How to Instantly Get Rid of Raccoons From Your Yard

Jun 24, 2023

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How can you instantly get rid of raccoons from your yard?

Raccoons are often seen running between neighborhoods across the U.S. They are more common in urbanized areas in suburbs and cities than in rural or forest areas and, if conditions are favorable, may have chosen to share your property with you.

Read further for tips on what to do when raccoons invade your yard.

The raccoon is a common and well-known native mammal that is nocturnal and rarely seen during the day. It is a sturdy animal, with a body length of about 2-3 feet and a body weight of 11-57 pounds. It has short legs, a pointy snout, round ears like a panda, and shiny beady eyes.

This mammal is clothed in a dense, shaggy fur coat in colors of iron grey to black, with tinges of brown. It is easily recognizable with the dark mask-like strip across the eyes and a long, thick-ringed tail with five to ten black bands. The mask indicates it is a bandit and the stripy tail of a jailbird.

Like tiny hands, the raccoon’s front paws have five long, slender fingers that face forward and are very nimble and ‘handy.’

©iStock.com/cullenphotos

Raccoons, also called “trash pandas,” are pesky, invasive creatures with whom you do not want to share your yard or living premises.

Raccoons, being omnivorous, eat both plants and animals. Their diet includes fish, frogs, mice, turtles, insects, crayfish, mussels, birds’ eggs, fruits, and berries. They are not fussy eaters and will consume almost anything.

Raccoons have adapted well to living alongside humans. So, in the urban situation, they have no problem raiding your garbage cans, plundering the fruit and vegetables from your garden, poaching your pet’s food from their feeding bowls, and generally causing mayhem in your living space. Raccoons are also one of the most common species to carry rabies and can shed viruses, bacteria, and parasites when coming into contact with humans and animals.

©Mark_Sawyer/Shutterstock.com

Here are some typical telltale signs that you may have an invasion of raccoon bandits:

Once you have established that there are raccoons that are trespassing on your property, there are several strategies you can use to get rid of them.

Here are a few suggestions:

©Jillian Cain Photography/Shutterstock.com

The main reasons raccoons would be attracted to specific areas are firstly for food and then also for shelter and safety. Since prevention is better than cure, be proactive and remove or protect the following:

©kingma photos/Shutterstock.com

Easy access to food and water sources was what likely attracted raccoons to your property in the first place. It, therefore, stands to reason that removing those easily accessible sources is what you need to do to make your living space unattractive to raccoons. They will then leave for new and more attractive foraging grounds.

Not having access to food and water will give raccoons a good reason to move on to greener pastures!

©iStock.com/eddtoro

Using natural do-it-yourself repellent and deterrent remedies with items from your kitchen and using commercial products like traps, motion sensors, or predator urine products may help somewhat with an infestation of raccoons.

If these methods prove inadequate to sort out the problem and remove the raccoons from your property, it is time to bring in the big guns!

It may become necessary to call in a team of experienced wildlife experts to sort out your problem and effectively remove all the raccoons from your property humanely while ensuring the safety of you, your family, your pets, and your neighbors.

These professionals have been trained to handle the problem of raccoon removal reliably and efficiently with special products and equipment. They can help you identify and seal off any parts of your home that raccoons can access. They will also advise you on keeping the problem from recurring.

©Maryna Rayimova/Shutterstock.com

Raccoons are an extremely tenacious bunch and are likely only to leave if they put up a fight. It is, therefore, imperative that you put strict measures in place to keep them away.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us? Contact the AZ Animals editorial team.