I'll be perfectly honest, I'm not looking to go up in that attic for a face-to-face. We had a staredown last week when I opened the garage door around 6pm last week and it only got as far as the stairs to the loft where it's living. Its HUGE. The last thing I need is an angry momma attempting to rip my face off.
This might be a call to pest control
So I spoke with a pest control outfit, they said I needed to call a trapper or the state department Fish & Wildlife
I spoke to Fish and Wildlife and they've told me it's almost 100% certain it's a mother with babies or at least a mother about to have babies. Apparently they like to nest in attics to stay away from male raccoons who will eat their young.
Fish & Wildlife suggested to get Male Raccoon Scent and put it in the garage with them. The scent will apparently make the mother think a male raccoon has found a way into their space and will pack up and leave within a day or two. Then I can seal up the eaves and look for any other entry points.
I also spoke with a trapper who has a totally reasonable rate. He'll trap the mother and any kits. I did not have the heart to ask what he does with them.
Thank you for finding out so much! Please don't let them be hurt 😢😠Maybe look for someone who relocates wild animals? If it was me, I'd just wait a few months. It's likely they'll leave on their own, especially if food sources are scarce
Unfortunately leaving them to depart on their own at their leisure is not something that fish and wildlife recommended. I did actually ask them about that specifically. What they told me was that it actually takes 7 to 9 months before the babies are ready to leave the mother and at that point the mother is ready to have another litter Becomes more of a permanent home than anything else if they aren’t evicted.
There’s a lot of rules in my state surrounding trapping and relocating nuisance wildlife and for good reason. It’s not fair to your neighbors or your neighbors neighbors to catch a raccoon on your property and go let it loose somewhere else. It’s seen as kind of like delivering your problem to somebody else.
I think the best thing I can do that is the least harmful is to use the mail raccoon scent Drive them out and they can find their own place to live that’s not my garage.
You've helped me learn a lot from your situation. Thank you for your diligence and for sharing everything you've found out.
I agree with using the male scent option. And doesn't that essentially just send them to another location like trapping/relocating, though? Would it be weird to build her a box in a tree somewhere in the wild and move her there?
It does send them to another location but it’s a natural movement - they are choosing where they go vs being driven in a truck to an unknown location and released.
My property is adjacent to hundreds of acres of state forest. I’m sure she can find a better place to live.
I've had to deal with racoon invaders and I actually staked out their spot, waited until dusk when they leave to search for food, then boarded up the area they were getting into.
You can get one way doors, install it somewhere in the eave, then block up the rest. Once you're sure it's gone, you can remove the door and block the hole.
I found this [https://www.livetrap.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product\_id=33226](https://www.livetrap.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=33226)
Seems like it will work but I think it's too large for the eve so I guess I'll have to cut a hole or something. I dunno, this is starting to feel like maybe I should call a pro.
Make sure it's not a momma with babies up there before you try to relocate her.
I'll be perfectly honest, I'm not looking to go up in that attic for a face-to-face. We had a staredown last week when I opened the garage door around 6pm last week and it only got as far as the stairs to the loft where it's living. Its HUGE. The last thing I need is an angry momma attempting to rip my face off. This might be a call to pest control
So I spoke with a pest control outfit, they said I needed to call a trapper or the state department Fish & Wildlife I spoke to Fish and Wildlife and they've told me it's almost 100% certain it's a mother with babies or at least a mother about to have babies. Apparently they like to nest in attics to stay away from male raccoons who will eat their young. Fish & Wildlife suggested to get Male Raccoon Scent and put it in the garage with them. The scent will apparently make the mother think a male raccoon has found a way into their space and will pack up and leave within a day or two. Then I can seal up the eaves and look for any other entry points. I also spoke with a trapper who has a totally reasonable rate. He'll trap the mother and any kits. I did not have the heart to ask what he does with them.
Thank you for finding out so much! Please don't let them be hurt 😢😠Maybe look for someone who relocates wild animals? If it was me, I'd just wait a few months. It's likely they'll leave on their own, especially if food sources are scarce
Unfortunately leaving them to depart on their own at their leisure is not something that fish and wildlife recommended. I did actually ask them about that specifically. What they told me was that it actually takes 7 to 9 months before the babies are ready to leave the mother and at that point the mother is ready to have another litter Becomes more of a permanent home than anything else if they aren’t evicted. There’s a lot of rules in my state surrounding trapping and relocating nuisance wildlife and for good reason. It’s not fair to your neighbors or your neighbors neighbors to catch a raccoon on your property and go let it loose somewhere else. It’s seen as kind of like delivering your problem to somebody else. I think the best thing I can do that is the least harmful is to use the mail raccoon scent Drive them out and they can find their own place to live that’s not my garage.
You've helped me learn a lot from your situation. Thank you for your diligence and for sharing everything you've found out. I agree with using the male scent option. And doesn't that essentially just send them to another location like trapping/relocating, though? Would it be weird to build her a box in a tree somewhere in the wild and move her there?
It does send them to another location but it’s a natural movement - they are choosing where they go vs being driven in a truck to an unknown location and released. My property is adjacent to hundreds of acres of state forest. I’m sure she can find a better place to live.
Perfect! Will you keep us updated? I'm curious to know if the male scent works!
Roger that
I've had to deal with racoon invaders and I actually staked out their spot, waited until dusk when they leave to search for food, then boarded up the area they were getting into.
They typically leave at dusk/night. I’d set up a cheap camera to see how many are in there and get notified when they leave
You can get one way doors, install it somewhere in the eave, then block up the rest. Once you're sure it's gone, you can remove the door and block the hole.
They make One-way doors that are designed to be installed in an eve? That sounds like a good idea.
I found this [https://www.livetrap.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product\_id=33226](https://www.livetrap.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=33226) Seems like it will work but I think it's too large for the eve so I guess I'll have to cut a hole or something. I dunno, this is starting to feel like maybe I should call a pro.
He has to come out for food. Set up a thin trail of dry cat food leading to a trap, with more cat food inside it.