Raccoons have the ability to squeeze through small spaces and access the crawl space under your home. You may start to hear bumping, banging, and even scratching sounds coming from beneath your house. If this should happen, take a look around for OPEN TRASHCANS. Also, if you are feed any pets outside be diligent about pick up any uneaten food when they are finished feeding.  Ask around and make sure the neighbors are not feeding raccoons at night by inadvertently leaving uneaten dog and cat food out as this will attract raccoons.  This may not seem like a big deal, but it can create major problems in the neighborhood.

Why Do Raccoons Like Crawl Spaces? 

When a raccoon finds an area with a plentiful source of food and water it will make its home close by. Typically, raccoons will search for quiet places that are easily accessible.  Crawl spaces are ideal for what the raccoon needs and are considerably cooler in the summertime.  Additionally, crawl spaces can have a ready supply of mice and rats which are also food sources for raccoons. Hopefully, this is not your situation. But if it is, we are here to help!

Walk around the outside of your home and look for holes that are bigger than a baseball or have noticeable chewed or claw marks. These are clear indications that an animal bigger than a squirrel has been going in and out of the hole. Raccoons are opportunists.  They will not dig a new hole and prefer to use holes that have already been created and left by other animals. Ground vents and rotted wood are other possible entry points that enable raccoons to enter your crawl space.

If you find signs of raccoons in your crawl space, you have a couple of different options. We will do outside trapping or trapping full exclusion. Full exclusion lets us completely seal your property against reentry of animals. Trapping simply traps the raccoon for relocation. We release the raccoons about twenty-five miles from your home so that they will not be able to find their way back to you.  The areas we relocate the raccoons to has an abundance of fresh water, shelter and food sources so that these raccoons can live their best raccoon live far away from your home and property.

To know which option is the best for your situation, one of our wildlife technicians will perform a full interior and exterior inspection of your home.  He checks from the crawl space to your attic and from the foundation to the roof line.  He checks the foundation, crawl space doors, and the ground vents for possible entry points for animals. He also photographs any damages he finds during the inspection. Upon completion of the inspection the technician will provide you with a quote to repair any damages, seal the building, and trap whatever animals are in your crawl space.

Should the technician determine from his inspection that trapping services are all that is required, Apex Wildlife Control can perform outside trapping without the exclusion work or sealing any possible entry points.

The technician will verify the species of animal that has gained access to your crawl space. He  sets several traps outside with species-specific bait. On average, we set three traps unless we know there is a family of raccoons and have the exact number of raccoons. We then will add more traps according to the number of raccoons in the family.

Our wildlife technicians use the best bait possible for the species involved.  We consider the wildlife and domestic animals in the area when choosing picking bait for an outside trap. If there are stray cats or outdoor pets present we use a bait that will be less likely to entice them and avoid trapping any domestic animals.

Outside trapping is a seven day process. The traps set and baited and we will schedule three trap checks over the seven days (every 36 hours). You do not need to be home for the trap checks. We do ask that you check the traps daily in between the scheduled trap checks and call us if you find that an animal has been caught. We will be out that same day to retrieve the animal to prevent it from becoming dehydrated. 

Apex Wildlife Control has a very successful record with outside trapping for raccoons. However, our company cannot provide a guarantee with any of our outside trapping services because an animal cannot be forced to go into a trap. The goal is to entice the raccoon into choosing to go into the trap for the bait we use. Some animals are smarter than others and may be trap-shy and simply refuse to go into a trap especially if they have been trapped in the past.  Younger animals are generally easier to trap.

Once traps are set and baited, we will begin the seven-day trapping process. We schedule three trap checks for seven days for outside trapping. It is not necessary for you to be home for these trap checks. We do ask that you check these traps daily and give us a call if a raccoon is caught. This will allow us to pick up the animal sooner to prevent dehydration.

Apex Wildlife Control uses humane, live traps for raccoons. Once trapped the animal is taken by us to an area approximately 25 miles away so they cannot find their way back to your home.  If you have a family of raccoons, we attempt to catch them all and relocate them together. This provides the family, especially the young raccoons, with the best chance for survival. We will always try to keep the families together when possible.

Sometimes we will find a raccoon that is in the early stages of rabies or even distemper.  These animals cannot be relocated as there is no cure for rabies, and local wildlife rehabilitators cannot take them as these diseases would be easily spread to other animals.  Sadly, these raccoons must be humanely euthanized in accordance with the wildlife laws of the State Of Tennessee.

Apex Wildlife Control is here for any and all of your wildlife needs. There is no problem too big or small for us to handle.  So if you have a raccoon hiding in your crawl space, give Apex Wildlife Control a call today.  We're here to help!