Raccoons are aggressive and dangerous. They tend to enter human dwellings in the hopes of making a nest that is hidden from other raccoons. Unlike many familial species, raccoons are aggressive towards each other as well as other species. The raccoon is normally a strict carnivore but in the winter, especially during the start of the baby season, they must become omnivores to survive as food gets scars. You are far more likely to see a raccoon in the winter than in the summer, though in the summer you will often find them sleeping on your property. Raccoons are very dangerous animals and you should stay away from them. They are the vector species for rabies which means they pass it on to other species most often. They have feces that can kill in short order with a parasite called raccoon roundworm. The parasite shockingly cannot harm the raccoon but sheds eggs by the millions per day. Getting just one egg into your body will cause a rapid parasitic infection that will blind the person and send them into a coma from which they will not wake. The only way to clean this type of feces is with heat and sterilizers. You can not clean with bleach as not even gamma radiation from the sun can kill them. You must either get a high heat steamer or hire a professional that can deal with the feces safely and properly. Do not risk doing this yourself. The dangers are too severe.
If a raccoon has gotten into your attic then you will need to get it out as soon as possible. While it can take up to a week for it to vacate you must call someone to get set up the one-way door before they give birth. Female raccoons will mate with many males. Then she knows she is pregnant she will find a safe place to live which is often under a shed or deck or even in your attic. If this is the case then you will soon have blind mobile babies in your attic with a mother that will be much harder to get out of. Calling a professional to install a one-way door attached to the main entranceway within the first few days of the infestation will do the trick. No rush it takes time for the animal to leave. What you should not do is wait for it to leave on its own. Once the babies are born it takes a full sixteen weeks for them to vacate and that’s if they decide to leave. They may simply remain permanently.
If you have raccoons in your attic make sure you do not hurt them. All native animals in Ontario are protected so methods like trapping and snarring are frowned upon. Using a one-way door to allow the animal to vacate humanely and safely is the best and only real option to get an animal out of your home or attic.