Learn About Common Raccoons In RI, MA, CT, NH, VT & ME | Big Blue Bug Solutions (2024)

FAQs

Are raccoons legal to own in Rhode Island? ›

Are Pet Raccoons Legal in Rhode Island? It is not legal to keep a raccoon as a pet in Rhode Island.

They can be carrying mites, ticks, and fleas, all of which will bring problems of their own if a raccoon takes up residence inside your home.

If you suspect an animal is rabid, do not approach it. Police, fire, or animal control departments make the call on whether or not an animal needs to be euthanized.

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.

Taste Repellents

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 average lifespan of a raccoon in the wild is about five years, but with abundant food and shelter they're able to survive well past a decade. However, it has been estimated that 50 percent of raccoons die within their first year due to disease, starvation, predators, or human intervention.

Raccoons can carry rabies, and there's no approved vaccination for rabies, so if your raccoon bites or scratches someone, they may be confiscated and euthanized for testing and as a safety precaution. Raccoons can carry and transmit distemper, Salmonella, and leptospirosis, as well as parasites like fleas, to humans.

They cannot be completely domesticated and will oftentimes be unpredictable. According to Pet Keen, “Unlike easily domesticated dogs, raccoons are not social and are animals that exhibit hostile and instinctual behaviors toward humans and other animals.

Natural predators are cougars, bobcats, wolves, coyotes, alligators, foxes, and great horned owls. The number of deaths caused by natural predators is insignificant compared to the number of deaths caused by man. Raccoons are very clean and use a common latrine in the wild.

How to get rid of mites on raccoons? ›

Mange can be diagnosed by finding the mite in samples of the skin and can be successfully treated with drugs which will kill the mites. Oftentimes, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications are also given as part of the treatment regimen.

Install motion-activated lights and sprinklers. Set up a battery-operated radio tuned to an all-night talk show and turn it on for a few nights to drive raccoons away. Remove any wood that was used for a den and burn it outside to destroy roundworm eggs. Keep ponds at least 3 feet deep.

Don't feed raccoons – either on purpose or accidentally. In addition to securing your trash can lids, avoid leaving any pet food or treats outside and feed your pets indoors. You will never need to remove raccoons or other animals from your home if you never let them inside in the first place.

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.

Bright lights that resemble daylight can scare raccoons away. The Urban Wildlife Rescue Organization also suggests using a hot sauce repellent.

Vinegar will deter raccoons from returning time and again to your home and yard since they hate the smell. Like if you were using peppermint oil to deter them, you can soak a number of rags with vinegar then put them in key access points around your home and yard to keep them away, albeit until the smell fades.

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!