This page provides problem-solving advice and ways to make your yard and home less attractive to raccoons in the first place.
For more information on these mammals, including what they eat and where they live in the forest preserves, visit the main raccoons page.
The best way to prevent a raccoon from establishing a den in your yard or attic is to keep it away from attractive areas from the start.
If a raccoon has already established a den, try the techniques below, preferably two or three at the same time. After a few days, pack crumpled newspaper into the entrance. If the raccoon is still there, it will pull the paper out. If the paper stays in place for a few days, repair any openings.
Most raccoons carry Baylisascaris procyonis, a parasite that’s harmless to raccoons but can be dangerous, even fatal, to other animals, including humans. Transmission occurs when a person or animal ingests the parasite’s microscopic eggs, which raccoons pass in their feces. Children are at a greater risk because they may be more likely to put contaminated soil or other items in their mouths.
Promptly removing feces from your yard and treating the area with boiling water to kill any eggs can reduce the risk of infection. (Most chemicals, including bleach, do not destroy the eggs.)
Raccoons may also carry canine distemper and roundworm, so keep pets’ medications and vaccinations up to date. They can carry rabies, but there have not been any recent reports in DuPage County.
Dens
How to Make Your Yard Less Attractive
What You Should Never Do
Public Health Concerns
If you find a wild animal that looks injured or orphaned, leave it alone and call the Forest Preserve District's Willowbrook Wildlife Center at 630-942-6200. Recordings offer general advice when the center is closed.
Or visit the wildlife rescue advice page.
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Banner image by Neil McIntosh/CC BY 2.0
3S580 Naperville Road
Wheaton, IL 60189
630-933-7200
forest@dupageforest.org
Monday – Friday
8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The Forest Preserve District is committed to making its facilities accessible to all visitors. Contact 630-933-7683 or TTY 800-526-0857.