Taking a closer look at Louisiana racoon problems

In pictures, they look cute and innocent, but make no mistake; raccoons can be quite the pests. We often associate them with living in the streets and coming out at night to feast on garbage, but raccoons can also tear up people’s yards and make a home in the attic or underneath decks, leaving behind piles of waste and creating new life.

Raccoons are also difficult to get rid of because they are stubborn animals. If they need to chew a hole through the attic to get back in, they will.

Where Raccoons Are Commonly Found

Some of the most common places that raccoons enjoy nesting are in attics, underneath decks and porches, in chimneys and behind buildings. The signs that a raccoon has been in your space include tipped over trash cans and ripped up lawns. They are very social creatures and are often found in groups. January and February are their mating months, and when the babies are as young as two months old, they begin attending their parents on outings for food. Although raccoons feast on berries, slugs and frogs in the wild, they are an urban nuisance for homeowners.

Keeping Raccoons Out

Fortunately, prevention is the best key to keeping raccoons out of your space. Since trash cans are what they enjoy most, choose cans made from durable materials such as metal or hard plastic. Also make sure the can has a tight-fitting lid. Place screen wiring over chimneys so that raccoons can’t get in, and seal entrances to porches, patios and sheds. Sometimes, raccoons do get in, and homeowners are left dealing with the effects.

For example, raccoons can chew holes in insulation, raid garbage cans and prey in bird nests and feeders. If they get into the home, raccoons will make noise, scratch at the floors and walls and leave behind droppings. They can also carry diseases like roundworm, which is found in the waste, as well as ticks and fleas. Raccoons are strong animals that can damage shingles, vents and boards.

If this happens, contact your local pest control company. At Dugas Pest Control, we use humane measures that include trapping and relocating the raccoons. This type of entrapment is called wildlife exclusion. We make sure we have the whole family so that they can be relocated into wildlife as one unit.  When you work with a pest control company, you can be sure that the right measures are being used to lure, trap and relocate wildlife while giving you back your home.