Raccoons are a troublesome species that can be deadly in many ways. They will come onto your property mostly to find food or water, to see if they can make a nest in your attic or under your deck or shed and if they can make a latrine on your property. This often happens because they are living on someone else’s property but can also just be a stop on the road for a wandering raccoon.
They are what is called the vector species for rabies which means other animals like dogs will most likely get rabies from a raccoon. Not just that but when a raccoon comes on your property they will often bring with them dead animals or defecate on your property. Raccoon feces is very dangerous and contains billions of microscopic eggs containing a parasite called raccoon roundworm. This is a parasite that will fill every organ in your body, cause blindness, coma and then brain death. This is very dangerous and requires a skilled and trained professional with a full face covering respirator and boiling steam to remove properly.
Raccoons act differently in the summer and the winter. In the summer they are aggressive and have an exclusively carnivorous diet. They are the primary hunters of squirrels and will eat them whenever they get a chance. Their preference is squirrel babies and they can access an attic or a nest in a tree with ease. They tend to get lazy when it’s hot and will literally sleep on your deck. Raccoons are one of the few animals that are so at home with humans that they are not afraid of them. While you can try yelling they will simply not respond. Getting aggressive with them will lead to you being injured and loud music and strobe lights do nothing. If a female raccoon is in your attic it is likely because she is about to give birth. Other male raccoons hunt for other males children so they can kill them and increase the survivability of their own.
This is why raccoons are such a threat. Unlike skunks who can only burrow skunks can climb high structures up and over three and four stories and can access a roof with force instead of guile. They can rip a roof vent clean off, allow an easy entrance for them, their family and the rain. Raccoons in the winter are especially problematic as they are desperate for food. They must become omnivores and eat vegetables along with meat so the pressure is high and finding a warm nest is at the top of the list. Your garbage is also their winter vacation so make sure to store everything in locked containers in your tightly sealed garage.