Raccoon removal in Clearwater, FL
Raccoon removal in Clearwater, FL usually starts with a loud night in the attic or a shredded pool cage screen. Critter Guys gets the raccoon out humanely, keeps mothers and kits together, and closes the hole it came through.
- Kits stay with their mother
- Entry point sealed behind it
- Licensed and insured statewide
Set up a Clearwater raccoon 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 Clearwater, FL for attics, soffits, chimneys, lanais, sheds and crawl spaces. After inspecting the roof and attic, we remove the raccoon humanely under FWC rules, keep a mother and her kits together whenever possible, and seal the entry point so the next raccoon can’t use it. We’re licensed and insured with 25+ years of experience. Call or text (321) 203-6963.
Why Clearwater raccoons end up in houses
Raccoons do best where water, cover and food all sit close together, and Clearwater has plenty of that. They forage along the mangroves and seawalls of Clearwater Harbor, along Stevenson Creek and Alligator Creek, and around the lake at Cooper’s Bayou Park. Moccasin Lake Nature Park and the woods around Lake Chautauqua give them daytime cover a short walk from dense neighborhoods.
From there it’s an easy trip to a garbage can, a bowl of cat food on the lanai or a bird feeder. Once a raccoon learns a yard is reliable, it starts checking the house for a dry place to sleep. On the canal homes near the harbor it’s often the lanai roof or a soffit over the garage. Inland, in Countryside and the older neighborhoods, it’s an oak limb that hangs over the roof.
Local snapshot
- Clearwater Harbor mangroves and seawalls
- Cooper’s Bayou on Old Tampa Bay
- Moccasin Lake Nature Park woods
- Pinellas County
Signs you have a raccoon, not a squirrel
People often guess squirrels at first. These clues usually point to something bigger.
Heavy, slow footsteps
Raccoons are big enough that you can track one moving across the ceiling. The noise is mostly after dark, not at sunrise.
Chirping or crying in spring
Kits make a high, chattering sound that people mistake for birds. If you hear it from a soffit, there’s likely a mother up there.
A pushed-in soffit panel
Raccoons don’t chew a neat hole. They pull vinyl soffit loose or rip screen out of a vent with their hands.
Dirty smudges on stucco
Dark marks on the wall below the roof edge show the same climbing route used night after night.
A pile of droppings in one spot
Raccoons use a latrine, often on a flat lanai roof, a deck corner or in the attic. Don’t clean it up with bare hands.
From recent jobs
Our raccoon removal process for Clearwater homes
We take raccoons out in a way that doesn’t leave babies stranded or the hole open for the next one.
Find the den and the doorway
We inspect the roof line, attic and lanai, find where the raccoon is getting in and check for kits.
Remove the family together
If there are young, we remove them by hand and use them to draw the mother into a humane trap or reunite them outside, depending on the setup. Adults alone may get a one-way door or live trap, always under FWC rules.
Seal and reinforce
Raccoons are strong, so a patch of screen won’t hold. We rebuild the opening with heavy materials and reinforce nearby weak spots on the same roof line.
Clean the latrine
Raccoon droppings can carry roundworm. We remove the latrine and contaminated material and sanitize the area, the same work we do for attic cleanup in Clearwater.
Spring in Clearwater means raccoon kits
If a raccoon moved in between late winter and early summer, assume a litter until we’ve checked. Sealing a hole with kits inside leads to a frantic mother tearing back in and, sometimes, a very bad smell.
Clearwater customers on our raccoon work
4.9
141 reviews on Google
★★★★★
We had a raccoon who preferred to use our pool and back yard as a personal toilet. After trying the usual internet suggestions we called Kevin the Critter Guy. The first night the trap was set the raccoon was caught. The bad news? It was so big that the trap was forced open in 15″. Over the next several weeks we added traps, tried different baits and different locations to no avail. Kevin never gave up and ultimately used red fox urine. It hasn’t been back since. When a service goes as planned it’s an easy job. The true test? What is the response when it’s not easy. Kevin never backed off and ultimately the raccoon is gone. Highly recommended.
Paul MurgoGoogle review
★★★★★
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
Read every review on Google or see more Critter Guys reviews
Rental trap versus humane raccoon removal
Plenty of Clearwater homeowners try a rental trap first. Here’s how the two approaches usually play out.
| Rental trap in the yard | Critter Guys |
|---|---|
| Catches whatever walks by, including pets | Targets the raccoon at its actual entry point |
| Leaves kits behind in the attic | Checks for kits and keeps the family together |
| Hole stays open for the next raccoon | Entry point sealed and reinforced |
| Latrine and nesting left in place | Contaminated material removed and sanitized |
| Relocation rules are on you | We follow FWC rules |
Keeping raccoons away from your Clearwater lanai
Many of the raccoon calls we get in Clearwater start outside. Screened pool cages and lanais are great for people and pretty good for raccoons too, especially if there’s a pet food bowl or a grill with grease drippings inside. Bring food in at night, use lidded trash cans, and fix any loose screen panel right away, because a raccoon will widen a small tear in one evening.
Inside the house, the best protection is a roof line with no soft spots. We look at the whole thing when we come out, which is why raccoon jobs often turn into sealing up the rest of the house at the same time. It’s the same advice we give on our main raccoon removal page back in Orlando: one sealed home beats a second removal. For more about the critters we handle around town, see our Clearwater animal removal page.
Other wildlife services in Clearwater
Raccoon removal in nearby Pinellas cities
Raccoon Removal in Clearwater: quick answers
Still wondering about something? Call or text (321) 203-6963.
How do I know if a raccoon in my Clearwater attic has babies?
The surest way is an inspection, but timing and sound are good clues. Most kits are born in spring, and they make a chirping, crying noise during the day. If you hear that, don’t seal anything until we’ve checked.
What does raccoon removal cost in Clearwater?
It depends on where the raccoon is, whether there are kits, and how much sealing and cleanup the house needs. You’ll get a firm quote for the raccoon job before any work begins.
Is it safe to be around raccoon droppings on my lanai roof?
Avoid touching or sweeping them. Raccoon latrines can carry raccoon roundworm, and the eggs can stay in the area long after the raccoon leaves. We remove the droppings and sanitize the spot as part of the job.
Can a raccoon get into my house through the pool cage?
It can get into the cage easily, and from there onto the lanai roof or into an attic gap where the cage meets the house. We check that connection on every Clearwater inspection because it’s such a common route.
Can a trapped raccoon just be let go at a Clearwater nature park?
No, and that’s a common assumption. FWC rules control where and how wildlife can be released in Florida, and we follow them on every job. Before we start, we’ll explain exactly what happens to the raccoon.
Why did a second raccoon show up after the first one was trapped?
Because the entry point was still open, and the smell of the first raccoon tells others it’s a good den. Trapping without sealing just opens a vacancy. That’s why we seal and clean every time.
Raccoon in the attic or under the lanai?
Call or text (321) 203-6963 and we’ll check for kits, find the opening and tell you what it will take to close it.