Raccoons, those clever and inquisitive animals, are frequently on the lookout for shelter and food. Inadvertently, your property may become their destination of choice. To prevent these camouflaged marauders from making your property their home, you must make it less appealing to raccoons. By taking a few strategic measures, you can deter their presence and maintain a raccoon-free area.
Seal the Deal: Securing Food and Waste Sources
Raccoons are scavengers with an acute sense of scent, and your unattended trash cans or pet food can be a raccoon’s paradise. Consider using bungee cords or locks to prevent raccoons from gaining access to garbage cans by ensuring that the lids fit securely. Similarly, pet food should be brought indoors at night to eliminate an additional alluring scent trace.
Yard Cleanup: Eliminating Escape Routes
Raccoons flourish in cluttered environments, seeking shelter in crevices. By maintaining your property clean and free of debris, you reduce hiding places. Maintain a well-kept yard that provides no refuge for raccoons by trimming overgrown bushes and shrubs, removing wood or debris piles, and removing all detritus.
Elevate Compost: Preventing Raccoon Meals
Raccoons may find irresistible compost heaps overflowing with organic treats. Elevate or secure your compost container with a platform or hardware cloth or galvanized steel mesh. This prevents raccoons from burrowing into the compost and discourages their presence on your property.
Fencing as a Barrier: Protect Your Land
A strong and well-constructed fence is an effective barrier against raccoons. To prevent burrowing, choose a barrier that is at least three feet tall and extends one foot underground. Adding a layer of galvanized steel mesh to the bottom of the fence increases its resistance to their persistence.
Exclusion Strategy: Blocking Entrances
Raccoons are adept at entering attics, crawl spaces, and other vulnerable locations. Regularly inspect your property for possible entry points, sealing gaps and apertures with galvanized steel mesh or other long-lasting materials. Pay close attention to roof vents, chimneys, and any openings under porches or decks.
Light and Sound: Interrupting Nighttime Activities
Raccoons are nocturnal animals, so a well-lit property can discourage their activity. Install motion-activated lighting around your property to discourage raccoons from exploring at night. In addition, sound deterrents such as wind chimes or radios tuned to talk radio stations can produce an unfamiliar and unwelcome sonic environment.
Natural Repellents: Distasteful Odours
Raccoons have an acute sense of smell, and certain odours can effectively repel them. Consider utilizing natural repellents such as vinegar, garlic, and spicy pepper around the perimeter of your property. The strategic placement of these odorous components can create an invisible barrier that deters raccoons from approaching.
Strengthen Bird Feeders: Preventing Midnight Snacks
Inadvertently, bird feeders can become raccoon feeding stations. Hang bird feeders from poles that are difficult for raccoons to scale, and install baffles or guardians to prevent their acrobatic feats. By eliminating readily available food sources, you reduce the attractiveness of your property to these opportunistic predators.
Regular Maintenance: The Crucial Role of Consistency
Continued vigilance is required to prevent raccoons from invading your property. Regularly examine and maintain your defences, ensuring that fencing remains intact, entry points are sealed, and natural repellents are renewed. Consistency communicates to raccoons that your property is a hostile environment.
A Collaborative Effort to Educate Your Neighbours
While adopting measures to raccoon-proof your property, it is beneficial to educate your neighbours. Encourage them to take comparable preventative measures to form a collective deterrent against raccoon incursions. A community-wide approach increases the efficacy of raccoon exclusion.
Raccoon-Free Zone is the conclusion
Creating an unwelcoming environment for raccoons on your property requires a strategic combination of practices. By removing readily available food sources, safeguarding potential entry points, and employing a combination of natural and structural deterrents, you convey to raccoons that your property is off limits. As you establish a raccoon-free zone, you restore the equilibrium between your living space and the natural world, ensuring that your property remains a haven for you and a deterrent for these inquisitive animals.
Contact us for more information about our Humane Raccoon Removal Oshawa service.