If you’ve ever had a raccoon visit your home and take up residence in your attic or crawl space, then you know how dangerous this can be. I learned this the hard way when I hired an inexperienced pest control company to remove a raccoon that was living in our attic. The company didn’t use proper containment equipment and instead let the raccoon go free in our neighborhood. Luckily no one got hurt, but if it hadn’t been for my research beforehand, who knows what would have happened?
So here are five tips on how to catch a raccoon:
Table of Contents
Raccoon Removal Step 1
- Don’t panic!
- Don’t try to catch it yourself. Raccoons are fast and strong, so hiring a professional is the best way to ensure your safety and that of your family members.
- Don’t use a broom or other household item to try to scare it off by hitting it with something, as this will only make matters worse (plus you might end up hurting yourself). A raccoon removal expert can safely scare off an unwanted visitor using noisy objects such as pots and pans or even firecrackers without causing harm either physically or emotionally for anyone involved in this process
Raccoon Removal Step 2
- Now that you have the raccoon safely in one hand, it’s time to bring him back down to the ground. You can do this by holding onto his tail as he climbs down into your hand, or you can simply let go of the cage and let him drop down.
- Once on the floor again, use your other hand (preferably gloved) to grab his feet. Do this gingerly so that you don’t frighten or hurt him too much.[1]
- Lift up and place him into a cage ready for transport.[2] Make sure this cage is big enough for them to move around in comfortably—you don’t want them feeling cramped or distressed during their trip home!
Raccoon Removal Step 3
When you’re checking for babies, be very careful. You don’t want to get bitten by a raccoon in the middle of the night because you weren’t paying attention. If you do find some baby raccoons, then it’s time to give them up for adoption or take them to a wildlife rehabilitation center (if possible).
If there are no babies, then grab your trapping supplies and set up traps around your property. Use live traps if possible—but make sure there aren’t any pets or children present in case they get caught in one! If you don’t have any live traps available, use cage traps instead; these are safer than steel jawed ones because they won’t harm anything smaller than their size limit (usually around 13″ x 8″).
Raccoon Removal Step 4
You can also use a trap to catch the raccoon. The best way to do this is by getting a live cage trap that has been pre-baited and set up in an area where you’ve seen the raccoon. Once the animal gets comfortable around it, they will be less likely to run away when they see you approaching them with another bait.
When setting up your trap, make sure that all gaps are sealed shut so that no other animals can get in there with your catch! If possible, try using gloves when handling any traps as well–even though raccoons aren’t known for being aggressive towards humans, there’s still no reason for accidents here either!
Plan ahead, buy the right tools, and make sure you do research before you attempt this.
When it comes to dealing with raccoons, it is important to plan ahead, buy the right tools, and make sure you do research before you attempt this. If you are not prepared and have the wrong gear or no plan whatsoever, things could go south quickly.
If you have done your research and know what you’re doing, then grab some gloves and let’s get started!
I hope that you’ve learned the basics of raccoon removal. You want to do this the right way and not end up with a mess on your hands, or worse. I know it may be tempting just to call an exterminator and have them take care of everything for you, but there are many reasons why doing so would not be wise:
- They cost more money than DIY methods;
- They don’t teach you how things work;
- If something goes wrong during their job then they will leave without fixing it (they won’t want any liability). Instead of taking this approach, learn about how animals live in your home before attempting anything yourself!
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