You are invited to a banquet, where a real feast will be served: a soft bar with a bite to eat, a slice of pizza with all the toppings (including the fly) and even half a container of strawberry yogurt that expired last Thursday! Do you feel like declining the invitation? Probably. However, if we presented the same food to a raccoon, it would think it had won the lottery. This little rascal has fun raiding our garbage cans, precisely in order to find a snack of this kind. This is fun for him, but not so much for us, who then have to clean up the garbage that inevitably fell on the ground during the raccoon’s quest. That being said, how can we make sure we keep this mammal out of our garbage cans and homes? And if this unwanted visitor is already bothering us, what can we do to get rid of him?

How to keep raccoons out of our garbage

We would never be attracted to the smell of a garbage can, but raccoons love it. To prevent them from throwing themselves on our garbage to find something to eat, clean your garbage garbage can regularly. This will eliminate the food odors that are so attractive to raccoons. Also, if your trash can is easy to open, change it if possible to a metal trash can with a lid that is difficult to remove. If needed, you can even offer extra protection to your trash by locking it with a key or digital combination lock. Raccoons are smart, but certainly not smart enough to defeat a lock!

How to keep raccoons out of our homes

Contrary to its name, the raccoon doesn’t clean what it finds in its path; it tends to cause damage. That’s why you don’t want to have it in your home. There are a few simple, but effective steps you can take to prevent him from visiting you. First, be sure to cut back any tree branches that might allow a raccoon to get to the building. Second, go around your balcony and patio to block off access using cement, sheet metal, spit, etc. Third, install wire mesh in chimney and roof vents.

How to get rid of raccoons

If there is unfortunately a raccoon that causes you problems, don’t hurt it! This is a law in Quebec. The only thing you can do is capture it and return it to its natural environment. Of course, this is not an easy task. So don’t worry about it! Call Brisebois Extermination and a qualified exterminator will take care of the situation for you.

All in all, can’t you admit that if it doesn’t have its nose in your garbage and doesn’t bother you at home, the raccoon is pretty… cute?