Where You Can Find Raccoons Throughout Winter?

When the colder weather begins to set in, people can get a little paranoid about wildlife forcing its way indoors. While animals will make their way inside if there is easy access, most creatures prefer to stay away from humans. However, raccoon removal in Montreal does pick up in the late fall and early winter. Raccoons are persistent and resilient animals, and if there is a way into your home, garage, or attic, they will find it. However, raccoons do not enter houses for fun; it is often out of curiosity and necessity. As with any wild animal, the winter months signal a time to seek out shelter and warmth.

Where Raccoons Sleep in the Winter Months

While you can learn how to get rid of raccoons, it is often easier to prevent intrusion than remove the species. Thankfully, raccoons are resourceful and intelligent animals, and they understand that cohabitating with humans is a risk. Typically, a raccoon will nest in hollow trees in the winter months. If it cannot find a hollow tree, it might search for a shed or abandoned building. It is also common for a raccoon to kick other animals out of nests, taking control of the space and helping itself to the stored food. The primary requirements for a shelter are warmth, access to food, and protection from predators. A man-made structure can supply all of the prerequisites of an adequate shelter. The only drawback to a house as a shelter is the presence of people. Depending on the temperature and the availability of other potential nesting sites, a raccoon might choose a house, especially an attic, because it provides consistent temperatures and protection. Sometimes, the weather is enough to push wildlife to cohabitate with humans.

What Raccoons Eat During the Winter

Raccoons are omnivores, meaning they eat meat and vegetation. The animal's diet consists primarily of nuts, seeds, mice, bird eggs, and human food scraps. The species is known as a forager, meaning it will eat nearly anything and everything. Because raccoons are opportunistic eaters, they have developed a reputation as trash or dumpster divers. It is necessary for homeowners to purchase trash bins that have lockable or latchable lids, especially during the fall and winter months. As raccoons get ready to hunker down for the cold season, they will begin to scavenge more frequently, often getting into more trouble in neighbourhoods and cities.  However, the species will still look for food in the winter months.

Why Raccoons Might Appear in the Winter

Many people assume that seeing a raccoon in the winter means it is sick, but that is not true. Raccoons do not hibernate in the cold season; instead, they enter a state of torpor — a state of lowered body temperature and metabolic activity. Therefore, raccoons will still appear in the winter, primarily during warmer winter days and evenings.  As with many neighbourhood species, torpor is an essential bodily state to survive colder conditions, but it is also used during extreme heat. The main takeaway is that raccoons and other species are still active in the winter, but not as much as in warmer conditions. While activity in the winter does not signal illness, seeing raccoons around your home is still a sign you should call in wildlife removal experts. However, make sure you contact a humane removal service. Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control is one of the leading humane removal services in Montreal. The experts of the company will respond to any call quickly to assess the problem and determine the best methods for removal. Call one of Skedaddle's representatives to take care of your wildlife problem as soon as possible.