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Males called boars are known to travel greater distances than females called sows during breeding season as mating occurs only once per year. Pro Tips Raccoon tracks may be confused with opossum tracks. They walk flat-footed like humans and have claws on all toes.
Can Raccoons Transmit Disease? Why Is a Raccoon on My Property? Location: Raccoons have adapted to humans in cities and suburbs by using residences and buildings as spaces for living and feeding. Tree branches that reach close to your roof may even serve as easy access for the spaces above your ceiling. In rural areas, raccoons tend toward natural shelters like hollow trees, rock crevices, brushy areas, or abandoned animal burrows.
Food: Raccoons are omnivorous, eating both plants and animals in developed areas and agricultural settings. Whether in an urban or suburban lot, trash cans are inviting targets for raccoons because of discarded food and the scent wafting from the garbage. Pet food left in dishes outside is also a tempting snack. Away from urban areas, the diet becomes more natural. A raccoon will take its plant meals from acorns, grains, wild berries, and fruits.
To satisfy its animal hunger, the raccoon eats frogs, squirrels, mice, beetles, crawfish, and poultry eggs. Shelter: Home is everywhere for raccoons. They are a common sight near farms and woodlands because of abundant trees.
In the big picture, though, raccoons are native to nearly every part of the United States. Only in very high elevations and in desert regions are these creatures absent from the terrain. Signs of Damage. Here some things that will clue you to the activity of a raccoon nearby:. If your trash bags have been repeatedly knocked over and ransacked, odds are high that a raccoon is the culprit. Their front paws are nearly as agile as human hands, making them quite skilled at opening various objects.
This may even require bungee cords or pest-proof lids to discourage your nighttime visitors. For homeowners with swimming pools, raccoons may be an unexpected problem as they leave their droppings in the water on the top steps in the shallow end. Covering the top steps with plastic may be an easy way to force a raccoon elsewhere. Pet owners and bird watchers should keep an eye on outdoor food dishes and bird feeders. A raccoon will raid any spot that appears to be a food source — especially when the source is regularly restocked.
Feed your pet during daylight hours and emptying the dish before nightfall. A determined raccoon may claw through shingles or fascia boards to make a home in your attic. Once inside, a raccoon may rip apart insulation and damage ductwork. If the newspaper has been torn out within a couple of days, a raccoon or other small animal is probably responsible. Certain crops are susceptible to raccoons. Poultry farmers should keep a watchful eye as well since raccoons will try to enter chicken coops.
Where to Find Them. The answer depends on where you live. In an urban or suburban setting, a raccoon will be accustomed to people and will probably try to create a den inside a home or building. As mentioned before, dens may be located in attics, chimneys, under decks, or other spaces within or under a house. Seasonal Behavior. While raccoons do not hibernate and are solitary by nature, their level of activity does ebb and flow with the seasons.
One of the most effective ways to deter raccoons is to simply not give them a reason to visit your home. Raccoons are almost always out hunting for food to eat, so keeping them away starts with taking away their food. Trash cans are irresistible for raccoons. In the wild, these animals forage in burrows and brush for meals, and to the raccoon, a trash can looks and smells like a burrow full of things to eat. Getting a trash can with a locking lid is a good first step to keeping raccoons out of the can, but they can usually still smell the garbage and come from all over.
Try bringing your trash cans indoors at night, either into the garage or a shed. You might also want to drop empty tuna cans and other potentially attractive bits of trash into plastic baggies to contain their scent before throwing them away. Many people leave food out on their porch for the dogs and cats.
As a rule, you can assume that raccoons are happy to eat anything your pets can eat. Once the animals have left, they're unable to get back inside.
Use of these doors is best left to professionals , who can make sure that mothers are not isolated from their litters. The young must be old enough and mobile enough to exit through the one-way door with their mother, and this can be very hard to assess.
If you know that you are dealing solely with adults, you can start using humane techniques to get them to leave on their own. Need more specifics? Get the details on how to deal with raccoons denning in attics and chimneys , hiding out in walls, ceilings or crawl spaces , getting into your gardens or trash , coming in through your pet door or raiding your birdfeeder.
Convincing the raccoon to leave is only half the solution. The second step is to prevent raccoons and other animals from entering again. Many people put out a trap , catch the raccoon and kill or relocate her.
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