Raccoons, with their distinctive masked faces, are common wildlife in urban and suburban environments. These nocturnal animals have successfully integrated into human-dominated landscapes by exploiting readily available resources. Seeing one in your yard often prompts concern, but understanding their behavior is the first step toward managing their presence. This guide offers practical strategies for responding to a raccoon sighting and preventing future visits.
Immediate Steps When a Raccoon is Present
If you spot a raccoon, maintain a safe, non-confrontational distance, ideally remaining at least 20 feet away. Raccoons are wild animals and may react defensively if they feel threatened or cornered. Immediately bring all pets indoors, as contact can result in serious injury or disease transmission.
Most raccoons are simply passing through their territory in search of food or shelter. Check to ensure the animal has an unobstructed path to leave your property, such as an open gate or a clear space under a deck. While raccoons are primarily active at night, seeing one during the day does not automatically mean the animal is sick. A healthy raccoon may forage during daylight hours, especially a nursing mother needing extra sustenance.
Encourage the animal to move along by making yourself large and making noise, such as yelling or clapping your hands. Never approach or attempt to feed the animal, as this habituates them to human presence and increases the likelihood of return visits. The raccoon will usually retreat quickly once it perceives a threat.
Securing Your Property to Prevent Return Visits
The presence of a raccoon indicates your property provides one of three attractants: food, water, or shelter. Eliminating these incentives is the most effective long-term method for discouraging their residency. Raccoons possess highly dexterous front paws, capable of manipulating latches and lids, making standard garbage cans an easy target. Therefore, all outdoor trash containers should be secured with tight-fitting lids, bungee cords, or kept inside a locked shed or garage until collection day.
Any outdoor food source, including pet food, spilled birdseed, and fallen fruit, must be removed before nightfall. Raccoons are opportunistic omnivores and readily consume these items. Removing pet water bowls and fixing leaky outdoor faucets or irrigation systems also eliminates easy access to water sources.
Raccoons seek secure, secluded places to build dens, often choosing attics, chimneys, or spaces beneath decks and sheds. Prevent access by inspecting your home’s exterior for any openings larger than three inches in diameter. Secure chimney openings with a durable metal cap, and use heavy-gauge wire mesh to seal gaps under porches and sheds. Trim any tree branches that hang near or over your roof, as raccoons are skilled climbers who use these limbs to access your attic.
Recognizing Health Risks and Knowing When to Call for Help
Raccoons are known carriers of several pathogens, with the two most significant risks being rabies and raccoon roundworm. Rabies is a viral disease that attacks the nervous system and transmits through a bite or scratch. Signs of rabies or other severe neurological illnesses, like canine distemper, include staggering, circling, unprovoked aggression, or lack of coordination.
Raccoon feces, especially in concentrated areas known as latrines, poses a risk due to the parasitic Baylisascaris procyonis, or raccoon roundworm. The microscopic eggs of this parasite are shed in the feces and remain viable in the soil for years. If accidentally ingested by humans, the larvae can migrate through the body, potentially causing severe ocular or neurological damage.
Contact local animal control or a licensed wildlife removal specialist if a raccoon displays clear signs of illness, such as walking unnaturally or appearing disoriented. Professional help is warranted if a raccoon is trapped inside a structure, like an attic or chimney, or if the animal shows consistent aggression toward people or pets. Never attempt to handle a sick or injured raccoon yourself; consult a professional for the removal and disinfection of any raccoon latrines.