These critters climb into your yard, then your downspouts, because they’re attracted to resources on your property. There are strips known as pest guards that were specifically created to keep pests such as raccoons from hanging around and climbing on your home’s guttering. You guys can use your own method to elevate the feeding slot out of reach of a raccoon. This is meant to prevent the raccoons from using their legs to climb over the surface of the gutters. This may be desirable for those who have a limited budget or own a home with a lot of downspouts. If there is a concern, start your installation four to five feet from the ground. Raccoons will climb the trees and then use the branches to drop down onto the roof or gutters. It is a good idea to attach these coverings to all other kinds of openings, as well as chimneys and vents that may be in the walls or on the roof. Find the Inhabited Tree. There … Plus, customizable guide wire can be created to fit the entirety of your guttering system. This is a bit of an extreme, but it can be highly effective in keeping raccoons away. That will prevent accidental discharges when a pet or family member touches the gutter. A raccoon’s nose is always on alert for interesting scents while his eyes are on the lookout … Installing these items from the ground up will work the best, but you may want to avoid placing sharp wraps or metal sheets along the ground. Start by trimming back the overhanging branches in question. It helps to ensure that any attempt to climb the spout will force the points to touch their legs and underbelly. So, how do you stop raccoons from climbing your gutters? Should the raccoons be particularly fond of climbing your gutters, you can place some metal sheeting at the corners of the house close to the roof. Improper gutter work can make it … Young raccoons will be able to get through those gaps relatively easily and you’ll still have a raccoon problem to contend with. Making sure that they don’t have access to food or shelter should be enough to deter raccoons from visiting your yard. Placing smooth metal sheeting behind the vertical gutters will prevent them from using the wall texture to bypass your wraps. Keep tree branches trimmed to make it harder for raccoons to get on to your roof. Some of the links on our website are affiliate links. Get Rid of Raccoons in the Crawl Space: Raccoons … Raccoons Have Super “Pawers” Raccoons have kind of a “6th sense” … in their paws. Electric Fencing. The harder you make the more likely … Cutting off their food supply and getting rid of raccoons should be a relatively easy endeavor. When in doubt, you can also create your own pest guard. If anything, they will just find other avenues or will look in other areas of the yard for food and shelter. In fact, a reluctance to go up stairs is often one of the first signs that your dog is suffering. Make sure they are angled toward the ground; if they are pointed upward, raccoons can actually climb over them since their body fat and fur will keep them shielded from the sharper points. You can also use a varmint guard on the legs. 1. Others try just greasing the legs of the feeder. Make sure that when you construct the electric fence, there aren’t gaps wider than three inches. You can also install down-facing funnels on gutter runs with bends or other sections that are detached from the wall. These can include audible, chemical, and electrical barriers. A Raccoon can grow to 28” long (not including tail) and can weigh up to 20 pounds. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I have a bachelor's degree in construction engineering. Raccoons can be more than a nuisance, they can damage your home and create health concerns in some instances. To stop … Trim the trees around your home so the raccoons don’t have an easy pathway from your surrounding trees to your roof. Install plastic or metal sheeting or you can create a metal funnel that gets placed around a tree that is nearby. When the raccoon tries to climb the fence, this loose section will bend so far backward that the masked bandit can't make it over. A recent product line that has hit the market is audible pest repellents. Raccoons can do a lot of damage to property and buildings if left to run wild. Attach metal grid screens or coverings over all vents, chimneys and other openings in the walls or roof. Slip this steel barrier onto your pole and critters can't climb up to reach your feeders. You can try to keep raccoons from climbing on the roof by trimming back trees, but the reality is that they are very good climbers, and raccoons climb up downspouts, brick, or even just the corner of a house. How to Prevent Uninvited Raccoon Guests From Climbing … If you have any construction materials or firewood stored outside of your house, make sure to store it neatly and without many gaps. No matter what use, make sure that the points do not stick up towards the sky. Strain through cheese cloth, cool, and spray onto … You can also make your own wraps made from nails or wire. Can You Use A Miter Saw To Cut PVC Pipe? At first glance, raccoons are pretty cute. Locate chimneys, vents, or other openings along the walls or roof of your property and cover them with metal mesh or fencing to eliminate access points that they will be attracted to. The most likely reason that raccoons can get onto your gutters and your roof area is because there are overhanging tree branches. POOPING IN THE SWIMMING POOL - Raccoons like to wash their food in water, if possible (procyon lotor means "washes with hands"), and they like to defecate in water. (Here’s How), How To Clean Gutters From The Ground (3 Ways Without Using A Ladder! That should prevent even the largest raccoons from bypassing the wraps or smooth metal surfaces. Live animal traps. This is a bit of an extreme, but it can be highly effective in keeping raccoons away. Taking these extra steps will help to prevent these little critters from becoming a bigger concern for you and your home. Also keep in mind that using a chemical repellent can become irritating or dangerous for young children and pets. They are fluffy and look like nature’s little bandits with the black around their eyes. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. If you have a garden or fruit trees, take the time to block their access and keep fallen food picked up. The illustration below is an example of my homemade gravity feeder. It is illegal but I read on some Texas hog forums they poison them. One repellent you might consider is the use of an electric fence or wire system. If they are angled towards the sky, raccoons can climb over them as their fur and body fat will shield them from the sharp points. If you have found your garbage can tipped over a time or two, it is probably because these nocturnal bandits have tried to get at it. 1) Raccoons are excellent climbers, so it's fairly difficult to keep them from climbing on the roof. Easily … These simple steps will eliminate their interest in your property, and you might be surprised how effective taking these steps will go towards discouraging raccoons from climbing your gutters, to begin with. Step 2. ... Thirty nine inches is typically height enough to prevent raccoons and hogs from feeding yet, low enough for deer to feed with relative ease. Install down-facing funnels from the ground up. Raccoons are also famously nocturnal animals that can leave you with a mess on your hands in the morning. Make sure that you remove any items, including tree branches, that provide them with climbing points to your roof. Stop raccoons and squirrels from climbing your pole! How to Keep Raccoons Out of Your Garbage Cans: You can try to make your garbage cans raccoon proof by strapping the lids down with bungee cords, or keeping them in the garage until garbage night. … Type above and press Enter to search. This may … This baffle will prevent mice, raccoons, cats, etc. Keep that in mind if you expect this method to get rid of them entirely. One repellent you might consider is the use of an electric fence or wire system. Your young children or pets may get poked or scratched by sharp points or edges. There are many products available that are designed to provide an electrical charge that repels animals as they touch the fence or wire. These extrasensory cells make raccoons more sensitive to touch than other animals and help them to know how to manage the material they are climbing. Make sure that you purchase a product where the protrusion sticks up by at least two inches. It is easy to create a pest guard out of wire or nails relatively inexpensively, probably less expensive than you would find at the store. These chemical repellents come with a natural irritant or scent that will discourage climbing over the sprayed surface. It can be painted with Rustoleum paint for plastic, or Krylon paint to blend in. Make sure to leave a minimum distance of 10 feet between your house and the trees; this should be more than enough distance to keep the raccoons from dropping in and making their unwelcome presence felt. Remember that some chemical repellents, especially irritants, may also affect humans and pets. Raccoons will use trees and branches next houses to access roofs. Or you can get locks, heavy covers, etc which will prevent raccoons … Ordinary fences will not keep raccoons … If this is a concern, begin the installation three or four feet above the ground. The grayish fur has a dense undercoat that keeps raccoons … The open end should be wide enough that the raccoon won’t be able to reach over it and keep on climbing. Any of these methods should prove effective with enough time. This will eliminate items that they can use to access the roof by other means. This is especially true when they have access to your roof using your gutter's downspouts. However, if you've got … Some people don’t like this option because it can be unsightly on their gutters, but it makes for a highly effective method of getting rid of raccoons. Measure … Raccoons have sharp claws that allow them to secure a grip on rough surfaces, including bricks or textured siding. Just make sure that you have three feet or more of protective barrier. When I’m not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies...I’m at home with my wife, two daughters and a dog. … Barriers On The Plants Preventing Raccoon Contact Stove Pipe On Fruit … Make sure to use trash cans with secure lids that these pests cannot open. Raccoons can get into quite small spaces, taking up residence and creating a new home. While many of these units are designed to work on fences on the ground, some of these products can be installed along with the horizontal gutter runs as well as the top of downspouts. The open end of the gutter needs to be wide enough to prevent an adult raccoon from reaching over it. Keep raccoons and squirrels away from your bird seed. The pest guards will have spacing over the entirety of the sheet that is around an inch apart. These products must be used as directed to work effectively and, unfortunately, will require scheduled applications to remain effective. You have to kill them to keep them away. When looking at these products, you should shop for something that creates sharp points that protrude off of the surface by at least two inches. These ultrasonic devices can make for a highly effective way to deter raccoons from not only climbing gutters but visiting your yard at all. That means costly repairs or possibly a completely new installation. The first step is to figure out where the raccoon lives. Much like a dog whistle, this high-pitched noise is something that raccoons and other rodents can hear, but humans can’t. I know, it might sound … They will often enter the swimming pool via the shallow front step and do their business. Keep in mind that these systems will also provide a shock to other animals (and people) who touch the fencing or wire. I started this website to expand and share my knowledge, findings, techniques and distribute anything that I find worth sharing. If you normally store pet food or bird seed outdoors, make certain to put them in pest-proof plastic containers that will take far too much effort to work through. You can even add length to the funnel so that there are no longer gripping points for the raccoon and their claws. If you have pets and tend to leave food and water outdoors for them, take the time to bring these in at night. Here are some of the more popular: - Boil cayenne pepper, jalapeno and onion in 2 quarts water for 20 minutes. If the blockades described above are undesirable, you can also contemplate using various repellents to keep raccoons from climbing your downspouts. Raccoons, like other pests such as squirrels, are simply looking for a warm, safe place and a consistent food supply. Outside of family, I love grilling and barbequing on my Big Green Egg and working on projects around the house. If they manage to find that on your property, they are going to hang around and eventually shimmy up the gutters. Electric Wire. This site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. If it’s easy to get into your trash cans, you’re essentially laying out the red carpet … This won’t keep raccoons out of your yard, but it will deter them from climbing the gutters. They are much bigger than your average pest, but they use clutter as a way to disguise themselves and to set up their new homes. Adding length to the funnel will also eliminate gripping points they can stick their claws into. There are also plenty of repellents out there meant specifically for rodents. You may need to add metal sheeting between the downspouts and walls as well.