Raccoons are nocturnal omnivores, which means they become active late in the evening and throughout the night. These creatures often stay to themselves and away from humans, but can become very problematic to urban dwellers. Raccoons, like most other small wildlife critters, tend to make themselves comfortable in your home. They can often be found in chimneys, attics, and other areas where they can find protection from the weather and dangerous creatures. If a raccoon has found its way into your private living space, raccoon removal is essential. Contact Critter Ridder today for help!
Raccoons, like most animals, travel in groups and will infest your home if one should ever find its way inside. If you find that these pesky little creatures are sharing your personal space, you will first need to have them removed from the premises. Once they have been removed, you will need to seal their entrance to avoid wildlife getting into your home in the future.
While this process may sound simple in and of itself, raccoons are not easy to capture or chase off of your property. In fact, you should never try to do this on your own. If you have a raccoon infestation in your home, it is time to call the professional raccoon removal company in Austin — Critter Ridder. Our team specializes in humane raccoon removal by omitting the use of traps and poisons. Instead, we use a special hormone that is designed to prompt the raccoons to evacuate on their own. This hormone is also specially formulated to prompt mother raccoons to take their babies with them.
At Critter Ridder, we also offer a 100% exclusion service. This means that we will return to your property once the raccoons have evacuated to locate and seal any possible entrances to prevent further invasions. Our exclusion services also include returning to your home in the event of any foul odors, as this may indicate that a young one was left behind and died. Contact Critter Ridder today to learn more!
Raccoons are one of the largest critters that inhabit homes in the Austin area. Due to their large size, raccoons are relatively easy to notice. As nocturnal animals, raccoons will typically move around the attic and garage areas at night — scratching and clawing — often loudly enough to wake the homeowners. Raccoons that are living comfortably in your home may even be bold enough to move around your home during daylight hours, which means you may catch them snooping around your house even in the middle of the day. Below are some of the other signs to watch for:
Raccoon droppings
Strong urine smell
Scratch marks
Raccoon prints left on the walls or floor
Trash bags torn open and rummaged through
Raccoons like to find warm, dry, and safe areas to call home. An attic provides a sheltered area for raccoons to sleep comfortably and offers protection from the elements. Female raccoons, in particular, will seek out areas like attics when they are pregnant in hopes of having and raising their babies in peace. Additionally, raccoons enjoy feasting on human’s leftover food, so a home near the garage and garbage cans is ideal.
What To Do If A Raccoon Is Inside Your Home
Raccoons should be treated with extreme caution. Raccoons are aggressive towards humans and pets when they feel threatened. They also carry diseases that could be transferred to both humans and pets. If there is a raccoon stuck inside your home, follow these steps to ensure that both you and the animal remain safe.
Remove any pets from the situation. Put your pets in a different room or place them outside. Raccoons will become aggressive if pets approach them, and can severely injure your animals.
Make sure the raccoon has a way to get out. Open up doors to create a safe way for the animal to escape, and remove any obstacles that you can without getting too close to the raccoon.
Close blinds on windows to remove any light distractions. Animals do not know the difference between an open window and a closed window, and they may consider the light coming through as a possible escape route
Give the raccoon space. Leave the room the raccoon is in, and give it an opportunity to escape on its own. Staying in the same room as the raccoon will stress it out, causing it to not want to move.
Do not approach the animal if you are not comfortable. Raccoons can bite and attack if you are not careful about how you approach them. If you are uncomfortable removing the raccoon or if you potentially have an infestation of raccoons, do not risk harming yourself or the raccoon.Contact Critter Ridder in Austin immediately for raccoon removal services!
Why Remove The Raccoon?
1. Damage To Your Home
The longer the raccoons stay in your home or attic, the more damage they are likely to cause. Raccoons are strong and have nimble paws that can scratch through walls, metal, wood, and insulation. Raccoons also have a tendency to chew, which could cause serious problems if they choose to chew through wiring, piping, or air ducts. If you have noticed any signs of raccoons being in your home or attic, it is important to have them removed from the home, and to seal any entrances as soon as possible to save your home from damage.
2. A Health Risk
Raccoons can carry a variety of diseases that are potentially harmful to humans and pets. The most common disease they carry is rabies. Rabies is a serious disease that can be fatal to pets, and can cause a number of health problems in humans. In addition to diseases carried by the raccoon, there are even more health risks when it comes to raccoon droppings and urine. Worms, parasites, and spores found in raccoon excrement can affect humans, especially if the contaminants are in the attic — allowing them to get into the air conditioning or heating ducts. Raccoons also release a pathogen known as baylisascaris procyonis, which can be harmful to your health. It is therefore recommended that you seek our help as soon as the infestation is noticed to prevent harm to you and your family.
Critter Ridder is a company built by professionals, and our exclusion service comes with a 1-year warranty. This means that if raccoons return within a year of your initial exclusion service, we will return to your home to remove and reseal your home for free! We also offer a same day service in the Austin area. With speedy service times, there is no need to hesitate when seeking our professional help and assistance of raccoon removal.
Our team at Critter Ridder not only removes the raccoons and seals any entrances, but our animal control technicians are also skilled in attic cleanup and restoration. To learn more about our full service attic restoration services, visit our attic cleanup page or give us a call today!
James D. – 11/18/2017
I highly recommend Mike and Critter Ridder. Mike Squeezed me in to his pre-holiday busy schedule to address squirrels/raccoons in my attic. He came by quickly inspected the attic and determined that is was secure no rodent. What I heard was something trying to get into my attic. He gave me some good advice shook my hand and was on his way.”
Gary B. – 12/2/2016
Probably the best customer service I’ve experienced. I was informed of the schedule every step of the way. They did high quality work and ridded my attic of raccoons and rats and repaired the extensive damage. Their price was reasonable and it met State Farm’s approval. They came back promptly when I saw a raccoon in the back yard. Brad and Cheryl were/are outstanding. I highly recommend this company for your critter needs.
Cynthia A. – 2/3/2018
Great company, does a thorough and professional job. The initial inspection and estimate was excellent. It’s not cheap but homeowner’s insurance will pay for raccoon damage. I had a raccoon in my attic that tore up my exterior chimney and attic as well as evidence of attic rats. The job was complicated by the discovery of termites. Luckily the owner, Mike, is certified for termite treatment. I had a complete attic restoration with new insulation. It took a long time to get everything done but that was partially due to weather and holidays. The finished work looks great, my attic is buttoned up, and bonus – I’ve already saved money on my heating bill from the upgraded insulation. Go with Critter Ridder, you won’t be sorry.
Sarah D. – 3/9/2018
We were very happy with the service of Critter Ridder at the business where I work. They did exactly what Wes said they would do, and quickly. After a 6-week assault to our senses, we assumed that we had multiple dead rats in the walls. Turned out to be a 30 lb raccoon! They also came in and gave us a reasonable estimate to solve our problem long-term. They were understanding of our budget limitations and were willing to work with us, not being pushy, and giving us recommendations, instruction, and direction. The next time we have something dead in the walls at our business, we will definitely call them first!