Raccoons are commonly found in woody areas and can be found loitering around in the night. Raccoons are extremely good climbers and can leap great distances. It’s not uncommon to spot one on top of house roofs. Raccoons are destructive by nature and can quickly ruin crops, farms, vegetation, etc. in a few days.
Raccoons eat anything from fruits, vegetable, and even mice.
It’s important to keep away from raccoons at all times as they can be fierce when threatened. We have listed some of the best home remedies for getting rid of raccoons without killing them.
What are the causes of Raccoon invasions?
These pointers should explain as to why you may be witnessing raccoon sightings around your home.
- Unclean home or yard
- Leftover food lying around
- Trash piling up
- Not enough defensive measures
- Open entry to farms
- Overhanging branches
- Dimly lit home
20 Effective Remedies for tackling Raccoon Intrusions
1. Light up your home
Raccoons are nocturnal by nature and an easy way to keep them away is by having ample lighting conditions during nightfall. Raccoons can easily sense light and stay away from any place that is prone to illumination.
Therefore, if you ever find yourself under the risk of an incoming raccoon attack, just reach for your light switch, and watch them scamper into the darkness.
2. Get a Pet Dog
Dogs are faithful companions and if you train one to keep critters at bay then there is no better method to keep raccoons away from your home. Raccoons are also scared of big animals; a large dog would be perfect to create panic.
Dogs can also sniff out raccoons in attics that can lay low and be hidden from human eyes. Although, it’s necessary to ensure that the dog is not bitten by a stray raccoon as this can lead to fatal injuries.
3. Temporarily remove vegetation
When dealing with a large number of raccoons, it’s highly crucial to remove all planted crops. Raccoons particularly love watermelon and removing the vegetation ensures their numbers are cut in half. You can also cover compost piles within attics to keep the raccoons from invading your home.
Proceed to replant your crops once you have absolutely made sure that your farm is clear of these pests.
4. Seal Access Points
It’s critical to deal with entry points where raccoons can come from such as chimneys, crevices, cracks in walls or roof, etc. Ensure you put enough padding or sealant to keep all the holes sealed. You can also consider using newspapers to add layers to the padding to ensure a more protective approach.
Since raccoons are agile enough to crawl even through the narrowest of spaces, a protective set up is one of the most crucial home remedies for getting rid of raccoons.
5. Fencing
Raccoons can scale tall heights, either consider using a really tall fence or invest in an electric fence. Electric fences are generally the better idea of the two as scaling fences can get quite expensive. This prevents any raccoons from crossing over to your property and making it their home.
Raccoons are generally out at night so it’s a good idea to place some amount of lighting to ensure your property is properly fenced in.
6. Spikes
You can create homemade spikes that can create a defensive perimeter to keep rodents like raccoons out. Take a few plastic bottles and cut them right in the middle, fill the bottom part of the half with concrete, apply a few iron spikes to the concrete and allow it to dry.
Place the hardened spikes near window sills and outside entry points so anytime the raccoon tries to barge in, it gets poked and runs away.
7. Bait Trapping
A great method used to trap known locations of raccoon infestations is by laying a raccoon trap down. Next, you will need to bait the raccoon in by laying out its favorite foods since raccoons are omnivorous they tend to like a variety of foods.
Once the food bait is laid out in the cage, the next bit is trapping raccoons inside by triggering the trap. Usually, most metal traps are automatically triggered. A word of note, trapping can be illegal in certain states, so it’s best to get an acknowledgement from your nearest law enforcement agency.
8. Loud Music
What are raccoons scared of the most? Why loud music, of course! While it may not be the best way to make friends with your neighbors, having a party or a blast of loud music during nights can rid raccoons from your party.
Raccoons prefer a peaceful environment and disperse from any area with loud noises. You can use this to your advantage and as an excuse to let your hair down and go wild.
9. Sprinklers
Water sprinklers are a great device that can service your lawn during the day and keep your plants fresh. During the night, however, they can act as anti-rodent equipment. Water sprinklers work by spraying water over a large surface of an area and ensure the surface is well protected from raccoons.
Raccoons dislike being sprayed with water and can quickly make their way out of your property after a few splashes by the sprinkler.
10. Ultrasonic Sound Devices
Devices that create ultrasonic sounds are great tools that act as raccoon deterrents. The way ultrasonic sound works is that it is completely inaudible to humans but animals, on the other hand, can find this sound extremely unpleasant.
The devices that act as triggers function by releasing an ultrasonic sound that sends the raccoons into a frenzy and far from your property. It’s advisable to keep pets away from the range of this sound as they can get affected.
11. Predator Urine
Spraying predator urine around your yard or property is an excellent raccoon removal method. It creates panic for raccoons upon sniffing the urine that there is a known predator around. Hence they leave your premises within a few hours of application.
Predator urine can belong to species of wolves, mountain lions, foxes, coyotes, panthers, etc. You can easily acquire predator urine from pet stores, nearby zoos, and online stores.
12. Cover any Water Bodies
Raccoons are drawn to swimming pools and any water sources lying around. It’s necessary to completely cover such surfaces with a wired mesh or a cardboard surface. It’s necessary to not allow raccoons inside the swimming pool at any time as this can lead to a transmission of diseases through waterborne ticks and fleas.
Ensure water is consistently changed from your pools if you suffer from a raccoon invasion. Rabid raccoons carry numerous diseases that are fatal to humans, while in the pool if the contaminated water were to enter your system, it could be dangerous.
13. Dispose of Garbage and Cover Bins
Never leave your pile of garbage lying around for days as these can attract rodents such as raccoons. This is one of the most important of all home remedies for getting rid of raccoons. Piles of leftover food can attract raccoons on a daily basis and soon you may have an infestation to deal with.
Get rid of litter in your yard to lessen raccoon numbers from invading your property. Another especially important factor is to cover bins at all times whether day or night. This discourages rodents from scavenging for food morsels and keeps their population in check.
14. Garlic
Garlic isn’t just unpleasant to vampires and humans alike, it’s pungent to raccoons as well. To create an anti-raccoon environment, crush a few garlic cloves and mix a few peppers, you can either choose to sprinkle the powder on your lawn around the crops or create a spray to neutralize areas of raccoon infestation due to the residual effect.
15. Epsom Salt
Get rid of these dark eyed marauders by sprinkling powder all over your lawn. Epsom salt helps deter these annoying rodents from hiding underneath muddy surfaces. Epsom salt is incredibly effective against raccoons as they just can’t stand the smell of it. You may need to re-apply Epsom salt after a rainy session.
16. Mothball
Naphthalene balls are among the best raccoon repellents for raccoon extermination. Raccoons have quite a strong sense of smell and moth balls have quite the fatal vapors. Apart from getting rid of raccoons, mothballs ensure other nocturnal rodents stay far away from your home.
To use mothballs, first, place them in a small bag or pouch, and hang them over a possible entry point. Once the critter enters, it immediately takes to its heels due to the pungent smell dispersed by the mothballs.
17. Habanero/Pepper Spray
Since raccoons are rodents, peppers are the ideal repulsive agents to these critters. To make a solution, dip a few habanero chilies in water and boil them. Add a few other peppers such as cayenne or black pepper to the boiling concoction.
Once cooled, pour into a spray bottle and you have an anti-raccoon spray ready for use. Anytime, you spot a raccoon or see traces of a raccoon incident spray the residue to keep them off your property.
18. Community Discussions
While you may be doing everything right to prevent any raccoon infestations within your control, your neighbor may not share the same ideology. It’s time to start a local awareness support group on the dangers of raccoons and their destruction. Start healthy discussions and prepare all the necessary equipment needed to rid your neighborhood of these annoying critters.
Once you have a group to back you up on your efforts, it takes a much lesser time to completely rid your home of any raccoon intrusions.
19. Do Not Feed Animals
While you may not be feeding raccoons directly, feeding other animals such as rabbits, cats, hamsters, etc. can attract raccoons. Food that is left over is generally left at the same spot all day and during the night, these nocturnal critters come out to feed on such morsels.
Ensure you clean up all remaining food pieces before you shut the door behind you.
20. Cucumber
It’s no laughing matter that cucumbers are used to cure dark circles also known as raccoon eyes due to the resemblance as well as an effective raccoon control method. Cucumber smell is something that repels raccoons from setting foot into your garden and hence are among the best-known home remedies for getting rid of these critters.
Simply place a few cucumbers all over your garden to activate their evacuation.
As homeowners, what are the precautions to take to prevent raccoon invasions?
Some tips that can help you keep raccoons far from your property are
- Rake farms often
- Keep homes tidy
- Sufficient night lighting
- Avoid feeding critters
- Clean attics thoroughly
- Keep a pet dog
- Seal wall cracks