Raccoons are nocturnal mammals with bushy tails and a black mask of fur. These animals may look like cute, cuddly pets, but they can be quite aggressive.  They are about the same size  as small dogs. They grow to about 23 to 37 inches  and weigh 4 to 25 lbs.

Baby raccoons are called kits or cubs and are usually born in the early summer. Females have one to seven offspring after a gestation period of 60 to 73 days.

For the first two months of their lives, the kits live in their den. Raccoons are weaned at 7 to 16 weeks and will begin to roam away from their mothers at 12 weeks.  These baby raccoons will become completely independent at 8 to 12 months of age. Raccoons live 2 to 3 years in the wild.

Trapping and/or excluding raccoons as soon as possible is the best practice.  Since the mom and baby raccoons will live in your attic for many months, they can cause a lot of damage and cause a major sanitary issue for your home.

Trapping or exclusion needs to take place at the entry point.  Setting a trap at the point where the raccoon is accessing the home is the best method of removal.  Once the raccoon or raccoons are removed, the hole can be repaired.  If you are removing a raccoon in the summer months it is important to find and remove the baby raccoons as well.  It is common to have to cut the baby raccoons out of the walls or from the between the floor void.  If the baby raccoons are not removed, they will die in the attic or walls.

It is important to make sure all animals are removed before holes are sealed up.  If you close them into the attic, they will make a new hole to get out and can end up in your living space.  It is also important to note that if a mother raccoon is sealed out of the home from her babies, she will cause more damage to get back in to her babies.  

Give Wild Things Wildlife a call to help you safely and humanely remove raccoons from your home.