How to keep raccoons away?

Question

A family of raccoons took up home in a woody area behind our house. They often visit our yard at night, and lately they’ve been breaking into our house, so I want to know how to keep them away without harming them

Answer 1

Raccoons usually visit yards and houses to look for food. Maybe it found a steady source of food in your yard that’s why it is frequenting your place. Upturned garbage cans are reliable signs that your guests are scavenging for foods in your yard.

There is really no effective way to keep them away other than trapping and relocating them. So if you are not keen on doing that, just keep all food sources around your house secured to discourage the animals from returning. Use heavy lids for your garbage cans (or tie them securely at night) to prevent the raccoons from opening them. Without any incentive to go to your house, you will find that their visit will become less and less frequent.

Answer 2

I was desperate to know how to keep raccoons away a few months ago just like you. But I eventually gave up and called a professional. The raccoon that terrorized us is a really big one, maybe 30 inches or so, and it raised all kinds of ruckus around the house. First it scattered the garbage, then dug the yard, and then tried to get into the house. I tried a few raccoon repellents to drive it away but all failed. In the end I just threw up my hand and called a pro to get the animal off our yard. Best decision, I would say.

Answer 3

I agree that the only way to get the raccoons to stop coming to your place and wrecking havoc in your yard is trapping them. Get a big enough trap (you can find lots of them online) and set it near the area where you think the critter spends most of its time. Raccoons are very clever so I won’t be surprised if you end up frustrated the first few times trying to catch it. If you get lucky and landed the animal, it is now time to decide where to release it. A forest a few miles from your home is a good place to start. Just make sure that the place you pick is far enough so it cannot go back to pestering you again.