Search:

Raccoon Control

RACCOONS

Identification and Description Exceedingly smart animals, raccoons are known to be mischievous and eat nearly anything. Frequently referred to as a coon, raccoons are sturdy, solid mammals usually around 2 or 3 feet in length, and they weigh in at between 10 and 30 pounds (though there are reported cases of raccoons growing to be up to 50 pounds). Marked distinctively with a prominent heavily furred, ringed tail and a mask over the eyes, raccoons are commonly salt-and-pepper gray, although there are some that are actually yellow.

With the exception of higher elevations in the mountainous regions and specific areas in the Southwest, raccoons can be found all over America. They prefer to reside in hardwood forests, especially those with close access to bodies of water, but raccoons are adaptable and are also seen in human living areas such as orchards, gardens, suburban neighborhoods, and farmsteads. They create homes in abandoned buildings, hollow trees, barns, haystacks and chimneys.

Since they are largely active at night, raccoons can be present for a fairly long time in an area before they're detected. Without suitable understanding of their damage potential and feeding tendencies, raccoon control can prove to be difficult.

Feeding Tendencies and Diet

Because raccoons are omnivorous, they acclimate and adapt to areas where they have access to food. When they begin coming into human territory, they gravitate toward areas where there's pet food or a garbage can left outside. They are known to eat birds and chickens when that food is attainable, along with their eggs. In garden and farming regions, raccoons consume crops like backyard nuts, corn, watermelon, and vegetables.

Damage Possibilities

Raccoons become a nuisance and cause damage and destruction in various ways. While it is true they can be undetected due to their nocturnal nature, raccoons are fairly easily identified once tracks are observed. Raccoon damage can be extensive, and if it is left untreated, can be expensive. As compared to damage that can be done to a building or home, damage that they can do to gardens is fairly minor, however, they're known to find worms and grubs by actually rolling up sod that is freshly laid.

When they're searching for nesting sites, mother raccoons will take off heating and air conditioning ducts and roof shingles to locate shelter in an wall space or attic. They frequently search out shelter and refuge in businesses and homes particularly in attics or chimneys and in places where compost piles can be raided. In urban and suburban areas, raccoons have adapted to make chimneys adequate substitutes for more traditional hollow trees. When the animals begin to use specific areas in a building or attic as a bathroom, ceilings below sometimes become stained and hold an intolerable odor.

Identified recently as a major rabies host in wild life, reports of diseased animals have gone up dramatically in the past 3 decades. A lot of the rise in reports is directly related to a broadening of raccoon populations in the eastern US.

When raccoons become a control problem in your business or home, it is crucial that professionals are located that are educated and practiced in removing them safely. See http://www.birdandanimalcontrol.com for help to find a company to handle your animal control problem and raccoon removal in an efficient and humanitarian manner.