Hoping for the winter period to come around in Kitchener so you stop encountering raccoons on your property? Although it is practical to assume that raccoons like other wildlife animals go into hibernation during the winter season, this is not exactly the case. As a matter of fact, raccoons are active all year round.
The year-round activities of raccoons in Kitchener are explained below:
Breaking Down the Yearly Cycle of a Raccoon
There are twelve (12) months in a year, and each month represents an activity period for a raccoon. The cycle consists of:
Cycle 1: The cycle starts in January and ends in March. During this period, raccoons’ mate, so, if you hear sounds that seem as though certain things are fighting in your attic or basement, there is a high possibility of this. At this point know that you need to get professional raccoon removal as you may be dealing with more than two raccoons in future.
The male raccoon only stays with the female for a week before leaving to search for other female raccoons to mate with.
Cycle 2: After mating, the gestation period occurs before the female raccoon gives birth to offspring. The months of April and May are used for this. Normally, a female raccoon will have about 4 to 6 offspring.
Cycle 3: The female raccoon spends 4 to 6 weeks between the months of June to July taking care of the young. The mother carries the young around her neck to move around and hunt for food. Nursing raccoons are usually fierce as they have their young to care for. It is therefore inadvisable to approach them if you notice one on your property.
Cycle 4: The young raccoons can move around when they are 8 weeks old and can hunt for food on their own.
Cycle 5: From September to October, the raccoons start preparing for the upcoming winter. This is when their nightly foraging becomes incessant. You start having more night visitors on your property and scattering your garbage cans.
Cycle 6: Staring from November till the end of winter, the raccoons spend their time indoors which can be in their nests on your property. However, they do not hibernate. They might venture out, but this is on rare occasions.
As their activities are restricted indoors, you might notice an increase in sounds coming from your roof, attic or basement.
Hire a Professional Raccoon Removal Company
Since you can’t kill raccoons for living on your property, you must seek other alternatives to get rid of them. However, not all options available are as effective as hiring a professional raccoon removal company.
In Kitchener, the services of a raccoon removal Kitchener company are quite affordable, and they can help you draw up a plan to ensure your property stays raccoon free all year round.