A Family of Raccoons is living in Your Basement
Raccoons are the bane of many a homeowner’s existence, with their resourcefulness, and their destructive nature. Professional wildlife removers in the United States such as Wildlife X Team have seen more than our fair share of raccoon families living inside basements, attics, tree hollows, sheds, and pretty much anywhere else you can think of.
In today’s article, we’ll talk a bit about what’s attracting raccoons to your property, how they got in, why they’re in your basement, as opposed to your kitchen, and what you can do about it.
Why are there raccoons in the basement?
When it comes to wildlife infestations, the basement and the attic are the two most common areas of the home to get infested for the simple reason that these rooms are least occupied. Most people use the basement as a storage space, which means it stays dark, crowded, and undisturbed for extended periods of time. In other words, it’s the ideal hiding place for a raccoon, its babies, or any other wild animal that might be in the market for a new home.
Most commonly, the critters in your basement will actually be a mother raccoon, raising her young.
What attracts raccoons to human homes?
The first step in designing a raccoon removal plan is understanding why they’re there, in the first place. Raccoons, like most other wild animals, are attracted to your home because it offers sources of both food and water. The basement acts as the perfect base camp for raccoons while they scavenge for these two quintessential resources.
While you may think your home is quite clean, the truth is most homeowners are oblivious to how dirty a home can get. Accidental spills, crumbs all over the house, improperly stored food, leftovers, or pet bowls left out overnight might all be attracting raccoons (and other critters) to your property. Similarly, a leaky pipe, pond, bird bath, or other water source might also be at fault.
So, the first step towards raccoon removal is deterring them. And how do you do that? By removing what attracted them to your home in the first place and stepping up your cleaning game.
How can you get rid of raccoons in your basement?
Now, let’s work together to determine the best option for humane raccoon removal, once you’ve identified the critters in your basement.
Well, that’s a no-brainer, since by far the best solution for a raccoon infestation is reaching out to a professional wildlife removal company. They’ve got the necessary experience, protective gear, and removal equipment. On top of that, they will also be able to advise you on what you’re doing wrong (aka what attracted the raccoon in the first place), future prevention, as well as work on cleaning up the mess left behind by your furry tenants.
A wildlife removal company will also disinfect and clean the premises, which is a vital step in wildlife removal. While raccoons may not attack you directly, they do carry a wide range of serious diseases, which their feces and urine expose you too unwittingly. So, cleaning and disinfecting the premises is just as important as removing the animal itself.
If calling a wildlife removal company isn’t an option for you, we recommend live trapping. This is a humane, highly effective wildlife removal method in which the raccoon is lured into a cage, then transported far away from the home. When trapping a mother raccoon, however, be careful to also trap and transport her babies. Separating a mother from its cubs can be dangerous, not to mention cruel, since the baby raccoons might not be able to fend for themselves at such a young age.
Once the raccoons have been safely removed from the property, you will need to inspect your basement in order to determine how they got in, in the first place. The culprit is usually a crack or hole in the wall, or perhaps a broken window leading straight down. Regardless, it’s important to seal the entry point quickly, to avoid future infestations.
To seal cracks or holes in the wall, use material that’ll be difficult to chew or claw through, like wire mesh.
