Here at Elite Wildlife Services we spend a lot of time talking about how to protect your physical property from raccoons. Raccoons can, after all, do tens of thousands of dollars in damage to even the nicest home.
Yet your home isn’t the only thing you have to protect. Many Houstonians have pets as well.
When pets and raccoons clash, the raccoons often win. Pets are domesticated animals who often wouldn’t hurt a flea, even if they do have older instincts buried in there somewhere. Raccoons are wild animals who fight and claw for their existence. So what can you do?
Keep Pets Indoors
You may not have a raccoon in your house right now. But if you have some in your yard then you could be setting Fido or Baxter up for a clash by letting your pets roam around at night.
Ideally you will feed them inside, keeping their bowls away from raccoons, and you’ll accompany them if they need a short break outside in the middle of the night. You should always turn on a light to keep raccoons hidden and out of the way.
Keeping a pet feeder outside is tantamount to inviting the raccoons to share your pet’s bowl. Sooner or later, raccoons might start thinking of that bowl as their bowl, and might want to fight your pets for it. Some pets will get hurt, others just won’t eat, and neither is ideal for your pet’s health.
Secure Your Trash
Send raccoons off to look for greener pastures by denying them their favorite food source. Lock down your trash cans. If you keep compost, put it in a lockable bin, and not in a pile that raccoons can exploit.
Take up any standing water sources that may be in your yard, from bird feeders to old toys.
Remove Raccoons Fast
Once a raccoon has actually moved into your home then your pets are at risk. A pet might try to defend its inside territory, which could lead to fights and rabies exposure. In addition, pets are susceptible to many of the diseases raccoons carry. Direct exposure to raccoons isn’t necessary for them to get sick, as the pathogens are often carried via fleas, of which raccoons typically have many.
If you have any reason to suspect a raccoon has invaded your home, contact Elite Wildlife Services to schedule a free inspection immediately. We’ll help you protect your pets by getting rid of raccoons the humane way.
Raccoons aren’t afraid of your cat or your dog. They’ll camp out as long as you let them. They aren’t afraid of homebrew repellants or strange sonic noises. But it is possible to use trapping and exclusion to get them back outside where they belong.
Ready to get started? Contact us today.
