Why Raccoons Are Dangerous to your Pets

Raccoons are the cute masked bandits that run about especially at night. They are nocturnal animals that go far foraging for food. Raccoons have adapted easily to urbanization and you may see one roaming around your neighbourhood once in a while.

Raccoons may look harmless, but don't be deceived. These bandits are actually very dangerous, especially to your pets. They carry diseases and viruses that can harm your furry friends and one of the most popular one is infecting your pets with canine distemper.

Canine distemper is caused by a virus that affects certain animal famillies including Procyonidae where raccoons belong. First signs in raccoons are a runny nose and watery eyes that further develops into conjunctivitis. At its later stages, the raccoon can develop pneumonia and some of its symptoms may actually be mistaken for rabies.

While humans are immune to this virus, dogs are not. In fact, they are prone to be affected by the virus, and it can cause serious health problems for your pet.  Dogs with this virus tend to be lethargic while their mental and motor skills deteriorate. They will also suffer from paralysis and seizures and poor eyesight. Canine distemper can be lethal to your pet's life especially since cases of degeneration of the nervous system are also linked with the canine distemper virus.

So, if you have pets at home, you may want to make sure their lives are protected and safe from these dangers. There are a lot of preventive measures you can do yourself. First, there are vaccines for puppies that can counter this virus. Second, never let your dogs out at night, especially when you don't have lights on and the area is dark. Remember, raccoons are nocturnal creatures and they would go around roaming after dusk. Most likely, this is the time when your beloved pet may encounter an infected raccoon.

The best course of action, however, is to eliminate all the possibilities of having raccoons near your pets. First is removing them from your property the soonest time possible and professional Montreal wildlife control like Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control can offer a helping hand. After an efficient and humane method of removing these masked critters from your home, you can talk to your Skedaddle Montreal Wildlife Control Technician about exclusion. Exclusion is the method of securing your home by sealing away all possible entries. Do yourself a favour and don't let the threats of raccoons get inside your household. Let Skedaddle handle them for you. Without much effort and too much risk, you'll get a critter-free house and property that's safe for you and your beloved pet.

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What Does a Raccoon Eat in the Wild?

Raccoons may seem cute, but the way you see them may change once they infest your property. They may spread insects and diseases not only to pets, but also to people. It is important to identify what types of food these animals eat to prevent them from infesting your home.

What do raccoons eat in the wild?

Raccoons have strong and dextrous paws that are powerful enough to tear through rotten wood, open trash bins or windows. While they are in the wild, these creatures use their paws to catch fish, steal eggs or hatchlings from nests. They also pick edible fruits from trees.

These animals with a bandit-like appearance also use their paws to raid fruit and vegetable gardens, chicken coops, pet food bowls and garbage cans before they return to their habitats.

Nuts and berries are also staple food of these animals while they live in the wild. These are easy to get and gather once the colder months approach.

What do racoons eat in the city?

Raccoons that end up wandering in cities have a difficult time looking for their staple food of nuts and fruits. They still find bird eggs, rodents and squirrels but are scarcer compared to living in the wild.

Raccoons in the city will rummage dumpsters, garbage cans and other similar places to get food.

These animals will look for warmth and a place to raise their young once the winter months come along. Your home will be an enticing destination because of these two traits.

Once raccoons infest your home, they will cause a lot of damage and may spread insects and disease. They tear through rotten wood, damaging the exterior and interior of your property. They might damage the electrical wiring with their chewing and tearing. They might also destroy or severely damage insulation as they tear through walls looking for a warm place to turn into a den.

Instead of trapping and killing these animals, you have a humane and effective alternative when you call Montreal wildlife control.

How can you remove raccoons from your property?

Montreal wildlife control professionals provide expert and humane services to make sure that your home is pest-free and will not return. Experts from Montreal wildlife control companies like Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control use safe and effective methods to get raccoons out and keep them out of your property.

They assess your property and pinpoint the exact location of a raccoon’s den. Once they find the den, they lure the mothers out and make sure the animals remain unharmed throughout the process. The removers also seal potential entry points of the animals they remove from your property.

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Understanding raccoon behaviour helps with removal

You wake up one day to find the garbage bins toppled over and there is garbage everywhere. You see droppings on your deck or patio. There is attic insulation in your yard and muddy paw prints on your siding. These are tell tales signs of a raccoon infestation.

Raccoons are one of the most common species of wildlife that people come in conflict with. It is good for you to understand how these masked bandits behave for you to determine the best way to removing them from your homes.

So, why does the raccoon decide to cohabitate with you? There could be a number of reasons and today let us run you through some of them:

1. Abundant food supply that your home offers. Unsecured bins and food alternatives accessed with ease are attractants to all wildlife animals, and raccoons are no exception. In fact, they may be the first to take this opportunity as they are very adaptable to urban life. Unattended pet food lying around your porch and unprotected vegetation can also lure them to your property.
2. Warm shelter for the litter. Raccoons are famous for denning in homes and attics and they are always on the lookout for alternative homes in the areas they occupy. Your attic and your chimney can be perfect areas to raise their babies. A mother and her babies can wreak serious havoc not only to your property but may inflict harm to you as well especially when they are not handled properly.

Once a raccoon inhabits your home, your whole household is in danger. They may be aggressive towards your pets and can cause great harm to your property. With their powerful dexterous paws, they can tear shingles, soffits and even your insulation materials and these can be pretty expensive to repair and restore.

While you may think that you can get rid of these cunning creatures on your own, we urge you to think again. DIY removal is not as easy as you think and can pose serious threat to you and your pets. Without proper understanding of how raccoons behave, catching these masked bandits can mean serious encounters that could lead to diseases and infections as well as needless property damage.

Because raccoons can be unpredictable and cunning, we strongly encourage you to seek professional help from Montreal wildlife control in removing these animals. Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control is trained to remove these critters from your homes in the most effective and most humane way possible. With more than twenty years of Montreal wildlife control experience, you can rest assured that your wildlife situation will be taken care of in no time.

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