Between the months of January and September, raccoons may begin making their way towards your garage to settle in. This occurs as they are trying to find a place to nest and care for their babies. However, be cautious if you find out that raccoons have made your garage their new home.
Raccoons are generally aggressive towards humans if they feel they or their babies are threatened. Furthermore, raccoons are known to cause major damage to property if they find themselves locked out of the garage, as they desperately try to get back to their babies.
In this article, we created a list of effective tactics to help you get rid of raccoons in your garage for good.
Keep the Garage Door Closed at All Times
The easiest way to deter raccoons from entering your garage is by keeping the garage door closed at all times. These opportunistic animals see garages as an ideal place to look for food or make their nests. Furthermore, garages act as a safe place to hide away from the elements or other predators.
Use Light, Sound, and Smell
The use of light, sound, and smell around your garage acts as a humane way to deter raccoons. However, unlike other methods, these need to be applied persistently for at least 3 days and 3 nights for it to be effective.
Light
Raccoons are nocturnal creatures who don’t generally like bright lights. Focusing on turning on as many lights as you can in the shed or garage is the best way to keep them away. An outdoor spotlight, mechanic’s light, or a motion sensor light should do the trick. However, make sure they’re fire-safe, especially if you have to use extension cords.
Sound
Turning on the radio to a talk station and placing it near the den entrance is a great way to urge raccoons to stay clear of the garage area. This method is effective since the sound of human voices can come off as a threat to them. Furthermore, make sure the radio is turned up as loud as possible, without annoying your human neighbors.
Smell
Before using any scent as an attractant or deterrent, you want to be sure you're not attracting any other unwanted pests. Although scent deterrents are the least effective with raccoons, they can help when used in combination with light and sound methods. Try soaking some rags in Apple Cider Vinegar or ammonia and putting them in a plastic bag. Proceed to poke holes in the bag to let the smell escape and then hang it next to their den entrance. You can also use dirty kitty litter in a plastic bag if you do not readily have Apple Cider Vinegar available.
Seal Possible Entryways
Seal any main holes in the garage walls and roof, as these act as the main entryways for raccoons. Begin by first using newspaper to cover the entryway, waiting 3 days and nights, and then inspecting the entrances to see if raccoons are still trying to get in through the holes. If you find that several holes are being used as entryways, the next step would be to cover up the holes with clear caulk or a wire mesh.
Use Live Trapping and One-way Doors
Live Trapping
Once you have found a way to prohibit raccoons from entering, get rid of any remaining raccoons that may still be residing inside the garage with cage traps. Once captured, it’s ideal to release raccoons in the wild 5 to 10 miles away from their captured site. Keep in mind that this method should only be done if the raccoons don’t already have babies or a nest in the garage. You ideally want to keep the mother with her babies at all times, as not doing so increases the risk of the mother rejecting the babies.
One-way Doors
Many humane removal companies recommend putting up one-way doors so that the raccoon can get out but not get back in. This is a good option between October and December when baby raccoons are unlikely to be present. Between January and September, one-way doors can exclude the mother raccoon and leave baby raccoons trapped inside. If they are too young to follow their mother, the babies will starve inside without her care. Separated from her babies, a mother raccoon will cause major damage to property, as she tries desperately to get back to them. Make sure the baby raccoons are old enough to follow the mother before installing a one-way door.
Contact Your Local Pest Control
Raccoons can be a nuisance that causes major damage to garages. To prevent this, use various methods, like bright lights and sounds, to encourage raccoons to leave the vicinity. If you suspect that raccoons are still getting inside the garage or find it difficult to take on the task, we recommend contacting the local wildlife center or pest control services.
Are raccoons still causing a problem in your garage? Contact The BugMaster! We can provide all of your raccoon removal and prevention needs!