If you heard heavy thumping or scratching above your head last night, you’re likely feeling a mix of panic and frustration. You aren’t alone, raccoons in attic spaces are a common problem across the GTA because our homes provide the perfect warm, dry shelter they crave. At Gotcha Wildlife Removal, we’re the expert neighbor who tells it to you straight: having a raccoon move in is a serious situation, but it’s one we can solve humanely and effectively.
With over 10 years of experience, our team specializes in humane animal removal that protects both your home and the animals. Here’s our honest, step-by-step guide to reclaiming your space.
How to Tell If You Have Raccoons in Your Attic
Raccoons are the heavyweights of the attic world. Unlike the light scurrying of mice or squirrels, you’ll hear heavy walking, thumping, or even vocalizations like chittering at night, especially during their most active hours. Because they have nimble, hand-like paws, you might find tracks in the dust that look like tiny human handprints. Another tell-tale sign is the presence of droppings in specific areas where the animal repeatedly leaves waste. Identifying raccoons in attic spaces early is key to preventing major structural damage.
Why Raccoons Choose Attics: Common Entry Points to Inspect
Raccoons are elite climbers that can scale brick, downspouts, and even the corners of your house. They search for any weakness, often exploiting:
Roof vents and soffits: These are often made of plastic or thin metal that a strong raccoon can easily rip through.
Roof intersections: Areas where different rooflines meet are frequent targets.
Fascia gaps: Damaged or loose fascia boards create perfect entry opportunities.
Uncapped chimneys: To a raccoon, these look just like hollow nesting trees.
Plumbing mats: Areas around plumbing vents are common weak points.
If you suspect an intrusion, our raccoon removal services include a thorough inspection of your property to find every possible entry point.
Health Risks: Raccoon Roundworm, Feces, and Why Cleanup Matters
This is the part where we have to be blunt: raccoon waste is hazardous. Raccoons can pose serious health risks to humans and pets, primarily through the urine and fecal matter they leave behind in attics, basements, crawl spaces, or outdoor areas. When disturbed, dried fecal matter can become airborne, increasing the risk of inhalation and potential infection.
It’s also important to remember that raccoons carry parasites and diseases that can affect humans and pets, including salmonella, leptospirosis, and rabies. This is why professional attic restoration and cleanup are vital to ensure your home is safe and sanitized again.
Step 1 — Confirm the Animal and Find All Entry Points
Before taking action, you must confirm what you’re dealing with. Listen carefully to the sounds, heavy thumping and chittering at night are strong indicators of raccoon activity. Look for tracks, droppings, or damage to roof vents and soffits. You can also perform a visual inspection during the day, looking for any gaps or damaged areas around your roofline.
If you need a professional eye, searching for wildlife removal near me will lead you to experts who can map out every vulnerability in your roofline. Our technicians conduct thorough inspections to locate the point of entry before beginning any removal work.
Step 2 — Check for Baby Raccoons Before Doing Anything
This is one of the most important steps for anyone wondering how to get rid of raccoons in the attic safely. Between February and May, many raccoons in attics are nursing mothers with litters. If you exclude the mother and leave the babies behind, they will die in your walls, creating a terrible odor as well as ethical problems. Listen for high-pitched chittering or mewing sounds, which can indicate babies are present.
Our humane removal process ensures minimal stress for the animals while protecting your home from future intrusions. We never separate mothers from their young.
Step 3 — Use One-Way Exclusion Doors
Once the entry point is located, a one-way release system is installed. This humane method allows the raccoon to leave for food but prevents them from getting back in. It’s the core of our raccoon removal process at Gotcha Wildlife, ensuring no animals are harmed while they are evicted.
The one-way door stays in place until we’re certain all animals have left, then we move to permanent sealing.
Step 4 — Seal Entry Points Permanently with the Right Materials
Once you’re 100% sure the attic is empty, you must “build them out.” Standard wood or chicken wire won’t stop a determined raccoon. To further prevent raccoons or other wildlife from re-entering, we secure common areas on your roof using durable, animal-proof materials.
Our exclusion measures include sealing roof vents, plumbing mats, fascia gaps, roof soffit intersections, and chimneys. We provide a 3-year guarantee on all our work and materials to give you lasting peace of mind.
Step 5 — Clean Up the Attic and Assess Insulation Damage
Raccoons don’t just leave droppings; they destroy insulation and can damage electrical wiring, which creates fire hazards. Proper cleanup requires specialized equipment and sanitization methods to neutralize contaminants that might attract other raccoons back to your home.
Our team handles this dangerous work, addressing contamination risks and restoring safety to your home. Taking swift action to address raccoon infestations not only eliminates the immediate threat but also safeguards your property and family from long-term health hazards.
What Raccoon Removal Actually Costs — and What Drives the Price Up
You might be wondering about the raccoon removal cost. Raccoons are strong, clever, and destructive, so prices vary according to each situation. The number of raccoons, the extent of the cleanup, sanitization, and repair needs, as well as any exclusion measures required, will each affect the final cost.
While professional removal may seem like an investment, the cost of fire damage from damaged wiring or a full insulation replacement is much higher. You can reach out to us for a free estimate for accurate pricing.
When DIY Becomes a Legal and Safety Problem: Why Pros Exist
While DIY is tempting, raccoon trapping is regulated by law in many areas. Raccoons are rabies vectors, and in many places, it is illegal to relocate them because it risks spreading disease to new areas. Furthermore, an angry adult raccoon is strong and dangerous if cornered.
If you are ready to get your attic back, don’t wait until the damage gets worse. You can contact our team at Gotcha Wildlife Removal today for a free consultation and let our licensed, insured experts handle the job humanely and professionally.
Need emergency help? Call us at (647) 461-7632, we can often have a technician on-site the very same day!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it legal to trap and relocate raccoons yourself?
Wildlife trapping and relocation regulations vary by location and can change over time. In many areas, there are specific rules around handling raccoons due to rabies concerns and disease transmission risks. At Gotcha Wildlife Removal, our team stays current on all local regulations and handles raccoon removal in full compliance with the law, so you don’t have to worry about legal complications.
How long does it take to get raccoons out of an attic once you start the process?
Most raccoon removal jobs take a few days to two weeks. After our inspection, we install a one-way door that lets raccoons leave but not return. Once they’re gone, we seal all entry points and handle cleanup. The timeline depends on whether babies are present and how much repair work is needed.
Can raccoon urine and feces in an attic make you sick even if you never go up there?
Yes. When dried fecal matter gets disturbed, it can become airborne and circulate through your ventilation system. Raccoons carry diseases like salmonella, leptospirosis, and rabies that can affect both humans and pets. This is why professional cleanup is so important; it’s not just about removing the animals, but eliminating the health risks they leave behind.
