Nuisance raccoons in Richmond, Virginia pose an entirely different level of challenges because they are highly intelligent, excellent climbers, and retain paws that are anatomically similar to human hands. These attributes, combined with their increasingly comfortable demeanor around humans, gives them the tools necessary to cause a wide scope of chaos and destruction among metropolitan and suburban areas. Their misconducts include but are not limited to pillaging gardens and food sources, invading attics and crawl spaces, soiling and damaging surrounding structures, generating enormous messes, spreading fatal diseases, and even threatening the safety of your outdoor pets.

Here at Virginia Wildlife Pros, we have the knowledge, experience, and resources to deliver safe and effective raccoon removal and control services in Richmond, including raccoon proofing, raccoon trapping, raccoon infestation cleaning, and raccoon damage repair. As licensed and insured raccoon trappers with years of hands-on experience and acute industry training, you can feel confident in our ability to solve your nuisance raccoon problems, safely and as quickly as possible. We adhere to all local, state, and Federal regulations governing wildlife services, plus continue to further our education every chance we get, attending and participating in the most current and advanced training programs and seminars.

We are certified wildlife control professionals dedicated to serving our central Richmond communities with affordable, responsible, and effective raccoon removal services. Contact us today at 804-292-0156 to learn how to get started with raccoon removal and raccoon control services in Richmond, Virginia, or in its surrounding towns, including Henrico, Glen Allen, Midlothian, Mechanicsville, and Charlottesville.

Raccoons in the Attic or Chimney

Raccoons in the attic in Richmond, Virginia is one of our most frequent calls. Raccoons are excellent climbers, so they can access rooftops, tree canopies, fencing, and even powerlines to get to an available attic. Along with their climbing abilities, raccoons have sharp teeth, but also dexterous paws and long claws, which allow them to easily grasp, grip, rip, tear, pull, push, and manipulate structures. Because of these specialized attributes, raccoons can easily get into attics, and once there, they tend to cause a lot of costly and hazardous damage. The extent of racoon damage in attics largely depends on the size of the colony and the amount of time the infestation carried on without intervention. Raccoons rip off insulation, chew through electrical wiring, tear into eaves, pry open gables, rip off roof vents, damage siding, scratch up shutters, and even bend attic fans. Attic fan blades damaged by raccoons is a common fire hazard. Sometimes they dislodge the screen that keeps insects out of the attic fan, which then becomes entangled with the fan blades, thus posing risk of fire. Furthermore, mushroom vents (roof vents) are usually made from aluminum, which doesn’t stand a chance against the strength of an adult raccoon determined to find warm shelter.

In addition to these common structural damages caused by raccoons, attic infestations of this kind often result in soiled insulation and floorboards, chewed up electrical wiring, permanent lingering odors, correlated pest outbreaks (lice, mites, ticks, fleas, maggots, etc.), and stains on walls and ceilings caused by seeping droppings. At Virginia Wildlife Pros, our expert Richmond raccoon trappers can remove raccoons in the attic, plus decontaminate and remediate the damages they leave behind.

Raccoons are also known to occupy crawl spaces and wall voids, but more so chimneys because they mimic hollowed trees, which is one of their favorite natural homesteads. Inside, raccoons in the chimney will build nests and raise their litters on top of the damper. This activity poses all sorts of health risks and structural threats. Not only is the nesting material flammable and highly susceptible to starting a fire, but raccoon droppings and urine can seep down into the fireplace, causing foul odors and posing risks of disease and correlated pest outbreaks like maggots, fleas, and mites.

In some cases, raccoons are able to squeeze past the damper and gain access to the living room. If this happens, call Virginia Wildlife Pros to get rid of a raccoon in the house in Richmond. Although chimney caps are a great place to start when it comes to keeping raccoons out of the chimney, there is more to the raccoon abatement process than just that. Let our licensed and experienced critter control operators customize a solid plan of action for getting rid of raccoons in the attic and chimney, plus keeping them out for good.

Raccoon Damages and Threats

We have covered just how damaging raccoons denning in the attic, crawl space, or chimney can be. But raccoon damages are not limited to just these areas. Raccoons are known for many other types of nuisance behaviors, like digging up lawns and rolling up turf sod in search of grubs, as well as plundering corn fields, gardens, flowerbeds, trashcans, dumpsters, petfood, birdseed, and any other available food sources. They are even known to damage and deface pool houses, swimming pools, tree houses, playsets, sheds, haylofts, stables, and outbuildings. Raccoons will chew through ductwork, claw up wood features of a home or building, defecate all over the property, tear open garbage bags, rip window screens, and entirely devastate HVAC systems.

The damages they are capable of can add up to thousands of dollars in a very short amount of time. The longer you wait to address a nuisance raccoon problem, the costlier and more invasive the job will be. More importantly, raccoons are more than just destructive, they are dangerous. Raccoons are known carriers of several infectious and transmissible diseases, some of which are fatal once contracted, such as the Rabies virus, but others too, like Parvo and Distemper. Raccoon feces often contains a dangerous intestinal parasite known as Raccoon Roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis), which is potentially fatal, especially among dogs and cats. Ectoparasites commonly spread by raccoons include fleas, ticks, mites, and lice.

At Virginia Wildlife Pros, raccoon damages are no match for our advanced inventory of resources, technologies, and scientifically supported methodologies. Our raccoon trappers deliver comprehensive raccoon damage repair and cleanup services in Richmond, Virginia and its surrounding towns. We will safely and proficiently remove raccoons using traps and exclusion devices, decontaminate the affected areas using enzymatic odor treatments and ectoparasite treatments, repair any related damages, seal up your property to keep raccoons out, and modify your premises to stop them from coming back.

Raccoon Trapping and Raccoon Proofing

Whether you have spotted raccoons around your property or have discovered a litter of raccoons living somewhere they shouldn’t, Virginia Wildlife Pros has the safest and most effective solutions for raccoon trapping and raccoon proofing in Richmond. Our raccoon control operators use innovative cage-style traps and snares, combined with species-specific bails and lures, as well as science-backed strategies for trap placement and security.

Using invisible raccoon-proof installations and barriers like expanded steel vent guards, attic fan guards, animal-proof chimney caps, mesh screening, indicator membranes, caulks, and sealants, we can keep raccoons and other nuisance critters out of your home or business for good. Trust Virginia Wildlife Pros to solve your raccoon tampering and intrusion problems with safe and affordable raccoon removal and control solutions. Contact us at 804-292-0156 to speak with a friendly wildlife control operator about your nuisance raccoon concerns, today.

The most common sign that you have raccoons in the attic is noise. Raccoons are rowdy and loud, vocalizing, snarling, growling, shuffling about, playing, grooming, and climbing in and out of their entry points. If you hear such noises any time of the day or night, whether in the walls or coming from the ceiling, it could be raccoons in the attic. Raccoons also take shelter in wall voids, chimneys, and crawlspaces, as well as beneath porches, decks, and patios. Additional signs of raccoons nearby include human-like paw prints, raccoon droppings, rummaged trashcans, garden tampering, scratches on wood, missing roof shingles, pried up siding, warped gables or vent covers, missing petfood, and foul odors from their urine marking.

Although raccoons are nocturnal, meaning they are active at night, a raccoon seen during daylight hours does not mean it is infected with rabies or rabid. Raccoons can be out during the day for many reasons, usually because they are still searching for food, moving to a new location, or taking advantage of an unguarded garden while the dogs are inside taking a nap. Contact your local health department or Virginia animal control if you see a raccoon showing signs of rabies, such as confusion, stumbling, aggression, and foaming at the mouth. If you have a raccoon infestation in or on your property, it is against the law to take matters into your own hands. Be sure to contact Virginia Wildlife Pros for safe and professional raccoon removal service. However, if you are experiencing nightly visitations to your property that have become damaging and obtrusive, there are several do-it-yourself methods to get rid of raccoons. Basically, you need to eliminate or cut off access to anything they are attracted to, which is food and shelter.

Environmental modifications like removing bird baths and standing water sources, trimming your trees, removing fallen fruit from trees and shrubbery, keeping trashcans inside until collection day, removing outdoor petfood, securing sheds and other outdoor edifices, planting raccoon-proof plants around your gardens (marigolds, cucumber, pumpkin, oriental poppies, globe thistle, garlic, mint, habanero peppers, tomatoes), or making your own, non-toxic raccoon repellent. To make a raccoon repellent: In a clean 16 ounce spray bottle, mix water with capsaicin oil, putrescent egg, cayenne pepper, peppermint oil, or a combination of them. You can even go as far as installing motion-detection lighting, automatic sprinklers, or fencing. After nearly 15 years in business and a steadfast reputation, choose Virginia Wildlife Pros for expert raccoon control service for results you can trust. We serve residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal properties throughout Richmond, including the towns and cities of Henrico, Mechanicsville, Glen Allen, Midlothian, and Charlottesville. Contact us today at 804-292-0156 to learn how to get rid of raccoons in Virginia.