If you have a dead animal in your house or building, the total cost will probably run between $150-$250 to find and remove the dead animal, and decontaminate the area. Some people charge more to cut holes to remove the dead carcass and seal the hole up afterward.

If you just have a dead animals outside that needs to be picked up, the cost will be lower, since the job is a simple matter of a service trip, containment, and incineration or other disposal.

Raccoons are usually classified as a pest species due to their habits of living in human dwellings. The most common complaints include the following:

Raccoons living in the attic

Raccoons living in the chimney

Tipping over garbage cans

Stealing pet food or bird seed

Sick, potentially rabid raccoon

Presence is alarming dogs/pets

For these reasons, many people wish to have this nuisance animal trapped and removed.

How to Get rid of them: The primary approaches are trapping, prevention, or repellents, as outlined and discussed below in detail.

Trapping: Trapping is always an option for wildlife removal. However, it’s not always so cut and dry. Much of the time, simple trapping does not solve the problem. The majority of cases of do-it-yourself raccoon trapping have gone awry. It’s common to catch the wrong animal – a stray cat, a skunk, or opossum, or the wrong raccoon. You want your raccoon problem to go away – if the coon is tipping your garbage can, pooping in your pool, killing your ornamental fish or birds, or whatever. But if you trap, you want to be sure to get the right animal, in the right way, and do it legally. It must be done correctly, with the right type of trap – one at least 12x12x32 to hold raccoons, and sturdy steel or solid-wall. Raccoons are very strong and crafty and have a way of breaking out of traps. Novices just get so many things wrong. It took me years of trapping to learn to always get it right. So many little factors go into successful trapping. For more information read my raccoon trapping guide. You have to be conscious of the safety and welfare of the animal, and relocate it at least ten miles away, in an acceptable location. It’s probably against the law for you to trap and relocate raccoons if you are not licensed – it’s illegal in most states. A properly licensed trapper, who knows wildlife and has experience, is vaccinated against rabies, and who can do it safely and legally, is the best option.

Raccoons in the Attic: PLEASE do not try to trap and remove if you have raccoons in the attic. Nine times out of ten, there’s baby raccoons up there! If you trap and remove the mother, you will have a BIG PROBLEM on your hands, and you will likely cause further house damage, noise, suffering of cute little raccoons, and a terrible odor as the babies die and decompose. Click here for my special guide on How to Get Raccoons Out of an Attic, the most comprehensive guide to attic raccoon removal on the web. This is not a job for homeowners! Call a pro!

Prevention: Now here’s something anyone can do. Secure your garbage can and strap the lid down with bungee cords. If you want to get rid of raccoons in your yard, don’t leave out pet food. Lock your doggie-doors. If you want to get rid of raccoons in your house, make sure your house is secure, with no holes or openings into the attic. If they are getting under the house or under the deck, you can install an exclusion barrier of steel mesh. And remove whatever is attracting the raccoons – if they’re pooping in the pool, put a board with spikes on the steps. If they’re tearing their way into your screened porch to swipe at your pet bird, bring the bird inside! Common sense.

Top 10 Tips for How to Get Rid of Raccoons:

If the raccoons are in your attic, inspect your house to identify the entry points.

When raccoons live in your attic or any part of your house, it is almost always a female raccoon with a litter of babies. Be sure to remove the babies as well as the adult.

You can sometimes intimidate a female and it will leave on its own with the young. Accomplish this via physical harassment and the use of raccoon eviction fluid.

Remove the litter of baby raccoons by hand, place in a pillow case, and use them as “live bait” to lure the mother into a cage trap, in the back of a trap with a divider mechanism.

When trapping, use a large sturdy steel cage trap, at least 12″x12″x32″. Always set the trap in the shade, to prevent overheating. Make sure the trap is on a solid, level surface.

Bait is not terribly important. Location of trap, and a sturdy set with proper tension matters more. However, avoid meat-based baits to prevent the capture of stray cats. Use marshmallows.

If a raccoon is tipping over your garbage cans, either bring the cans indoors, or strap the lids down with bungee cords.

If a raccoon is eating pet food or bird seed, you will need to temporarily remove these attractants from the outdoors for a period of weeks, until the raccoon gives up.

If a raccoon is pooping in a swimming pool or trampling a garden, a physical deterrent, such as a board with nails pointing up, fencing, water sprayer, or shock track can keep them away.

If it is legal for you to trap raccoons, and relocate them in your state, bring them at least ten miles away from the capture site to prevent them from returning.