Homeowners dealing with multiple raccoons in their attic are generally dealing with a female (sow) and her kit. The kit will remain with their mother until they are old enough to take care of themselves. How can a raccoon family be evicted safely and kept all together?
Mammals hold strong maternal instincts. Sows will prioritize their offspring and work hard to ensure their survival. Raccoons hold such strong maternal instincts that orphaned baby raccoons have been adopted by other females and raised as their own. This level of accountability plays a key role in keeping a raccoon family together.
Wildlife professionals are able to locate and remove the young raccoons from an attic/ wall and place them in an insulated box with a sliding door (reunion box). This raccoon reunion box is then placed and secured outside near the entrance hole. The movement of the kits will trigger the protective maternal instinct of the sow.
The sow will now prioritize reclaiming her kits and moving them herself to an alternative den site. Female raccoons will see, smell and hear the kit inside the reunion box. The adult females are able to slide the propped door of the box open and move the babies by the nape of their necks.
If there are multiple kits in the litter she will move them one by one. After she has removed all the babies from this site she too will vacate and reunite with the offspring. Once all the raccoons are confirmed vacated the raccoon entry hole to the property can be sealed and the attic disinfected.
Female raccoons are innately wired to protect their offspring. When a denning site has been deemed by a sow unsatisfactory to raise young she will move them herself to an alternative den. By placing the offspring in a secured, insulated reunion box near the entry/exit hole the mother will handle the rest of the relocation process herself. This method of eviction utilizes minimal human handling of the animals and allows Mother Nature & mother raccoon to move the family together as a unit.
For more information on raccoons and their offspring contact the wildlife professionals at Critter Evictors!