Are Raccoons Dangerous?

Depending on the situation, raccoons can be dangerous even though they rarely pose a risk to humans. If you ask the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only one human in the United States has ever died from a raccoon and that raccoon had rabies. Rabies can be found in any warm blooded animal; however, in the United States, the most common carriers of rabies are raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes.

How to Tell if a Raccoon is Rabid?

Most importantly, please be safe and not be sorry. The information giving is not a full proof plan that guarantees that the animal does or does not have rabies. These are only suggestions on what to look for. The only way to tell, with 100% accuracy, is to get the animal tested by a professional.

Here are 6 Signs an Animal May have Rabies:

1) Walking uncontrollably, or looking funny while walking; such as staggering around, etc.
2) Oblivious to their surroundings and ignoring activities normal raccoons would be aware of; such as a car coming, etc.
3) Discharge or foaming of the mouth
4) Hair around the face is wet or looks like it has been wet in the past
5) May make crazy noises that make high pitch sounds
6) Hurting itself by picking or biting itself

If you see a raccoon or any other type of animal that may have these signs of rabies, please call the Raccoon Removal Specialist in Indianapolis at 317-535-4605 right away.

Rabies is not the only thing that may be dangerous. Raccoons are known to carry infectious diseases that humans are susceptible to. A disease such as Baylisacaris, also known and roundworm, can be found in raccoon poop (feces). This disease not only has the potential to infect humans, they also can infect pets such as dogs and cats. Be sure to keep raccoons out of your house, attic, and crawl spaces. Once they get into your house, these guys or gals are not potty trained. They can destroy the inside of your home within a matter of hours. Another disease known to be carried by raccoons is called Leptospirosis. Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that can be carried through the urine of a raccoon. So if a human or pet were to come in contact with a raccoons urine, he or she may be contaminated. So please avoid touching the urine of a raccoon or any other type of wild animal.

If you suspect a raccoon has entered your house or attic, please contact a wildlife animal removal company as soon as possible. Please be weary of, not only the inside of your house, but also the outside. If you are aware of an area around your home that you suspect raccoons of using the bathroom, you may want to give us a call to help. We not only remove raccoons from the house, we are also experienced at keeping raccoons away from your whole property; not just your home.

The last thing to be worried about when seeing a raccoon is that fact that it may bite. This type of aggression toward other animals and especially humans is highly unusual. Usually when a raccoon bites a human or pet, they feel threatened or their young are nearby. If you don’t corner the raccoon and you leave it alone, the majority of times it will leave you alone as well. However, as mentioned before, if you see uncharacteristic behavior, please be weary of some of the dangers mentioned above. Or to be safe, don’t wait tell you see signs, call an animal removal company to relocate the raccoon as soon as possible.