It’s a beautiful day as you step outside and head for a nice relaxing swim in your pool. Can there be anything more unsettling or gross than finding raccoon fecal floating in the pool water? Not only is this extremely unsanitary, but it can also expose you to a serious bacterial infection. Animal droppings in swimming pools are more common than you may think. There are a few things you can do on your own that help prevent this type of situation from occurring. If you have raccoon fecal in your pool in Collierville TN, then this article is for you!
What You Can Do To Keep Raccoon Fecal Out Of Your Pool!
There are a few things you can do on your own to block raccoons from accessing your pool. Try blocking the areas using a portable gate or pads with spikes on them. Place the spike pads around the stairs. This will make it uncomfortable for the raccoon to walk over it to get to the stairs. Motion-activated lights that flash can be installed around the pool. These lights are considered frightening devices to scare raccoons away. Some even say that garlic or ammonia can deter raccoons as well.
Why Do Raccoons Leave Fecal In Pools?
Raccoons will defecate in a source of water in an effort to remove the smell of their droppings so that other wildlife are unable to detect them. Water will either carry the droppings away or wash the scent away. This enables raccoons to avoid other wildlife by remaining more discreet and hidden in the wild.
How Can You Tell If It’s Raccoon Fecal In Your Pool?
Raccoon fecal is tube-shaped and 2-3 inches long. The shape and size of the fecal is one indication that a raccoon is the culprit. The fecal will also have a different texture than that of dog or cat fecal because raccoon fecal will have pieces of undigested food in it.
Raccoons will generally attempt to locate a home that is as close to a water source as possible. Would it surprise you to know that raccoons love to swim and relax in water? Many people believe that raccoons wash their hand-like paws as a function of cleanliness. However, there is a different reason for why they wash.
Why Do Raccoons Always Wash Their Hands?
Raccoon paws have whiskers that are very sensitive and process information by feel rather than sight. The whiskers send information to the raccoon’s brain about the item they are holding. Raccoons wash their paws to remove any gunk and dirt that is stuck on them in an effort to better feel what they are holding. Whether the raccoon plans to eat the item or not they will still wash. This is why they require a source of water nearby because they will wash their paws and objects as often as they possibly can.
Raccoon Diseases To Be Aware Of:
Health concerns are the primary reason to handle this problem immediately. There is a lot of bacteria contained in all fecal matter, especially in raccoon droppings. Raccoons have roundworms that live in their intestines. The worms are relatively harmless to the raccoon but can cause an infection in humans and other animals known as Baylisacaris. Baylisacaris can be contracted through contact with roundworm eggs passed in raccoon fecal droppings.
If you should unknowingly come into contact with raccoon fecal the symptoms of Baylisacaris to be on the lookout for include tiredness, lack of attention to people and their surroundings, loss of coordination, loss of muscle control, nausea, liver enlargement, blindness, and coma.
Raccoon Disease Symptoms And What To Be Aware Of:
The symptoms of Baylisacaris usually appear between 1 to 4 weeks after you have touched your face following contact with the droppings. It is important to properly clean and sanitize any area where there have been wild animal droppings. No known cleaning products exist to effectively kill roundworm eggs. Heat does kill roundworm eggs instantly and should be followed by a thorough cleaning and disinfecting of the area.
How We Can Help With The Raccoon Fecal In Your Pool in Collierville TN
Apex Wildlife Control can remove your stress and will clean the most daunting of messes. We offer fecal cleaning and deodorizing service whether the droppings are in your attic or swimming pool. We are here to help with all your wildlife problems. However, fecal droppings in your pool are just a symptom of the problem. If the issue persists we will need to look further to the source of the problem. Trying to use deterrents first is a good start, but it may not always work. You may need to consider trapping the raccoons for relocation to another area. and Apex offers outside trapping services for all wild animals.
Our Raccoon Trapping Service
Our company uses humane, live cage traps that do no harm to the animals that are trapped. The wildlife technicians will use species-specific baits, but they will need to know if you have small dogs or cats to avoid using any bait that might attract domestic animals into the trap accidentally. It is very easy for a pet to enter a trap, but they need our assistance for release. We try to avoid trapping pet animals, but it is another reason we use the humane traps.
It is important for us to know if you have noticed a number of raccoons and how many you have seen. It could be a family, and our technicians will always attempt to trap the entire family so they may be relocated together. We take them 25 miles from your property so they cannot find their way back to your property. In their new area the animals will have to establish new territory in an area that may already be populated with raccoons. The family may have to fight for territory in their search for a source of food and water while at the same time avoiding local wildlife and predators. This is much easier to do as a family unit and gives them a better chance for survival.
Apex Wildlife Control is here for all your wildlife needs. We strive to provide the best service possible. We want to leave our customers with a sense of relief knowing they are safe to relax and enjoy their swimming pool again. There is no wildlife problem too big or messy for our wildlife technicians. So if you have raccoon fecal in your pool in Collierville TN, call us today! We are here for you and always happy to help!
