How Do Raccoons Get In The Attic?

Here is how raccoons can enter your attic, where they cause problems if left unattended.

People always wonder what entryways are used by raccoons to gain access to attics. These nocturnal creatures are known to cause a lot of problems in and around homes.

The only way to have raccoons contained is by understanding what access points are used by them.

Once you find out that the noises you hear in your attic are due to raccoon activity, the best response is to call removal services. Wildlife removal services are skilled in the handling of these kinds of situations.

Before we get into specifics on removal and trapping, let’s focus on how these pests get in.

How Do Raccoons Find Their Way Into Attic?

These creatures get into attics in a variety of ways. Overhanging branches offer an easy route to your attic.

Also, raccoons are known to be excellent climbers. These animals will readily climb up house corners.

Now, climbing up the house isn’t the issue. The main focus is on how they get in. Raccoons get into attics by scratching, tearing, and chewing through barriers.

These creatures only need a small opening or gap to further widen. This is much easier for them than having to create a new hole.

Areas most targeted include roof vents, plumbing mats, and chimneys, intersections of roof soffits, and roof edges.

They won’t use these areas or openings in the daytime but come at night when you’re probably asleep. Such stealth operations may be the reason why you hardly know when they come in.

• Roof Vents, Plumbing Mats & Chimneys

As stated earlier, any gap or hole is a ready opening for raccoons to further widen.

Once they climb their way up, they immediately commence work. The perfect condition for them will be when warmth comes out or escapes from such holes.

Now, certain openings are created deliberately during construction. To keep things such as raccoons away, screens or mats are installed. Despite these preventive measures, raccoons have been known to breach such holes.

Determined raccoons will keep working on such holes until they gain entry.

• Intersections of Roof Soffits

Raccoons are quite smart and will find creative ways of gaining entrance into your attic.

When climbing up the building, they inspect to find weak spots that can be exploited. In a lot of cases, such weak areas are the roof soffit intersections.

These can easily be lifted. Raccoons squeeze their way through until they’re in.

Once in, your attic becomes their home as for as long as you delay to call a professional wildlife removal service. Your attic becomes their nesting area. This situation is worsened at night while you sleep. This is when they go about their activities.

Raccoons are noisy neighbors that need to be removed if you must solve the noise issue. It’s important that to note that noise isn’t the only problem associated with raccoon presence. We’ll discuss more on this shortly.

• Roof Edges

Is the edge of your roof compromised?

You may want to take a close look as raccoons normally exploit any weak structural components of a building. Water damage is mostly the cause of weak or compromised roof edges.

When this happens, your roofing materials, especially wood deteriorates. This makes it easier for raccoons to chew or claw through such material into your attic.

Why You Should Be Worried About Raccoon Presence in Attic

The presence of raccoons in your attic is a wake-up call to seek an urgent solution.

Such an urgent solution involves calling professional raccoon removal services. When raccoons gain entry, they pose all sorts of nuisance including the chewing of electrical wires.

Others include urinating and defecating. In the case of damage to your electrical wiring, this is likely to result in house fires. This is a situation you want to avoid at all costs.

There’s also the health risk associated with raccoon presence.

The constant urine and defecation is a health disaster waiting to happen. Such urine may contain leptospirosis which can be spread to humans.

What more? You’re likely to contact raccoon roundworm and giardiasis. Other health risks include rabies and salmonella.

As long as raccoons remain, your property steadily deteriorates. Your best solution is to have these creatures removed without further delay.

Signs of Raccoon Presence

During early raccoon infestation, people have no idea that they share their homes with these animals until they get to find out after the problem has worsened. However, some signs point to raccoon presence in your attic.

Knowing these will help you respond early and adequately.

Common signs include poop, raccoon sightings, sounds in your attic, and the nesting material. Others are the season and time of day, as well as visible damage caused. Any of these signs will require further investigation.

Let’s discuss each of these points for more clarity.

• Raccoon Feces

These are filthy animals that pass urine and feces in your attic. You don’t even need to take a look. The odor alone is significant enough that these animals are in your attic. Such an awful smell is a sign that your attic is used as a latrine.

You’ll need to find urgent help to remove these creatures.

• Raccoon Sightings

When you see raccoons around your property, chances are that these creatures will need a suitable place to shelter.

Your home provides loads of that. However, to save your property from damage and to prevent or minimize health risks, ensure they are searched and removed and the holes sealed up.

• Sounds in your Attic

This is a common sign with raccoons. They’re never quiet due to their weight and size. Unlike rodents which are small and scurry away with little noise, raccoons make thumping sounds.

• Nesting Material

Nesting materials are common signs that reveal the presence of raccoons.

Once they take up residence in your attic, they begin to create a suitable nesting area. The nesting materials are quite varied. Raccoons will use just about whatever they can find to build a nest.

• Season & Time of Day

Raccoons don’t move around during the day. These creatures are most active at night.

Therefore, you’re likely to hear the sounds of their activity when it’s dark.

• Visible Damage Caused

When raccoons are in your attic, a close inspection will reveal the damage caused to property in their bid to gain entry. This will include scratched surfaces and chewed wood among other things.

Raccoons get into attics through any of the methods listed above. These creatures are quite destructive and also pose health risks.

Having them removed and getting damaged areas fixed is your best response.