Raccoons are a very specific and dangerous species. There is a lot of wildlife in the world, squirrels, rodents, skunks, but the raccoon is far more dangerous and in ways, most people do not expect or even know of. Raccoons are the vector species for a disease called rabies. It’s a potent and incurable illness with symptoms like hydrophobia. That is the seemingly unreasonable fear of water so much so that the person will run away from glass and die from lack of hydration. This continues as they lose all capacity to act and think. Lockjaw follows, and then death as the person can no longer eat. This is the process that rabies takes through mammal bodies and that includes humans of any age. If your child tries to pet a raccoon that is acting strange, wandering around in a circle or making strange sounds then they will get rabies and there is no cure or treatment. Raccoons also possess an intestinal parasite called raccoon roundworms. This is not your garden variety roundworm where you take a course of antibiotics and it’s all gone. These worms shed eggs by the millions and are constantly reproducing. They can fill every organ in your body including your skin and eyes. They will show up as angry worm-like lesions all over the body and there is no cure. It can be controlled and people have survived but they will never be rid of them and it will eventually kill them in a very unenjoyable way.
If you find a raccoon wandering your property and they do not look sick but instead quick smart and curious then you may have a raccoon living on your property. While they are protected animals and you are not allowed to harm or kill them when they get into your home you will need to have some work done. The attic is the easiest place to get them out of. If you have one in your attic you should be happy because it can be taken care of for very cheap. If you have one under a deck, burrowed under a shed or even in the crawlspace of your foundationless house then the price will go up dramatically. When a raccoon gets into an opening, especially a soffit opening which is, aside from ripping a roof vent clean off, is one of their favourite entryways. Getting it out is not something you should try on your own but you can buy a one-way door from home hardware. It will not be anywhere as effective as a professional one which is usually built from scratch by the technicians in the company and will have a much much larger chance of succeeding. If you have a raccoon in your home or attic call a professional they are trained, experienced and most of all, fully insured for liability.