How to Get Raccoons Out of a Treehouse

Raccoons build dens in a variety of urban and suburban environments, including attics, chimneys and treehouses. They plunder vegetable gardens, kill poultry, leave foul droppings and sometimes carry disease. Unfortunately, eliminating them can be difficult because commercial chemical pest repellents do not affect raccoons and the animals quickly lose their fear of gadgets designed to produce light or sound. However, exclusion and trapping will get a raccoon out of your treehouse.

1/4-inch galvanized hardware mesh or slick metal sheets
10 by 12 by 32-inch or larger trap
Marshmallows, peanut butter or grapes
Electrified wire
Warning sign

Instructions

- 1
  Wait until evening to see if the raccoon leaves. They usually leave their dens at night, although they may stay inside if it is cold or they have small young. Once it leaves, seal off entrances and exits to the treehouse with 1/4-inch galvanized hardware mesh or slick metal sheets.
- 2
  Catch the raccoon with a 10 by 12 by 32-inch or larger trap baited with marshmallows, peanut butter or grapes. Set the trap at night and close it in the morning. If you use a live trap, check with local authorities before setting it to learn how to release the raccoon. Local regulations may also require you to report raccoons you have killed.
- 3
  Remove all food, water and open garbage from the treehouse and your property, including pet food, to prevent raccoons from returning to it.
- 4
  Wrap electrified wire around the tree's base to discourage climbing. Keep the wire activated from dusk to dawn. Post a warning sign to prevent accidents.

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