Heather White, the community outreach and education manager at the Oakville & District Humane Society. “Raccoons are capable of causing significant damage to a home, and given that they are nocturnal animals, they can also disrupt a household with their busy night time activity. Once they build a den in your home, it’s time to seek professional assistance to safely relocate them.”
In addition to the physical harm that raccoons can cause your house, they also pose health risks. This is one reason why it is important to keep house-hold pets up to date on their vaccines.
Raccoons usually produce 5- 6 babies (kits) a year. That’s 5-6 den sites that need to be built. To seal your home from becoming a den site, contact a professional wildlife service and ask them to secure any potential access points. Prevention is the preferred course of action to take with these intelligent “bandits” of the night.
If you are noticing that you have a raccoon that is acting strangely or appears hurt, sick or injured, you should contact SkunkBgone.com at 647-638-GONE (647-638-4663) or the Oakville & District Humane Society at 905-845-1551. We provide a 24 hour emergency service for animals in distress.
