Time is Crucial When Dealing With a Raccoon in Your Attic!

Raccoons may look cute and cuddly, however they are the most hazardous and destructive animal when entering and living in your home. Raccoon feces are full of disease like Leptospirosis, Salmonella, and the most hazardous the Raccoon Roundworm (Baylisascaris Procyonis). Racoons most commonly enter into a home through the attic were they tend to cause most of their damages and leave their feces, which can become very costly, very quickly. Anytime you come in contact with a Raccoon in your home, leave it to the experts and call Critter Stop immediately.

Health Risks Associated with Raccoon Infestation

The presence of a raccoon runs a significant health risk to you, your family, your pets, and your home. Raccoons when nesting in a attic typically create latrines inside and outside your home. Latrines are concentrated areas that feces are left at. Raccoon feces are known to hold three types of diseases Leptospirosis, Salmonella, Raccoon Roundworm (Baylisascaris Procyonis).

• Leptospirosis is a bacteria found in raccoon urine. If the urine touches an open wound or is ingested in any way it can cause kidney failure or meningitis with fatal or devastating consequences.
• Salmonella is also a bacteria found in raccoon feces, if accidentally ingested your body will naturally fight this off.
• The Raccoon Roundworm (Baylisascaris Procyonis) is by far the most dangerous and easiest to become infected by. Without touching or ingesting the bacteria you can become infected. All you have to do is inhale the airborne eggs. This can happen by simply entering your attic. Once the bacteria has been contracted, the roundworm will attack the brain, the eyes, and the spinal cord causing permanent damage or sometimes death.

Areas that raccoons nested or left droppings MUST BE REMOVED for theses areas can stay infected for several years.  

In addition, I want to make it clear how easy it is to expose one of these three diseases to the living area of a home. If you have pets and your pet comes in contact with raccoon feces on the exterior of your home, your pet has now been exposed. Leptospirosis can put a strain on your pets kidneys or even cause your pets kidneys to fail. Which will affect the pets ability to hold off on using the bathroom inside the home. Now the person cleaning the feces has a greater chance of becoming exposed. Having a raccoon in your home also runs hand in hand with fleas, ticks, or mite infestations.

Structural Damage Caused by Raccoon Infestations

The damages of a raccoon in your home can be astronomical in cost. Luckily most insurance companies cover damages caused by raccoons. Let's start from the beginning. Based in our experience, raccoons need a large hole in order to enter your home. Typically, raccoons will create a hole in your roof returns or soffit boards in order to gain entry into your home. Once the raccoon has gained entry into your attic the raccoon will begin to nest. This can be done by borrowing into insulation, tearing through ducting, or dropping down into a wall.

The raccoon will also establish a latrine at some point during its stay. Raccoons are nocturnal so it will be heard throughout the night and happen to be extremely playful. When it is time to play a raccoon is destructive. They will dismantle air condition ducting, chew wires and piping, and run across insulation. This can cause air ducting to suck in insulation and bacteria, then disperse it into the living area. This can also cause water leaks, electrical fires, and some rough nights for sleeping. This is why it is extremely important to get these critters out!

Critter Stop - A Solution to Raccoon Infestations

Critter Stop has you covered! We offer a in-depth permanent solution to rid a home of raccoons, keep other raccoons out, and properly disinfect and sanitize a home. Critter Stop starts off by removing the rodents either by a live trap or a one way valve. Once the raccoon is removed, we will seal all possible entry points to prevent re-entry of ANY RODENTS (NOT JUST RACCOONS). Followed by the sanitation process. Which for raccoons is typically removing the attic insulation.

Our crews show up in hazmat suits and respirators. We remove all the attic insulation, droppings, and debris down to the bare decking and sheet rock. Inspect all wires, ducting, and piping for chewing. If needed, replace ducting. Followed by fogging the entire attic, killing all micro-bacteria, biological markers, pheromones, and scent markers left behind by the raccoon(s). Perform mild preparation work to the attic and then blow-in brand new insulation.

Critter Stop also offers the most in-depth Lifetime Guarantee in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. If you have any doubts, call us at (214) 234-2616 and our experienced team will be ready to help you.