Raccoon Removal and Exclusion
Raccoons are noisy, smelly, messy animals. They can carry rabies and other deadly diseases. But when you know what to watch for, raccoons are easy to spot. If a raccoon is calling your northern Indiana or southwestern Michigan house their home, it’s time to call the Raccoon Removal and Exclusion experts at McCoy Wildlife Control.
How to Know You've Got a Raccoon
There are clear signs that a raccoon (or family of raccoons) is nesting somewhere on your property or in your home. In the spring, pregnant female raccoons make dens for their new babies. This is prime time for raccoons to come inside. They prefer smaller spaces like attics, walls and basement egress windows.
The following are signs that a raccoon is on your property or in your home.
- Messes around your garbage cans: Raccoons frequently leave their den to find more food. If they’re rummaging through your garbage, you’ll notice. They’re very messy eaters! You may find litter scattered around your home or trailing back toward a small entryway.
- Scratching and pitter-patter sounds coming from the walls or attic: Raccoons love living in the walls or attics! These resting places are so small that their scratching and pitter-patter is usually obvious. Stay quiet for a few minutes to see if you can hear them. Because they’re nocturnal, they’re more active and easy to hear at night.
- Bad smells coming from the walls or attic: Raccoon urine and feces is strong-smelling. If you’ve noticed other signs of a raccoon on your property or in your home, check for smells in small spaces like attics and unfinished areas of your home. The smell is hard to miss! You might also spot raccoon droppings or damage from urine in those spaces, too.
- Unexplained increases in heating/cooling bills: Raccoons like insulation in the walls and attic. They rip it up for their den or compress it, making it ineffective. Ineffective insulation can increase your heating and cooling bills.
- Piles of outdoor debris in your attic or small spaces: Raccoons use twigs, grass clippings, and other outdoor debris to make their homes. If you find piles of these materials in or around your home, you may have found a raccoon den.
How to Remove Raccoons
Never attempt to handle a raccoon yourself. These masked bandits can be dangerous to you and your pets if they have rabies and viruses.
While they’re a nuisance, raccoons still support a healthy environment. They eat fruits, berries, and vegetables, and those seeds are spread throughout the ecosystem when they defecate. McCoy Wildlife Control humanely removes raccoons from northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan homes. And our exclusion services are a reliable way to keep them out!
Give us a call today. Northwestern Indiana and southwestern Michigan customers can reach us at 219-362-7444, and northcentral Indiana customers at 574-465-7444.
