Are you having problems dealing with raccoons? Prevention is always easier than trying to fix a problem after it occurs. The same is true on how to keep raccoons off my deck. Raccoons could be pretty problematic when they come around your property. They cause damage to your structure in a bid to get inside your deck. If they feel threatened they will do anything to scurry away unhurt even if to show some aggression.

What Attracts Raccoons to your Deck

Raccoons love your deck because it keeps them warm and provides a safe place for breeding. Besides that, raccoons need food to survive. And staying under the deck just gives them easy access to food sources around your home. They eat shellfish, fish, eggs, frogs, snakes, fruits, nuts and seeds, insects.

Therefore, it looks almost impossible to get raccoons out of your deck. But working with a professional wildlife removal Toronto company will help prevent raccoons from entering your deck.

Signs of Raccoon Visits to your Deck and Facility

Noise from the deck

Once you pay close attention you can tell if there is a raccoon under the deck due to noises. Raccoons are agile creatures and run around a lot. They are also nocturnal animals who take advantage of the cover of darkness to wreak havoc on your garbage, ponds, bird and dog feeders. Also, they are very noisy creatures with the ability to make over 12 calls and 200 sounds. If you listen closely at night you will hear raccoons whistle, hiss, growl, scream or snarl.

Scattered garbage cans

Raccoons are omnivores. For that reason, a lot in your waste bin, especially leftovers or food waste would be appealing to them. So, unfinished fruits, leftover pet food and others will look appealing to raccoons. And they will come after you garbage cans in search of them. Raccoons are excellent climbers with special lifting or gripping abilities, a strong sense of smell. The raccoon can open garbage cans, bottles, jars, latches and even doors with ease. So anytime you notice any of these openings, begin to suspect a raccoon activity.

Uncapped Chimneys

Your chimney should normally be closed. Now, because climb as well as lift then your opened chimney could just be a pointer to raccoon visits.

Raccoon Tracks

Raccoons have five long toes that look so much like humans when imprinted on the floor. They also have tiny fingers. So, once you notice such fine prints on the soil, floor or printable surfaces around the deck it could be raccoons.

Damaged structures

Raccoons love to stay in your deck. To achieve that they some times need to create burrow holes. And in the course of creating those burrow holes, they tend to destroy parts of the building.

Other evidence of raccoon visitation besides your deck include:

• Having holes in the mulch or lawn
• The sudden disappearance of fish from the water garden.
• Destroyed or mangled bird feeders.
• Emptied bird feeders.
• Half-eaten crops like corn.

7 Ways to Keep Raccoons Off My Deck

Here are some preventive measures I take to keep raccoons off your deck.

Secure likely entry points

How to keep raccoons off my deck; I usually prefer preventive measures since the Greater Toronto Area is prone to raccoon infestation. The major preventive measure is ensuring that there are no entry points for raccoons already. If you have weak, loosed or dilapidated structures around the deck you become prone to raccoon visits.

Therefore, ensure all loosed-fittings, and easy access point for raccoon is repaired to help withstand raccoon entry. Use hardware cloth or chicken wire, 10-inch gauge, ¼, 1/3 galvanized steel mesh to secure the deck to keep deck, eaves, chimneys and attics free. Do not forget raccoons only require small openings of about 4 inches to enter your deck.

Keep Garbage cans closed

An average person keeps the garbage at the backyard and brings out front later for the waste managers. And most garbage cans are close enough to the decks. It goes without saying since you understand raccoons are attracted to leftovers, and then keep garbage cans closed. Make sure the lid of the can is tied securely with a wire, cinder blocks or bungee cord. Use double plastic bags for meat and food items with a strong smell to reduce the odour. You could also tie the can to a post to avoid the raccoon attempting to push the can over. Also, crosscheck by trying to lift the lid after tying, if you can’t, raccoons can’t either.  But remember they are persistent animals.

Secure Pet food

Raccoon takes delight in pet food too. So, if you have a pet then you might consider bringing their food indoors at night to avoid these nocturnal scavengers. Whether you are using a shepherds hook or birdfeeders, bring the food in. remember to also seal off entry points or the doors into the pet houses as raccoons might go in search of food there. And even the pet would thank you for keeping them safe from predators. Raccoons can infect your pets with caninedistemper virus, rabies or any other communicable diseases.

Eliminate all food sources

Anything could be a source of food. After you succeed in keeping leftovers from the garbage, pet feed and food in-doors away please do not forget the trees. Fruits from your garden and those that drop from the trees can serve as attractions to raccoons. So, avoid leaving over-ripe fruits on the ground or hanging loosely from vegetable plants.

Also, do not intentionally feed raccoon as a control measure. If you or your neighbours provide food for raccoons, then get set for a raccoon infestation. Raccoons would visit for more meals in their group or families.

Close up water sources

Remove all water sources, leaking taps or pipes, exposed fishponds or pools, etc. They need water to survive and that’s just easy access to raccoons.

Keep the environment clean always

If you want to know how to keep raccoons off my deck then you need to maintain a clean environment. If your yard is disorganized or clustered then it will create an excellent breeding and resting ground. Raccoons need a place to scurry along, hide and take shelter. Keep the lawn mowed and prune the brush or overgrown shrubs.

Fencing

Raccoons are excellent climber so fencing needs to be done with all professionalism. Raccoons usually visit the gardens, compost piles or fishpond for food. And when they finally get comfortable they can use your deck as a residence for easy access to food.

To achieve best results make use of electric fencing instead of ordinary fence to help deter raccoons. They will find their way underneath, over or through ordinary fencing. But you can install a 2inche wire electric fence. If you have an ordinary fence already you can install 8 inches single electrified strand wire. Make sure it stays 8 inches away from the fence and above the ground. You can use low-amperage, high-voltage fence charger to electrify the fence. Such electric fencing could also be installed around ponds to protect fish too.

There are several methods to adopt on how to keep raccoon off my deck. However, these procedures are not as simple as they might seem. It is best to consult a professional wildlife removal company for expert advice and assistance. Adopting home remedies, Do-It-Yourself solutions and the application of repellent most times offer temporal solutions. How to prevent raccoons or get rid of raccoons from your deck involves regulations. And an expert wildlife removal company knows exactly what to do to get raccoons out and achieve lasting solutions.