Raccoon removal in Wesley Chapel, FL
Raccoon removal in Wesley Chapel, FL usually starts with a torn pool cage panel or a heavy thump over the bonus room around midnight. We trap raccoons humanely, keep mothers with their kits, and seal the soffit or vent they came through.
- Mother and kits stay together
- Entry hole sealed behind them
- Humane trapping under FWC rules
Raccoons? Schedule a Wesley Chapel inspection
Tell us what you are hearing or seeing. We will get back to you, set up a visit and give you a straight answer on what it takes.
- Firm quote before any work starts
- Call, text or email, your pick
- Licensed and insured in Florida
Quick answer. Critter Guys handles raccoon removal in Wesley Chapel, FL, getting raccoons out of attics, soffits, garages, sheds and pool enclosures across Pasco County. We find the entry point, remove the raccoon with humane live traps or a one-way door under FWC rules, keep any kits with their mother, and seal the opening so another raccoon can’t reuse it. Call or text (321) 203-6963.
Leave the attic hatch closed for now
A mother raccoon guarding kits will hold her ground, and raccoons are one of the animals most often found with rabies in Florida. If the noise upstairs sounds heavy, keep the hatch shut, keep the dog out of the garage, and let a crew handle the face-to-face part.
Raccoon country along the ponds and Cypress Creek
Before the rooftops, this area went by names like Double Branch and Gatorville, and it was cattle land, turpentine camps and citrus. The creeks and wetlands that made it hard to farm are still here. Cypress Creek and the New River both drain toward the Hillsborough River, and almost every subdivision from Meadow Pointe to Wiregrass Ranch was laid out around retention ponds with a wooded buffer behind the last row of homes.
Raccoons love that setup. They sleep in the trees or a hollow along the water during the day, then work the pond banks and back fences at night, checking garbage cans, grills, koi ponds and bowls of cat food. A two-story house with a lanai is a short climb from all of that. Once a female finds a dry, quiet soffit in late winter, she’ll often raise her kits there.
If you’re not sure a raccoon is the culprit, our Wesley Chapel wildlife control page covers the other animals we see around here.
Wesley Chapel field notes
- Pasco County, north of New Tampa
- Cypress Creek and the New River
- Pond-side lots with wooded buffers
- Two-story homes with screened lanais
Recent work around Central Florida
Pool cages are the usual way onto the roof
A pool enclosure frame is basically a ladder to a raccoon. They grab the aluminum, push a bottom screen panel loose or rip the mesh by the door, and help themselves to whatever’s on the lanai. From the top of the cage, plenty of them step onto the main roof, where the soffit corner over the lanai or the gap behind a gutter at a roof return gives them a way into the attic.
That’s why we look at the whole path, ground to roof, and not only the hole in the soffit.
- Loose or torn bottom screen panels
- Spots where the cage ties into the roof
- Soffit corners above the lanai
- Downspouts close to a low roof edge
- Pet food and grills left outside overnight
Neighbors who called us about raccoons
4.9
141 reviews on Google
★★★★★
RELIABLE! AFFORDABLE! KNOWLEDGEABLE! HONEST! From the first call to Annie to meeting Mike literally an hour later was remarkable. What started as a nightmare with a family of raccoons in my attic turned into a smooth successful experience. No need to shop around. I reached out to 4 other companies with higher prices and the inability to come asap. I will definitely recommend them to my friends and neighbors!
Gini AnthonyGoogle review
★★★★★
CritterGuys are the best! From my first positive interaction with Annie to my continued excellent service through Mike, CritterGuys have been superb! So far, they have quickly and professionally removed two raccoons and have set more traps in case more may follow. CritterGuys have been prompt, courteous, and professional. I will recommend them and call again if needed! Thank you, CritterGuys!
Michelle FabrizioGoogle review
★★★★★
Nelson was professional and knowledgeable. We will call Critter Guys again.
Libbi BoerschigGoogle review
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How to tell it’s a raccoon in your Wesley Chapel attic
Squirrels and rats are more common in attics, but a raccoon is easy to tell apart once you know what to listen and look for.
Heavy footsteps
It sounds like something much bigger than a squirrel walking around, usually after dark and again just before dawn.
Chirping or chattering
Kits make a high twittering sound, especially when the mother comes and goes. You’ll hear it most in spring.
Soffit pulled down
Raccoons don’t chew a neat hole. They pull vinyl soffit panels loose or push a vent cover out of its frame.
Droppings in one spot
Raccoons use a latrine, a single pile they return to, often on a flat roof section, the lanai deck or the attic floor.
Smudged handprints
Muddy prints that look like small human hands on stucco, a downspout or the pool cage frame.
Raccoon removal that keeps the family together
This is how a typical job goes, from the first visit to the sealed soffit.
Find the den and the door
We inspect the roofline, attic and yard to find where the raccoon is living, how it gets in, and whether there are kits.
Choose the right method
Depending on the setup, we use a live trap sized for raccoons or a one-way door at the entry. When kits are present, the plan is built so the mother and young leave together. Everything follows FWC rules.
Close the opening
Once the attic is empty, we repair and reinforce the entry and any weak spots around it. Our exclusion service for Wesley Chapel homes covers what that sealing looks like.
Deal with the latrine
Raccoon droppings and soiled insulation need careful removal and sanitizing. If your attic needs it, our Wesley Chapel attic cleanup takes care of it.
The health side of raccoon removal, without the scare tactics
Most raccoons are not sick, and most people who deal with one never have a problem. Still, a few facts are worth knowing. Raccoons are among the animals most often found with rabies in Florida, so never try to grab or corner one. Their latrines can carry raccoon roundworm, whose eggs survive in droppings for a long time, so sweeping or vacuuming dry raccoon waste isn’t a good idea.
None of this is a reason to panic. It’s a reason to let someone with the right gear handle the removal and the cleanup. If you want more background on how we work with raccoons across the region, see our main raccoon removal page.
Late winter and spring are kit season
Females look for a den to give birth in late winter and spring, and attics and soffits are favorite picks. If you start hearing noise around then, call early. It’s much easier to move a mother before the kits start wandering the attic.
Raccoon help in nearby towns
More Critter Guys services in Wesley Chapel
What Wesley Chapel homeowners ask about raccoon removal
Don’t see your question? Call or text (321) 203-6963 and ask a real person.
How can I tell a raccoon from a squirrel in my Wesley Chapel attic?
Raccoons are heavier and louder, and they’re most active at night. Squirrels are lighter, quicker and busiest in the morning and late afternoon. A pulled-down soffit panel points to a raccoon, while a small chewed hole points to a squirrel.
What does raccoon removal cost in Wesley Chapel?
It depends on how many raccoons there are, whether there are kits, the height and type of roof, and how much sealing and cleanup the house needs. You’ll get a quote for your Wesley Chapel home before we do any work.
Will you separate a mother raccoon from her babies?
Not if we can help it. Keeping mothers and young together is one of our core rules, so we plan the removal around getting the whole family out at once.
Can I rent a trap and catch the raccoon myself?
You can try, but it often goes wrong. You might catch the mother and leave kits starving in the attic, catch a neighbor’s cat, or end up holding a scared raccoon with nowhere legal to take it. Trapping and relocation fall under FWC rules, and none of it fixes the hole the raccoon used.
Why does a raccoon keep tearing my pool cage screen?
Something on the lanai is worth the effort, usually pet food, trash, a grill or fish in a pond. The cage also gives raccoons a route to the roof. We can remove the raccoon and point out what’s drawing it in.
Is it safe to clean up raccoon droppings myself?
We don’t recommend it. Raccoon latrines can carry roundworm eggs that become airborne in dust when the waste is swept or vacuumed. We remove and sanitize those areas as part of our cleanup.
Get the raccoon out of your Wesley Chapel home
Call or text (321) 203-6963, or fill out the form, and we’ll set up an inspection of the roof, attic and lanai.