Though cute and fuzzy, and seemingly shy, raccoons are not all that innocent. We have all seen online videos of wild raccoons hanging out in garage rafters, teasing dogs through windows, and even being brazen enough to take food right out of pet food bowls. These naturally masked creatures are nocturnal foragers with dexterous front paws and long fingers, allowing them to more easily grasp things to steal or eat. Unfortunately, it’s stunts like these that give raccoons the reputation of being a nuisance in Greenville, SC neighborhoods that leads to the need for emergency wild animal removal.
Even though wild animals like raccoons were probably here first, sharing our space with the local wildlife can pose challenges when it comes to patience and safety. Raccoons are famous for rummaging through garbage cans, creating messes and destruction in their path. Since wild raccoons are known for carrying the rabies virus, it is understandable that humans fear these animals getting close to their families and pets, or unknowingly coming upon a raccoon in the yard or garage, startling it into a defensive mode. Here are some facts about wild raccoons:
What are the most common places raccoons like to hang out at?
These animals prefer to be in wooded areas filled with trees and near a water source. They like to be up high and away from predators or other animals that might try to steal their food or in tree hallows, not open spaces. In structures, they like to hang out in garages and sheds up in the beams.
How to identify raccoons in your garden
Think you may have a raccoon family using your garden as a picnic area? Signs that you may have night visitors are a lot of holes in your lawn, deep and wide holes in mulch or compost piles (they are looking for insects), and food missing from outdoor pet food dishes or the bird feeder. Since raccoons like to be near a source of water, you might notice the birdbath empty by the morning.
How do you know if a wild raccoon has rabies?
According to The Humane Society, it does not necessarily mean that a raccoon is sick or dangerous if it is out during the day—there is no need for panic! It may just be foraging for food or out for a stroll. A rabid raccoon will most likely die within 1 to 3 days and will show signs of infection such as: a staggering gait, erratic wandering, directional confusion, discharge from the eyes or mouth, wet and matted hair on its face, repeated high-pitch vocalization and sounds, and may be seemingly oblivious to noise or nearby movement.
If you notice any of these signs of rabies, you should call an emergency wild animal removal service in Greenville, SC. However, a raccoon with rabies is not the only reason to call an animal control service. The animal might be making a mess of your property while constantly digging through the trash bin or could pose a general danger to itself, pets, children, or yourself, and should be removed and relocated as soon as possible.