Why Do Raccoons Often Live in Garages

Why Raccoons Like Hiding in Garages?

Raccoons do not only frequent homes for food and water–the animals are also often in search of safe places to live. Warmth and darkness are two features that are crucial to raccoons when seeking a habitat, which is primarily related to their nocturnal nature. A garage is usually a prime spot for a raccoon to nest since it meets all of these requirements. For this reason, it is best to contact a raccoon removal service in Markham. Additionally, garages do not see much human activity, which will also make the structure peaceful to the animals. The more cluttered the garage is, the better this will be for raccoons as this provides the animals with numerous hiding places. If you notice raccoons in your garage, it is crucial not to attempt to disturb the animals on your own. There could very well be a mother raccoon with babies and the mother will become quite violent if her young are threatened. Allow a raccoon removal specialist to handle the problem.

Raccoons like garages because it gives them a relatively safe space to nest during the day. Since humans are mostly active during the day, this can potentially cause interactions to incur, which can be quite dangerous if any raccoons in the garage are infected with rabies. Due to the possibility of interactions with humans, most raccoons will typically not choose to nest in garages long term. The most likely cause of finding raccoons in a garage is usually related to female raccoons nursing a litter of babies to maturity. A safe space is needed for this to occur and it is against regulations in many places to attempt to remove a mother raccoon and her babies. A mother will typically not inflict much damage to a garage since she is preoccupied with raising her young to maturity. After a period of months, both she and the mature raccoons will likely abandon the garage.

The animals likely consider garages to be too risky for long term habitation. Some people may frequent their garage often, whereas some people rarely venture into a garage. Still, the habitat is too risky. Ways to repel raccoons from garages can include keeping lights and a radio on in the structure overnight. This is a humane way to try and drive the animals away. More often than not, you will need to consult with a removal company to remove the raccoons from the garage.

This can ensure that you are complying with any local regulations, especially if the raccoon in question is a female who is raising her young. Raccoons can also become quite aggressive when they are threatened, so attempting to go into the garage with a broom to force the animals out can be a recipe for disaster. A scratch or a bite is very possible, and these animals have known vectors for diseases that can be transmitted to humans. If a mother raccoon is inside with babies, simply try and wait for the raccoons out or call a removal company to handle it.