How To Get Rid of Raccoons Yourself

Raccoons in the attic (brief summary)

WARNING: In most cases, a raccoon in an attic is a female with a litter of babies.
STEP 1 - Inspect the exterior of the house, and find the raccoon entry hole.
STEP 2 - Climb into the attic space, and intimidate the mother. She may move out.
STEP 3 - That failing, spread raccoon eviction fluid in the attic and around the entry hole.
STEP 4 - If that didn't work, attempt bright lights and loud radio in the attic for a week.
DECISION - If the female doesn't move herself and the babies out, decide if you want them out now, or if you are willing to wait 8-10 months for them to grow and move out on their own.
STEP 5 - If you want them out, go in the attic and remove the litter of young by hand.
STEP 6a - You can either wait for the female to leave, and then seal the entry hole shut,
STEP 6b - Or you can use the young as "live bait" to lure her into a trap with them.
STEP 7 - Relocate them all together (this is a delicate process so read more about it).
STEP 8 - Seal the entry hole, and all vulnerable areas, with professional grade repairs.
STEP 9 - Clean the raccoon droppings and disinfect the attic space.
It can be a fairly simple and easy process, or it can be very complex, depending on the behavior of the raccoon. For more detail on each of the above steps, please click the below button:

Raccoons in the garbage cans, bird feeders, pet food, etc.

PREVENTION IS KEY - In most cases, you can solve the problem by taking away the attraction. You do not need to trap and remove the raccoon - that's just a temporary fix anyway.
GARBAGE CANS - If possible, keep garbage indoors, and put it out for the garbage men in the morning. If not, you can drill holes in the side of the can and lid, and then use standard bungee cords to strap the lids on tight. Note, this isn't a guarantee - it has to be very secure to work.
BIRD FEEDER - You can install a large squirrel baffle, which will also work for raccoons. You can also temporarily leave the feeder empty until the raccoon stops associating with a food source, then re-fill it.
PET FOOD - This is a no-brainer. If you leave pet food outdoors, it's an open invitation to raccoons, opossums, skunks, stray cats, and more. Bring it inside if you don't want wildlife eating it!
KILLING GOLDFISH - If you have a decorative pond with goldfish, simply buy some chicken wire at a hardware store, and either anchor it down, or make it into a ball that the goldfish can hide in.
RAIDING GARDEN - Raccoons are strong, and excellent climbers. So the usual trick of a fence around the garden won't cut it, unless it's a really good fence, with razor wire around the top.
IN THE YARD - If you think a raccoon is digging in your lawn, it's quite possibly a different animal. Regardless, if you simply want to get rid of raccoons in your yard, your best bet is to find out whatever is attracting them, and modify it: remove it, or raccoon-proof it.

Raccoon stuck in wall, chimney, dumpster, window well, etc.

WARNING: In most cases, a raccoon in a wall or chimney is a female with a litter of babies.
IN THE WALL - If the raccoon is or climbing up and down the wall (or in a tight ceiling area), follow the above instructions for raccoon in the attic. The only extra challenge is accessing them. You may need to drill a hole near the warm spot (don't drill into baby raccoons!) and install the raccoon eviction fluid there. You may need to cut a hole in the wall if it comes to removing baby raccoons by hand.
IN A CHIMNEY - Follow similar instructions as removing them from an attic. You have the negative of inaccessibility to deal with, but the positive of such a small space, in which eviction fluid works well. Never start a fire! That is the worst thing you can do. Read more detailed instructions: raccoons in chimney. After they are out, be sure to secure the open flu with a steel chimney cap.
STUCK IN A DUMPSTER - This is fairly simple, just stick a 2x4 plank of wood, or a thick branch into the dumpster, so they can climb out. Prevent future occurrences by moving dumpsters away from walls or fences that raccoons can easily climb, or better yet, leave the lids shut.
STUCK DOWN A WINDOW WELL - Same thing. Drop in something that will allow them to climb out, and then leave the area and wait. Window well guards will prevent it from happening again.
INSIDE THE HOME - If a raccoon somehow got stuck in your bedroom, kitchen, or living room, the best bet is to just open all doors, go elsewhere, and wait. It'll find its way out. No brooms necessary. Same goes for the basement or cellar, if one gets stuck down there.

Other raccoon mischeif.

POOPING IN THE SWIMMING POOL - Raccoons like to wash their food in water, if possible (procyon lotor means "washes with hands"), and they like to defecate in water. They will often enter the swimming pool via the shallow front step and do their business. To stop this, you can install a board with nails sticking up on the front step, or just put unstable chicken wire over the area.
ENTERING HOUSE THROUGH PET DOOR - They often enter in search of pet food! So either keep the pet food locked in another room, or lock the pet door for a period of time until the raccoon quits. Or get a magnetic pet door that responds only to the collar of your dog or cat.
KILLING CHICKENS IN A COOP - Not much to say here except that you need a sturdier chicken coop. That goes for future raccoons, increasingly common urban foxes and coyotes, etc.
ROLLING UP SOD - They sometimes roll up fresh sod to look for worms/grubs. Some people have had success with motion-sensor water sprayers at keeping them away. If that doesn't work, this is a tough case, and one of the few in which you may have to resort to inhumane cage trapping and euthanization if you can't stand sod destruction.
UNDER THE HOUSE, PORCH, OR SHED - Find out how they got in. In many cases, the entire perimeter of the structure is open, and that's an invitation to raccoons, skunks, stray cats, everything. If you don't want animals under there, install a strong steel mesh exclusion barrier. Bolt it into the structure, and bury the bottom at least 8" underground, with the mesh sloping outward. To get them out, you can use the newspaper trick or a one-way door.

Found orphaned baby raccoons?

ARE YOU SURE? - Perhaps the raccoon is not orphaned after all. It could be wandering while momma raccoon is sleeping or gathering extra food. Perhaps the mom is in the process of moving them to a new den. the best thing to do may be to leave it alone, and see if the mother raccoon will come get it.
MOM IS BEST - It's true: people can save baby raccoons, raise them, and release them back into the wild. But this is not the natural way. The best thing for a young raccoon is its own mother, keep that in mind.
BOX THEM UP - If you're sure you have an orphaned raccoon or litter of raccoons, the humane thing to do is to attempt to save them, and bring them to a rehabber. Wear gloves, place the animals in a cardboard box with a warm water bottle and blanket. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FEED THEM. They can live a very long time without food, but the wrong food, like cow milk, could possibly kill them.
BRING IT TO A LICENSED REHABBER - The most responsible thing at this point is to bring them to a licensed raccoon rehab facility. Click our link below to find a list of wildlife rehabbers in your city or town.
CARE FOR IT ON YOUR OWN? - We do not recommend that you attempt to care for baby raccoons yourself. It is too difficult for amateurs. In case of emergency, we have some baby raccoon care tips here, but the best thing is to bring them to an expert.
MAKE IT A PET? - We know your Uncle Billy had a pet raccoon, and said it was the best thing ever. The truth is that keeping a raccoon as a pet is irresponsible and possibly dangerous. Read about pet raccoon.