Raccoon in the Attic: What to Do (and What Not to Do)
Raccoons are strong, smart and surprisingly good at tearing open a roof. Once inside, they treat the attic as a den, and the insulation as a bathroom.
How they get in
Soffit corners, roof vents, unsecured chimneys and the gap where a porch roof meets the house. A raccoon can pull off a vent cover in minutes.
Do not seal the hole
From March through June there is a good chance there are kits inside. Seal the mother out and she will tear a new hole to reach them — or the babies die in the attic and you end up needing dead animal removal. Professional raccoon removal starts with locating the nest.
What proper removal includes
- Inspection of the roofline and attic
- Humane removal of adults and any young
- Repair of the entry point with metal, not wood or foam
- Cleanup of contaminated insulation and latrine sites
- Exclusion of remaining weak points so the next raccoon fails