Raccoons are a constant issue in everything from rural communities to the downtown centers of thriving and populated metropolises. How are they capable of handling that kind of change. They are nocturnal so most of the noise is gone when they come out. That is one reason they feel so free to travel about, no one is up and anyone awake is not expecting a dog-sized wild animal to enter their property. Seeing an adult male raccoon can be terrifying. They are massive, almost like bears. They are mostly interested in your property for two main reasons. Access to food and this may not be your garbage. If you have a rodent problem or a pest problem like grubs, ants, or wild mice then the raccoon is coming to your property for a meal. Raccoons are also interested in birdseed and any water on your property. Many raccoons have drowned trying to drink from a pool. Raccoons are very explorative but they are not doing it for fun. They are looking for food, water, and safety. They need somewhere safe to make their nest. This is especially important for females in raccoon baby season because raccoon males spend baby season killing the babies of other males to increase the survivability of their own young. They do not protect them as humans do, that is the mother’s job. Most of the time, when an animal is in your attic or under your deck it’s going to be a raccoon female with babies. This season of raccoon mating and birth last for half the year, from February to June, and can start earlier and end later as the weather changes. This can also change dramatically with global warming.
The main reason raccoons come to your property, however, is for one of their more basic functions. They come to relieve themselves in a place they do not go to for food or housing. A property they consider to be their bathroom. This means they may keep coming back and while most wildlife companies will not give a warranty they may offer a discount or monthly servicing if the situation continues excessively. Generally, when feces is removed by a professional it is deodorized in the area the feces was present. This can erase the raccoon’s mark on the area. When it returns it may not recognize the spot or mistake the missing mark for a predator. This is not always effective, especially with older raccoons that have seen this kind of thing before. It’s very important to mention that raccoons are also protected wildlife in Ontario. So you can not fend them off with spikes or anything that could hurt them. Just like how your property must be safe in case a child wanders onto it must also be safe for wild animals who want to defecate on it. If you have it on your property you can try getting rid of it yourself but the dangers are severe. Raccoon roundworm is incurable once symptoms start showing and there is no way to tell if an egg has been ingested without blood work. Getting it professionally removed is a better and much safer process. We are insured and prepared with everything we need to remove the feces safely and the price is always reasonable.