In some places, the furry mini bears are considered a real nuisance because they spread en masse and cause enormous damage. Reason enough to take action against the animals, but capturing or even killing them is prohibited. Those affected can defend themselves with deterrent and preventive measures.

Raccoons often stay close to humans

Table of Contents

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  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Drive away the raccoon - garden
  3. Drive away the raccoon - home remedies
  4. preventive measures
  5. Spot raccoon tracks
  6. frequently asked Questions

    7. the essentials in brief

    • Raccoons can be tracked down by regular evening patrols. If encountered, the animals should be illuminated with flashlights or indirectly sprayed with water.
    • Ultrasonic devices have a small radius of action and are often expensive. Household remedies are based on intense odors that have a limited effect outdoors.
    • Preventive measures are recommended as raccoons are difficult to deter. Access to attics should be blocked and food sources eliminated.
    • Spreading out a track of sand helps to clearly identify who caused the damage.

    Drive raccoon out of the garden

    Raccoons must not be caught - not even in live traps

    Private individuals may not specifically fight the raccoon. It is forbidden by law to use live and dead traps. Violating this law puts you at risk of being prosecuted for poaching and animal cruelty. But your own health is also at risk. If you corner raccoons, they will react aggressively and can transmit rabies through bites. You should therefore focus on targeted deterrent measures.

    Hunters and conservationists agree that the raccoon poses a threat to native biodiversity.

    Regular inspection rounds

    If you have already spotted a raccoon in the garden, check the property every evening. This way you can catch the unwanted visitor in the act of foraging for food and not give him the feeling that he can feel safe. If the daily check is too much effort for you, you cause disruptions. Raccoons don't like bright lights or water.

    Annoyed by disturbance

    If you encounter the animal, shine a flashlight on it. The bright light has a deterrent effect and scares the raccoon away. You can throw pine cones in the direction of the animal without hitting it directly. Water from the garden hose also has a deterrent effect if you spray the raccoon indirectly. A deterrent alternative with an automatic effect is the installation of light sources or water sprinklers with motion sensors.

    Ultrasonic

    Devices that emit ultrasound can repel raccoons. Experts recommend models that can generate sound pressure of more than 100 decibels and frequencies between 20 and 40 kilohertz. The frequencies are inaudible to humans, but the raccoon feels intensely disturbed. Since the sphere of action of such devices is very small, you will have to use several devices on large plots. With an average price of 30 euros, this variant is not exactly cheap.

    Drive away raccoons with home remedies

    Chili is the only really effective home remedy for raccoons

    Guard bears have well-developed sensory organs when it comes to smell and hearing. Expensive commercial agents are intended to drive away the raccoon by using active ingredients with an intense odor. Instead, you can use cheap home remedies that bother the sensitive nose. It is important that you test different methods. Not all animals are equally deterred by the scents.

    active ingredient application effectiveness
    mothballs odor-intensive paradichlorobenzene lay out in the garden small amount
    lavender sachet lavandin place at rest cities not confirmed
    toilet block synthetic fragrances, paradichlorobenzene lay out in the garden low outdoors
    chili capsaicin Boil in water and spray Well

    Preventive measures against raccoons

    Once the raccoon has discovered a plentiful food source, it prefers to settle near such feeding sites. Since it is very difficult to get rid of the animals, preventive measures are recommended. Close off entrances to the house and ensure that the animals cannot climb onto the roof.

    digression

    How the raccoon came to Germany

    The original range of the species extends from Central America across the USA to southern Canada. In Central Europe, animals were mainly introduced for breeding purposes, in order to gain fur. First settlement attempts took place in Hesse in 1934 for hunting purposes.

    Today, the region around Kassel is the largest and oldest distribution area of the raccoon. Northeast of Berlin there is another sub-population that has been able to develop since 1954 as a result of animals that fled from a fur farm. Today both sub-populations of these newcomers are connected to each other.

    Keep out of the attic

    Open skylights are an invitation for raccoons

    Make sure that the raccoon cannot find any access points. The little bears are climbing artists and reach the roof via rain gutters, trees, columns or house corners. Walls with a rough plaster, clinker slabs or bricks offer the animals optimal support for climbing.

    How to prepare trees:

    1. Shorten branches so that the distance to the house is at least one meter
    2. Prune lower branches that hang less than a meter above the ground
    3. Attach a 60 centimeter long collar at a height of 60 centimeters around the trunk

    Metal plates with a smooth surface and a height of 100 centimeters are recommended for downpipes, walls and pillars. In contrast to wire frames, they interrupt the climbing paths. Barbed wire often acts as an additional climbing aid. Alternatively, you can set up special electric fence systems along the gutters. As soon as a raccoon tries to pull himself up, he gets an unpleasant electric shock.

    tips

    Raccoons find retreats in branch forks, tree hollows or in abandoned badger and fox burrows. Search sheds, garden sheds and attics to spot the animals.

    prevent food sources

    Compost heaps should be covered so that the raccoon cannot gain access. A fully enclosed container works better than a close-mesh wire frame with a tarp. Do not leave rubbish bags outside, but deposit them in the garden shed, garage (€24.90) or storage room. Avoid bird feeders. Even folding squirrel feeders are no obstacle for raccoons.

    Securing beds:

    • Install bird protection net
    • weigh down with stones
    • fight snails

    Trash cans are fodder for hungry raccoons

    Garbage cans can be secured with stretched rubber bands or weighed down with stones. However, raccoons prove to be capable of learning, so that they eventually overcome such obstacles. In Kassel, garbage cans have been provided with locks for a long time. Fruit trees and bushes should be harvested early.

    tips

    Raccoons are omnivores and adjust their diet to seasonal availability. Make sure there are no nuts, fruits, meat and vegetable leftovers in your garden. Cover garden ponds with fish, because they will also be robbed.

    How to recognize tracks of the raccoon

    Eaten plants in the bed, fallen flower pots and tattered chair cushions are not a clear indication of the activity of raccoons. Scatter a trail of sand around potential feeding grounds, beds, and compost heaps. Check the next day for paw prints in the sand.

    Identify paw prints:

    • Toes very long and finger-like
    • often spread apart
    • connected to the ball of the thumb
    • Thenar has the indistinct shape of a sole
    • Forefeet shaped like hands
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    frequently asked Questions

    What are guard bears attracted to?

    Mammals are omnivores. They prefer easy-to-catch food, which is why they are more and more common in settlement areas. Suburban fruit and nut trees provide a welcome food source. Public trash cans or garbage cans and compost heaps on private property are attractive. Undisturbed attics are an ideal place for retiring, wintering and rearing young.

    What do raccoons do during the day?

    Raccoons are crepuscular and nocturnal, so they spend the day in niches that are difficult to access. In nature, tree and earth caves or crevices and abandoned buildings provide an ideal retreat. In contrast, the small bears in settlement areas use abandoned buildings, stables and barns to rest. Garages, basements, attics and sewage systems are also visited.

    Raccoons in winter:

    • seek sheltered hiding places
    • hibernate and feed on fat deposits
    • become active immediately on warmer days

    What harm can raccoons do?

    Raccoons can cause considerable damage, especially in roof insulation

    Of the climbers, 43 percent prefer buildings as a place of retreat, while 39 percent switch to tree cavities. Young raccoons, between the ages of eight and ten weeks, are particularly curious and explore their surroundings very thoroughly. It is not uncommon for the play instinct to come through, so that the animals can destroy the entire roof truss insulation.

    Urine and faeces not only cause odor nuisance, but can also be a breeding ground for pathogens. Consequential damage is not uncommon if shifted roof tiles and sheet metal go undetected.

    danger to nature

    • rob nests of cave breeders
    • bats can be dangerous
    • endanger stocks of white-tailed eagles or eagle owls

    How do raccoons feed?

    The animals are predators and use their front paws to search for food. They prefer animal food in spring to replenish the fat reserves they have lost in winter. Earthworms, insects and snails as well as young birds and mice make up the majority of their diet.

    During the summer and autumn months, the animals switch to plant food and collect seeds and fruits. During the winter months, they feed on their fat deposits and seek out non-frozen waters on warmer days. Raccoons need 200 to 400 grams of food per day.

    Can raccoons transmit diseases?

    Studies of the raccoon population in Hesse showed that around three quarters of the animals carried the raccoon roundworm. This parasite could not be detected in animals in Brandenburg and in the Harz Mountains. Therefore, there is an increased risk that people can become infected with roundworms, mainly in the region around Kassel.

    There are only a few raccoons that have been diagnosed with rabies. Diseased animals showed passive and disinterested behavior. They usually retreat to well-protected hiding places in order to die there undisturbed. Curious raccoons foraging for food are generally not suspected of having rabies. They can bite if they feel threatened.

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Animals in the garden