Do you have a healthy raccoon population in your neighborhood? Whether you have lived there for years or just moved in, it is important to learn how to react to an up close raccoon encounter in the case that it ever happens to you. Continue reading to learn what to do if a raccoon comes near you or your family, whether in the house or outdoors in nature.

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Raccoons are Attracted to Food, Water and Shelter

Raccoons are nocturnal, and crepuscular foragers, which means they are primarily active at night, and known to hunt for food right after dusk. Among the many things that stimulate a raccoon’s interest and curiosity, food is generally the number one priority, and the collective driving force behind their fervency to obtain as much of it as possible. This means raccoons will go to any lengths to get a decent belly-full. And since they are highly intelligent, exceptional climbers with dexterous paws, getting access to areas with food is easy for them.

Raccoon Abatement

If you are spotting raccoons on your property, it is time to reevaluate your home. Look for anything that can be a source of food or water for raccoons, including pet food, water dishes, bird baths, squirrel feeders, bird houses, garbage cans, gardens, and outdoor food storage areas. Remove these incentives and raccoons will quickly lose interest in your property.

You can even install motion-sensor lighting and sound machines to scare raccoons away or make a homemade raccoon repellent that is safe and non-lethal. And always be sure to take your garbage cans outside the morning of trash pickup day.

Dead Raccoons and Baby Raccoons

If you find a dead raccoon on your property, contact a Nashville Tennesse e critter control company for safe and secure dead animal removal services. Raccoons carry several infectious diseases, whether dead or alive, so it is important to never make contact with them.

If you find baby raccoons on your property, it is important to leave them where they are and let nature take its course. You may also contact a local wildlife rescue organization to have them transported to a faraway habitat where they can safely live out the remainder of the lives.

How to Handle a Raccoon Encounter:

If you happen to experience an up-close encounter with a wild raccoon, be sure to handle the situation safely and humanely. Never attempts to harm, trap, or kill a raccoon under any circumstances, unless of course you are being physically attacked by one. It is common for raccoons to access the inner areas of your home, whether through attic or a doggy door. It is also common to spot raccoons on your property directly after dusk, right before it gets completely dark.

► In the House

If you have a raccoon in your house wandering around, do not panic and act carefully. Leave the room, but not before closing all other interior doors and windows to encourage the raccoon to exit the way it came in. If this does not work, try using a long broom to gently usher the raccoon to the exit. But be sure to never corner a raccoon. This will only instigate it to defend itself.

► Outdoors

If a raccoon approaches you outside, always stand up (if sitting down) and make yourself appear larger. So, this by standing tall and waving your arms up and down. You can also yell or holler to scare it away. Sometimes, people even use hose water to fend raccoons off. But this can be harmful to the raccoon and is not recommended.

Teach Children About Animal Safety

It is also important to teach children how to react to a raccoon encounter, explaining how they are dangerous and should be left alone. Tell them why raccoons live in the areas and what to do if they ever see one. Teach them to yell, “Go away raccoon!” if they ever encounter one close-by. Their screams will let adults know there are raccoons present, thus allowing them to manage the situation effectively.

Looking for a trusted wildlife removal and control service in your area? Contact Smoky Wildlife Control at 615-610-0962 for TWRA licensed raccoon removal in Nashville, Tennessee. We serve residential and commercial clients all throughout Middle Tennessee and its surrounding counties.

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Local raccoon populations are not really Eco-beneficial like so many other native Tennessee species. For instance, bats play a major role in our surrounding Eco-system and even our local economies, as they help farmers fertilize and sell their crops, which stimulates the economy. Plus, bats are excellent pest control because they eat hundreds of thousands of insects, like mosquitos, every night! This also protects our crops and gardens, and boosts our outdoor comfort.

But when it comes to raccoons, they are not so great to have around. They have a lot of characteristics and abilities that set them apart from other nuisance animals in the state, including their high intelligence. If you are spotting raccoons in or around your Nashville, Tennessee property on a routine basis, you need to take back control. Get rid of raccoons before they can cost you time, money, stress, or worse, ailment.

Continue reading to learn the top 4 methods that are most effective for getting rid of nuisance raccoons, and how to get started on the task as soon as tonight!

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Why Raccoons are Bad News

Raccoons are very intelligent, and they have excellent memories. They will remember the location of a reliable source of shelter or food, and return there night after night, until the resources are depleted or no longer available. Their intelligence allows them to be creative and clever when attempting to enter buildings and structures. This is why raccoons are often successful at such, and often infest areas like attics, crawl spaces, wall voids, garages, sheds, barns, tree houses, and similar hidden areas of commercial and residential edifices.

In addition to their high intelligence and cleverness, you have to consider their anatomical features. Raccoons have long, sharp claws, but what’s more advantageous for them is the fact that they have dexterous paws, almost human-like, allowing them to do all sorts of things. They use their paws to open windows, tear through screens, turn doorknobs, pry off roof shingles and siding, and so much more. They are also known to dig up lawns in search of juicy grubs and earthworms, and pillage gardens and flowerbeds for all they have to offer.

If ever to gain access to your property, for instance the attic, raccoons create a massive mess that is highly unsanitary and structurally damaging. If this type of damage is not covered under your homeowners’ insurance policy, you might be paying for the cleanup and repair yourself. Then worst of all, raccoons are known carriers of several infectious diseases and parasites, including the Rabies virus, Distemper, Roundworm, lice, and more. These illnesses can be transmitted to both people and pets, making local raccoons a threat, full-circle.

How to Get Rid of Raccoons in Nashville

The wrong way to get rid of raccoons in Nashville would be to use any method that is unsafe, toxic, or harmful to raccoons and other animals. This includes shooting raccoons, or attempting to poison them with pest control products and chemicals. Not only are these against the law in most jurisdictions, it is very dangerous to both people and nature. Instead, here are the industry-accepted, best practices for Nashville raccoon control, in accordance with all local and Tennessee regulations that govern wildlife:

Environmental Modification

This phrase simply means changing your surrounding environment to divert raccoons away from your property. You see, raccoons are coming around because there is something, or perhaps a few things, that they are attracted to. If you remove or deny access to these things, you can thwart their interest and encourage them to move onto another territory. Remove all food and water sources, including pet food storage, pet food dishes, bird baths, and even squirrel feeders for the time being. Add chicken wire around your gardens, and cut down tree limbs that allow access to your roof. You can also apply a non-toxic raccoon repellent made from water, cayenne, menthol, spearmint, and cinnamon. Just be careful using this around areas where small children or pets play.

Giving Them a Scare

One of the safest and easiest ways to get rid of raccoons in Nashville is to scare them off. Try installing motion-sensed lights around the areas you’ve been spotting them, or even automatic sprinklers set to night mode. You can also place a talk radio outside, or a recording of dogs barking that goes off when it detects motion, like the new Alexa Guard feature on Amazon Echo devices. All of these things will make them think humans are around, and will frighten them away.

Trapping and Exclusion

To protect your home from nuisance raccoons, you will need to first block off all entry points to holes or hideaways that might allow raccoons entry. Then you will have to make any other necessary structural adjustments or modifications, such as tree trimming or removing a pet door, to ensure full security against raccoon intrusions. In addition to raccoon exclusion, you might also need to trap raccoons and remove them from your property in the case that you have raccoons in the attic. This is usually carried out using innovative supplies like cage traps, foothold traps, and body-gripping traps. Both raccoon exclusion (forcing them and keeping them out) and raccoon extraction (raccoon removal) are jobs that are best left in the hands of licensed and trained professionals who are properly equipped to do the job, safely and humanely.

Certified Raccoon Removal Service in Nashville, Tennessee Any Time or Day

Call Smoky Wildlife Control at 615-610-0962 for safe and affordable raccoon removal service in Nashville, Tennessee and all surrounding counties in the Greater Nashville and Middle Tennessee areas. We are a licensed and insured critter control company with hands-on experience in the wildlife trapping and removal industry. Not only do we offer a wide range of animal removal services, including cleanup and repair for animal damages caused by raccoons, but we also offer 24 hour emergency raccoon removal, property inspections, post-service follow ups, and free estimates. Just looking for some quick advice? We gladly provide that too, free of charge! Request a free quote, today.

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What to Do if a Raccoon Comes Near You