04/06/2026
This is so very important! Please read the entire, attached post.
And I just have to add to this post: PLEASE make sure that there is access for the mother to actually leave your property. Once all of the babies have been removed by Mom and she’s been given enough time to collect all of her babies, board up that entrance hole(s) to keep this raccoon family and others from taking residence over and over again.
At just two weeks old, this tiny raccoon kit was separated from his family after his mother and siblings were removed from an attic by a nuisance removal company and reunited outside of the attic space. This kit was unknowingly away from the rest of its siblings and was left behind. Once the kit started crying it was recovered and brought to our center for care due to the likelihood that it was dehydrated.
Trapping and relocating raccoon families is inhumane, often illegal, and largely ineffective, acting as a death sentence for the animals. It frequently orphans babies, causes high mortality rates in adults from stress or fighting, and fails to stop new raccoons from moving in.
Why You Should Avoid Trapping and Relocating Raccoons:
🦝Orphaning Young: Raccoons breed between January and June, often using attics/chimneys. Trapping a mother removes her from her babies, leaving the young to starve slowly in your home.
🦝Low Survival Rates: Over 70% of relocated adult animals die from stress, starvation, dehydration, or conflict with other raccoons in the new territory.
🦝Fatal Injuries: Animals often panic in traps, causing severe injuries to themselves, including broken teeth and broken claws.
🦝Illegal Activity: In many places, relocating wild animals is illegal, and releasing them on someone else’s property is unlawful.
🦝It Doesn't Fix the Problem: Removing one raccoon creates a vacuum, prompting new animals to occupy the now-vacant territory.
Instead of trapping, use deterrents to make the den site uncomfortable so the mother relocates her babies naturally:
🦝Light: Place a bright, strobe-like, or LED light in the dark attic or crawlspace.
🦝Sound: Place a radio tuned to a talk radio station in the area.
🦝Scent: Place rags soaked in c***r vinegar or peppermint oil near the nesting site.
