How Do I Get a Raccoon Out of the Attic?
This is a question we have not answered recently as we haven’t had a raccoon removal from the attic since June. But, as the days and nights have become cooler, attics in the Summit / Stark / Portage County are becoming much more inviting to raccoons as evidenced by an increase in attic raccoon removal calls. We thought it an appropriate time for this blog post.
Attics (when they are not crazy hot) make great denning spots for raccoons. Dry, mostly windproof, and secure- what’s a raccoon not to like?
Trapping Attic Raccoons
In order to get a raccoon out of the attic (not babies), we recommend trapping. Traps can be placed in the attic itself but this is not often practical or the preferred method.
The easiest way to trap attic raccoons is to figure out how they are gaining entrance to your attic. Have they removed a piece of soffit to get in? Is there one main tree or piece of gutter they are climbing to get on the roof? Any pieces of information that tell you about how the raccoons travel will help.
Here is a picture of a recent raccoon capture from an Akron raccoon removal. An inspection revealed the raccoon was entering the attic at one spot. The house has a dormer that extends from the main roof. The raccoon pulled the dormer soffit down where it ties into the main roof. This is a VERY typical raccoon and squirrel entry spot. 
These areas provide very stable footing and good leverage so the raccoon, with their super dexterity, can reach up and pull the soffit right down.
Locating where the raccoon was making entry/exit made placing of the trap pretty easy.
We could have chosen to trap on the ground, where we made our best guess that the raccoon was gaining entry to the roof. For many homeowners and do-it-yourselfers, this is probably the best way.
We chose the roof method simply because it was more efficient. By attaching a double door trap to the roof and using some wire to block off the sides and top, we can make the raccoon walk right through the trap.
The green on the trap is just the remnants of a towel that was placed to cover the trap.
The advantage of trapping right at the entry/exit is that the trap targets the offending animal(s). The disadvantage would be roof work, need for double door trap, and some attaching/funneling materials.
If you have need for an attic raccoon removal in the Canton / Akron / Kent area, give Frontline Animal Removal a call today.
