Raccoons vs Vancouver

Vancouverites have a complicated relationship with these “mask bandits”. On one hand, raccoons appear adorable and are embraced as part of the city. On they other hand, their population has been expanding quickly across the city. The table finally turned when raccoons started to fight for space within Vancouver residences. The question is: how do you get rid of raccoons?

Over the years, raccoon’s diet has slowly adapted to highly rely on human food. Meanwhile, they are getting more and more brazen to scavenge for trash from Vancouverites garbage bins or even break into kitchens to steal food.

In addition to messing up residents’ garbage bins, raccoons cause one of the worse nuisances to property owners by producing structural damages and potentially transmitting diseases to the pets and family members. Their ability to learn and adapt in urban spaces make it extremely hard to keep them out of buildings. To prevent raccoons from invading your home, constant raccoon prevention efforts are required to make your place less attractive to raccoons.

Top 5 Raccoon Prevention Tips On How to Get Rid of Raccoons

Seal up openings: Thoroughly investigate your home to find all possible crevices and holes where raccoons may enter. This may include but is not limited to: Chimneys, vent screens, shingles, walls, windows, and deck areas.

Don’t leave food for raccoons around your house: Raccoons eat almost anything: fruits, vegetables, insects, bird feeds, and any other types of human food. Once raccoons discover a place with available food sources, it is highly likely that they will return for food or even build dens in your house. You don’t want to make your garden or lawn look like a kitchen to them. Pick up fallen fruits in the yard and move your pets’ food bowls or bird feeders indoor during the nighttime.

Seal garbage bags tight: Raccoons are extremely smart in opening garbage bins. Raccoons have amazing dexterity and use their front paws to pry things, turn knobs and carry things. You may want to get garbage bins that are more secured with clamps or handles. Keep garbage bins inside the building before nightfall.

Use motion detected water-sprayers to scare off raccoons: This has been widely used especially for yards to make the trespassing scary to raccoons.

Never ignore a raccoon spotting but never approach a raccoon: Sighting of a single raccoon may not seem to be a big deal, however, seeing a raccoon trespassing your yard means their family might be wandering around in the area. Raccoons don’t normally go out of their way to attack human, however, they can be occasionally very aggressive, such as when a mother raccoon perceives danger to her babies. While raccoons are known to carry viruses and parasites, they can transmit diseases to people and cause health complications.

If you continue to have raccoon problems, please contact Pestcheck Pest Control for professional raccoon removal services. We have helped hundreds of homeowners in the Lower Mainland in resolving their raccoon problems!