Love is in the Air for Raccoons!
It’s February, and you know what that means…love is in the air! Every store is covered in pink and red with hearts, balloons, flowers, stuffed animals and most importantly, chocolate. People are celebrating Valentine’s Day. Even some animals are getting into the spirit of the month, though maybe not in ways we humans will enjoy. Love is in the air for raccoons.
The tough love of a raccoon
It is around this time every year when we start to get an increase in calls for raccoons in peoples’ attics. Most raccoons will not have babies quite yet, as the mating season starts around the beginning of the new year. A raccoon’s pregnancy lasts about two months. However, female raccoons may be looking for a safe place to raise their babies, also known as kits.
This safe place is essential for any soon-to-be mother raccoon. While raccoons do not have many natural predators anymore, male raccoons have no qualms ridding a female of her existing kits to try to send her back into heat. For males, it is all about furthering their own gene pool, and they will do whatever it takes to do so. So, unless the mother-to-be can find a place in which a male cannot easily find her and her babies, it could be bad news for her kits.
Why are raccoons in my attic?
Raccoons like to get into attics as they provide a perfect nesting/den site as attics are dry, warm and quiet. Raccoons can gain access to your attic through roof vents, loose or missing soffit or fascia. These are all perfect access points for a determined raccoon.
Raccoons are the largest animal you will come across in an urban setting. Because of their size and weight, the sounds they make are easily distinguishable as the sounds coming from a bigger animal. If you’re hearing thumping noises, it’s one of the surefire signs a raccoon is in the attic. No other urban pest is big enough to create stomping noises. Squirrels will scurry and bang around, but a raccoon literally will sound like a small person is up there.
They are very vocal animals as well, especially when babies are in the mix. When around their kits, the mother will become much more vocal. As for the little ones, they are usually crying when they are not asleep.
The experts at Pestcheck specialize in the humane removal of wildlife from your home. Trust us to get your home wildlife-free before the babies arrive!
Call us on (778) 903-7378 or
Email us at contact@pestcheck.ca.