Raccoon Destroys Roof in Dayton, NJ
Challenge
A homeowner in Dayton, NJ had some concerns that there was an animal in his attic since he kept hearing noises in the middle of the night. I had a strong feeling that he was having a raccoon problem, but I needed to do a thorough inspection first. Once I arrived at the property I began my inspection on the roof. Within minutes I came across the access point — on the roof in the back of the house. After accessing the serious damage to the soffit, it was crystal clear that it was raccoons!
Raccoons can chew through wood and tear off shingles with their razor-sharp claws to create their own entry points — only a raccoon can cause this type of damage.
Solution
The customer had no idea that the raccoon did this much damage to his home (needless to say he wasn’t happy). After I assured the customer that I will take care of his raccoon problem, I set up a positive set.
I’m sure you’re asking, “what’s a positive set?” Well, it’s a set that covers the entire access point, leaving no room for the intruder to use any other access point, and forces the critter out of the attic and into the set — so we are "positive" that we'll catch it.
In addition to the positive set, I set up a placement trap next to the access point. Raccoons, although extremely dangerous, are also extremely predictable. Once they find a path that is easy for them to gain access into an attic, they will follow the same path, not because of scent or anything, but because it’s easy for them. Once the raccoon has been humanely trapped and relocated, I’ll return to fix up the damage to the roof.
