Raccoons can climb, jump, swim, and run just like an Olympic professional. They are small animals with a pointed nose, and dark patches around their eyes, giving them the look of a robber wearing a mask. They have five-toed paws, which makes them extremely dexterous. They are clever and fast and can outsmart humans and their traps easily. If you don’t see them destroying your garden, they might be using your chimney as their personal home.
Raccoons usually don’t hibernate in harsh weather conditions, but during winters, they prefer to live in dens for long periods, which causes them to lose body fat. They usually are found in groups, and the most concerning point about their presence is the amount of damage caused by them.
Damage Caused by Raccoons
If you have ever found holes in the ground after waking up in the morning, the chances are that raccoons are infesting your garden. Raccoons can literally eat everything; they can eat insects, plants, fish, eggs, and meat as well. They mostly hunt at night, and they dig holes in the ground in search of insects.
Raccoons are very dangerous for a garden as they can destroy grass, plants, and your fruit trees.
They can easily climb a tree or roof of your house in search of food, so no part of your garden is safe when it comes to raccoons.
Reasons Why They Invade Gardens
Raccoons are omnivorous animals, and they can eat almost anything that comes their way; they mostly invade gardens in search of food. Mainly, human errors allow them to destroy a garden. Below we will discuss factors that attract them into your garden and their solutions.
- Garbage Cans: We usually leave our garbage cans on the outside, and these are the favorite places of these little thieves to search for snacks. They are attracted by food present in the garbage cans.
- Pet Food: As we have discussed above, raccoons are omnivorous animals, so they can eat almost everything. If you leave your pet’s food outside, they can be attracted to it, and once they find such feeding places, it will become difficult for you to get rid of them.
- Bird Feeders: Bird feeders in your garden are also something that can attract these little animals. Leaving this outside at night works like an open invitation for raccoons.
- Fallen Fruits: Raccoons love to eat fruits, so fallen fruits in your garden can become a reason for these animals to destroy it.
- Leftovers: Leaving the mess of a house party in your garden can also lead it to be destroyed by this little creature.
These are the common reasons that can lead raccoons to infest your place and can easily be avoided. But once raccoons have entered your garden, there are different strategies to tackle that situation.
Keeping Raccoons out of Your Garden
If you’re done with the damage caused by raccoons in your garden, you can do a lot of things to stop their entry. We have researched and composed a list of some of the most authentic techniques that you can use in your garden.
Remove All Food Sources
The most common reason for raccoons to enter your garden is dispersed food. Make sure to clean the space occasionally, leaving no sign of food behind, from bird feeders to pet food or the leftovers of your evening parties. Your lawn must be cleaned to keep raccoons away.
Seal Your Garbage Bags
Make sure to seal your garbage bags completely before putting them in the garbage can and cover the lid of the garbage can; this will reduce the chances of raccoon’s invasion in search of food. Sealed garbage bags will prevent the food odors from spreading in the air so that the little bandits can’t reach the food. Also, don’t forget to clean your garbage cans once in a while.
Keep the Lights On
It may seem a little weird, but it is one of the most effective techniques for raccoons. These are nocturnal animals, which means they hunt at night, and they are not very fond of bright lights. So setting up proper lighting at night has proved to keep these animals away from the gardens.
Seal All Entry Points
Seal all the possible access points of your property to prevent their entry. Make sure to remove useless material from your lawn or backyard. Piles of wood and bricks can make an excellent home for raccoons; these places provide them good hideouts to spend the day.
Pungent Smell
Raccoons don’t like the pungent smells of repellents and ammonia. Spray these chemicals in your garden to stop their visits. There are many repellents available on the market, and you can also make one, like pepper spray, by yourself.
Use a Trap
If you have used all of the above remedies and they still keep coming back, then you can use a trap. You can place such traps in different areas of your garden with food as a bait to lure raccoons. These cages are designed in such a way that they close automatically when an animal enters. They are harmless cages, make sure to take the trapped animals as far as possible and set them free as our purpose is to keep them out of our garden without harming them.
Conclusion
Keeping raccoons out of your garden is not a difficult task. The solutions mentioned above are easy and can be followed by anyone; there is no special technique required. Some of the solutions don’t even need any extra product, as everything is available at home. All of these solutions are humane and don’t kill or cause pain. Raccoons might be dangerous for our gardens, but no amount of damage can equate to hurting or killing these animals.
