08/20/2024
If you have a raccoon in or around your house, it’s best to assume there are babies too! We typically receive baby raccoons when there’s a situation with a "nuisance" mama raccoon in someone's house. The homeowner will relocate mom then days later the babies are discovered. The baby raccoons have been flowing in this week, so let’s help keep them with their mom this season by trying humane hazing techniques before you contact a pest control service.
Raccoons like dark, quiet locations to raise their young, so make your attic/ crawl space the opposite! You want to do this around dusk since raccoons are nocturnal.
💡🔦 Light it up! Spotlights, flashlights, strobe lights, work lights, use whatever you have! Set them up by the entrance/exit point or throughout your attic to ensure maximum annoyance.
🎙📣 Crank it up! Place a speaker or radio in or near the attic and turn it on as loud as you (and your neighbors) can tolerate. Rock music, talk radio, anything loud or with human voices will work.
If the mom is successfully annoyed, she will carry her babies one by one to a new location. It will probably take a full night or two, but she should come back for them all.
- If you're sure they have completely vacated, put up some hardware cloth or chicken wire to cover the entrance/exit hole until you can arrange a more permanent fix.
- If you're unsure if they've left, stuff some newspaper into the entrance/exit hole. Alternatively, tape one or two layers of paper covering it. If a few nights go by and it's undisturbed, then congrats! Your attic is now raccoon free and mom and babies can keep on living their best life!
📜✅ (If you do resort to a pest control service, ask them to double check for babies so they can at least be relocated together. Also ask to see the company’s state permit before you sign a contract to be sure they will actually be relocating the raccoons.)
We are a licensed Ohio Wildlife Rehabilitation Center able to assist orphaned and injured wildlife.
