As our Cold Winter drags on, every Raccoon out there has 3 goals; 1) Find food 2) Stay out of the way of predators and 3) Find a nice warm place to stay. Raccoons don’t just think about these in the middle of Winter, they generally plan and prepare knowing meeting these goals are their keys to survival.
In preparing for cold weather, Raccoons are searching for a perfect place to live, stay warm, and later maybe raise a family. Their careful planning sometimes leads to residence in our homes usually in attics or Chimneys. This decision could then lead to structural damage, potential Health & Safety concerns for the occupants of the home, possible Noise and odor problems and the feeling that something is living in our home without our approval.
While it is hard to blame the Raccoons for wanting to escape the cold and find a comfortable home for themselves, it is a situation, as homeowners, we don’t want to find ourselves in. Raccoons adapt very well to their environment and as with other wildlife, they take opportunities to break into homes through structural weaknesses such as Soffits, Roof vents as in the pictures here, Plumbing mats, Fascia, and through damaged shingles on the roof. Once inside your attic, continued damage and destruction occurs sometimes without you knowing.
Potential problems from raccoons entering your attic include:
- Structural such as soffit or roof damage
- electrical damage to wiring from scratching and chewing habits leading to risk of fire
- Insulation damage including reduced R Value from continuous travel and from resting areas
- contamination from feces and urine leading to odor and health risks
- Risk of water damage from raccoon structural entry points such as the picture here where a Raccoon had removed the plastic attic vent and entered the attic leaving the attic exposed to weather conditions
For many reasons, it is important to resolve wildlife conflicts in your home. Deterring wildlife is the best form of prevention which includes inspecting for impending structural opportunities and repairing or reducing food access by keeping garbage secure. Access points to the roof can be modified including the proximity of overhanging tree limbs.
In most cases, it is best to leave Raccoon problems in your home to a professional wildlife solutions company who will safely and humanely remove wildlife and prevent them from re-entering using Wildlife exclusion techniques
While Solace Pest Solutions is new in name, the All-Star team of Solace technicians have done and seen it all when it comes to safely and humanely removing and excluding unwanted wildlife. Raccoons in your attic, chimney, garage, or shed? RELAX WE’VE GOT THIS
1877-9RELAXX
www.solacepest.ca
