We have had raccoons in our attic for 6 months this spring until I was able to trap
the young raccoons and take them into the country. If you would like to hear more about this experience as well as about raccoons, go to our main
index page. The search term "Ohio Raccoon Sick Toledo" can be used if you are looking for something about raccoons in Ohio.
Note that you can become very sick from breathing dried raccoon feces if they are disturbed. Raccoons have small worms in them which if they are taken into the human body will cause organ
damage and even death. So be careful if you plan to go into the attic.
They
are incredibly smart and will avoid entering traps,
music in their dens does not bother them and certainly
moth balls in the attic also do not work to get rid
of them. The only way to remove them is to install
a one way trap door at the entrance to their den
so they can
get out but not back in. Also it is very
important to make sure that the babies can get out.
if they are trapped inside your attic the parents
will tear your roof apart to get back to their young.
So wait until they are old enough to travel and then install a one way trap door.
Waiting until the young raccoons are old enough to
travel is very important. If the young ones are trapped
inside the parents will do just about anything to get
to their young babies. In addition you really do not
want to have dead raccoons smelling up your attic.
This odor will travel throughout the house eventually.
The raccoons may also do some damage to your home
while rasing thier young in your attic. At the very
least they will compact the insulation which reduces
the insulating value. There will be a certain amount
of feces and urine that will also be left in the attic.
If you can get rid of them quick enough, then you can
minimize the damage. Don't procrastinate, hoping that
they will leave on their own. They won't.
Once they are gone it is important to have your attic
cleaned by professionals to avoid any lingering odor,
areas lacking insulation etc. If you plan to do it
yourself make sure you are wearing a breathing mask,
since airborne particles can be very infectious.
