Raccoon Removal in the Athens, Georgia Area

Athens-Clarke County Regional Office of Rid-A-Critter

Raccoon damage to a roof

Raccoons are among the most recognizable of nuisance animals. Their "bandit" masks and the ringed markings on their tails make them easy to recognize. They're also very intelligent, very physically strong, very unfriendly, and therefore a lot more dangerous than most people realize. If you corner a raccoon or come across one by accident, the raccoon can put a real hurting on you if it wants to; so keep a safe distance and don't back it into a situation in which it feels trapped.

Mainly, though, raccoons are just annoying. They're very smart, so they're able to think their way around most DIY attempts to keep them out of homes and other places where they're not wanted. They're also very strong, have excellent dexterity and possess enough understanding of concepts like leverage that they can open latches and gates, pull away things like plywood used to seal them out, get into garbage cans and dumpsters, and just generally make a mess of things.

A lot of people think raccoons are cute, but adult wild raccoons are decidedly unfriendly animals. Even domesticated ones aren't especially cuddly and have been known to attack their human caregivers on occasion. They just don't have especially warm and fuzzy personalities. In fact, if you come across a raccoon (especially an adults one) that seems tame or docile, or one walking around in daylight, it's very possible that it's sick with rabies; so give it a wide berth. Do not attempt to trap it on your own. Call us instead.

Health and Property Risks of Raccoons

Raccoon damage to the roof of a house in Georgia

Raccoons can do serious damage to a home. They up shingles, siding, and vents just to make their way in, and they do even more damage inside your home once they do. They tear up insulation, rummage through and damage stored clothing and other items, damage HVAC equipment and tear up the duct work, and poop and pee all over the place. They're definitely not the kind of guests you want living in your attic or anywhere else in your home.

Raccoons also build nests that can cause fire hazards, especially when they build them in the chimney. Removing raccoons from chimneys and then making the chimneys animal-proof keeps us busy year-round. (By the way, when we make a chimney raccoon-proof, it also keeps squirrels, birds, and other animals out.)

Like other animals, raccoons also create serious health, odor, and sanitation problems when they get inside a house. Their urine can cause odors, their droppings harbor bacterial and fungal pathogens, and their parasites can transmit arboviral diseases. There's also the risk of the raccoon actually attacking you, especially if you don't know that it's there and you surprise it.

Raccoons and Rabies

Raccoons have a higher incidence of rabies than most other animals. Rabies is a degenerative viral disease that affects the nervous system. It is incurable once symptoms have begun to show. Although most raccoons are not rabid, enough are that this factor alone is a good reason why you don't want them living in, around, or under your home. Any contact with a rabid animal's saliva can infect you, even if it just drips on a cut or scratch.

When they are infected with rabies, raccoons can act unpredictably. Sometimes they get very aggressive, but sometimes they become very passive and docile. Still other times they move back and forth between the two. Humans, being the compassionate sorts that we are, may be tempted to try to feed or help them. That's a bad idea. Give all raccoons a wide berth, especially those who are acting oddly.

Children, especially, may believe that sick raccoons are "friendly;" or even knowing that the raccoons are sick, they may try to pet or help them, just out of the goodness of their little hearts. It's important that you teach your children not to touch or pet wild raccoons or any other wild animals. Wildlife should not be handled by anyone other than professionals.

Raccoon Removal and Raccoon-Proofing

Raccoon control can be a real challenge, They're smart, strong animals with good dexterity, so keeping them out of a house requires heavy-duty methods and a keen knowledge of their habits. In addition, raccoons are very determined animals. Most other animals will simply cuss a bit and walk away when they find that their favorite entry hole has been sealed. Raccoons are more likely to try to undo the work we did, or to find another way in.

In addition, raccoons are able to get into and live in any part of home, from the basement or crawl space right up to the attic. Just patching up the holes that the raccoons have been using isn't enough. A proper raccoon-exclusion job requires inspecting the entire home for possible entry points, and sealing up all of them. If you miss even one, chances are the raccoons will find it -- especially if the raccoon is a female with young inside the house. That's why we always make sure than any young are found and removed as part of our raccoon-control work.

Because of the difficulty of the work, most DIY raccoon-proofing jobs fail. So do most of those done by roofers, handymen, or other folks who don't work with animals for a living. Most people simply don't appreciate how smart, strong, and determined these animals are. So don't waste your time trying to do it yourself, and don't waste your money paying someone who isn't specially trained to do this work. Call us instead. It's what we do.

In fact, Rid-A-Critter does more raccoon-removal jobs in the Athens area than any other wildlife control company in Georgia. We're the area leaders, and we have the personnel, equipment, and experience to handle any raccoon control job.

Please contact us if you need help with a raccoon problem or any wildlife management issue. We look forward to hearing from you.

Raccoon Control Gallery