Raccoons in Walls
We had to cut away part of the sheetrock to get to the animal inside this wall.
Here is what we found inside the wall: a dead raccoon.
A raccoon that enters an attic or crawlspace has access to wall cavities. From the attic, such cavities may be wide open or partially open; ventilation systems and ductwork are other gateways that lead raccoons into walls. If the opening into the wall is not quite big enough, the animal can easily make the hole bigger.
To a raccoon, a wall cavity is just like a hollow tree. You may have raccoons in walls because they are living there, or they may use the space simply as a means to get from one area of the house to another. Although raccoons can grow quite large, they only need 4 inches of space to maneuver, which they can find between two walls.
Baby raccoons often become trapped inside wall cavities. Being small, they can accidentally fall into a wall from the attic. Once inside, they become trapped. Either they will die in there, leaving a horrendous smell and attracting maggots and insects, or the mother will try to rescue her baby. A female raccoon will rip into sheetrock and tear it apart if she wants to. They are extremely strong animals and their hands quite nimble; deconstruction work just comes naturally.
If you suspect that you have raccoons living in your walls call a professional wildlife control operator. Not only do we trap raccoons, we also have techniques and methods of animal control that persuade a mother animal to relocate herself and her babies naturally.
If you have a dead raccoon in the wall, or any other animal, we can take care of that, too. We will remove the body and dispose of it properly, clean and disinfect the area, deodorize, and perform any repairs necessary.
This is a picture of a specialized trap to catch a raccoon as it enters or exits the wall.