Discovering raccoons under mobile homes can be a cause for concern for homeowners.
These resourceful creatures are drawn to the shelter and potential food sources offered by the space beneath mobile homes.
In this guide, we will explore effective strategies for identifying, deterring, and safely removing raccoons from under mobile homes, ensuring both the well-being of your property and the raccoons.
How to Remove Raccoons from under Mobile Homes
Here are effective steps for removing raccoons from beneath mobile homes:
- Secure Entry Points: Thoroughly secure and close off potential entry points to prevent raccoons from gaining access beneath your mobile home.
- Check for Young Raccoons: Inspect the area under your mobile home for any baby raccoons. If present, wait until they are old enough to leave with their mother before sealing entry points.
- Use a Humane Trap: Employ a humane trap near the entry point, baited with items like cat food or marshmallows, to safely capture the raccoon.
- Release Safely: Once captured, release the raccoon at least 10 miles away from your home in a wooded area to ensure it doesn’t return.
- Install Metal Mesh: To prevent future intrusions, install galvanized metal mesh under your skirting to deter burrowing animals from accessing beneath your mobile home.
- Try Home Remedies: Consider using home remedies such as a cayenne pepper and water mixture sprayed around the perimeter of your mobile home to deter raccoons.
It’s important to remember that raccoons can carry diseases and may become aggressive when threatened. If uncertain about safe removal, it’s advisable to contact a professional wildlife removal service for assistance.
Typical Raccoon Lures Beneath Mobile Homes
Here are some common factors that attract raccoons to the space under mobile homes:
- Dark and Quiet Spaces: Raccoons are naturally drawn to dark and quiet areas, and if there are no other suitable options available, they may choose to build a den under a mobile home.
- Food Sources: Food is a primary reason raccoons venture onto your property. These omnivorous creatures will consume a wide variety of items. To deter them, consider addressing the most common food attractants:
- Pet Food: Cat and dog foods are rich in fats, oils, nutrients, and carbohydrates, making them appealing to hungry raccoons. The strong scent can lure them to your back porch. Minimize this attraction by avoiding outdoor food dishes or finding secure storage solutions for outdoor pets.
- Bird Feeders: Raccoons are fond of nuts, grains, and seeds found in bird food. While bird-watching is enjoyable, it can inadvertently attract pests if not managed properly. Use tall, challenging-to-climb bird feeders and promptly clean up any spilled seed on the ground.
- Garbage: Raccoons are notorious for scavenging through garbage cans in search of food. Ensure your garbage cans have tightly sealed lids and store them securely.
- Pet Food: Cat and dog foods are rich in fats, oils, nutrients, and carbohydrates, making them appealing to hungry raccoons. The strong scent can lure them to your back porch. Minimize this attraction by avoiding outdoor food dishes or finding secure storage solutions for outdoor pets.
- Water Sources: Raccoons often prefer locations near water sources, where they can feast on delicacies such as crayfish, frogs, fish, snails, and clams.
- Insects: Raccoons also include insects like slugs, worms, and grubs in their diet, which can be found beneath mobile homes.
To deter raccoons from being attracted to the space beneath your mobile home, it’s essential to secure your trash cans, remove birdseed and bird feeders, and store pet food in sealed containers.
These actions can help mitigate the allure of your property to these critters.
Risks of Having Raccoons under a Mobile Home
Having raccoons under a mobile home presents several risks, including:
- Property Damage: Raccoons can inflict significant structural harm to a mobile home by dismantling vents, soffits, and roofing to gain entry.
- Noise and Odors: Raccoons residing beneath a mobile home can create disruptive noise and unpleasant odors.
- Health Risks: These creatures can carry diseases like rabies, posing a potential threat to humans and pets through bites or scratches.
- Safety Concerns: Raccoons may display aggression if they feel threatened, raising safety concerns for humans and pets.
Taking proactive measures to remove raccoons from beneath your mobile home is crucial to mitigate these risks. If unsure about safe removal methods, it’s advisable to seek assistance from a professional wildlife removal service.
What Will Make Raccoons Go Away Instantly
While there’s no guaranteed instant solution to prompt raccoons to depart, various methods can gradually deter them.
Employ audio and scent tactics, like using a battery-operated radio or placing a bowl of cider vinegar near their nesting site, or deploy home remedies such as ammonia, vinegar, ground-up garlic, powdered cayenne pepper, blood meal, or used cat litter.
Sprinkle these natural deterrents in heavily trafficked areas to make the space less enticing to raccoons.
Additionally, utilize motion-activated deterrents that sense movement, emitting loud noises or flashes of bright light to discourage raccoons from your lawn and garden.
Incorporating plant-based deterrents by planting cucumber, garlic, hot pepper, peppermint, or onions around your yard and entry points can also deter raccoons.
For an alternative solution, you can consult our extensive guide on ‘How to get rid of Raccoons.’
Predator urine, like that of wolves, coyotes, or bobcats, can create the illusion of a nearby threat, prompting raccoons to leave. It’s important to understand that these methods may not yield immediate results and may require time and patience.
If uncertain about safe raccoon removal, it’s advisable to seek assistance from a professional wildlife removal service.
Effective Ways to Remove Raccoons from under a Mobile Home
Here are effective methods for removing raccoons from beneath a mobile home:
- Live Trapping and Professional Removal: If raccoons appear to be nesting, enlisting the services of a professional wildlife control expert for live trapping and removal is often the most effective and humane approach.
- Natural Deterrents: Natural methods like diatomaceous earth and essential oils can discourage animals from residing beneath a mobile home without harming pets. Additionally, sprinkling chili or habanero flakes in the surrounding soil can deter squirrels, skunks, and raccoons from digging.
- Seal All Openings: Raccoons are drawn to dark, confined, and dry spaces for nesting and raising young. Seal all holes and openings to prevent raccoons from accessing the area beneath your mobile home.
- Remove Food Sources: Eliminating food sources is key to deterring raccoons. Secure trash cans, remove birdseed and bird feeders, and store pet food in sealed containers to reduce attractions.
- Electric Fence: While effective, an electric fence may not be feasible for every homeowner due to cost or preference.
It’s important to be aware that raccoons can carry diseases and may exhibit aggression if they feel threatened. Therefore, it’s advisable to contact a professional wildlife removal service if you are uncertain about safely removing raccoons from beneath your mobile home.
