Raccoon Removal in Massachusetts and Rhode Island
Raccoons in Chimneys and Attic
Every spring, hundreds of female raccoons break into attics and crawl down chimneys in our area in search of a safe place to give birth to their young. It's usually during the second week of April that we start getting calls from people asking how to get rid of raccoons in the attic.
Raccoons are very strong and can easily break blades out of louver-vents and tear shingles off a roof to gain access to an attic. They can also dismantle faulty chimney caps and tear off chimney screens. Once inside an attic or chimney, raccoons will create a nesting area and designate a spot to be their toilet — raccoons always defecate and urinate in the same spot. This can cause a terrible odor as it soaks into the insulation, sheetrock or sealing tiles.
Raccoons are also very destructive by nature and will often tear apart insulation and wiring and rip shingles off the roof for no apparent reason. A raccoon is a very dangerous animal to have living in your attic or chimney for a number of reasons, and we feel it's wise to hire a professional to deal with your raccoon problem.
Common Symptoms of a Raccoon Problem
- Loud noises in your attic, especially at night.
- Juvenile raccoon chatter, which sounds like a nest of baby birds chirping.
- Scratching, loud noises or chirping in your fireplace.
- Noticeable damage on the outside of the house
- Raccoon sightings on roof or porch
BatGuys Raccoon Control Services
BatGuys specializes in bat removal, but raccoons are by far our favorite animals to work with. Every year we look forward to the spring when we get to deal with these highly intelligent animals on a daily basis. Listed below is a brief summary of our raccoon control services. This should give you an idea of how we safely and humanely conduct raccoon evictions.
Raccoon Trapping and Removal
Raccoon trapping is the only permanent way of getting rid of raccoons. Raccoons must be trapped and removed from the location to completely solve the problem. If the raccoon's entry point is blocked while it is out searching for food and it is separated from its young, it will literally tear a house apart to get back in. For this reason the raccoons must be trapped and removed. BatGuys uses the most humane traps available to trap raccoons. We check our traps daily and cover all traps to avoid exposing the animals to the elements.
Raccoon Exclusion
Once all raccoons have been trapped and removed we will perform raccoon exclusion services. In raccoon removal services the term "exclusion" refers to securing the hole(s) or entry point(s) the raccoon(s) were using to gain access to the attic. This will prevent any raccoons from entering these areas in the future. If the raccoons inhabit a chimney, we will install a stainless steel chimney cap to secure the chimney. All of our exclusion services and chimney caps come with written warranties. If any raccoons get through any of our work during the warranty period we will return to make repairs at no cost to the customer.
Damage Assessment
Once the raccoons are removed from the attic or chimney and the entry points are secured, we will conduct an inspection to determine the extent of the damage. We inspect the inhabited area for urine damage, feces deposits, parasites, damaged/soiled insulation and chewed wiring. Once the assessment is complete we provide the customer with a quote for additional cleanup and restoration services.
Attic Cleanout Services
Our attic cleanout services involve the removal of all raccoon feces and contaminated insulation from the inhabited areas. Using commercial vacuum equipment we can remove all contaminated materials using a large vacuum hose to ensure that no contaminants are transferred into the living space of the home. Once the area is emptied we will apply disinfecting & deodorizing treatments as well as parasite treatments throughout the area.
To learn more about our Attic Restoration Services please click here.
Damage Repair Services
Besides being licensed to remove and control wildlife, BatGuys are also licensed general contractors, providing a wide array of damage repair services. This gives our clients the convenience of dealing with one contractor for the entire project rather than having to use multiple companies. Some of the most common damage repair service we provide in raccoon damage situations are:
- Insulation replacement — blown-in and fiberglass insulation
- Gable-vent and ridge-vent replacement
- Soffit replacement
- Ceiling replacement — both tile and sheetrock
- Drop-ceiling installations
Health Hazards Associated with Raccoons
The raccoon population of Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island has exploded in recent years. Along with the growing population comes a concern for the diseases these animals carry. Raccoons are considered a "high-risk" animal for carrying rabies and distemper in our area.
In 2003-2004, Cape Cod and the Plymouth/Bourne area saw a dramatic increase in rabid raccoon cases. Raccoons also carry their own specific species of roundworm in their digestive system. This roundworm gets deposited in their feces daily and creates a serious health hazard for anyone who comes in contact with the feces or inhales the dried roundworm eggs. After getting rid of raccoons from an attic, the occupied area should be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. This includes removing all damaged and soiled insulation, flea and mite treatments and disinfecting and deodorizing with commercial solvents.
For more information on these services please visit our Cleanout page.
You may also be interested in reading our case study on raccoon removal.
Spring 2007 Raccoon Removal Pictures and Videos
The first project is from Hingham Massachusetts. A young female raccoon and 4 juveniles had taken up residence in an old abandoned chimney. The customer had heard some noises in the chimney that ran through her kitchen. Little did she know all that separated her from these animals was a tin decorative plate that was placed over the old stovepipe hole!
Video of the female inside the chimney. Turn up your speakers!
Video of me removing the pups.
The second project is from Newport Rhode Island. This was a very short chimney with a custom-flu on a one-story home. As the female raccoon was on her way up the chimney she paused just long enough for me to get a picture. She then turned around and growled at me as you can see in the video. This was one of the fastest chimney coon jobs I have ever completed.
Chimney Raccoon Video. Turn up your speakers!
The third project was a bit different. The homeowner found a dead adult raccoon in his driveway the morning before he called me. The raccoon had been hit by a car on the street in front of his home. That night he began to hear all types of chirping and chattering in his fireplace. The deceased raccoon was the female that had this litter of pups in the homeowners chimney. She was probably on her way back from a night of feeding when she was struck by the car. A very unfortunate situation.
The fourth project was the type of raccoon call that I dread. In this case a female raccoon had broken into an attic of a small cottage and had a litter of pups. The problem was that the attic was very small and there was an area that led to a void over a cathedral ceiling that was totally inaccessible to anything larger than a raccoon. A job like this one forces you to be creative. It took me 4 trips to the property to complete the job and thankfully I didn't have to cut open any ceilings to accomplish the goal. All raccoons were safely removed and the damage was repaired.
