REDLANDS >> It’s that time of year when nesting mother raccoons seek out safe locations, such as attics and crawl spaces, to give birth.
Local wildlife trapper Lowell Miller said he has seen nesting racoons give birth as early as March 1 and as late as mid-August.
According to Miller, owner of Lowell’s Wildlife Removal, it’s a good time for homeowners to inspect their properties and perform any necessary upkeep and or repairs to inhibit raccoons from selecting their residences as nesting grounds.
Miller said homeowners should do an inspection of their roofs and, if they have a raised or open foundation, also look around the base of the home.
“What they are searching for is any openings to make sure they are sealed off completely,” he said. “A common point of entry for raccoons and rats is a roof intersection — where two roof lines come together. They are often not sealed off, even when the house is built.”
Miller suggested using quarter-inch by quarter-inch galvanized wire mesh to seal entry points.
“It takes some practice and I try to make my work blend in with existing conditions or make it disappear all together,” he said.
He also recommends screwing the mesh to the house as raccoons’ human-like forepaws and general strength enable them to easily remove nails and staples.
Miller said the next step in deterring raccoons from making themselves at home your house is to keep them from gaining entry into the attic by trimming all tree limbs at least three to four feet away from the roof line.
And finally, Miller said homeowners should never keep pet food of any kind outside where it can attract raccoons.
In his experience, Miller said, there is no deterrent on the market to keep wildlife off your property.
“Spray animal repellents that promise to keep wildlife from your home are a waste of money,” he said. “Animals get used to it and once they realize it’s an imaginary threat, they walk over it like an invisible line.”
Soft-hearted homeowners who might be tempted to let nesting racoons and their babies stay put must take heed, Miller said.
“The one thing you should not do it let that mother raise that litter up in the attic until the juveniles are ready to get out on their own,” he said. “And believe it or not people will do it. The droppings and damage they will do is incredible.”
Miller said the window of time when raccoon pups are just born to three weeks old is the most productive time to encourage mothers to relocate themselves simply by using scare tactics.
“I absolutely encourage people to scare them off themselves,” he said. “A lot of people think they are vicious and will attack but it doesn’t happen like that. The only time a raccoon came after me was when I was picking up her babies and they cried out for her.”
Homeowners can bang on ceilings under attics, growl and shine flashlights and spray coyote urine at nesting mothers, Miller said.
“It makes the mother realize she has been discovered and this is not a safe place to raise her young,” he added. “Ninety-nine percent of the time this will get her to relocate herself and her babies.”
Miller said raccoon mothers are less protective of pups that are five to 10 weeks old.
“Juveniles have legs of their own and they are creeping all over the place and that’s when we have to bring in traps,” he said.
Miller said closing off entry spaces should not exceed $500.
Miller cautions homeowners considering poison as a means to eliminate raccoons. Aside from being inhumane, he said, the last thing a homeonwer wants is a raccoon dying and decomposing in an inaccessible space.
For more information go to Miller’s website at http://lowellswildliferemoval.com/ or call 909-255-9690.
