Here is how to catch a smart raccoon with bait in your house.
Trapping is one of the best and most recommended ways of eliminating raccoons from the home. You can use it to capture and relocate small animals without hurting them.
Are you searching for how to trap a raccoon? This article explains the step-by-step process involved. Other valuable information you need to know before attempting to bait and catch a raccoon is also featured in this guide. Read on!
Raccoons are known to transmit rabies, which makes them dangerous to have around the home. Being omnivorous creatures, they can easily visit your home in search of whatever type of food they may find.
This happens mostly during the night when raccoons move around more.
Do Raccoon Traps And Baits Work?
If set correctly, yes. You can effectively use raccoon traps and baits to stop these pests from taking over your home, especially if you live close to a cornfield or a water body where they usually make their dens.
Though raccoon traps work, some factors will determine if yours will work for you. This includes the type of trap you are using, the placement, and the nature of the bait you put on it.
Being omnivores, raccoons are likely to eat anything. However certain foods or fruits are known to be more effective when used as baits to trap them.
Examples of such are chicken, watermelon, and white bread.
Trapping A Raccoon: First Things To Do
Before attempting to catch a raccoon, there are several things you need to do. Below are a few of them.
Raccoon Trapping Tips and Methods
- Choose The Perfect Trap
You will come across different types of traps when searching for what to use to catch a raccoon. While some kill the raccoon on the spot, others keep them alive but may inflict an injury or two on them. Some other traps catch and keep them completely safe from harm so you can easily relocate them somewhere else.
The type of trap you use will be mostly determined by two things. The first is the legislation on raccoons in the locality you want to set the trap. The other is how you want the raccoon – dead or alive.
In some places, it may be against the law to use a particular type of trap to catch a raccoon without a license.
This is mainly because the law wants to keep you safe, from being exposed to any kind of disease the animal can transmit. Apart from that, the law also wants to put animal cruelty in check. So you would have to find out what is allowed and what is not, in your area.
If there is no solid law against a particular type of trap to eradicate raccoons in your area, the next thing to consider is how you want to have the animal in your trap. If you need to catch it alive so you can relocate it elsewhere, going for a live cage may be the best option for you.
Live cages often come in two different designs: one-door and two-door. The most recommended is the one-door type.
What if having the raccoon alive in a cage will scare the living daylight out of you? You can have a professional trapper relocate it for you. You can also choose other types of traps that may likely kill the animal before you get there.
But again, this is not permitted in most places. You have to figure out what is allowed in your city first.
- Choose The Placement
The placement here has to do with the location where you intend to set the trap. You can’t just place the trap anywhere and expect it to work. It has to be where you must have seen a raccoon before, in a covered area where a raccoon is likely to go for food.
Places like underneath structures, woodpiles, tree hollows, fence lines, sheds, etc, are known to work like magic. Raccoons like going to such places since humans do not usually frequent there.
Setting the trap at these locations will also protect your pets, preventing them from wandering into it.
- Choose The Perfect Bait
The kind of bait you use in the trap plays a major role in determining how effective the trap is going to be.
Apart from choosing a bait that raccoons will be easily attracted to, you need to choose one that will not lure the wrong animals like stray cats to your trap.
That is why you must go for things like marshmallows or watermelon. Fish and meat also work great when used as raccoon baits. However, they are likely to attract other animals you don’t want your trap.
How To Catch A Raccoon Using A Live Cage
The live cage is the most recommended type of trap for homeowners to use in trapping raccoons. They are large metal cages with one or two doors that allow animals to walk in and get locked. You can use them to catch raccoons without hurting the animals.
Below is a step-by-step guide on how to trap a raccoon using a live cage.
How to Set a Raccoon Trap
- Carefully position the cage in a covered area. If you can figure out where the raccoon den is, place the cage close to it. If you have no idea where the den is, place the trap anywhere you’ve seen a raccoon around the house. For maximum results, you can use more than one trap and place them at different points in your home.
- Bait the trap with mini-donuts, watermelon, marshmallow, or any white bread. For better results, leave a trail of the bait in such a way that it will lead the raccoon straight into the trap.
- Once you’ve positioned the trap, consider adding a brick or two to it to keep it firm. You can also nail the trap to any wood close by or tie it.
- Check the trap every morning to see if it has caught any raccoon or stray animal.
Other Helpful Tips For Catching A Raccoon
- Before setting your trap, ensure you wear thick hand gloves. This will prevent you from passing your human scent to the cage. When going to check your game in the morning, it is also important you wear the same type of gloves to avoid injuries.
- Make the trap look as natural as possible. Especially if you placed it anywhere outside of your house. Cover it with leaves, grasses, or anything to make it blend in with the environment you placed it.
- Since raccoons are nocturnal animals, consider setting the trap towards evening. That way the bait can be fresh enough to attract them.
- Change the baits every two days if the raccoons have not gotten to them yet. The fresher it is, the more it is likely to attract the animals.
- As for the cage size, it is best if the height is about 12 inches and the length about 32 inches.
- Apart from using foods to attract raccoons, another very effective way to lure them to a trap is to use their young. Raccoons are known to be very protective of their young ones. That is one reason for using them as baits always work. If you can get to them when their mother is not with them, do. It will be of great help to you.
Relocating The Raccoon From Your Home
After trapping the raccoon in a live cage successfully, the next thing to do is to relocate it from your home. You can call for help from professionals for that or you can choose to do it yourself.
If you are going to do it yourself, approach the cage gently. A trapped raccoon is likely going to attack whatever comes close to it. To calm it down, spread a cloth over the cage. Without seeing anything around it, the raccoon may eventually become calm.
Gently carry the cage while wearing your thick hand gloves. Do not carry the cage with your bare hands, to be on the safer side.
Open the trunk of your car and gently put the cage inside. Once you’ve done that, drive to at least 5 miles away from your home (10 miles is mostly recommended) and free it there.
The area you choose to relocate it must be an approved area, far away from anybody’s home. To avoid the raccoon entering another person’s yard or home to live.
If you are unsure if it is right for you to free the animal in a particular area, consider reaching out to the appropriate agency in your state for the best advice.
In Summary
We have in this article, revealed how to trap a raccoon at home using one of the safest methods to do that.
Are raccoons threatening to take over your home? Do you need help eradicating them from your home?
I hope you find this information useful.