Raccoons, or Procyon lotor, are easy to recognize with their unique black markings and ringed tail Adults can range in weight from 10 pounds all the way up to 40 pounds. Typically, they live around six years in the wild, but some can live up to 12 years. They mate each year in December, and the mother births three to five young in the spring. She is very attentive to her young and can be very territorial about them. Raccoons are nocturnal, but you may see a female raccoon searching for food for her young during the day. They are not particularly picky animals and will pretty much eat anything.

Raccoons are usually classified as a pest species due to their habits of living in human dwellings. The most common complaints include finding raccoons in attics, chimneys or yards, tipping over trash bins, stealing food or bird seed and alarming pets. They have been living near humans for hundreds of years, and have adapted to our environments. They are a very common nuisance and are extremely strong, breaking into screened-in porches and even ripping holes in roofs. Once inside, they are terribly loud and aggressive, making nests out of insulation paper, ripping open air ducts and ripping from their rightful places. They leave droppings everywhere and carry a number of diseases, parasites and commonly have rabies. They know that garbage cans and dumpsters almost always have food in them, and they commonly tip them over to get a meal.

For these reasons, many people wish to have this nuisance animal trapped and removed. It is important to not try to trap raccoons if you are untrained, as some can be rabid. They can be very aggressive, so a humane trap is the only way to deal with them properly.

If you have a raccoon problem, contact Solidified Pest Control today to humanely rid your building of them once and for all!