Raccoon Control in Durham
Do you need to get rid of raccoons? We can help!
Some Geographic Restrictions
Raccoons are noisy and destructive pest animals. Homeowners in Durham are most likely to notice a raccoon infestation during the spring, but they can be a pest problem all year. In the Piedmont, the raccoon breeding season is from February through March. During that time, females are searching for a safe place to give birth and raise their young.
Raccoons thrive in every county in North Carolina. Since 1987 evidence suggests the raccoon population is growing. Their preferred habitat has easy access to water, such as bottomland forests, hardwood swamps, and marshes. Raccoons thrive near people because of increased shelter and food options in conjunction with less predation.
Trutech Wildlife Service specializes in raccoon removal in the Triangle. Trutech’s raccoon pest control starts a thorough inspection to find entry points and damage. After the inspection, they will build a custom solution to trap, remove, and control the pests. Our whole home exclusions comes with a one-year raccoon control guarantee.
Raccoon Control Service in Durham
Home Inspection
The purpose of the inspection is to develop a custom control plan to solve your raccoon pest problem, repair raccoon damage, prevent future raccoon problems, and apply sanitization agents. The inspection identifies all entry points on your home, investigate your property including your roof, and identify physical evidence like raccoon tracks and droppings.
Raccoon Trapping
A cage trap is the most effective and humane raccoon trap. Keep 12 inches around the trap clear. Raccoons have extremely dexterous front paws with five long, tapered fingers and long nails. Raccoons destroy everything they can get their hands on when trapped. Traps are baited with sweet items to reduce non-target pests trapping.
Exclusion for Control
Raccoon exclusion services are the most effective raccoon pest control. After raccoon removal, it is imperative to seal all entry points to prevent future raccoon problems. Raccoons can squeeze into a four to five inch gaps. When they cannot find a hole big enough, they create it. At Trutech, we install the proper materials on all potential entry points to keep raccoons out.
Raccoon Problems
Evidence of Raccoon Infestation
Raccoons are ever recognizable with their black-masked face and nocturnal habits. Mother raccoons may destroy and enter parts of your home, especially your attic, in order to create a suitable place to raise their young.
Raccoon Noises
The most common sign of a raccoon in your house is the noise. Homeowners hear movement noises like thumping and scurrying and vocal sounds. Typical vocalizations include purring, chittering, growling, snarling, hissing, whimpering, and even screeching.
Physical Evidence
For nocturnal critters, spotting a raccoon is rare. Homeowners are more likely to see physical evidence like raccoon tracks and raccoon poop.
Trash cans flipped over and the bags of trash in them destroyed is a telltale sign of a raccoon.
Damages Caused by Raccoon Infestation
Raccoons are dangerous. If you find one in your home, do not approach it!
When raccoons decide to den in attics, they can cause significant property damage. They can create entry points through soffits, gable vents, roof returns, roof vents, and shingles. Once in your home, they will use available materials like insulation to create dens. They also destroy home gardens, birdfeeders, and make messes of trash cans and garbage bins.
They establish latrine sites that can pose serious health risks if located on your properties. Raccoon feces carries Baylisascaris procyonis (raccoon roundworm) which can spread to people and pets.
In addition to raccoon roundworm, raccoons spread diseases and parasites like rabies, tularemia, giardia, salmonellosis, canine distemper, and leptospirosis.
Ectoparasites like fleas, ticks, lice, and mites can live on raccoons. These parasites can find news hosts once they have been introduced inside your house.
Why Choose Trutech
Our Guarantee
With Trutech, your satisfaction is guaranteed. Trutech technicians take great pride in providing quality workmanship to solve your wildlife pest needs. If you are not completely satisfied, we move to fix the issue at no additional charge or offer a full refund.
Free Inspection
Schedule a free inspection for all wildlife and pest infestations. Our inspection covers the entire house from roof to basement. Each inspection includes a no-obligation quote, a comprehensive report on problems observed, and a detailed explanation of a custom wildlife removal and pest control solution.
Financing Available
For Trutech customers fixed-rate financing through the Rollins Acceptance Company (RAC) is available.
Both standard and 90-day same as cash financing options have 12-,18-,24-, or 36-month options. Some projects might qualify for a budgeted plan of up to 60 months.
How Trutech Gets Rid of Raccoons
Raccoon in Attic Removal
Raccoons are excellent climbers. They use tree limbs, downspouts, or even siding to gain access to your roof. Once on your roof, entry points include shingles, loose soffits, eaves, vents, or roof returns. Once inside, damage caused by raccoons in the attic includes building dens and creating latrine sites. Both activities destroy the attic’s insulation.
The best way to get rid of a raccoon is a trap. We secure the raccoon trap and set it away from anything you do not want to be destroyed. We place traps in an area where raccoons frequent. Because the raccoon trap needs to be checked, we do place it in a somewhat accessible location.
Raccoon in Chimney Removal
Raccoons commonly nest in chimneys. While many homeowners place specialized caps on their smokestacks for this very reason, raccoons are able to gain entry by removing them manually. As raccoons commonly break into chimneys to raise young, noises like squeaking, purring, rustling, and whining are often heard through the night when infestations are present.
Since the pests become hostile if threatened or cornered, individuals should use extreme caution when confronting raccoons in chimneys. Never open the fireplace to try and catch a raccoon.
We set a trap at the top of the chimney, and if need be, hand remove any juveniles.
Raccoon on Roof Removal
Raccoons often access rooftops by climbing trees, siding, and drainage pipes. Raccoons can establish latrine sites on your roof, and females will search for a more secure place like your attic to give birth.
Preventing raccoon access to roofs is difficult, as these clever creatures can climb up just about any surface, but there are ways our professionals can reduce the odds. From metal flashing and tree trimming, to regular inspections, Trutech Wildlife Service has the experience to repair roof damage and prevent future infestations.
Raccoon Inside the Wall Removal
A female raccoon in the attic can look for more secure places to establish a den. Wall voids are secure and secluded. Homeowners will clearly hear the noises raccoon kits make.
If juveniles are present, raccoon eviction fluid has been effective. Othertimes, the experts at Trutech Wildlife Service will set a trap to catch the female and then hand remove the kits.
Occasionally, a raccoon falls down a wall void and cannot climb out. If you hear the distressed noises of an animal, you will need to remove it as quickly as possible. A trapped raccoon can die
Raccoon in Basement Removal
Basements and crawlspaces are popular places to find nuisance wildlife. Common basement entry points include gaps where utility cables and pipes run into homes, holes near building foundations, open vents, and furnace chimneys. Crawlspaces usually have a simple latch to close the door. Raccoons are smart enough to open that door.
Raccoon in Trash
Raccoons are agile and clever animals that like to break into trash bins for food using any means necessary. They are able to tip over smaller garbage cans and spill the contents on the ground or undo loose-fitting latches and lift unsecured lids to reach inside and pull out trash. Finding trash strewn about lawns is the most damming evidence that raccoons have recently raided garbage bins. Property owners may also find the pest’s distinctive tracks around receptacles.
Some Geographic Restrictions
Frequently Asked Questions
You should call a licensed wildlife control operator. Learn more from the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission.
Homeowners can feel confused when trying to find a pest control service for their nuisance wildlife problem. The first time someone considers how to get rid of a raccoon or squirrel is when that critter is in their attic. Finding the right pest control professional to help your property become pest-free.
Exterminators and wildlife control operators both provide pest management and pest control. While sharing the common goal of keeping human dwellings free of pests, there are key differences between the two. Be clear to anyone seeking help with a pest problem.
Exterminators approach pest problems with the aim of killing offenders via the controlled application of toxic chemicals.
Wildlife control is the integrated approach for animal trapping, removal, and exclusion of various nuisance wildlife.
It depends on how established the raccoons are and if juveniles are present. It could take less than a week.
Trutech Wildlife Service experts first identify the extent of raccoon activity to help them create an effective removal plan. They aim to create the safest and most humane way of raccoon removal, which will likely involve using a custom trap.
When trapping, our technicians place safe and humane cage traps in areas where raccoons frequent, usually on concrete or dirt, if possible. Because traps must be checked regularly, they must be placed where they can easily access them.
Raccoons have extremely dexterous front paws with long nails that help them destroy everything they can get their hands on when trapped. For example, the lawn underneath the trap and nearby flowers or shrubbery will likely be damaged if accessible. Never go near the trapped animal to avoid getting scratched or clawed; let Critter Control handle it with their safety gear.
Our experts will know exactly what to do with the raccoon after its capture. They may need to deliver it to the local wildlife department for rabies testing or obtain permission to relocate it to another property.
Many factors determine raccoon removal costs, including location, the raccoon’s condition, the type of property, the number of raccoons involved, and the time of year. You should never try raccoon removal by yourself. You may violate local or state laws and regulations, contract a disease by getting bitten or scratched, or cause further damage to your property.
At the first sign of raccoon activity, contact Trutech Wildlife Serivce for a quote that includes inspecting your property, removing the raccoon, and implementing exclusions so you don’t have to worry about raccoon infestations in the future.
You can recognize raccoon activity by their unique tracks, noises, and droppings. Trutech Wildlife Serivce experts can help you analyze specific signs to determine if you have raccoons in your attic.
Recognize Raccoon Tracks
Raccoon tracks resemble tiny human handprints with five fingers extending from the palm. Hind paw tracks are similar but show elongated heels that sink deep into the ground. Raccoons have unusual gaits, carrying most of their weight on their back ends. That puts the fore and hind paw tracks side by side or slightly offset.
Recognize Raccoon Noises
You will primarily hear raccoon noises at night when the pests are most active in their search for food. Even when raccoons are quiet vocally, they still make noise. The sound of an animal rustling or scurrying about the attic or chimney is a common sign that a raccoon has moved in.
Typical raccoon sounds also occur when the pests walk across rooftops, construct their dens, or attempt to gain entry through holes or other small openings that lead to attractive denning sites. You can also hear raccoons communicating using various sounds.
Raccoon sounds range from the vocalizations the animals use to communicate with each other to the noises they make due to their rustling, scurrying, and other activities. Known to be highly vocal creatures, raccoons interact using more than 200 sounds, including purring, chittering, growling, snarling, hissing, whimpering, and even screeching like owls. Baby raccoon sounds include mewing, crying, and whining.
Recognize Raccoon Poop
Raccoon poop is often found in select areas of an attic. The droppings are tubular, have blunted ends, and are usually dark in color, though coloration is subject to change depending on what the animal has recently consumed.
When raccoons nest in houses, their accumulated waste destroys insulation and saturates woodwork. Their feces spread raccoon roundworm, a severe health hazard for residents repairing raccoon damage to homes. In addition, fleas and ticks in raccoon fur can transfer to people or pets, spreading diseases like Lyme disease.
Raccoons will use their sharp claws and teeth to attack a person or pet if they feel threatened. Avoid leaving dogs and cats unattended in an area with suspected raccoon activity.
These critters can instantly turn vengeful, aggressive, and territorial to assert dominance.
Raccoons are known carriers of rabies, which spreads through bites to humans and pets. Raccoons are linked to leptospirosis, giardia, distemper, salmonella, tularemia, and toxoplasmosis.
