Raccoons are cute until they leave a mess in your front yard and damage your grass. If you let them get away with it, they won’t ever give up. In light of this, one would wonder, “How do you get rid of these dirty little roommates?” How to effectively keep raccoons out of your yard. It’s best to call a raccoon removal toronto if raccoons enter your home.
9 ways to deter raccoons
Raccoons enter your yard in quest of three things they need to survive: food, water, and a place to call home. They won’t have a reason to stay if they cannot find any. Make it hard for raccoons to obtain what they’re pursuing if you want to keep them out of your yard.
Although they may already reside on your property, raccoons may be scared away using various odours and other methods. Follow these suggestions to make your yard as raccoon-proof as possible.
Safe garbage cans
The main food source for raccoons on your property is your garbage can. These rats are more intelligent than you think to get to the tasty morsels in your garbage. They’ll knock your garbage can over or open the lid.
To prevent this, make sure your trash cans are properly closed. Lock the lid, use a bungee to lock it, or weigh it down on top to secure it. Garbage cans can be kept in a garage or shed, but the door should be closed at night. It is better to have trash that is out of reach.
Raccoons may still be drawn to trash that isn’t easy to get at, even if they cannot obtain it themselves. Before disposing of the trash, place the raw meat in a plastic bag to reduce the smell.
Remove edibles
In addition to eating compost, bird feeders, pet food bowls, and even food left out on the ground, trees that produce nuts or fruits in your yard may also consume compost. You may prevent raccoons from congregating on your property by locating and eliminating any potential food sources.
Guard your produce
If you have a fruit or vegetable garden, berry bush, or tree in your yard, local raccoons could also be drawn to it. Raccoons may not be worth damaging your entire garden to keep them out, but you can create a barrier to keep them away.
The most effective approach to prevent raccoons from stealing your cherished fruits and vegetables is to install an electric fence around your garden. In this case, the object is a strip of electrified wire rather than a “fence.” An electric fence 6 inches from the ground and 12 inches above it prevents raccoons from leaping over it to enter your garden. An electric fence should scare raccoons away, but it shouldn’t harm them.
Block hideouts
Raccoons like to hide out in isolated, dark places. This includes regions with dense undergrowth, the spaces beneath decks and porches, and the roots of large trees. Look for any holes you can find—raccoons prefer to live in them—and block them off with a barrier to keep them out. Cover any gaps under it using wire mesh or sheet metal to stop raccoons from destroying your house. By keeping bushes well-trimmed, you may lessen the amount of cover.
Eliminate water
Keep an eye out for potential water supplies since raccoons could utilise your property as a watering hole and feeding source. Do you have any outside water features like a pool, pond, or birdbath? Alternately, do you have any bins or containers in your yard that may overflow in heavy rain?
If you have a raccoon issue, you should cover any water features at night, including swimming pools. Raccoons will fish in the water in addition to drinking it. Therefore fish ponds must take this into account. You may prevent raccoons from congregating in your yard by eliminating all food, water, and shelter sources.
Stump treatment
Raccoons are tearing up your yard. They are most likely searching for grubs, the larvae of soil-dwelling beetles that eat grass and other plant matter. Raccoons may decide to depart on their own if they learn that their favourite all-you-can-eat buffet has closed.
Scent repellents
Raccoons require a keen sense of smell to locate your trash. Finally, you can benefit from their keen sense of smell. A range of strong smells that act as repellents will confuse a raccoon’s senses.
These scents can be sparing across your yard to deter raccoons from entering. Place the perfumes in places where raccoons are known to gather. Smells may also be used as a border outside your house to keep people out.
Motion lights and sprinklers
Consider placing sprinkler jets or motion-activated lights around your property to deter raccoons. Use motion-activated deterrents in your trash cans and under your deck to keep raccoons out of such areas.
Sonic deterrents
Animals are startled by the high-pitched sound that noisemakers produce but which humans cannot hear. These devices will deter other animals in addition to raccoons. Animals may be momentarily confused by noise, although this impact is short-lived.
Conclusion
If raccoons continue to run wild in your yard despite trying these do-it-yourself options, your only option is to trap and remove them forcibly (without hurting them, of course). When live trapping raccoons, you should always work with a professional pest removal toronto firm or animal control organisation since they can become aggressive if they feel threatened.
You don’t want to put yourself at risk of becoming hurt or unwell. The hazards are the same as if you were keeping them outside. The fact that many of the raccoons hiding in walls, attics, and other tight spaces are females carrying young is another concern. We shouldn’t abandon the mother and her kids. Finding, removing, and relocating them should ideally be left in the hands of experts.
