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Raccoons are a common pest found around residential areas.  These critters can be quite problematic around your home.  Raccoons will make a mess of your garbage, bother your pets and, if they have the chance, will try to enter your home.  Another concern with these pests is that they can carry rabies as well as other diseases.

One of the most common ways raccoons will make themselves known is by rummaging through your garbage cans and strewing trash everywhere.  You can solve this problem by purchasing garbage pins with tightly sealed lids.  If you don’t want to pay to replace them, you can rig something up with bungee cords to keep them secure, though this is a little more of an inconvenience.

Raccoons will also be attracted to pet food left outside.  You can usually tell a raccoon has paid you a visit if your pet’s water looks really dirty.  Though you may think of them as dirty, smelly creatures, raccoons actually have strict hygiene practices. They prefer to wash their food, and may dip handfuls of pet food into your pet’s water before eating it.   Continue reading →