Do Raccoons Live In Hot Attics

Females seek out enclosed areas to raise their babies.

Do raccoons live in hot attics.

Today it made it up 88. Now imagine sleeping in an attic through the heat of the day. Raccoons can cause quite a bit of damage when they live in an attic. With spring come raccoons.

Raccoons typically live in attic dens for short periods. Raccoons easily access roofs and find their way into the attic from there. It s also raccoon mating season. Please see my raccoon attic damage page for more photos of raccoon damage.

What to do if a raccoon is living in the attic be patient with a mother raccoon in the attic. The most common reason for a raccoon to enter an attic and choose to live there is the case of a female who needs a safe place to give birth and raise its babies. Not only do they urinate and defecate in the attic but they can bring in a host of parasites fleas ticks mites and lice and diseases raccoon roundworm leptospirosis etc. Raccoons especially mothers choose to live in attics because they are warm and dry and offer protection from predators and the weather.

The mother raccoon usually gives birth shortly after moving into the attic within 1 2 weeks and then spends about 10 weeks nursing the baby raccoons. Yesterday s high was 90 degrees. This hesitation to accept a raccoon in the attic job is based on our experiences of raccoons in attics during periods of hot weather. Raccoons aren t as likely to invade your home when they re not busy making a family.

Springtime isn t only the season of blooming flowers and warmer weather. With temperatures like this most every attic that we are familiar with is sweltering. Raccoons are incredibly adaptable and intelligent creatures capable of thriving in nearly any environment. Raccoon babies are independent by the end of summer when they leave the den and disperse from their family groups.

Why do raccoons live in attics. With uninhabited land growing sparser and man encroaching upon the living quarters of wild animals raccoons have adapted to living in more populated areas. What to do if you find a family of raccoons in your attic barn or other buildings raccoons used to live primarily in the woods away from civilization. Once raccoons get into an attic they choose areas for eating giving birth.

Their ability to find food and shelter in an ever expanding urban landscape has made them one of the most successful urban wildlife.