Lovable raccoons have often been the subject of books and movies, but when it comes to the area around your house, visits from these furry banditsbecome less adorable.While they might look cute, raccoonsaren’t animals you want to keep visiting your home.These animals make a mess, can cause damage to your house, and their feces are a dangerous source of bacteria and parasites that pose risks to animals and humans alike. 

Raccoons can carry disease and parasites and they can cause potentially expensive damage to your home. Therefore, it’s important to notice if they are too comfortable around your home. By taking the necessary precautions to ensure the health and safety of humans and pets, you can keep these animals away from your home using the following tips.As opportunistic feeders with a varied diet, the raccoon’s intelligence and nimble hands demand an updated approachto generalpreventative measures on keeping wildlife away from the house.

Clean Up

With easy access to areas in and around your home, raccoons can make themselves comfortable while causing quite a bit of damage. It’s important to keep the area around your home clear and free from nooks, holes, or sheltered areas that might provide ideal living spaces for raccoons. Latrine sitesare often found near trees, rocks, or stumps— keep these areas unsheltered and clear from debris.

Remove Food Sources

Make sure your garbage cans are always closed tightly and left in a shed or garage if possible. If trees in your yard yield fruits or nuts, be sure to clear the ground from any fallen edible items. If the area around your home is prone to animal visits, removing your birdfeeder will lower that number. As smart animals that have adapted to life with humans, raccoons have been known to open garbage cans and go sifting through the contents. Investing in a heavy lid for compost or garbage bins will make it harder for the animals to disrupt the area around your yard and your house.

Trim Your Tree

If a tree in your yard has long branches that extend toward your home, that connection can be an easy pathway for curious animals. Be sure to keep your tree branches trimmed and away from the house to make roof access less easy. A fruit or nut tree might also leave food sources around your roof that could be drawing unwanted animal visitors toward your house.

Seasonal Measures

Here in Canada, we have the privilege of experiencing a variety of climates and the different activities they offer. Like many animals in North America, raccoons operate according to the season. These animals will seek shelter during the winter, so it’s important to make sure you’ve eliminated potential sources of shelter before the weather gets too cold. During the fall, they prepare for winter by eating extra food. Being extra cautious about potential food sources during the fall will reduce the amount of visits you receive from the hungry feeders.

Keep Them Away For Good

If raccoons keep vising your home, chances are it’s because they have a good reason for it. You want to ensure these animals don’t have a reason to call you home theirs, since wildlife in the home can be the cause of many unwanted headaches.

You may need to cap your chimney, secure your attic, or make improvements to flimsy roofing in order to prevent a potential problem. Installing motion-activated lights and screens around vents are other measures you can take around the house.

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