Raccoons can be pesky animals. Though there is usually only one, unless you get a mother with her pups, they aren’t hard to trap and remove, if you have the knowledge and expertise.
For all of your raccoon control needs, including raccoon removal services and raccoon relocation services, look to the experts at Done Right Pest Solutions.
Call for a free quote for service: 651-342-9489.
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Raccoons
At the size of a small dog, at first glance they can be misperceived as a neighbor’s pet. They have brown, gray, and black fur, with a noticeable striped tail and black fur around their eyes resembling these critters as a sort of “masked bandit.”
Raccoons have been known to raid corn fields, and eat basically anything, including garbage.
A normal raccoon can weigh anywhere between 15 and 25 pounds. Their weight doesn’t deter them, as they are excellent climbers and swimmers, perhaps thanks to their opposable thumbs.
But they may not always seem raccoon-like. Though they hiss and growl, they also have a signature screech that can sound like an owl.
It is advised to not let your dog fight a raccoon. These creatures are voracious fighters, able to adeptly attack and kill a dog twice its size.
As Pests
Raccoons can fit into any opening about a softball size or larger. At times they may bed back soffit and fascia plating if there is already a small hole.
If a raccoon gets in your attic, there is a high probability (80%) that it is a female with live young.
Raccoons give birth to 2 to 6 pups, but normally 4. If a mother raccoon is removed but not its babies, the babies will scratch and claw and cry as they starve to death. It is important to remove and relocate all raccoons.
While they may just be looking for food or a place to burrow, raccoons can create quite a bit of damage to a home, garage, shed or accessory structure, gardens, crops, and more.
It is for this reason that many seek to find raccoon removal services if they encounter one around their property. For all of your raccoon control needs, raccoon removal services and raccoon relocation services, look to Done Right Pest Solutions.
It is advised to not let your dog fight a raccoon. These creatures are voracious fighters, able to adeptly attack and kill a dog twice its size.
Methods of Raccoon Control – 6 Steps of Raccoon Removal
Conibear traps and other lethal traps are used to remove raccoons from a property, though they are mostly used by fur trappers. These traps are cumbersome, hard to set and use, so many don’t use them for raccoon control.
Done Right Pest Solutions is glad many don’t use these traps, because 9 times out of 10 the raccoon doesn’t have rabies and doesn’t need to be euthanized. Rather, we relocate them 10 plus miles away from your property.
Live cage traps are the most common method of raccoon control and raccoon removal. Done Right Pest Solutions staff utilizes these live traps for that very reason: it keeps the raccoons alive, they are simply trapped until we can relocate them elsewhere.
While there are many types and sizes of live cage traps (for basically any rodent or larger animal), just because you can purchase these traps on your own, doesn’t mean you necessarily should. There is a lot to consider.
Relocate ASAP. You have to be willing to relocate the animal as soon as possible. If a raccoon is in the trap too long, it will dehydrate, have heat stroke, or die of other causes. We do not want this to happen.
First, check regulations. Make sure it is legal in your state to trap and release raccoons. In many states, if you trap a raccoon, you must euthanize it and dispose of its carcass right away.
If it is legal, make sure you are willing to put in the work to ensure a successful trap and release.
Raccoon control can be a difficult task if the raccoon has rabies, and that is why many states prohibits its residents from performing their own raccoon control services.
Make sure you have the right size trap. Some people don’t know the size of raccoon they are trying to trap and end up purchasing too small of a trap, only to find that they need to return it or obtain a larger sized trap. Raccoon traps are at least 32 inches long, and about 12 inches wide.
A successful raccoon removal service depends on the correct size of the trap. If you have too small of a trap, the raccoon will not enter into the trap, or it could cause damage to the animal. If you have too large of a trap it still may work, but the ideal trap is at least 32 inches long and 12 inches wide.
Have the right bait. You have to know how to bait any trap you set. If you set a mouse trap without some peanut butter or cheese spread, you might trap a mouse still, sure. But if you don’t bait your raccoon trap, you will not catch a raccoon.
While there are always exceptions to this rule, raccoons are scavengers and they spend a lot of time looking for food scraps. If your trap doesn’t contain food, you can pretty much bet you won’t trap your raccoon.
Use cat food or fish, and mix in something sweet like marshmallows or honey. Raccoons like white things like eggs and marshmallows.
Not baiting for the correct pest may result in the capture of other pests or even stray cats. While this may not bother everyone, it bothers the untargeted pest(s) or cat(s). There is an amount of mental stress or trauma that goes into being trapped. This causes issues with the pests brain and rewires them differently, perhaps causing them to be more destructive and skittish than they were before.
Check the trap regularly. Pests, while bothersome at times, are still living creatures. Done Right Pest Solutions staff strives to remove and relocate larger rodents as much as possible. Scavengers are helpful to our ecosystem and we do not take our job as pest controllers lightly, we emphasize the controlling aspect by relocating the larger rodents, letting them live.
If you are not home much, we do not recommend performing your own raccoon control service. It is vital to check the trap regularly in order to make sure you relocate the animal as soon as possible.
Relocate ASAP. You have to be willing to relocate the animal as soon as possible. If a raccoon is in the trap too long, it will dehydrate, have heat stroke, or die of other causes. We do not want this to happen.
As you can imagine raccoon control can be a tricky endeavor, but we hope this 6 simple step process of raccoon removal helps. For all of your raccoon control services, look to Done Right Pest Solutions, and learn more of our one-time service with follow-up service below.
Our Raccoon Removal Service
We begin your raccoon removal service just like any other service: inspection. We talk with our client to learn all we can and then we inspect the property to see if there is any other information we can gather. Some signs a property manager or owner will certainly know of, but some only trained professionals can notice.
Once we’ve assessed the situation, we will place live traps in the secured area to trap the raccoon. We won’t set the trap until we bait the trap. But once baited with the desired bait, the trap is set and follow-up visits are scheduled.
We always ask that you monitor the raccoon trap and let us know immediately if the trap catches a raccoon so we can remove and relocate it as soon as possible.
We give a 1 month warranty, subject to any repairs that need to be made. Each one-time service comes with the placement of trapping device, baiting and setting of the trapping device, and follow-up service.
For more information on our raccoon removal services, other animal removal services, or our services in general, view our Services page.
Did you enjoy reading about raccoon trapping? If so, check out our articles on squirrel removal and relocation and possum removal and relocation. For a free quote on these small animal removal services, call Done Right Pest Solutions: 651-342-9489
Conclusion & Next Steps
If you’re looking for raccoon removal services, give the professionals at Done Right Pest Solutions a call. 651-342-9489.
Free estimates given over the phone. Call, text, or email donerightpestsolutions@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Here for all your wildlife control needs, too.
Done Right Team
Have you ever had a raccoon burrow under your deck or patio? Have you ever had a mama raccoon house her babies in your attic? We would like to learn of your experience in the comments.
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