• Food sources
Pet food leftovers, chicken coops, dumpsters, corn gardens, goldfish ponds, garbage bins, bird feeders, fruit trees and farm houses are all potential sources of food for raccoons. To avoid being a possible victim of raccoon invasion, limit their food sources as much as possible. Clear up after your pet and birds after feeding them, look out for possible raccoon entries in chicken coops and farmhouses and seal them off, always keep doors closed, fence off your corn garden and goldfish pond with a tightly knitted barbed wire, remove fallen frits under trees, cover garbage bins as tightly as possible and also dumpsters should be as far and as deep as possible.

• Water sources
Raccoons will want to be close to the pond or that very open water collector or even use that rainwater puddle close to your home as a source of water. Also those containers that you leave outside, do they have water? They will use this to quench their thirst after feeding. Use a metal grill fence or an electric fence to keep them away from the pond. Empty water collectors or keep them covered when it’s not raining. Don’t forget to empty a water puddle or containers that are left outside. These measures will squash their water supply hence they won’t show up.

• The darkness



Most human settlement areas are warm enough making them good homing places for raccoons. But what is the lighting situation around these areas? Attics, garages, abandoned buildings, chimneys and under decks are good shelters and hideaways for these animals. The darkness also provides for secure passage for scavenging and ravaging through your property to look for food. The damage will be noticed in the morning. Close all possible raccoon entries to these areas to prevent them from accessing and possibly making them their homes. Have bright lights put up around their operating areas to drive them away due to fear of being seen.

How to get rid of raccoons.

• Use traps to capture them and relocate them, possibly to the forest or call animal control to take care of them.
• Determine their water and food sources and scrap it off completely. With no food, raccoons will choose to leave rather than starve to death.
• Use a repellent such as the whole control mole repellent. Spray this repellent around areas of their activity and it will chase them away. These repellents will not kill them as they are not poisonous.
• Seal all entry points except for one and when the raccoon leaves, close the remaining opening prevent it from re-entering.
• Another effective way that will get rid of raccoons is to make their homes inhospitable by use of bright lights and loud sounds.



Read the How to get rid of raccoons page for helpful information and to learn more about What attracts raccoons?

What attracts raccoons?