Raccoons

Gallery-RaccoonsRaccoons are easily recognized by their black eye mask and ringed tail. They are excellent climbers and have nimble fingers, similar to a monkey’s. Adults can grow quite large, reaching a size of over 40 pounds.

Raccoons:

  • Omnivorous- meaning they will eat just about anything from insects & plants to garbage & rotting carrion (animals that we already dead)
  • Nocturnal
  • Highly intelligent
  • Do not intimidate easily to say the least,
  • Travel in groups, when you see one raccoon you can bet there are more with it.

That being said, having an intrusion of the furry critters into your home could pose a serious problem. The main reason raccoons take up shelter inside buildings in the first place is to make a den for their young. So when you notice that a raccoon has chosen your home as its new home, chances are you are dealing with a mother and her babies. Normally, one litter is born each year. In Florida, this generally occurs in March and April. Litters average about 3 to 4 young, though as many as 7 have been recorded. Newborn raccoons’ eyes remain closed until they are about 20 days old. They are weaned at 10 to 12 weeks, but the offspring may stay with their mother until they are 10 months old.

Not only is the removal of these animals a tricky and dangerous task, it’s not the only inconvenience these masked bandits will cause. Raccoons are notoriously destructive and filthy creatures. They can (and will), scatter garbage across your lawn during the night after going on a binge in your trash cans, rip apart woodwork, screens, contaminate insulation, and damage wiring and duct work. They will do all of this while leaving urine and feces everywhere, which poses a health risk.
Their feces can contain Raccoon Roundworm spores and, if inhaled, will seriously sicken humans. Humans may have permanent nervous disabilities or vision loss and in severe cases, blindness, coma, and/or death may occur.
Raccoons are known to carry a wide variety of diseases and parasites including rabies and canine distemper. All of these pose serious risk to any people or pets that enter your property.