Heavy thumps over the bedroom at 2 a.m. are hard to ignore. In most Dundee homes, that sound means a raccoon has found a way into the attic. Our raccoon removal in Dundee, FL service traps the animal humanely, checks for young, repairs the opening it tore into your roofline and cleans up the mess it left behind. We are licensed and insured and work on homes and businesses throughout Polk County.
Licensed & insured. Free inspection. Humane removal and sealing.
Raccoons are strong, smart and stubborn. They pull back soffit panels, rip open roof vents and push through rotted fascia. Once a female has kits up there, she will defend that spot and rebuild any weak patch you put in her way. Getting her out the right way the first time saves you a second round of roof damage. Call (904) 729-6285 and we will set up a free inspection.
Why Raccoons Settle Into Dundee
This town grew up on citrus. Groves still border neighborhoods along State Road 17 and out toward Lake Hamilton, and fallen fruit is easy food. Add lakes for water, oak and pine for shelter, and garbage cans on every street, and raccoons have everything they need within a few hundred yards.
As new subdivisions replace old grove land, raccoons stay put and move into the closest buildings. Attics, sheds, the space under decks and chimneys all get used. A raccoon does not need much reason to stay once it finds a dry, quiet spot near food. Older homes along the Scenic Highway often have wood fascia and roof returns that have softened over the years, and those are easy for a raccoon to pry open. Newer stucco homes have their own weak spots, usually where soffit panels were never fastened tightly.
Signs a Raccoon Is Living With You
- Heavy walking or thumping in the ceiling at night, sometimes with chirping or growling.
- Torn soffit, a bent roof vent or a lifted roof return visible from the yard.
- Muddy paw prints on downspouts, porch posts or the side of the house.
- Tipped garbage cans and scattered trash in the morning.
- A latrine spot, where droppings pile up in one place on the roof, deck or attic floor.
Raccoon Removal Dundee FL Families Rely On
We start with a full inspection of the house, from the roofline to the crawl space and anything under the deck. We find the main entry and any secondary holes, then set humane traps placed where the raccoon is already traveling.
In spring, mothers often have kits in the attic. If there are young, we find them and remove them too, so nothing gets left behind to starve in your ceiling and leave an odor in the drywall. Under Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission rules, native animals must be released on the property where they were caught, or relocated to a site of at least 40 contiguous acres in the same county with the landowner’s written permission, and that has to happen within 24 hours. We follow those rules on every job.
Repairing the Damage and Sealing It Shut
Trapping alone does not fix anything. If the hole stays open, the next raccoon finds it within weeks. Once the animals are out, we repair the entry with materials a raccoon cannot pull apart and seal other weak spots it could use next. Chimneys get proper caps. Gaps under sheds and decks get closed off.
Our exclusion and sealing work covers every opening on the building, not just the one the raccoon happened to use. The same inspection often turns up gaps that bats in Dundee or roof rats could exploit, and we seal those at the same time.
Health Risks and Attic Cleanup
Raccoon droppings can carry raccoon roundworm, a parasite whose eggs survive for a long time in soil and insulation. Raccoons are also one of the main rabies carriers in Florida. Do not clean a raccoon latrine yourself without protection, and never corner or handle the animal.
After removal, we can take out contaminated insulation, sanitize the area and leave the attic ready for new insulation. Our attic wildlife removal and cleanup page covers that process in more detail.
More Wildlife Services in Dundee
- Wildlife removal Dundee FL
- Bat removal Dundee FL
- Snake removal Dundee FL
- Armadillo removal Dundee FL
- Wildlife exclusion and sealing
- Attic wildlife removal and cleanup
Raccoon Removal in Nearby Cities
Raccoon Removal Questions from Dundee Homeowners
Why do raccoons keep getting into homes near the old groves in Dundee?
Groves supply fallen fruit, cover and travel routes, and homes beside them sit right in a raccoon’s nightly path. When new houses go up on former grove land, the raccoons are already living there. Secure garbage, pick up dropped fruit, and have the roofline checked for soft fascia or loose soffit before a female picks your attic for her den.
Can I just wait for the raccoon to leave on its own?
Usually not. A raccoon that finds a safe attic treats it as home base. In spring, a mother with kits will not leave until they are big enough, and by then the insulation is ruined. The longer it stays, the more damage and droppings build up. Removal plus a real repair ends the problem. Waiting only makes the cleanup bigger.
Do you remove raccoons from under decks and sheds too?
Yes. Decks, sheds and the space under mobile homes are common den sites around Dundee. We trap the animal, check for young, and then close the area off with sturdy barriers so it cannot dig or squeeze back under. If raccoons are using your yard as a route, we will point out what is drawing them in.
Is there someone nearby who can come out quickly?
We take wildlife calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and we cover Dundee along with Lake Hamilton, Haines City, Winter Haven and Lake Wales. See our Dundee wildlife removal page for the full list of animals we handle in town. A raccoon in the living area or a trapped animal is treated as an emergency.
Request a Free Inspection in Dundee
Tell us what you are hearing or seeing and we will call you back to set up an inspection. For a snake in the house, a bat in a living space or any emergency, call (904) 729-6285 now — we answer 24 hours a day.