Raccoons are one of the most common wild animals to visit the homes of Americans across the country. Generally, raccoons are quite common, since they’re only looking for food and shelter, and they’re quite determined creatures, so if there’s the slightest chance of finding food on your property, they will.
A big issue with raccoons is that their size sometimes allows them to enter the home through a pet door, which obviously, you don’t really want. So in this article, we’ll show you what you need to do, in order to prevent that from happening.
Learn more about raccoons.
Obviously, one of the first steps you’ll need to take is to figure out how likely it is to run into a raccoon in your specific area. Of course, some areas are more prone to raccoon-invasions than others, so read up on that.
Also read more about raccoons – their diet, behavior and other characteristics can make it easy to identify the wild animal that’s bothering you, and can also help you in keeping them away.
Install a lock on your pet door.
Many pet doors nowadays come with their own lock, which you can use every night before you go to bed. Since raccoons tend to be nocturnal and also to avoid confrontation, they’re less likely to attempt a break-in in the middle of the day. At night, however, you’re less safe, particularly if you’ve got leftovers or other readily available sources of food in your home. So opting for a lockable pet door might be a great idea for safeguarding your property.
Use a smart pet door.
Other pet doors out there are activated by an electrical signal released by the collar of your pet. That way, your pet will still be able to access the home, but you won’t have to worry about raccoons, skunks, or other wild animals, as they won’t be able to give off the signal.
Obviously, these choices are pricier, but in the end, worthwhile if you’re worried about wild animals breaking in through the pet door.
Keep doors inside the home closed during the night.
If you’ve got a traditional pet door that opens to all animals and can’t be locked, the next best thing would be to keep all doors inside the home closed at night. That way, if a raccoon does get in, you’ll have more control over where it goes, so it will also be easier to find and capture it.
Make sure you store food in airtight, difficult to open containers.
Consider the main reason why raccoons are visiting your property – food. Far too often, we store food improperly inside our kitchen. This, in turn, can become a huge attraction point to wild animals like raccoons, as well as other pests, such as ants or bugs. So store your food in airtight containers that only you can open.
Use a deterrent.
You can also install an outdoor deterrent like Critter Pro. Depending on the device you choose, it will use either light or sound to repel raccoons, and will typically be motion-activated. Unfortunately, there are mixed opinions about the efficiency of these kinds of deterrents, but we think it’s worth a try.
Lastly, contact a professional.
If you’re unsure what other steps you can take to prevent a raccoon invasion through your pet door, you can always call a professional wildlife removal company. They’ll advise you on proper prevention methods, as well as inspect your property for early warning signs. If you’d like to contact experts in raccoon control, visit pestcontrolraccoon.com.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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