What are raccoons scared of

When it comes to raccoons, there isn’t much that scares them. They are strong and intelligent, and they sure know the best ways to defend themselves. Before the 70’s, raccoons in the United States avoided all human contact as much as possible, and they would run when they saw people especially where dogs were involved.

Later, the raccoons became more urbanized and the fear of people slowly ended. Today, you may be faced by a fearless raccoon within your property, and this can actually be rather scary for humans. However, if you want raccoons to stay away from your property, then there are some methods that can prove to be very helpful. They include:

• Dogs: if you have a large and very aggressive dog, you may actually be safe. However, you need to know that the raccoon can also choose to attack your pet, so be very careful when using this method as you or your pet could be injured.
• Humans: a human being can also scare away a raccoon if they try hard enough. You will have to come across as very aggressive. Having loud clanging pans and even a broom can do the trick. You should not get too close to the raccoon as you may end up injured.
• Water: a water hose can deal with raccoons very effectively. If you can, invest in motion sensor sprinklers as they can work really well.
• Noise: a loud noise can also scare aware the raccoons. Firecrackers can actually work amazingly well. A gunshot can also cause a raccoon to scatter, but this doesn’t always work.
• Hot pepper: hot pepper sprays can also work in scaring away the raccoons. You can also try bear mace or human mace. Spraying this does the trick.

There is also the belief that there are other methods that can really work, but this is usually not the case. These include things such as:

High pitch ultrasonic machines
Flashing lights and bright lights
Odor repellents such as wolf urine and mothballs
Gentler dogs and cats

You will need to find a long term solution in case you are having raccoon problems within your property.

Go back to the How to Get Rid of Raccoons page or email us if you have any other questions about What are raccoons scared of