Raccoons often live in urban environments around people. They look for sheltered places where they can make their dens and frequently choose to live in or under buildings that are meant to be used by humans. A raccoon can squeeze through an opening as small as 4 to 6 inches in diameter and can use its front paws to find a weak spot in a fence or to pry back materials to create an opening.
If you live in an area that has raccoons nearby and you have a shed in your backyard, it can be an attractive place for a raccoon to make its home. A raccoon can cause damage to your shed if it claws its way in and may weaken the structure if it digs out a large area underneath it. This is why you should take steps to raccoon-proof your backyard shed. Fortunately, that is fairly easy to do.
How to Keep Raccoons from Digging under Your Shed
Dig a trench around the perimeter of your shed. It should be at least 6 inches deep and 12 inches wide.
Buy galvanized wire mesh with 1/3-inch or ½-inch openings. Bend the bottom so it has an “L” shape. Fit the bottom 12 inches against the bottom of the trench you dug. The bottom edge should extend outward to prevent raccoons from digging under the shed. The mesh should be buried at least 6 inches deep and should extend up to a solid part of the shed. If you need to use more than one roll or piece of wire mesh, overlap the pieces by at least a foot.
Use heavy-duty staples and a staple gun to secure the top of the wire mesh. You can also use screws with fender washers that are larger than the openings in the mesh. Place fasteners every few feet and where pieces of mesh overlap so it is held tightly against your shed. This will prevent raccoons from pulling it down or making openings that they can squeeze through. Cover the mesh in the ground with soil.
Be Careful When Raccoon-Proofing Your Shed
You need to take some precautions when you are raccoon-proofing your shed. Call your local utility companies before you dig to find out if there are any underground utility lines near your shed so you don’t damage them. If it is possible that a raccoon is already living under your shed, you should not completely enclose the shed because the raccoon could get trapped. Leave an opening on one side and cover it with sticks or newspaper that a raccoon can remove if it needs to get out. You can also spread flour over the opening and check for a few days to make sure it is undisturbed before you seal the last opening.
Call Anderson Wildlife Control for Raccoon Removal Services
If you know for a fact that a raccoon is already living under your shed, you will need to have it removed before you can install wire mesh. You should not try to catch a raccoon yourself because you could get bitten and it could have rabies. Contact Anderson Wildlife Control. We will humanely live-trap and remove the raccoon for you. Call us today for an estimate.