Raccoons Taking Over Your Yard At Night? What You Should Do
Raccoons are nocturnal animals that rarely go out during the day unless they're looking for food for their babies. They usually go out at night to forage for food and to do other things, which means while you're sleeping, they could be invading your space to find food. If you're waking up in the morning having to pick up trash in your yard or your garbage cans appear to be pillaged, it's most likely a raccoon. If you are having this issue, you need to do something about it, as raccoons can harm you or your pets, and they also carry diseases and fleas as well. Read on for what you can do if you suspect you have an issue with raccoons.
Seal Your Garbage Cans
Make sure your garbage cans are sealed and the garbage inside is contained properly. Don't simply toss your trash in your garbage can without sealing the bags. Make sure you are using garbage bags and sealing them properly, then use a tight-fitting lid to contain the garbage inside. Use a heavy-duty garbage can, not a light-weight one that can easily be dumped over by a raccoon. These pests are surprisingly smart and strong.
Clean Your Yard
Your yard may be attracting these pests. If your yard has a lot of places for raccoons to hide or nest, they're going to stay in your yard. If you have a large pile of brush, a woodpile, or even an overgrown area that these or other pests are hiding in, you should get rid of them. Clean up your yard and get rid of these areas to prevent raccoons or other pests from coming to your yard. Another thing that can attract raccoons or other pests is fruit-bearing trees. Be sure you are cleaning up the yard once these fruits begin to fall to the ground. Rake them up or mulch them up as much as possible with your mower.
Call A Pest Control Specialist
Call a pest control specialist to figure out if raccoons are the pest you are having an issue with. Raccoons are not to be handled by someone that is not trained with these types of animals. They could be rabid, or they could be dangerous, especially if they have babies nearby.
Don't attempt to handle these pests on your own. Do what you can to your yard to get them to leave, such as getting rid of nesting areas, or cleaning up their food source. Call an animal removal company to help you get rid of the pests.