Illinois Raccoon Removal & Control 
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Northern Illinois Animal Control
Call Jay - (815) 603-0903 

Raccoons in the Attic - How to Get Rid of Them

Raccoons often choose to make their home inside of people's attics. An attic provides a safe shelter for a raccoon, and usually meets all of their living requirements: shelter from the elements, safety from predators, and oftentimes close proximity to food - such as garbage cans or pet food.

Where raccoons are a pest problem, control them by excluding them. No poisons or fumigants are registered for raccoon control.  Never attempt to remove them by hand! Raccoons will defend themselves by biting and cratching if they feel cornered or threatened. They are predators, not “cuddly little bears,” as they are sometimes portrayed.

Removing raccoons from the attic is not always a simple task - it often requires 1) physical removal of baby raccoons, 2) (humane) trapping or exclusion of adult raccoons, 3) repairs to the entry points and 4) cleanup of waste. The following tips and info should help in the raccoon removal process.

If you have a raccoon in the attic, take note of the time of year. If it is springtime, say Feb - June, then there's a very good chance that the raccoon is actually a mother with a litter of young pups up in the attic. Female raccoons love to raise their young in a warm, safe attic. You CANNOT just trap the female outside if you don't get the pups. They will suffer and starve to death, and then they will decay and create a large odor. And the desperate female, once relocated, will do anything to get back to the young, and possibly die in the process.

Most people first call me when they hear the noise the animals create. A large animal like a raccoon can cause quite a bit of racket climbing around and digging in the attic. A litter of young will also often squeal for their mom, making a loud noise. Some homes are less prone to sound, and the occupants learn about their raccoon problem when they physically spot the animal, a frequent occurrence with a busy mother raccoon.

Raccoon REMOVAL - HEALTH HAZARDS

There are 3 basic types of health hazards associated with bats in Illinois. 

Rabies,  like other mammals, a small percentage of raccoons contract rabies. Exposure to the rabies virus is remote if contact with raccoons is avoided and pets are properly vaccinated. If a raccoon is in your home and bitten someone, you need to capture the animal for rabies testing.

Round Worm Disease Baylisascaris, an intestinal raccoon roundworm, can infect a variety of other animals, including humans. The worms develop to maturity in the raccoon intestine, where they produce millions of eggs that are passed in the feces.  People become infected when they accidentally ingest infective eggs in soil, water, or on objects that have been contaminated with raccoon feces.

Raccoons are also host to numerous Ectoparasites such as fleas, ticks, and mites, that can cause a number a number of diseases like lyme disease, for humans and pets.  Ectoparasites can be controlled by an insecticide treatment to the nesting area after the raccoons are removed.