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Raccoon foraging on the ground

Safe & Humane Raccoon Removal

Is a masked intruder living in your attic or crawlspace?

Hearing heavy footsteps above your ceiling or finding your garbage cans raided every morning is more than a nuisance—it’s an invasion of your sanctuary. Raccoons are incredibly clever and surprisingly strong, capable of tearing through roof shingles, soffits, and insulation to create a den for their young.

At Accurate Pest Control, we provide professional raccoon removal and exclusion services that prioritize both your safety and the humane treatment of the animal. We don’t just trap a raccoon; we solve the problem so they never return.

Raccoon yawning on a log

The Risks of "Masked Intruders" in Your Home

Raccoons might look cute from a distance, but when they move in, they bring significant risks to your property and health:

  • Property Damage: They can destroy attic insulation, chew through electrical wiring (a fire hazard), and damage your garden or new sod.

  • Nesting Issues: Females often seek out chimneys or attics in early spring to have their cubs, leading to long-term structural issues.

  • Health Concerns: Raccoons are known carriers of parasites and diseases that can be transmitted to your family and pets.

[Stop the Damage Today – Schedule a Free Raccoon Inspection] Or call our experts now: 973-398-8798

Raccoon looking towards the camera

Raccoon-Transmitted Diseases

Rabies in Raccoons

Any direct contact with a wild animal needs to be taken seriously even if the animal appears to be healthy. Rabies incubates in a raccoon for some time before symptoms appear. Many symptoms of distemper in raccoons, which is NOT transmittable to humans and is still far more prevalent than rabies in raccoons, are very similar to the symptoms of rabies. Unfortunately, the only way to guarantee that the raccoon does not have rabies is for it to be killed for testing—even if it is a baby raccoon.

Depending on your area, it may be illegal not only to have a raccoon but also to not report any possible risk of exposure to rabies from a raccoon. Don’t let a perfectly healthy animal lose its life because of you. The best way to protect wildlife is to leave it in the wild and leave it alone. The best way to protect yourself, your family, and your pets from all strains of rabies is to have your pets vaccinated, keep away from stray or wild animals, and call your doctor if you think you may have been in contact with a rabid animal.

Raccoon Roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis)

Raccoons are the normal host for the parasitic nematode or roundworm known as Baylisascaris procyonis. It is the common large roundworm found in the small intestines of raccoons. Cotton rats are believed to be a possible intermediate host. Adult raccoons are susceptible only to larvae from rodent tissue, while young raccoons are susceptible to infection by egg ingestion, where the larva hatches in the small intestine with migration apparently limited to the wall of the small intestine.

This roundworm is zoonotic, meaning it can pass from animal to animal (or human). In raccoons, these worms normally produce no symptoms in the infected host, other than possibly intestinal obstruction, and apparently do little or no harm to adult raccoons.

In the Midwest, prevalence is 70% for adult and 99% for baby raccoons, according to the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. Adult worms measure 15 to 20 cm in length and 1 cm in width, tan-white in color, cylindrical, and tapered at both ends. The eggs are ovoid, brown, with a finely pitted outer shell, measuring 70 x 55 microns, and are passed in a one-cell stage. The eggs embryonate into larvae outside of the host.

Raccoon Distemper

Next to humans, the second leading cause of death in raccoons is distemper. Raccoons are susceptible to infection by both canine and feline distemper. Although both can cause acute illness and death, they are caused by two completely different viruses.

Canine Distemper is a highly contagious disease of carnivores caused by a virus that affects animals in the families Canidae, Mustelidae, and Procyonidae. Canine distemper is common when raccoon populations are large. The virus is widespread, and mortality in juveniles is higher than in adults.

Feline Distemper, also called feline panleukopenia, cat plague, cat fever, feline agranulocytosis, and feline infectious enteritis, is an acute, highly infectious viral disease affecting members of the Felidae, Mustelidae, and Procyonidae.

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