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I'm not really sure where to put this question so mods, feel free to move it if necessary.
I have a large 3 level deck in my back yard. I'd like to cover up the open areas on the side of the deck that allow access to raccoon's and other furry critters. But I'm afraid I'll end up locking them in. I can see under the higher portion of the deck, but not the lower levels. Is there any way to tell if they're under there before I accidentally lock them in? Or any way to make sure they're gone before I do this? I'd hate to think of any animal suffering because it couldn't get out.
Hire some one with experience with wild animals to check it out. Don't go under there your self. Trapped animals Bite & can carry Rabies. IF any signs are found the person you hire can live trap & move them safely.
Night critters go out at night. Take a roll of chicken wire and put it out around 10pm or so and look for digging signs the next day. That will tell you, the next day, if a critter is living there.
Ellie, another thing to consider is that if you have raccoons under your deck, they may have a latrine in the area. This is bad news, especially if you have children or grandchildren. Raccoons sometimes carry a roundworm that can be devastating to humans if they are infected. I realize that this may sound a bit alarmist but I wanted you to be aware of it. I wouldn't rule out speaking with a qualified professional if you're sure that you have raccoons under there.
Ellie, another thing to consider is that if you have raccoons under your deck, they may have a latrine in the area. This is bad news, especially if you have children or grandchildren. Raccoons sometimes carry a roundworm that can be devastating to humans if they are infected. I realize that this may sound a bit alarmist but I wanted you to be aware of it. I wouldn't rule out speaking with a qualified professional if you're sure that you have raccoons under there.
Thank you.. I had no idea they did that. I'll look around for a latrine.
Honestly, I don't know if any live under there or if they just run under there when they see me. I left the feral cat food out one night and I had the whole family helping themselves. But the only one I've seen lately and not often is the huge male raccoon.
Night critters go out at night. Take a roll of chicken wire and put it out around 10pm or so and look for digging signs the next day. That will tell you, the next day, if a critter is living there.
Critters won't attack unless they have a female protecting nest.
Do what #3 says. Use 9 gauge chicken wire. Before you staple it to the deck or attach otherwise, dig about 6 inch deep trench along perimeter and bury lower net edge into it. Or, they will go under. The deeper the better.
Oh, and as of latrine. Spray the heck of under the deck space with vinegar. They hate the smell. Re-spray in few days after net install, just keep in mind vinegar will kill any vegetation. This should be enough to wean them away from the place.
Do that and Any Babies will Die! Do what I suggested in my 1st post. That way You wont be leaving any critter trapped under the deck.
Katie, no babies are going to die. I'm going to use the chicken wire experiment first before I do anything permanent. If there's a mom that get's separated from her babies whether it's a raccoon, or opossum she's going to dig her way under it and won't stop until she get's them. I've seen what they've done to my garbage pails.. a little chicken wire isn't going to stop a mama from getting to her babies. That way at least I'll know for sure whether something is living under there or not. All I really want to do is to keep the large male and female racoon's from living there. The male has no fear of humans and he scares me. I plan on leaving a 5 or 6 inch opening so my feral has a place to go too. That small an opening should keep out raccoons but if one has babies under there she'd rip it open to get to them since it will just be the chicken wire at first.
Trapping is no guarantee. If there is something there we could trap the mom and we'd never know if she had little babies under there. My lower deck is only about a foot off the ground and you can't get a trap in that section, and you can't see under there because thats where the piping for the pool runs, plus I think when they installed the deck, they dumped all their leftover wood scraps under there.
I'll try the vinegar too. It's cheap and if the neighbors complain my yard smells like salad dressing.. oh well..they'll get over it...
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