Tips for Those with Raccoons in the Attic – Columbus, Ohio

Raccoons appear to be cute furry little animals, but the paths of destruction they leave in their wake is not cute at all to say the least. Raccoon abatement programs is something Buckeye Wildlife Solutions can offer. We take many things into consideration when trapping for raccoons. One is where the main point of entry is located on the home. Depending where the hole on the house is, we will sometimes set traps on the rooftop. We must use a special kind of trap to set on the roof to prevent the caged raccoon from ripping apart shingles. Keeping raccoon problems at bay is our speciality here at Buckeye Wildlife Solutions. If you’d like to trap the raccoons yourselves, below we explain the entire process.

Trapping Raccoons In The Attic – Bait To Use & Where To Set Traps?

Raccoons are omnivores, they will basically eat anything. That being said there are specific kinds of bait to use. You want to avoid catching off-target animals like skunks or squirrels. Generally we like to use marshmallows in live cage traps. You want to buy the ‘jumbo marshmallows’ which you can find at Kroger, Walmart, Meijer, and a variety of other grocery retailers. It’s important to buy the big ones, because the white color will be visually appealing to the raccoon and appear as an egg which has been a natural food source for raccoons for many years. Now comes the part of actually trapping the raccoons. Unlike other pest animals, raccoons do not need trees to access your attic. They will use them if convenient, but we have found most of the time they will shimmy up corners of a home. This is the place where you want to set traps on the ground. You can usually find muddy paw prints on the corner where the raccoons are climbing up. There will always be a slight possibility of catching an off target animal, like a stinky old skunk! Feel free to give us a call if this occurs and we can pick up these caged animals for you.

Disinfecting The Attic & Sealing Up Holes

Raccoons are attracted to each others scent, this is why disinfecting your attic or crawl space is necessary to avoid future raccoon problems. You can disinfect with a variety of sanitizers like clorox. You should mix an appropriate ratio of disinfectant (a few glugs) with water, and use a sprayer to apply the solution. You can find a sprayer at ACE Hardware, Lowes, or The Home Depot. The raccoon waste should also be removed. Disinfecting & sealing the holes on your home are 2 of the most difficult steps in the process, but are 100% necessary when taking into consideration the health of your home and family. Sealing up the holes on your home will require some kind of background in carpentry and ladder work. We generally use sheet metal or some kind of strong barrier and screw it over the holes. You can also hire a handy man company to come and repair the damages. Call Buckeye Wildlife Solutions if we can help you with any of these steps!