Raccoons may look cute, but anyone who has lived in a city full of these little bandits knows that their sweet appearance is deceptive. They can cause a lot of destruction when they put their minds to it. They sneak into broken roofs. They wreck gardens. They break into trash bins and send garbage all over the yard. Heck, sometimes they can be found in the best online casinos in canada.
Here’s how you can prevent these raccoon-related problems, short of calling up animal control.
1. Invading Your Roof
One broken shingle gives raccoons a perfect access point into your roof. Before you know it, a whole family could start nesting inside of your attic. So, if you have loose shingles, poor insulation or any roof damage whatsoever, your home is vulnerable to a small invasion.
You should call Professional Roofers in Toronto to come to your house and fix your roof so that you can keep these pests at bay. The local roofing company is very familiar with this household problem and knows exactly what to do. They will immediately replace your shingles, patch up damage, add insulation and more to guarantee that the entire surface is safe and secure. After they’re done, critters won’t be looking at your roof as their next living-room.
2. Getting into the Trash
Trash and compost bins full of old food are veritable feasts for hungry raccoons. They will do anything to break into those bins and reach the contents. So, how do you stop them from tearing into your trash?
First things first, don’t leave your trash and compost bins exposed before pick-up day. Put them in a garage, shed or other safe storage space until you have to bring it out to the curb. It will be an effective barrier, keeping the tempting odours in and keeping the raccoons out.
But what about when you have to bring the bins to the curb? You can’t sit there and guard the bins until the disposal truck arrives. In that case, one of the best ways to keep raccoons out of the trash is to turn off their sense of smell by spritzing a small amount of ammonia or rubbing mothballs on the sides of the bins.
3. Digging into Your Garden
You’ve worked so hard to tend your garden, and you know that raccoons could ruin all of that work in a single night. One of the best ways to keep raccoons out of your garden is to get motion sensor floodlights in the area — they’re nocturnal animals, so the sudden flash of light should scare them off. You can also surround your growing plants with wire mesh and tent pegs. You want to make a secure barrier that they’ll have a difficult time penetrating.
Living in Raccoon Central
Living in the raccoon capital of the country puts you at risk of dealing with at least one of these household problems. They’re all over the city. You’ll see them climbing up the siding of houses, hiding in trees or scurrying across roads. And as the weather gets warmer, you’ll spot more of them.
It’s impossible to avoid these critters entirely. But you can at least outsmart them so that they stop invading and breaking your property.
