Do you have pesky rodents scrambling in your background? If you want to know how to get rid of raccoons in your yard, read ahead for some useful tips.
Raccoons are intelligent, cute, and quirky animals. They may be fun to observe from far away, but sharing a space with them may be problematic.
They will go through the trash, cause destruction in the garden and lawn, eat pet food along with bird seeds, damage the building materials of houses and transmit dangerous diseases.
Raccoons on your property can really mess with your peace just like Moles, Rats, Chipmunks, Possums, and Ground Squirrels. Hence, here are some ways to do just that and get rid of the raccoons in the backyard.
How to Determine You Have a Raccoon Problem
Raccoons are naturally nocturnal, which means they are active at night. Due to this reason, it can be a bit hard to detect their presence.
You can work with the evidence they leave behind to determine that you have a raccoon problem. You can keep an eye out for the following things.
Their Droppings Everywhere
A raccoon’s excretory products can be one of the most significant evidence of their presence. The droppings of raccoons are cylindrical and have rounded or broken ends.
Although the droppings’ color depends on the raccoon’s diet, it is safe to say that they are generally in a darker shade.
Their Tracks
You can easily observe the tracks of a raccoon. Their tracks are similar to possums. Raccoons can walk flat-footed like humans.
However, they march in a diagonal track rather than a straight one.
The tracks would showcase a more extended heel in the rear foot, which is 3-4 inches long. On the other hand, the front feet are around 2-3 inches wide.
Their Feed
Raccoons are ravenous and messy creatures and leave a sufficient mealtime trail after them. You can spot trash cans knocked over, and the bird feeders may be empty or broken.
With raccoons, you can see that the compost piles are often disturbed, and the pet bowls are either spilled, moved, or empty.
Strange Sounds
You may hear strange noises at night. Raccoons make noises like growling, mewing, and even whistling.
No matter what signs you have noticed, it is essential to deal with this problem promptly. The problem will escalate if you do not deal with it promptly.
Deterring The Raccoons On Your Property
How to get rid of raccoons in your yard, check the below tips.
1. Make Sure That Trash Cans Are Secure
Trash cans are the most prominent food source for raccoons. They hunt in trash cans for morsels of food they can enjoy.
Raccoons knock down the garbage can to get into the trash cans, so the lid opens. They will then continue their search party for eatables.
Tightly secure the trash bins. You can get a lock for the lid or use a bungee cord to tie it up. This will prevent them from getting food from trash cans.
You can also move the trash cans in the shed or the garage and close the door. They will lose interest if the garbage bin is inaccessible to the raccoons.
When you are disposing of raw meat or smelly waste, make sure to seal it in a plastic bag first. This will help in preventing the odor which can attract the raccoons.
2. Do Not Leave Any Food Sources
Raccoons rummage through bird feeders, compost piles, pet bowls, and ground that have fruits and nuts for their food.
If you want to get rid of the raccoons in the backyard, you need to scout for all the potential food sources in the property and get them cleared out.
1. Bird Feeders
You can make it a habit to put the bird feeders out in the morning and clear them out at night. The raccoons are nocturnal; hence, they would not find anything to eat when they come out at night.
You can also use thin strings and hang bird feeders high on a pole. Make sure that these feeders are a safe distance from the jumping lengths of the raccoon.
2. Compost Piles
Use a compost bin with a secure lid to secure compost piles. It would be better to shift the compost bin to the shed or garage so it gets safer and away from the raccoons.
Fencing is another great option that you can use. However, regular fencing won’t be helpful as the raccoons can climb easily and quickly.
Deter raccoons with the help of an electric fence installation.
3. Eatables from Trees
Whenever you notice the fruits and nuts in the backyard, you can quickly clean them up.
Make it a habit to do this process every day so that raccoons never find something interesting on your property.
4. Pet Foods
Make sure that you do not leave the pet food out at night. You can feed the animals inside or put the bowls in the garage.
Even if you feed the animals outside, you can get the bowls and keep them inside.
3. Use Scent Repellents
Raccoons use their heightened sense of smell to sniff out food, potential mate, and predators. The scents of many scents can repel this furry animal.
1. Ready-made Deterrents
You can buy many products online for repelling wildlife like raccoons. You can follow the instructions and use them to scare away the rodents.
2. Cayenne Pepper
Go through the spice rack to make your homemade raccoon repellent. Some pepper repels the raccoons, and you can make a natural repellent to deter them.
How To Use Cayenne Pepper
- Create a merge of water, hot sauce, and powdered cayenne pepper. You will need one gallon of water, one bottle of hot sauce, and one can of hot sauce.
- Mix these ingredients and add some liquid detergent too. The liquid detergent helps keep the mixture together and allows the mixture to stay for a longer time.
- You can add this concoction to a spray bottle and spritz it on the raccoons whenever you see them. Spray the perimeter of the backyard with this mixture. Also, layer the trash with it.
- The spicy spray is excellent for keeping the raccoons away without any toxicity.
While it is not poisonous, it is irritating to the eyes. Hence, you should be careful about putting it in areas that do not touch the hands.
3. Predator Urine
Make use of the heightened sense of smell of the raccoons.
Having the scent of the urine of predators like coyotes, bobcats, and wolves can make the raccoons feel like there is danger lurking nearby.
You can find the urine of the predators from some garden centers or pest controls. Use the urine of any common predator in your area and keep the raccoons away.
4. Vinegar
The pungent smell of vinegar can help deter raccoons. You can either dilute the vinegar with some water or use it directly. Put your solution in a spray bottle and spritz it around your property.
When the raccoons smell vinegar, it significantly impacts their sense of smell and taste.
They cannot smell anything else, and their taste is also thrown off due to vinegar. The presence of vinegar can ruin the food trip for the raccoon.
5. Ammonia
If you do not want to opt for urine, you can opt for ammonia which is a chemical present in urine. There are two ways that you can use ammonia to repel raccoons.
You can take some rags, soak them up in ammonia, and put it around the property.
Or
You can add ammonia to some containers and put them around the property. Do not cover the containers.
6. Garlic
The odor of garlic can help in deterring these furry rodents. You can take some garlic cloves, crush them, and put them in bowls.
Put the bowls around the openings, gaps, and hiding places in your backyard.
You can also mix garlic and water to create a repellent spray. Spray it in all the nooks and crannies to scare the raccoons away.
7. Cucumber Plants
If you can grow cucumber plants in your garden, it can be of great help. The raccoons do not like the smell of cucumbers, and you will get fresh cucumbers to eat – a win-win situation.
Make sure you are positioning the cucumber plants on the garden’s border, so the raccoons do not mess with any plants there.
What Are Raccoons Afraid Of?
Raccoons are afraid of many things, but one of their most feared animals is humans.
They are known to be quick and agile on the run, so trying to catch them should always be a priority for anyone who wants to protect their home or business.
So what are they afraid of? Here are some of the most common fears raccoons have:
1. People – raccoons may think humans are food, so they may try to take advantage of someone who is alone or unsuspecting.
2. Tools – raccoons may try to steal any objects that may be useful in their new home or business.
3. Dogs – raccoons may become aggressive when interacting with dogs, making them dangerous potential prey for those looking to safeguard their property
Conclusion
You can use the tips mentioned above to get rid of raccoons in the backyard. While raccoons are furry and cute, they can be mischievous and troublesome creatures.
You need to ensure that you get rid of them so that there are no more fallen trash cans, messy backyards, and damaged materials in the backyard.
how to get rid of raccoons in your yard FAQs
Q: Do Raccoons Hate The Smell Of Vinegar?
Raccoons hate the smell of vinegar and cannot stand it. You can soak up some rags in it and keep them in the backyard to deter raccoons.
Q: What Scares A Raccoon Away?
You can get motion-detecting sprinklers installed. Strobe lights can also help in scaring away raccoons.
Q: What smells will keep raccoons away?
One of the most popular methods to keep raccoons away is to install a repellent on the property.
This can help to limit their access to resources and food. However, some smells are better than others when it comes to repelling raccoons.
One popular scent is citrus. Citrus has a strong odor that can quickly bring the animals running away.
Q: What does Epsom salt do to raccoons?
Raccoons are known for their curious nature and love of exploring new surroundings.
Many of them end up getting lost in areas with high amounts of salt, which can make them easy prey for predators.
This can lead to a lot of damage to their habitats, including the loss of food sources and valuable resources.
One way that Epsom salt can help reduce the likelihood of this happening is by killing off the raccoon’s food source.
Q: Where do raccoons live during the day?
Raccoons live during the day in various places around the United States.
Some of the most common locations are in dark forests, rural areas near water, and suburban neighborhoods.
Q: Do coffee grounds repel raccoons?
Coffee grounds can be a deterrent to raccoons.
Roaches are attracted to coffee grounds because they are a source of nutrients and moisture.
Coffee grounds also make a great place to set up camp, as they provide cover for animals during the day and at night.
Q: Does the Irish Spring soap keep raccoons away?
The Irish Spring Soap is purported to keep raccoons away. While this may be true in some cases, it is not always the case.
It is important to be aware of the potential dangers that come with using soaps made from sap from trees in Ireland.
Q: What do raccoons hate to touch?
Raccoons are known to be some of the most curious and curious animals on the planet.
They’re also known for being one of the most agile animals, with fast speed and quick reflexes.
However, that doesn’t mean they’re not known for their repulsive behavior.
Some raccoons are known to hate to touch anything, including humans.
Q: What is the natural enemy of the raccoon?
Raccoons are known for their curious and cunning behavior.
However, some of the animal’s natural enemies include snakes, spiders, and other creatures that can harm them.
Q: What food is poisonous to raccoons?
Raccoons are known to be particularly hazardous to eat, as they are capable of eating a wide variety of food items.
Some foods that are known to be toxic to the raccoon include bird seeds, petunias, and poisonous mushrooms.
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