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You’re obviously reading this because you’re looking to make a raccoon trap to solve your critter problem. I can tell you right off the bat that that’s a bad choice, but I will still give you a DIY raccoon trap idea. I want to give you some information first, and then the decision is yours to make.
Raccoons are really dexterous, they can open doors, they can make entry points through dirt, wood, glass, plastic, ceramic tiles, shingles, PVC, insulation – you get the gist of it – by using only their front paws. Also, due to their really low center of gravity, these professional climbers can overturn obstacles that are heavier than their own bodyweight. On top of these aspects, urban raccoons are innately resilient and very determined to overcome obstacles in order to fill their belly. Adding to this innate quality, people have been making raccoons smarter and smarter by getting inventive with the ways and mechanisms we use to try to keep them away from our homes and properties. Each time a raccoon succeeds in making a mockery of our prevention systems, they accumulate knowledge that they later teach their young. And it’s not a coincidence that these raccoons – the really smart ones – are the ones that live longer and breed more. So, yes, in spite of us having all the reasons to try and keep raccoons away from our homes, you could say that the harder we try, the smarter we’re making them.
Keeping in mind all of the aforementioned points, what rate of success could a homemade raccoon trap have? You be the judge.
All in all, if you’re determined to make a raccoon trap yourself, you can try an easy one. Who knows? Maybe you’ll end up being lucky, maybe the raccoon will be really young or dumb, and it will work. Highly unlikely, but possible.
I hear people are recommending a cinder block trap to deal with raccoons, so I will tell you how to make one of those. For this type of trap, you would need a tall garbage can, two cinder blocks, and some bait. Make sure the garbage can is in an accessible area. Place one cinder block vertically on its end against the garbage can. Place the second cinder block horizontally inside the garbage can. Put some bait in. The type of bait is irrelevant, anything will do. If you find it tasty, so should the raccoon. Leave overnight, check in the morning. If you do find a raccoon in the morning, please, make extra sure that it’s not a lactating female.
I honestly think you would be wasting your time with this trap, but there’s always the chance that you might get lucky, so go ahead and try it if that’s what you want. If you simply must trap the raccoon on your own, I suggest you buy a live cage trap, but keep in mind that raccoon live cage traps that aren’t handled by professionals tend to not do the job.
Go back to the Raccoons in the attic home page.
Read other articles about raccoons:
How to Get Rid of Raccoons without Killing Them
How to Get Free Raccoon Removal
What Are Raccoons Scared Of
What to Do If You Are Bitten By a Raccoon