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Raccoon in the attic
A raccoon in the attic is heavy, strong and usually a mother with young. It is not a job for a broom and a flashlight.
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The short version
- How you know
- Heavy thumping and walking at night, sometimes chattering or crying.
- Do not
- Corner it, handle it or seal the entry.
- Who to call
- A wildlife control operator. State wildlife officers generally do not trap.
Safe to do
- Keep children and pets away from the attic.
- Bring pet food indoors and secure the trash.
- Look from the ground for a torn soffit or vent.
- Note when you hear the noise.
Leave to an operator
- Entering the attic.
- Trapping or handling the animal.
- Removing young from the insulation.
- Cleaning up droppings.
What Tennessee's wildlife agency says
- Who does the workAnimal Damage Control operators, permitted by the agency, trap and remove nuisance wildlife "at the landowner's expense."
- What the agency doesIts officers typically do not trap or remove nuisance wildlife, but give technical assistance to landowners.
- No promise of qualityThe agency says it has no regulatory authority over operators and does not vouch for the quality of their service.
- Your own propertyA landowner may capture some species without a permit if the animal is causing damage. The agency's page gives the conditions.
What an operator will do
- Find the entry point and check for young.
- Remove the animals.
- Seal and repair the entry.
- Advise on cleaning and on damaged insulation.
Raccoons can carry diseases that pass to people and pets. Do not touch the animal or its droppings.
Related guides
Squirrels in the attic
Mice in the walls
Pest control: what you are paying forSources
- Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency