Raccoons are intelligent and adaptable mammals that can be found throughout North America, including urban areas like Gatineau and Ottawa. Understanding their natural behaviours and how they adapt to human environments is critical to identifying a potential infestation and taking steps to protect your property and your family.
If you suspect a raccoon infestation, look for these signs in your attic, basement, or around your property.
Natural World Influences: Raccoons are nocturnal creatures in the wild, active at night and seeking shelter during the day. They are skilled climbers and foragers, relying on their dexterous paws to find food sources like insects, fruits, nuts, and even small animals.
Urban Adaptations: Gatineau’s urban environment presents challenges and opportunities for raccoons. While natural food sources may be limited, human waste, like overflowing garbage cans and unsecured compost bins, can provide easy meals. Raccoons retain their nocturnal habits in urban areas, but Gatineau’s harsh winters can influence their activity patterns.
Seasonal Shifts: As food becomes scarce in the winter, raccoons become more active at night, searching for sustenance. Attics, with their insulation providing warmth, become beautiful den sites during these colder months, mimicking the hollow trees or rock crevices they would seek in a natural environment.
Den Building Instincts: Raccoons are resourceful den builders. In their natural habitat, they create dens in hollow trees, rock crevices, or abandoned burrows. In urban Gatineau and Ottawa, they readily adapt and utilize attics, chimneys, sheds, and even under decks as substitutes for these natural dens, especially during the cold winters.
Health Risks: Raccoons can carry diseases like rabies, distemper, and roundworm that can be transmitted to humans and pets. It’s important to avoid direct contact with raccoons and their droppings.
Potential Damage: Raccoons can cause significant damage to your property while searching for food and shelter. They can tear through soffits, vent screens, and roof shingles to gain entry. Once inside, they may damage insulation, electrical wiring, and ductwork as they explore and create their dens.
While a raccoon encounter in your home can be startling, staying calm and acting strategically is vital. Here’s how to behave depending on who’s with you:
Living with raccoons in the Gatineau and Ottawa region, where wildlife is abundant, requires vigilance and preventative measures. If you suspect a raccoon infestation, contact a professional wildlife removal company to address the issue safely and humanely.