Dealing with raccoons is not always easy, one minute everything is fine, and in the other, all hell breaks loose. They can be messy, and trashy and you can get a lot of expenses when they invade your household.
Although you’ll want to get rid of raccoons sooner than later, the truth is you cannot dispose of them that easily, or at least, the way you do it for other pests. Raccoons can be quite a challenge to get rid of.
Many people question if rat poison is strong enough to kill raccoons, and the answer is yes. Rat poison will kill raccoons, but it’s not the most effective way to get rid of them due to several issues.
But keep reading because we are going to explain why and how to get rid of raccoons effectively throughout this whole article.
Why Shouldn’t You Use Rat Poison to Kill Raccoons?
For starters, killing raccoons with poison is illegal. Only people with a hunting permit can kill raccoons with an appropriate gun. And second, a poisoned raccoon can go berserk and destroy everything in its path.
In the end, if the raccoon dies in an inaccessible area, you still need to pick it up and properly dispose of it, as it may poison other wild animals who will come to eat it.
A dead raccoon can smell really bad when it’s rotting away, if you cannot dispose of it properly it will spread an odor hazard for the ones who are nearby.
What Can You Do Instead of Using Rat Poison to Kill Raccoons
- Avoid having trash cans near your doorstep and always keep them closed tight.
- Use some pepper spray on the raccoon activity area to repel them efficiently.
- Remove any food resources from the exterior of your house where raccoons can have free access.
- Get some dogs to scare off raccoons from your property.
- Don’t give them any openings to go inside your house, keep the place shut at all times.
For a humane approach on raccoon control, consult our comprehensive guide on ‘How to get rid of Raccoons.’
What Rat Poison Kill Raccoons Instantly?
There are no poisons to kill a raccoon instantly, most of the poisons take some time to do some effect, at very least some minutes. But using poison to kill raccoons is not the best way to get rid of them.
While the poison is taking some time to do the desired effect, the raccoon suffers a lot from the chemicals contained in the poison. This is not the humane way to dispose of these animals and it may pose a serious threat to your health and other animals.
What Food Is Poisonous to Raccoons?
Raccoons are omnivorous creatures, but there are indeed some things they cannot eat. Things like macadamia nuts, raisins, chocolates, and onions are super toxic to raccoons. This will upset a raccoon’s digestive system.
Any food with coffee, cocoa, and sweets will cause serious health problems in raccoons, just like it does for other pets. Although these foods are pretty toxic to raccoons, thanks to their long digestive tract system, they are able to dispose of most toxins during digestion.
So if you are expecting to kill a raccoon with just food, you will need to get yourself another method because this definitely will not work.
What Home Remedy Kills Raccoons Better than Rat Poison?
Killing raccoons is illegal and forbidden in many parts of the country. They are classified as wildlife and therefore you will not be able to just kill raccoons on your own. Your best bet is to call animal control to handle this situation for you.
Unless a raccoon poses a serious immediate threat to you and your family, there is no reason to kill it. There are a lot of professional services that can get rid of them quickly for you, and still be compliant with the law.
The best way to keep raccoons away is to prevent things that will generally attract them in the first place, such as open garbage cans and unsupervised outdoor pet food. If you take care of this, raccoons have no reason to invade your property.
What Is a Good Raccoon Repellent When Compared to Rat Poison?
There are some good raccoon repellents out there that you can use to quickly get rid of raccoons such as:
- Live Traps: They are pretty common and can get rid of raccoons very efficiently, when you trap a raccoon in a live trap, you should take it to a vet’s office so they can perform euthanasia on it. If you release the raccoon somewhere else, another one will take its place.
- Ultrasonic Repellents: These devices can work pretty well against raccoons, some of them can cover a 360 angle making them very efficient. An ultrasonic repellent will emit ultrasonic sound waves that raccoons hate, on top of that it will flash some led lights and sound an alarm. Not only they are totally safe but can be pet friendly too.
What Do Raccoons Hate the Most?
There isn’t a specific thing that raccoons will hate more than anything else, but there are a few things that they tend to avoid and even run from, they can be:
- Dogs: Racoons don’t like dogs so much, they usually run from them, but you still need to be cautious though. A territorial raccoon or a raccoon with offspring may become very aggressive. Keep your pet inside your property and train them just to scare raccoons away.
- Cucumbers: Many rodents stay away from the smell of cucumber, and raccoons are no exception. Grow cucumber all around your property and it will act as a good raccoon repeller.
- Loud noises: Nothing like a good loud scary noise to keep a raccoon away. This can go from loud music, radio, electric tools, and anything else you can remember. There are repellers who use this same technique.
- Sprinklers: Having a sprinkler system in your backyard can also help in preventing raccoons, especially if you use them during nighttime when they are most active.
Is It a Good Idea to Use Rat Poison to Kill Raccoons?
As we could check before, it is never a good idea to use rat poison to kill raccoons. Your best bet is to prevent the appearance of raccoons, if you can follow some of the practices we’ve discussed in this article, you are set to keep raccoons away efficiently.
When in doubt or in the event you are not able to do these things by yourself you can always contact professional exterminators to help with the job.
Conclusion
As a final thought do not forget that killing raccoons is illegal in many states. Be sure to check your local laws about wildlife and about getting rid of raccoons. Since poisoning is not an option, keep yourself informed about what can you do if you encounter one raccoon.
Prevention and preparation will be your best bet. Inform yourself in advance and this will guarantee that things will not derail in case of an imminent raccoon encounter.
