"Help! There's a raccoon in my yard!": Resolving Conflicts with Raccoons - Alexandria Animals (2024)

FAQs

What do you do if a raccoon is in your yard? ›

Raccoons (along with foxes, skunks, and bats) are “rabies vector species” (meaning they have a higher risk of contracting and spreading rabies) and therefore you should never attempt to handle them. If you need assistance with a raccoon, don't take matters into your own hands: Call Animal Services!

Since raccoons have a strong sense of smell, which they use to find convenient food sources, one can take advantage of this feature by using scents they hate. Hot pepper, garlic, peppermint oil, onion, and Epsom salt are a few scents used to repel raccoons.

There's no home remedy to get rid of raccoons. The only way to get rid of them is to change the environment to make it too harsh for their liking. Having a dog in your home can help discourage them 24/7, since the dog may harass the raccoon enough it decides to look elsewhere for easy pickings.

hawks, eagles, badgers, alligators, snakes that eat the babies, cougars, coyotes, wolves, and bears usually. Yes, Bobcats, coyotes, and great horned owls are the natural predators of raccoons. In Florida, they sometimes become prey of the large carnivore animals, such as cougars and American black bear.

There are health risks of raccoons in the yard. These critters establish nearby latrines. Raccoon excrement often contains raccoon roundworms, a parasite capable of killing humans. They're also capable of spreading rabies and leptospirosis.

It isn't uncommon to see raccoons scavenging for food during the day. Most of the time, you'll see them in your backyard at night. They come into your yard to search for food and shelter and not to cause deliberate harm to you or your pets. A wild raccoon is not always dangerous and is not always rabid.

Continuing in the vein of undesirable scents, Epsom salt is another ingredient that keeps raccoons away. For the most effective protection, sprinkle Epsom salt both inside and surrounding your vegetable garden. Racoons will generally keep a safe distance from that smell, avoiding your garden and coops.

Predator Sounds: Playing recordings of the nemesis of raccoons such as coyotes, wolves, and dogs will scare them away. Change the animal sounds and speaker locations frequently to outsmart the raccoons.

Raccoons and their predators have a relationship that is similar to any other prey and predator relationship. Raccoons stay away from animals that are their natural predators. These natural predators include; bobcats, coyotes, the great horned owl.

Fill a spray bottle or a small bowl with water and mix in a few spoonfuls of cayenne pepper. Spray the area around your trash, bird bath, or wherever else you've spotted raccoons. You can also leave out a small dish full of ammonia if you prefer.

What does vinegar do to raccoons? ›

Other deterrents rely on an alarming sight or sound to keep raccoons away. Raccoons hate the smell of vinegar, especially apple cider vinegar.

One homemade “taste” raccoon repellent recipe uses 1 bottle hot pepper sauce or 1 bottle cayenne pepper powder and mixes it with a gallon of water and a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid. The soap helps the liquid to adhere to what you're spraying, and should be sprayed on the entire area that you would like to protect.

Although captive raccoons have been known to live over 20 years, their life expectancy in the wild is only 1.8 to 3.1 years. In many areas, hunting and vehicular injury are the two most common causes of death.

Raccoons can climb the walls of your house whether it's vinyl siding, wood, or brick walls. They are much more likely to climb a tree to gain access to your roof. Raccoons cannot climb unweathered sheet metal and glass.

If a raccoon approaches you, it is recommended that you break eye contact and slowly back away, moving into a building until the animal passes. Make yourself appear larger while doing this, but do not attack the raccoon unless you're attacked first.

Searching for Food

Raccoons will feast on everything from fruits and nuts, to worms and insects, to garbage in your trash cans. If you have an abundance of any of these things in your backyard, it's time to do some cleaning.

Raccoons change dens frequently, sometimes moving on to a new den every night. A raccoon may live in a tree one night and relocate to a cozy spot in your attic the next night. During breeding season and harsh winter conditions, however, they will opt to remain hunkered down in their den for more extended stays.

Raccoon Aggression

Raccoons generally have no interest in being near humans. They will keep to themselves unless they are comfortable coming closer for food. Raccoons will usually only attack people when threatened or infected with rabies.