QuestionIhave coon living in flue with young ones. not sure how many. How long before the young can get out on there own? I trapped mom late today and think I should let her go back in and take care of young ones. When should I trap?
AnswerIf you are certain that you have the female living at your house and that there are no other females in the structure (typically there aren抰 but there have been some exceptions) You have a few options.
1. If you have a female that has had young in the attic/chimney, then catch her and go up in the attic/flue (make sure you have the right female going in an attic for young can be dangerous) and remove the young by hand. ALWAYS wear all necessary personal protection equipment including but not limited to leather gloves, HEPA filter (provided it is safe for you to use one) old clothes before openning damper. Use a mirror to see behind the damper. Young can be grabbed with a gloved hand with good strong leather gloves or cat grasper, there is a chance they can bite and when picked up they do urinate so watch out). Grasp behind front legs. Remember, wildlife carry diseases dangerous to people so get informed before doing (ANY) work. For some information click http://icwdm.org Do not capture mom unless you are willing and able to remove the young too.
2. Hire a professional to finish the job. http://www.icwdm.org/VendorsService/default1.asp to learn how to find a qualified one.
3. let the mother go. Sometimes she will be so spooked that she will move out (hopefully with the young).
4. Let her go but apply eviction products if she doesn抰 leave. Eviction products called 揜accoon eviction fluid?and 揤anish?have pretty good reputations for convincing female raccoons with young to leave a building. It isn't a 100% but it has been known to work. Search the web for those terms to learn how to buy it. You can try harassment. Visit http://www.icwdm.org/ControlMethods/hazing.asp Understand that harassment isn't instant coffee. Consider how hard it would be for your neighbor to convince you to leave your home. Well the raccoon is in a similar situation. She doesn't want to move the young as that would involve a lot of work. Harassment involves, time, intensity and annoyance. All three factors have to combine to convince the animal to move on. Be careful though, she may abandon young in the process. Cap the unused chimney flues before letting her go.
5. Let her go and wait until you see the young get big enough leave the nest with mom. They have to get big enough to climb out. Typically june they are big enough but it varies. Understand it can be difficult to retrap a released raccoon. You can call your state division of fisheries and wildlife. They may know what the typical birth and weaning times are for your state. Gestation lasts 63 days. Average litter size is 3 to 5. The young first open their eyes at about 3 weeks of age. Young raccoons are weaned sometime between 2 and 4 months of age.
Learn more about raccoon roundworm before proceeding with this project. visit http://icwdm.org
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Disclaimer: As with any activity, remember that animal damage control comes with its own risks and problems which can include but are not limited to legalities, health threats, and personal liabilities. Be sure to follow all state laws governing wildlife and make sure you have a thorough understanding on how to resolve the animal damage complaint. My advice is only as good as your understanding of me and my understanding of your situation. If you have any questions be sure to write back
