We need to catch these trap shy raccoons in Holmdel, NJ

Furbearers — animals like opossums, raccoons, and skunks — are exceptionally intelligent creatures. If any of these critters have had a close call with a trap, they become trap-shy. You’ll sometimes hear this behavior called trap-savvy, trap-wise, or trap-wary, but it all means the same thing — the traumatic experience leaves an indelible mark (think of PTSD with people). More importantly, they actually learn from the experience. These animals will stay away from future traps, And it doesn’t matter how enticing the bait. You can put in the sweetest most peanut butteriest concoction you can imagine inside the trap, and it just doesn’t matter. The animals won’t fall for it a second time. It’s the old saying — fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. 

This home in Holmdel, NJ had a raccoon infestation in their crawl space. As you can see in the video, the crawl space access was wide open. The raccoons didn’t even have to look for a weak spot to gain entry. I set up traps around the opening and they stayed empty. It was clear to me that these raccoons knew the drill and weren’t going to fall for it a second time. When I’m dealing with trap-shy raccoon infestations, the key is exclusion. If you can’t trap them, at least you must get them out of the house and prevent them from regaining access. Raccoons come and go from their nesting area inside homes (usually crawl spaces or attics) because they need to forage for food. You want them to go and not come back.

For this raccoon job, I needed to make sure that any raccoons were out of the crawl space and that they could not return. I customized a one-way device for this particular opening. A one-way does exactly what it is named. Operating just like a one-way valve,  this device allows the raccoons to leave but blocks any attempted returns. I measured the opening and cut out a piece of hardware cloth to fit just right. Then, I made a smaller opening in the cloth and smaller and secured a one-way to it with cable ties. I always put a piece of tape at the end of the one-way so that I know whether any animals have left. If they have, the tape will be dislodged and have fur stuck to it.

I’ll be back shortly to confirm that any trespassing raccoons have been evicted from the crawl space. I’ll leave out the traps and have the homeowner call me if, by chance, any raccoons are captured. But I’m not optimistic. In a case like this with trap-shy raccoons, I ‘m happy to get them out of the house, so they look for accommodations elsewhere.