Do Raccoons Cause Damage to Homes in Atlantic City, NJ? What Pathogens Do They Carry & More

Does it sound like you have a drunken sailor in your attic? Do you hear banging, dragging and things getting knocked over? If you’re hearing these sounds, you may have a raccoon. While raccoons might be a beloved creature in the movies because of their naturally masked faces, they can be a problem in real life. These seemingly adorable little animals can cause a multitude of problems when they get into your home. These are wildlife pests that should be dealt with as soon as you notice them on your property, so they don’t try and make it their permanent home. Ross Environmental Solutions is here to talk about some of the trouble they can cause on your property.

What Kind of Damage Do Raccoons Cause?

There are several reasons you don’t want to have raccoons take over your home and property. Following are some of the ways they can cause damage.
– Damage to Your Home: When the weather gets cold, raccoons are another animal that will try anything to find a place to keep warm. This includes getting into your home. What is different about raccoons than rodents are their ability to use their hands to tear your home apart. They have the ability to literally tear a hole in your walls to gain access. They can also pry vents open so they can squeeze through them and into your attic. Female raccoons are now breeding and are actively searching out warm cozy attics to have a litter of up to five babies (kits). The young are born as early as March, nursed by their mother, and weaned in ten weeks.
– Raccoons are a Danger to Pets: If you have chickens or pet ducks, they can be a danger to them. Raccoons will often kill these animals. If there are eggs involved, they will surely try and make a snack out of them.
– Damaged Landscaping: If you have any edible plants on your property, raccoons are likely to eat them. They love fruit trees and any other vegetables or fruit that you may be growing in your garden. If you have just put down some fresh sod to add beauty to your landscape, it isn’t uncommon for them to rip it up in search of earthworms and grubworms. They may come on a nightly basis in search of these sources of food. With their hands, they can simply move the sod and get to work.
– Health & Safety Concerns: Besides the damage they cause while taking residence in your attic, their feces about the size of cat droppings, can carry several parasites and serious diseases that are transmissible to humans. Additionally, they are a known vector of rabies. They are one of the most prevalent hosts of rabies in the US currently because of the high raccoon population. You should be equally concerned about raccoon roundworm as it can cause serious health problems as well like blindness, brain damage and even death. To avoid this disease, you should avoid making contact with their feces.

Wildlife Removal

If you are struggling with raccoon problems on your property, you can turn to the pest professionals at Ross Environmental Solutions to help you get your raccoon trouble under control. We have training as well as experience in safely removing them from your property, so they are no longer a risk to your or your pets. Raccoons can be extremely aggressive and shouldn’t be dealt with unless you know what you’re doing. Give Ross Environmental Solutions a call today if you have raccoons. We will get them out and seal your home up to prevent re-entry.