
It’s Not Raccoon Baby Season Yet, But It’s Coming to an Attic Near You
Posted by Jared Houliston Thursday, January 30th, 2025 | 614 Reads
Raccoon baby season isn’t here yet – but it’s around the corner so if you’ve been hearing noises in your attic, it could at risk of becoming a raccoon nursery in the coming months.
Every year, from late winter through to early spring, female raccoons search for warm, sheltered spaces to give birth and unfortunately for homeowners, attics, chimneys, and wall cavities are easy to access and provide the perfect environment for them to raise their young.
What’s the key to protecting your home from raccoon damage? Humane raccoon removal and early intervention through wildlife exclusion.
If there are no raccoons or other forms of wildlife making noise in your walls or attic, you can still take action before they move in. With an inspection and wildlife prevention applied, you can avoid potential damage, noise, and future health risks that come with an infestation.
Why Raccoons Choose Your Attic
A raccoon doesn’t just stumble into your attic by chance. They’re drawn in by three key factors:
- Shelter and warmth from the elements and predators.
- A safe, quiet and enclosed space to give birth.
- Any weakness in your roof, soffits, vents, or chimneys can become easy entry points.
Mild winters can trigger early mating and birthing cycles and warmer temperatures also mean more food availability, which encourages raccoons to breed earlier than usual. This is why between January and April is the best time to inspect your home and prevent an infestation.
Signs That Raccoons Are Scouting Your Home
Even if you don’t hear thumping noises in your walls or attic yet, raccoons could still be eyeing your home as a future den-site. Be on the lookout for:
- Melted snow patches on your roof from warm air escaping through raccoon-created holes.
- Roof damage because raccoons can tear through shingles, soffits, and fascia to create entry points.
- Scattered garbage from trash bins is a sign of raccoon activity.
- You hear nocturnal noises like rustling in the attic or heavy thumping sounds.
- You see snow or mud tracks around your home, especially near the roofline.
If you are seeing any of the signs above, or any of these signs, call your local wildlife removal specialist before the situation escalates.
The Damage Raccoons Can Cause
When a family of raccoons is in your attic, they can cause serious and expensive damage, including:
- Structural damage.
- Insulation damage.
- Damages air ducts.
- Chew through electrical wiring.
- Health risks through harmful parasites like roundworm.
- Persistent odours and contamination from raccoon urine and feces.
- Water leaks and ceiling stains.
- Potential mould growth.
- Increased energy bills with heating and cooling efficiency drops.
- Aggressive behaviour and safety risks, especially by a mother protecting her young
If raccoons give birth in your attic, the problem becomes even more complicated because the mother may aggressively defend her young and make the removal process more dangerous. Also, baby raccoons (kits) are immobile for several weeks so a careful and humane relocation plan is needed to ensure their survival and prevent them from being trapped inside after exclusion.
The Best Time for Prevention Is Now
Raccoon prevention is the most effective before raccoons settle in and give birth to their babies. A professional inspection involves the following preventative steps to help secure your home:
- Inspection your attic and roofline for existing holes or damage where raccoons could enter.
- Secure your vents and chimneys by installing protective screens to block easy entry points.
- Advise on the use of raccoon-proof garbage bins and waste management.
- Advise on trimming tree branches back from the home because overhanging branches give raccoons an easy path to your roof.
- An overall assessment your home for vulnerabilities before raccoons take advantage of them.
Humane Raccoon Removal After Prevention
If raccoons have already moved in, a humane removal process is needed to ensure their safety while also protecting your home. Professional wildlife control services follow a structured process:
- Inspection to identify all entry points and assess the extent of the damage.
- All vents, chimneys and other discovered entry points are blocked from future entry.
- Installation of one-way exit doors at key entry points to allow raccoons to leave but not return.
- If kits are present, they are removed and placed outside in a warming box so the mother can retrieve them.
- Once raccoons are out, main entry points are sealed to prevent future entries.
After removal, if the mother had babies, all animals are free to relocate themselves and your home is secured against future intrusions.
Are You Hearing Noises in Your Attic?
By the time you hear noises in your attic, the damage has already begun, but to reduce the impact of costly repairs and health risks, it’s important to book an inspection with your local wildlife removal company right away.
The earlier the raccoons are removed, the less costly it will be.
Ontario Wildlife Removal Inc. provides wildlife removal and pest control in Southwestern Ontario, including Brantford, Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Tillsonburg, Simcoe, Port Dover, Paris, St. George, Six Nations, Caledonia, Burlington, Waterdown, Oakville, Hamilton, Stoney Creek, Grimsby, & Niagara Region. Our methods are safe, humane and environmentally friendly. Call today to book your inspection.
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