They can often be found nosing around backyards and garbage cans in any urban neighborhood at night.

1. When you notice a raccoon in your neighborhood, it can be easy to
assume they are the cute, furry creatures you see in cartoons.
However, raccoons in real life are anything but friendly. They can
often be found nosing around backyards and garbage cans in any
urban neighborhood at night. In fact, you may have several raccoon
families living in your neighborhood, but you never even realized it.

2. If you do find yourself facing a striped furry bandit in an unexpected encounter,
what should you do? Do you take matters into your own hands or call a
professional? Here are some things you should know about raccoons before you
decide to chase Bandit away on your own:
• Raccoons can be mean. They are used to defending their territory and the food
they find. They will most likely view you and your pets as trespassers.
• They can carry serious diseases such as rabies and parasites like ticks and fleas. You
don’t want to get close.
• Raccoons can and will destroy your property to get at what they want. This
includes knocking over garbage cans, pulling shingles off the roof and chewing on
your siding.
• These guys are nocturnal, which may explain why you don’t often see them. In
fact, the middle-of-the-night crashing that you blame on the neighbor’s cat might
just be your neighborhood raccoon foraging for food.
• They are also brave; some have been known to enter homes through pet doors
and steal cat or dog food right out from under pets’ noses.

3. You don’t have to put up with raccoon invaders on your street, but you
should call a pest control service for the safety of you, your family, your
pets and the raccoons themselves. For more information on raccoon
trapping in Raleigh, visit this website
www.trianglewildliferemoval.com/raccoons