How We Get the attic Raccoon Out and Why She is There

A large part of our raccoon work involves a female raccoon in an attic raising her kits. This in part because of habitat modifications in our region. In the Tri-Cities region we have a shortage of natural den sites and an abundance of raccoons. This is especially true in urban areas where human foods sources are abundant, sport trappers don’t tend to operate, and natural den trees have been cut. Attics are also superior den sites because of their warmth and security from other predators.

Roof top raccoon trapping and one way doors are the most reliable ways to get the attic raccoon out.   In this type of situation, the trap or one way door device must be installed at the entry point.  This entry point becomes a control point that the wildlife controller uses to either catch the offending raccoon or to determine that the raccoon is not in the home. Either way, the goal is to render the home raccoon-free.  (The goal is not necessarily to catch the raccoon, just to clear the attic. There are too many raccoons out there to clear the neighborhood.)  For this to work other “back door” entry points have to sealed or the raccoon will bypass the equipment.   

Once the raccoon and her litter is removed, all entrances must be permanently sealed so that they cannot be used again by another raccoon. Once we finish, no one can tell that a raccoon ever entered through that point. Another thing we consider is that, the raccoon in the attic must not only be removed without endangering customers, but its litter must also be removed. 

24 hour deterrent eviction removal

Normally, permanent raccoon eviction takes a little time. Traps have to be set, raccoons have to decide that the want to go into the traps, and the entrances have to be sealed shut once the raccoon is removed. I also like to allow a couple of days for the trap to sit empty just to make sure that any reluctant, trap shy raccoons aren’t still lounging around in the attic. This allows for customers to listen for night time activity and add another layer of security.

Fortunately, the Wildlife Company can bypass a lot of the wait and in most situations (about 85% ) and have raccoons out of an attic in less than 24 hours. I do this with what I call the “Predator Eviction Process”. The “Predator Eviction Process” uses predator odors, sounds, and other sensory stimulants that cause the raccoon to worry that there is a predator in its nest zone. This causes it to desert its den. This has some unexpected benefits for the homeowner. They are:

1. If there are baby raccoons momma raccoon will take them with her saving you the expense of removing them manually.

2. This saves having starving baby raccoons in the attic crying in the middle of the night after momma is trapped and removed.

3. It saves having to endure the stench of rotting baby raccoons that are stuck in the walls of your home. This is a serious problem if the baby raccoons are in a spot where they can’t be removed. (Momma raccoons feel secure in tight secluded little cubby holes)

4. It saves having to cut holes in the drywall to remove raccoons in tight spots that can’t be reached from inside the attic. If your raccoon babies can’t be reached, this is a huge money and time saver!

5. Momma raccoon can peacefully relocate herself and her litter without the stress of trapping.

Predators move from one spot to another, so raccoons do not see a predator in one spot as a permanent problem. The “Predator Eviction Process” is not a permanent solution to a raccoon problem. It is temporary fix that helps clear an attic of raccoons with reduced work and expense. Momma raccoon or other raccoons will, at some point, return. Entrances still have to be sealed and I always feel more secure running a trap or one way door on the entrance for a night or two just to make sure that the raccoons have relocated. (Better to be safe than sorry.) This process saves time, money, and is the most humane way to get raccoons out of the attic. Some mother raccoons may be more serious about defending her den area or may move the litter to a “safer” part of the attic, but generally I believe that the benefits of the eviction treatment to far outweigh the cost.

Trapping a Raccoon Inside an Attic - dont do it!

One thing to know for sure.  If you trap an animal, it will become desperate and frustrated.  If you have a desperate animal, it is likely to do something that it has not before.   The list of “new activities” can include, but are not limited to: destroying the contents of the attic,  popping out soffit panels, chewing wood trim around windows, and showing up in parts of the house where they have not before.   “Parts of the house where they have not before” may include parts of the house where you are living.   A normal raccoon does not want to meet you, but a stressed-out raccoon does not act normally.   

We don’t trap in back yards for attic raccoons

Getting the problem animal out of the attic is critical to securing a home. Random back yard trapping is not guaranteed to get the raccoon out of the attic. I am often surprised when I hear that other wildlife controllers still do this. I am not sure if they don’t understand how to properly set up to remove the raccoon or if they are afraid to climb on top of rooves. Once I was working on a raccoon job in Johnson City not far from the Motor Mile when the customer’s neighbor came over to ask what I was doing. It turned out that he had had the same difficulty the year before. But, the other company had trapped in the back yard and had never sealed the rooftop entrance. His roof was very steep and I suspected that this had something to do with their approach.

Sometimes I am appalled. This was not the first nor do I think that it will be the last time that I will hear of other companies setting traps in the back yard for raccoons in attics.   Technically speaking, it doesn’t matter how many raccoons you remove from someone’s back yard.  There still could be an animal still in the attic. 

We remove the right raccon from your attic with Force-Through SetUps…So what is a force through set up

To make sure that the attic is clear Wildlife Company LLC sets traps or one way doors over the entrance that the animal is using. Attaching a trap over an entrance is called a “Force-Through” set up in trapper/professional lingo.  With other entrances blocked the animal has no other choice than to go through the trap because food and drink are on the outside of the building.  This may not seem like a big deal, but catching the right raccoon is critical. Sealing a raccoon inside an attic can be a disaster. Slowly starving raccoons will be desperate and are very likely to destroy property and eventually die if they don’t rip their way out.

For this trap set up to work you have to seal other entrances because the animal will not WANT to go through the trap.  It looks funny, smells funny, and the raccoon will go the other way …..if it has another way.   Because of this, Force-Through set ups may take more time to set up. Lots of times gear has to be set up high up on roof tops, but being lazy and trapping on the customers back deck puts customers and their property at risk. Doing things right has its own reward…happy customers.

all entry points are sealed as part of our attic raccoon removal process

We always make sure that all entry points into an attic are sealed and look like brand new. Hauling away a raccoon and leaving the “door” open for another only invites trouble. Furthermore, I never take the old building materials that were already torn off by the raccoon and tack them back on. They have to be super hardened beyond what they were originally. Vinyl soffit panels are a great example of this. Generally speaking, they are too weak to stop a raccoon and some type of hardening has to be put in place. I prefer custom cut, heavy duty, sheet aluminum. I have never had a racoon break through one of my exclusion plates.

Not only should entry points be sealed, they have to be raccoon proof. Raccoon mommas can be highly motivated to get inside and will use their little “hands” and teeth to try to get back in. I think that this is especially true of raccoons who have been inside your attic before. Raccoons remember high quality den sites and are very likely to return.

Final trap removal and sealing of the entrance are done on the same day. I never trap and walk away. leaving an entrance open overnight is inviting trouble. Attic entrances can be “hot real estate” and another animal can invade the attic in short time.

We Protect roofes when we trap attic Raccoons

Setting up on a roof means one thing - your shingles are at risk!  Raccoons have these cute little human like hands and can reach outside a trap and grab things. That frustrated raccoon will be looking for something to vent on and you don’t want it to be your shingles.  A raccoon can tear shingles off faster than a roofer that just had a good lunch.   Shield your shingles!  Plywood is a good idea, but I also try to make sure that I am using a trap with good stout .5”x1” mesh.  This restricts the raccoons reach and reduces the problem.   And remember, the raccoon may scoot the trap if it can reach something to pull on.  We always fasten it down.

 Climbing Steep Roofs to Repair Raccoon Entrance

As you might guess, this type of work requires experienced skill and special equipment.    If you are carrying 12 pounds of angry, snarling, thrashing raccoon down a ladder, it is easy to lose a grip and fall.  The fall is actually much more dangerous than the raccoon itself (this may be why lots of “raccoon trappers” choose ground trapping over a proper roof top set up). 

Because of this, roof top set ups require a large array of safety equipment to keep the trapper from falling while setting up the traps and removing the raccoon.   I prefer to use a climbing rope and rock climbing equipment.   This equipment lets me stay securely in place while working in a tight spot on a roof.   And when I say tight spot, I mean it.  You wouldn’t think that this would be necessary.  How many “tight spots” are there on a roof to have to work in?   It is a big open flat area, right?   Wrong!   Raccoons regularly choose the nooks and crannies to enter an attic.   The undersides of soffits are very popular. 

I met another raccoon trapper a couple of years ago in the field.  He had a paint scraper taped to the end of a stick.  I asked him what it was for.  He said “I am going to poke the soffits.  If there is a raccoon still in there, I will hear it run.”    Who says that the raccoon will be in the soffit - maybe it is curled up inside the attic in the insulation.  Who says that it won’t run when it hears you coming while it is out of your earshot?