Is There a Raccoon in the Attic?
How Do Raccoons Get In The Attic?
Raccoons are crafty, smart creatures that often make their nests inside attics. Raccoons get into attics by climbing downspouts, climbing up home siding, and scampering onto your roof by way of overhanging tree limbs. Damage to roof vents, chimneys, and attic windows also allow for easy entry. If raccoons are perseverant enough, they can even rip siding and bend vent covers open to get into attic spaces (their opposable thumbs certainly help with this movement). Raccoons most likely to select attics as nesting areas are females seeking warm, isolated areas in which to raise their babies. This presents another challenge to raccoon removal technicians, as removing wildlife—and their babies—unharmed is of the utmost importance.
Signs of a Raccoon in the Attic
Noises like thumping, scratching, and sounds coming from the attic are clear indications of animal infestations. Raccoons are particularly playful and like to thump around, causing loud and disruptive noises that equate to the size of their body. Baby raccoons also like to chitter and chirp when searching for their mothers.
Raccoons typically leave waste in an area separate from where they live, causing double damage to your Dallas attic. Big accumulations of droppings and urine collect in attics, and the unfortunate and overwhelming smell quickly moves throughout your Dallas home.
Dangers of Raccoons in the Attic—Disease & More
The problems associated with a raccoon in the attic can range from massive structural damage to the spread of dangerous diseases & parasites. In addition to damaging entry points, like vent covers and siding, raccoons also tear attic insulation and cause damage to electrical cables.
Raccoons are also known carriers and transmitters of illnesses like leptospirosis and rabies. One of the most serious and imminent dangers associated with raccoon feces is the raccoon roundworm parasite. Symptoms of raccoon roundworm infection (Baylisascaris) include nausea, liver enlargement, coma, blindness—and in serious cases, death.
Getting Rid of Raccoons in the Attic
Untrained individuals should never attempt to confront raccoons in small spaces such as attics. Residents with raccoons in their attic should contact professional wildlife control specialists like the team at Trutech of Dallas to remove raccoons in the attic instead! The raccoon removal specialists at Trutech of Dallas assess the situation and take the appropriate actions to remove troublesome raccoons in the most effective and humane ways possible—contact us today to learn more. They are also equipped to sanitize infested attics and safeguard the areas against future pest invasions.
Related: I Have Raccoons In My Attic/On My Roof
QUESTION:
We have caught one raccoon in a trap in our attic. Now, we have heard noises of babies and possibly the mother still in the attic. It’s in a remote area that is difficult to get to and we need some help getting these critters out.
ANSWER:
We can solve the issue. Trutech of Dallas will inspect the area and put together the best solution to solve your problem. If you removed the mother, we will find a way to access the babies (kits). In worst case scenarios, we will remove or take apart sections of drywall or flooring in order to access the kits. This is unfortunate, but these are the steps needed to take in order to remove the kits quickly and safely. This process may take several hours but usually is complete within the day.
If the mother raccoon is still present, we will apply raccoon eviction paste in the attic. Eviction paste portrays the scent of a male raccoon, which is a threat to the mother. In many cases, the male raccoon will return to the litter in an effort to harvest the young as a meal. Mother raccoons are very protective of their kits and will go through drastic measures to keep them safe. As a result, once we apply the eviction paste into the attic, the mother raccoon will most likely take her kits and leave the attic. This method is usually effective immediately, causing the mother and kits to be gone within 24 hours.
Raccoon Trapping May Be Necessary
If neither method is effective, we will undergo a trapping session. Depending on how recently the mother raccoon had her kits, it may take a few days for her to be active enough to explore our traps. However, soon enough she will have to keep enough energy to nurse her kits and feed herself, so she will venture out for a meal. When she does, we will catch her, immediately remove her kits, and reunite them elsewhere away from your home.
QUESTION:
There are raccoons climbing in my roof and running around the neighborhood. The concerns are rabies and the safety of the elderly and children. These animals are tearing up my roof and ceiling.
ANSWER:
This scenario is pervasive throughout much of North America. Raccoons are extremely adaptive and their range is vast. They are very intelligent, capable, potentially aggressive, and carry zoonotic diseases (capable of transmission between species). They can also be particularly destructive when they get bored.
An entry point does not have to exist in order for them to gain entry into your attic. They are capable of locating weak areas and exploiting those weaknesses, ultimately resulting in a classic case of raccoon breaking and entering. Once inside. they contaminate insulation, rip up air ducts, break water lines, and can rip through the dry wall, gaining entry into your living space. Disease can be transmitted through direct contact with the animal as well as their feces.
A typical raccoon job will consist of trapping, sealing the entry points, reinforcing other weak areas, and restoring the attic. This will typically take 1-3 weeks, although sometimes with particularly troublesome individuals, it could take longer. The most important step that you can take to protect your home and health is to seek professional help and start the process as soon as possible.
