What is your nickname for raccoons? Almost everyone calls them something: trash pandas, treasure cats, furry bandits, masked bandits, garbage tippers, night hooligans. If you have dealt with them enough, you have had time to get creative. What we want to know today is how are raccoons causing trouble for you around your Worcester property? Are they getting into areas where they don’t belong? Are they digging through your trash while you sleep? Do you suspect they are starting a family in your shed? Whatever it is, we are here to help. Here is everything you need to know about coons.
These furry bandits are poster children for creatures of the night. Wearing a black mask over a white face and covered in salt and pepper grey-colored fur, these "night hooligans" have a unique appearance that gives off a vibe like they are always up to something. These "treasure cats" are also equipped with black and white ringed tails. A typical "trash panda" can grow to be 3 feet in length, and if fed well can weigh as much as 75 pounds (as seen with the current world record holder). One common mistake people make about these "garbage tippers" is thinking they have thumbs. Although it is true that raccoons have five capable fingers on each paw, they do not have opposable thumbs.
Habits
Like most forest creatures, raccoons prefer to live out in nature near a water source. If your property has a pool or reliable source of water, raccoons might decide to settle down even closer to your home. During the daytime, coons are most likely to be found inside a hollow tree den, in a ground burrow, under a brush pile, occupying a muskrat house, chilling in a barn, or hunkering down within an abandoned building.
How Often Are Raccoons Dangerous?
Not all raccoon is dangerous. Most are just hungry and looking to steal food from your trash or garden. There is, however, always a chance that a raccoon can harm you. The first way a raccoon can be dangerous is if it has rabies and tries to bite you. If a raccoon on your property is making strange noises or looks uncomfortable, slow, or disoriented, keep your distance as these are all signs of rabies.
Another way raccoons can be dangerous is with the parasites they carry, specifically fleas and ticks. If raccoons shelter near your home, they run the risk of spreading these tiny pests onto your home pets. The best thing you can do to combat this is to equip your pets with flea and tick colors.
How You Can Keep Raccoons Out Of Your Yard
Raccoons will only invade your property if they think they can get something out of it. The trick to keeping them away is to make your property as unattractive as possible. Here is how our experts recommend you do this.
- Make sure your trashcans have tight-fitting lids that raccoons cannot open.
- Install motion sensor lights or sprinklers to scare off raccoons as they enter your property to cause trouble.
- Fence in your garden so that raccoons cannot dig up and munch on your hard work.
- Keep your yard free of any foods raccoons might like to eat such as dropped fruit, leftover barbeque, pet food, etc.
- Clean clutter from your yard so that raccoons have fewer places to hide.
- Seal up pet entry doors before going to bed at night so raccoons don’t wander into your home.
What To Do If Raccoons Settle On Your Property
Are raccoons living on your property? We would like to help. At Big Blue Bug Solutions we offer safe and effective removal services for wildlife of all kinds, including raccoons. Avoid all of the dangers of trash pandas, furry bandits, night hooligans (or whatever else you want to call them). Let us handle your wildlife problems today. Give us a call for more information or to schedule a service visit for your Worcester property.