how do you get rid of raccoons in nyc

Unlike most New York City pest control, we focus on complete and permanent solutions, by following these steps:

• Inspect the entire house, ground to roof, and the attic
• Seal shut all entry areas with professional grade steel
• If in attic, we remove the baby raccoons by hand
• Technical and human raccoon trapping appropriate to situation
• When necessary, we clean raccoon droppings and replace insulation

Full Answer

How do you get rid of raccoons in the attic?

Block the openings raccoons are using to get into your attic, porch, or other location. Place a temporary cover when the raccoons leave on their nightly search for food, and make a permanent seal later. To check if the raccoons have really left, sprinkle twigs, grass, or flour in the opening and watch for tracks.

What should I do if I find a rabid raccoon in NYC?

If you suspect a raccoon is rabid, avoid or destroy the animal and contact local health officials. Roundworm infects most raccoons in New York at some time in their lives. The roundworm rarely causes the raccoon any problems, but the animals pass large numbers of eggs to the environment.

Why choose NY and NJ animal control trappers for raccoon removal?

Because of the dangers associated with raccoons, some invasions require emergency removal. NY and NJ Animal Control Trappers provides around the clock 24 hour raccoon removal services when your family, home, or business is facing an immediate threat. We can be at your property fast to safely remove a raccoon.

What to do if you find a wild raccoon in your yard?

If a raccoon is making unusual sounds or seems aggressive or lethargic, leave it alone and call a wildlife removal service. It could have rabies. If you do use a trap, use only a humane trap designed for live animals and check on the raccoon often. Trapped animals become stressed and may hurt themselves or die while trying to get out.

How do you permanently get rid of raccoons?

How to Deter Raccoons: 9 DIY Control MethodsAdd a motion-activated sprinkler. ... Use ultrasound deterrent devices. ... Secure trash cans. ... Bag your trash in raccoon-repelling trash bags. ... Make your own raccoon repellent. ... Use ammonia. ... Remove pet and bird food. ... Use fences to protect high-interest areas.More items...•

Is killing raccoons illegal in New York?

Hunting or trapping raccoons requires a license. The law allows unlicensed homeowners and farmers to destroy raccoons that damage property. However, property owners should try eliminating food and shelter before killing the animal.

What can you do with racoons in NYC?

Report sick or injured raccoons to 311. If you have a raccoon issue, call a professional. The law does allow unlicensed homeowners to destroy raccoons that damage property.

How do I get rid of racoon on my property?

How to deter raccoonsUse light and sound. Raccoons are usually entering your yard to find a safe, warm and quiet place to nest. ... Remove the Vegetation. ... Plant cucumber. ... Use ammonia or vinegar to steer them away. ... Use garlic or cayenne pepper to make a repellant. ... Use predator urine. ... Close any access points. ... Cover water Sources.More items...•

Where do raccoons go during the day in NYC?

Traditionally, raccoons make their dens in tree cavities, hollow logs, rock crevices, or burrows abandoned by other mammals. They will also make use of storm sewers and small spaces under or within buildings. Look for them in parks such as Forest Park in Queens or Riverside Park in Manhattan.

Why are there so many raccoons in NYC?

They may gravitate towards trees in parks and green spaces, trash cans, fire escapes, or empty attics [7]. These factors make the city a near-perfect place for raccoons to live. Though NYC has become a hub for local raccoons, this also poses a danger to its other residents.

How do you get a raccoon to leave your yard?

How to Keep Raccoons Out of Your YardSecure trash cans.Remove possible food sources.Protect your fruits and veggies.Block access to hiding places.Eliminate water sources.Treat your lawn for grubs.Scent repellents.Motion-activated lights and sprinklers.More items...•

Where do racoons sleep in NYC?

As such, raccoons commonly nest in tree hollows or other dark, quiet areas, and sometimes even a homeowner's attic or crawlspace. Expecting mothers are especially keen to find a safe den before winter to deliver her kits.

Will raccoons leave on their own?

Homeowners with an infestation may wonder, “Will raccoons leave on their own?” Generally speaking, these pests won't leave without intervention because they have found food and shelter in the home, allowing them to avoid their natural predators during scavenging.

What do raccoons hate the most?

Spices like cinnamon, black pepper or cayenne pepper bother a raccoon's sense of smell, forcing it to relocate to a more livable area. By mixing cayenne pepper and onion in boiling water, you can create a natural raccoon repellant. You can add hot sauce to the mixture, as well.

What do raccoons hate?

Hot pepper, garlic, peppermint oil, onion, and Epsom salt are a few scents used to repel raccoons. Read on to see how you can discourage these pests from entering your house and make sure that they're out for good.

What is the best repellent to get rid of raccoons?

One homemade “taste” raccoon repellent recipe uses 1 bottle hot pepper sauce or 1 bottle cayenne pepper powder and mixes it with a gallon of water and a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid. The soap helps the liquid to adhere to what you're spraying, and should be sprayed on the entire area that you would like to protect.

Can you shoot a raccoon if it attacks you?

1:0010:17What To Do If A Raccoon Attacks You - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo let the experts handle it. If the raccoon is being immediately dangerous. Such as attacking aMoreSo let the experts handle it. If the raccoon is being immediately dangerous. Such as attacking a family member you its messing things up inside of the house. Then you need to protect yourself.

Is it illegal to relocate raccoons in NY State?

It is illegal for you to move or relocate an animal off your property. You cannot live trap an animal and release it in a park, on State land or anywhere other than on the property where it was captured. If you need a wild animal removed from your property, contact a Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator (NWCO).

Is it humane to shoot a raccoon?

Shooting a raccoon is probably the most humane option. Get a small game air gun designed for hunting (you can use a standard gun if you're licensed and it's legal where you live, but you might scare the neighbors).

Are raccoons a protected animal?

Legal Status. Raccoons are protected furbearers in most states with seasons established for running dogs, hunting, and trapping. Most states have provisions for landowners to control furbearers that are damaging their property. Check with your state wildlife agency before using any lethal control methods.

How to stop raccoons from entering my house?

Use barrier screens. Many purposeful openings exist throughout the outside of your home, which you may not ever think of as raccoon entrances. These could include the space leading to your crawl space, your chimney opening, and any side vents in your house that help with ventilation. Place barrier screen over these openings. You can use simple materials like mesh or screen, or nail plywood over openings like your crawl space.

How to protect your house from raccoons?

Seal up any holes you find around the siding, foundation or roof of your house. Any hole that’s three inches wide or larger can be scratched open by a raccoon, creating an optimal entrance for them. You can easily cover these holes yourself with wood, caulk, expandable foam, or concrete. Use a perimeter fence.

What is the egg that raccoons carry?

While rare, raccoon droppings may contain a roundword egg called Baylisacaris procyonis that can transfer a dangerous illness to human children. If a child makes contact with raccoon feces that carry the egg, the roundword’s larvae may reach the child’s eyes or brain and result in blindness or even death.

Why do raccoons leave droppings in the pool?

This is an animal’s way of concealing its odor from predators in the area. Covering the top steps with plastic may be an easy way to force a raccoon elsewhere.

What does it mean when a raccoon makes a loud noise?

If the raccoon is making abnormal noises or seems more aggressive or lethargic, call a professional immediately to help remove the animal from your property. These symptoms could mean that it has rabies, which will be very dangerous for anyone bitten.

What do raccoons eat?

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.

How to tell if a raccoon is visiting your home?

To determine whether a raccoon is visiting your home, check for tracks. Their distinctive paw prints carry a distinctive shape that sets them apart from other small mammals. The hind print usually measures 3 ¼” – 4 ½” long, making it much longer than wide. The fore print is only about 3” long, with a similar width.

How Do You Get Rid of Raccoons?

These masked marauders hate the smell of the spice. Add one small canister of cayenne and one bottle of hot sauce to a gallon of water, then spray the solution all over your garden plants, bushes and shrubs, and reapply after a rainfall. There are various other repellents you can use as well, like Mint-X trash bags, which are specifically designed to repel raccoons. They’re all-natural trash bags that have a mint fragrance, which raccoons dislike. Motion-activated floodlights can also serve to deter raccoons.

What repels raccoons?

There are various other repellents you can use as well, like Mint-X trash bags, which are specifically designed to repel raccoons. They’re all-natural trash bags that have a mint fragrance, which raccoons dislike. Motion-activated floodlights can also serve to deter raccoons.

How far can raccoons get from the roof?

Also, be sure to cut trees back to six or eight feet from your home so raccoons can’t get to your roof and make their way into the attic to form their den. Raccoons will eat almost anything and are always on the lookout for a good nesting site.

How to protect your garden from racoons?

Fence your garden or individual plants you want to protect with a mesh screen. Put the fencing deep enough in the ground that these furry bandits can’t dig it up. Raccoons will dig or pull up edible and ornamental plants to find fruits, vegetables, seeds, grubs, insects, or underground crops like carrots.

What happens if you use a trap on a raccoon?

If you do use a trap, use only a humane trap designed for live animals and check on the raccoon often. Trapped animals become stressed and may hurt themselves or die while trying to get out.

What Attracts Raccoons to Homes and Gardens?

Raccoons are clever, inquisitive animals that look for convenient sources of food, water, and shelter. They will make nests in barns or abandoned out buildings, or in dry, warm attics and crawl spaces and feast on easy-to-reach fruits and vegetables.

What do racoons eat?

These omnivores eat fruit, crayfish, insects, frogs, bird eggs, grains, berries, nuts, and other plants and animals. They become a problem when they destroy sheetrock and electrical wiring, tear out shingles and insulation, loosen boards, dig in lawns and ornamental gardens, ...

What to do if you have a small fish pond?

If you have a small fish pond, use a preventative barrier like a fence. Consider securing a mesh screen over the water at night. Raccoons will eat your fish and pond plants.

Where do racoons live?

Raccoons can adapt to live almost anywhere. They like being near water and hardwood trees, so they often inhabit areas around rivers, lakes, and marshes. When it’s time to bear their young, or take shelter during cold weather, they nest in piles of brush, hollow trees, barns, crawl spaces, attics, or burrows in the ground. Most often active at night, they will come out during the day to find food.

Can raccoons be relocated?

Though other pesky pests can be trapped and released elsewhere, raccoons shouldn’t be. In some states, you must have a license to trap them, and in most states, it’s actually illegal to relocate raccoons beyond your property. It would probably be an ineffective method of removal, anyway, as adult male raccoons can establish a territory up to twenty square miles, and even if you took them 10 miles away, they’d probably find their way back. Also, relocated raccoons often perish outside their home range from starvation, predation, and other factors. If a raccoon is making unusual sounds or seems aggressive or lethargic, leave it alone and call a wildlife removal service. It could have rabies.

How to trap a raccoon?

Set up your live raccoon trap near the opening where they’re getting under the structure. Make sure you bait the trap properly. While raccoons will eat almost anything, including pet food, the best thing to use is marshmallows. Raccoons love sweets and marshmallows won’t attract a cat into the trap.

How to protect a raccoon from a raccoon?

4. Consider an Electric Fence. Raccoons are attracted to all types of food sources, including compost piles, koi ponds, and gardens. One of the easiest ways to protect these areas from raccoons and make your home less inviting is a simple electric fence kit.

How to tell if a raccoon is in your attic?

You sometimes hear noises coming from your attic. What could it be? While it may be squirrels or even bats, loud thumping noises may be a sign that a mother raccoon has made your attic into her den to raise her young. The following are signs of raccoons in the attic: 1 You hear thumping sounds or what sounds like an animal walking in the attic 2 You hear them leaving after dusk or returning at night 3 Some noises may happen during the day even though raccoons are nocturnal 4 You may hear whining or high-pitched crying sounds from baby raccoons (or kits) 5 You see damage to your roof. This may be located on the edge of the roof or at the vents or soffits

What does it mean when a raccoon makes a noise in the attic?

You sometimes hear noises coming from your attic. What could it be? While it may be squirrels or even bats, loud thu mping noises may be a sign that a mother raccoon has made your attic into her den to raise her young. The following are signs of raccoons in the attic:

What is the best trap for raccoons?

The Tomahawk Excluder is a good choice as it’s affordable, sturdy, and reusable. Set up the trap so the raccoon will leave the opening to forage but instead get stuck in the trap. This may catch only the mother or it may catch young raccoons as well.

How big of an opening do raccoons need?

A raccoon only needs an opening about 4″ across or smaller. Here are just some of the ways raccoons can get into your attic:

What do raccoons look like?

Raccoon prints are definitely distinctive: they look like tiny human feet and handprints with claw marks at the ends. You’ll probably see these small footprints around your trash, garden, and garage. You may even see scratch marks on your bird feeder post, flower pots, and trash cans.

Who can handle raccoons in New York?

Nuisance wildlife control persons licensed by New York State can be hired to deal with problem raccoons. Injured and "orphaned" raccoons should be left alone. Animals actually in need of assistance may be cared for by licensed wildlife rehabilitators. The DEC regional office can refer you to these individuals.

How to get rid of raccoons in your attic?

Block the openings raccoons are using to get into your attic, porch, or other location. Place a temporary cover when the raccoons leave on their nightly search for food, and make a permanent seal later. To check if the raccoons have really left, sprinkle twigs, grass, or flour in the opening and watch for tracks.

What is raccoon rabies?

Raccoon Rabies. Raccoon rabies reached New York in 1990 and has become widespread. Rabies is a viral disease with symptoms similar to distemper. Rabid raccoons may behave aggressively, salivate heavily, or have paralyzed hind legs. Rabies can be transmitted to humans and other animals by the bite of an infected animal.

Why are racoons a nuisance?

Raccoons can become a nuisance if people unknowingly supply food or shelter for them. They can be attracted by food available in gardens, fish ponds, pet feeders, or garbage or by cavities that might offer shelter.

How to check if raccoons are left?

To check if the raccoons have really left, sprinkle twigs, grass, or flour in the opening and watch for tracks. Caution: do not permanently seal entrances without first verifying that all animals are out of the den. Especially in the spring, look and listen for animal noises.

How long do raccoons nurse?

They nurse for about six weeks, then leave the den to follow the mother until September or early October when they disperse and establish their own territories.

What do racoons eat?

Raccoons feed mainly at night. They eat fruit, nuts, berries, small animals, and insects and also will feed on pet food, gar bage, and garden crops.