Raccoons have a specific breeding cycle and habits that can help you recognize when they might invade your home or property and become unwanted guests.

The Raccoon Breeding Cycle

The breeding season for raccoons extends from early January to late June; peak months are March and April. The gestation period (the time from fertilization to birth) is 65 days, after which two to three kits are born.

At seven weeks the kits can walk, run, climb, and begin to become more independent. Eight to ten weeks later (under the close supervision of their mother) the kits start to venture outside their den. At twelve weeks, the mother starts letting her kits take little excursions outside the den on their own.

Raccoons in Our Neighbourhoods

An adult raccoon’s home territory depends on where it is situated and the food supply available. If this territory is in an environment where humans live, people should resist the urge to feed raccoons, because it takes away the animals’ natural fear of us and they can become aggressive. Feeding wildlife also encourages more raccoons to overcrowd the area, and they can harm both humans and pets.

Raccoon Disease and Prevention

Raccoons also tend to carry disease, especially where there is raccoon overcrowding. It is best to discourage raccoons from coming near your property. You can keep them from hopping onto your roof by trimming branches near your home. Keep them from climbing on the sides of your house by removing ivy or other kinds of vegetation. Raccoons sometimes tend to get in the chimney and stay there for a while. When this happens, give it a day (they may leave on their own), then call for expert removal. Little kits can also be abandoned in the chimney.

After having the animals humanely removed from a chimney, hire a sweep to clean it out. While they are at it, a good chimney cleaning company can install a chimney cap to prevent animals from re-entering. Be sure they use a commercially-made chimney cap. Homemade ones are usually inefficient and often fire hazards.

Humane Animal Removal

Liddle Rascals helps our clients with raccoon removal and infestation-related issues. We are a fully insured company who can humanely remove wildlife from your roof, under your deck, or anywhere in your house. We guarantee your satisfaction and are ready at any given moment to respond to Toronto-area wildlife emergencies. We can return in the next few days to do a follow-up inspection and correction if needed.

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On December 19th, 2016   /   Animal and Wildlife Control, Raccoons   /   Leave a comment