Raccoons are highly adaptable urban animals that pose distinct risks to both property and health. Their natural behaviors, which include foraging and seeking shelter, often conflict directly with residential living. While raccoons may appear harmless, their presence indicates a potential for damage and exposure to serious pathogens. Understanding the specific dangers associated with these nocturnal visitors is the first step toward safely managing their presence on your property.
Health Risks Associated with Raccoons
Raccoons are known carriers of several diseases that can be transmitted to humans and domestic pets, making their waste and proximity a public health concern. The most significant threat is Raccoon Roundworm, or Baylisascaris procyonis, a parasite whose eggs are shed in raccoon feces. These microscopic eggs become infectious after two to four weeks in the environment and can survive in soil for several years.
Infection occurs when a person, often a small child or a pet, accidentally ingests these infectious eggs from contaminated soil, water, or objects. Once ingested, the larvae hatch and migrate through the body’s tissues, a condition known as visceral larva migrans. The most concerning complication is when the larvae travel to the central nervous system, which can cause severe neurological damage, blindness, or even death. Raccoons often establish communal defecation areas called latrines on flat surfaces like decks, rooftops, or at the base of trees, increasing the chance of exposure.
Raccoons are also one of the most common wildlife carriers of the Rabies virus in the United States, which is transmitted through saliva, typically via a bite or a scratch. Any raccoon acting strangely—such as appearing disoriented or approaching during the daytime—should be avoided and reported to local animal control. Additionally, they can carry Leptospirosis, a bacterial infection shed in their urine that can contaminate soil and water, posing a risk to pets and humans.
Property and Structural Damage
Beyond health concerns, raccoons inflict substantial physical damage to both the exterior and interior of a home as they forage and seek den sites. With their strength and dexterous paws, they often tear up lawns and garden beds while digging for insect larvae and earthworms. This foraging behavior can result in large patches of sod being rolled back or ripped away overnight.
The structural damage they cause often begins on the roof, as raccoons are expert climbers who access homes via overhanging tree branches or siding. They tear off shingles, fascia boards, and roof vents to create an entry point into an attic or chimney. Once inside, they shred insulation for nesting material, trample ductwork, and may chew on electrical wiring, creating a serious fire hazard. Their accumulated feces and urine in an attic or crawlspace also destroy insulation and wood, leading to noxious odors and costly contamination cleanup.
Understanding Why Raccoons Visit Your Yard
Raccoons are attracted to residential areas because human activity creates an abundance of easily accessible resources: food, water, and shelter. As opportunistic omnivores, they have a diverse diet and are not particular about their meals. The most common attractants are unsecured garbage cans, which they easily tip and open to raid the contents.
Other readily available food sources include pet food left outdoors overnight, fallen fruit from trees, and birdseed feeders. Even the grubs in a well-maintained lawn serve as a consistent food supply. Raccoons also require water, and they will use bird baths, pet bowls, or standing water from leaky hoses for drinking and washing food.
For shelter, raccoons seek dark, quiet, and secure locations to rest during the day or to raise their young. Common denning sites in a yard include spaces under decks, porches, or sheds, as well as dense brush piles or wood stacks. If exterior access points are not sealed, they will readily move into attics, chimneys, or crawlspaces for a warm, dry refuge.
Safe and Legal Deterrence Methods
The most effective strategy for deterring raccoons is a combination of habitat modification and physical exclusion. Habitat modification involves eliminating the attractants that initially drew them to the area. This includes securing all garbage in cans with heavy-duty locks or bungee cords and storing them in a secured garage or shed until collection day.
It is necessary to remove all outdoor food sources, which means bringing pet food and water bowls inside each evening and cleaning up any fallen fruit immediately. To limit access to sheltered areas, use durable materials like 10-gauge galvanized hardware mesh to seal off the open spaces beneath decks, sheds, and porches. For long-term prevention, tree branches that overhang the roof should be trimmed back by at least five feet to prevent easy climbing access.
Physical exclusion involves fortifying the home’s structure against entry, such as installing chimney caps and making sure all vents are securely screened. If a raccoon has already entered a structure, professional wildlife control services must be contacted for safe and legal removal. State and local laws govern the trapping and relocation of raccoons, and attempting to handle or relocate a wild animal without the proper license or knowledge is often illegal and dangerous.