Wild animals often make dens in attics that offer shelter from cold weather, rain, and snow. Mothers frequently raise their babies in attics between March and October. If a wild animal is living in your attic, you may hear or see tell-tale signs. Here are some tips to help you identify the type of animal…
Raccoons look for warm, dark, safe places to make their nests and raise their babies. If you find a raccoon living in your garage any time between January and September, you should assume it is a mother and that she has babies nearby. You need to be careful to make sure that you don’t get…
With fall right around the corner and colder weather coming, wild animals will be looking for warm places to live through the winter months. Animals such as raccoons often find a way to get into houses and make nests there because those places are warm and dry. Although raccoons have a tendency to choose a…
Raccoons are omnivores, which means they will eat both plants and meat. They are scavengers that frequently seek out meals in people’s trash cans. They can pull lids off, tip cans over, and leave garbage strewn all over a yard or driveway. If you have found trash scattered about, a raccoon may be to blame.…
Raccoons can carry rabies and can act aggressively when sick. They can bite and potentially infect humans and pets. One of the primary symptoms of rabies is unusual behavior. Since raccoons are primarily nocturnal, many people assume that a raccoon they see during the day must be infected with rabies. However, this is not necessarily…
During the spring and summer, female raccoons often use uncapped chimneys as nesting places because they are dark, quiet, and safe. If you hear a large animal moving around on the roof or sounds coming from the chimney at night, it is likely that a mother raccoon and possibly her babies are living inside the…
For over 100 years, humans have hunted top-level predators on British Columbia, Canada’s Gulf Islands. The decline in the numbers of predators led to an explosion in the populations of other species, such as raccoons. Some of the beaches on the Gulf Islands are filled with raccoons that spend much of their time foraging for…
Raccoons usually wet their food before eating it. People often think that they are washing their food, but that is not the reason for the habit. Scientists speculated in the past that raccoons suffered from chronic dry mouth or a shortage of salivary glands, but studies disproved those theories. Raccoons wet their food to gather…
As winter approaches, animals are preparing to seek shelter from the cold and are building up stores of fat to help them survive. Raccoons undergo several adaptations to help them make it through the cold months. Raccoons grow a thick winter coat that traps body heat close to their skin and keeps them warm both…
Distemper is a leading cause of death among raccoons. Raccoons can contract both canine and feline distemper, which are caused by two completely different viruses. Both are highly contagious and can cause acute illness and death. Canine distemper in raccoons usually progresses slowly. It starts out as an upper respiratory infection with a runny nose…