Raccoon Feces Removal in Toronto
Raccoons keep pooping in the same spot, whether that's a corner of the deck or a corner of the attic. We clean it up, disinfect the area, get the raccoon out and seal the way back in.
Lifetime guarantee on every entry point we seal.
$5 million liability insurance
Calls answered 24/7.
What raccoon feces look like
Raccoon feces are dark and tube-shaped, a few inches long and about as wide as a nickel, and they often have seeds or bits of undigested food in them. They smell stronger than dog or cat droppings, and in an attic the smell often reaches the rooms below before anyone has seen the droppings themselves.
What gives raccoon poop away is where it is and how much of it there is. A raccoon goes back to the same spot every time, so instead of a dropping here and there you find a heap in one place, getting bigger week by week. If you're not sure what you're looking at, take a photo from a safe distance; you can attach up to five when you send us a request.
Raccoon poop on your deck or patio
If raccoons keep pooping on your deck, it is rarely by chance. A raccoon picks one spot, a corner of the deck, the top of the steps, the edge of the patio or even a cushion on the patio furniture, and comes back to it night after night, so the droppings build up there.
The usual reason is that the raccoon is living close by, very often under the deck itself. A hole or loose soil at the edge of the deck, or a gap under the steps, is the sign to look for. While it lives there, a clean deck lasts until the next night, which is why cleaning alone rarely stops raccoons from pooping on a deck.
How to get rid of raccoons under a deck comes down to two things: getting the raccoon out without leaving any young behind, and closing the space so it can't dig back in. So we clean up the droppings on the deck, the patio and the patio furniture and disinfect the area; if a raccoon is living under the deck, we check for young and get it out humanely; then the space under the deck is screened off with wire mesh fixed around the base and buried in the soil.
Lifetime guarantee on every entry point we seal. If it turns out to be a skunk under the deck instead, skunk removal explains how that one is handled.
Why raccoons keep using the same spot
Raccoons don't leave droppings at random. They choose a toilet area and use it night after night, and other raccoons use the same spot, so the droppings pile up in one place. Outdoors that spot is often somewhere raised and flat, such as a fallen log, a woodpile or a deck; in a house, it is usually one corner of the attic.
The pile keeps growing for as long as a raccoon is living there. Cleaning it up while the raccoon is still coming and going lasts one night, which is why the cleanup comes after the raccoon is out and is finished by sealing the way in.
Where raccoon droppings turn up in a house
Inside the house, raccoon droppings in Toronto and the GTA are usually in the attic, on top of the insulation or along the attic floor. Raccoons also leave droppings above a garage and inside a chimney. Wherever the droppings have built up, the insulation or material underneath is soiled as well, so the cleanup takes that out along with the droppings on top.
Up on the roof, raccoons use porch roofs, flat roofs and garage roofs the same way, and we clean those up too. The attic matters most indoors, because the droppings there are out of sight and can go unnoticed for a long time.
Why raccoon poop needs a careful cleanup
Raccoon droppings can contain the eggs of raccoon roundworm, a parasite common in raccoons. The eggs are far too small to see. They are not infectious when fresh, but after a few weeks in the droppings or the soil they are, and they can last for years, so old droppings need the same care as fresh ones.
Infection in people is rare, but public health agencies take it seriously. The eggs are picked up by accident, by swallowing them from hands, toys or anything else that touched the droppings, so young children and pets are the ones to keep away. It is a careful job, not a quick sweep with a broom.
If you find raccoon droppings
Leave them where they are and keep children and pets away from the spot. Don't touch them with bare hands, don't vacuum them, and try not to stir up the dust around them. If they're in the attic, keep the hatch closed; there's no need to go up and look.
If a raccoon is still living there, it comes out first, humanely and with any young checked for: raccoon removal covers the signs, and noises in the attic will help you tell a raccoon from a squirrel. Then the cleanup can be done once, properly.
How raccoon feces removal works
Cleaning raccoon droppings out of an attic means working inside it, so we take care with the hatch and the rooms below. A visit goes like this.
- On arrival
- We confirm the raccoon activity and check how it's getting in.
- During the visit
- Removal is handled humanely, with care taken around your roofline and finishes.
- Before we leave
- We'll explain what we found, what we did, and how the animal got in.
We find the droppings, and work out where the raccoon has been getting in.
If a raccoon is still living there, we check for young first and remove the family humanely before any cleanup starts.
The droppings come out, together with any insulation and nesting material they have soiled.
The area is disinfected, and new insulation goes in where the old was taken out.
The opening the raccoon used is sealed. Lifetime guarantee on every entry point we seal.
Any damage at the opening is repaired, matched to your home's existing materials and colours.
Same-day service is available for requests received before 4 PM, subject to technician availability. Calls are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Sealing & repair
Cleanup, insulation and repair after raccoon droppings
The droppings are only half of it. The raccoon got in somewhere, and until that opening is closed it can come back to the same spot.
Once the droppings are out and the area is disinfected, the opening is sealed and the damage around it repaired: a torn roof vent, a lifted soffit, chewed fascia or a missing chimney cap, matched to your home's existing materials and colours.
Questions about raccoon feces and cleanup
What does raccoon poop look like?
Dark, tube-shaped and usually in a pile, often with seeds or bits of food in it, and with a stronger smell than a dog's or a cat's. One dropping on its own is hard to tell apart; a heap in the same spot usually points to a raccoon.
Is raccoon poop dangerous?
It can contain the eggs of raccoon roundworm, so it should be handled with care. Infection in people is rare, and it happens when the eggs are swallowed, which is why the advice is to keep children and pets away and leave the droppings alone until they're cleaned up.
Can I clean up raccoon droppings myself?
Public health agencies publish steps for doing it yourself, with gloves, a mask and care not to raise dust. An attic is harder: the droppings are on and in the insulation, the space is tight and dusty, and the raccoon may still be using it. That kind of cleanup is better left to us.
Do you disinfect the area?
Yes. Once the droppings and the soiled insulation are out, the area is disinfected, and new insulation goes in where it's needed.
Do you replace attic insulation soiled by raccoon feces?
Yes. Insulation under the droppings, or flattened where the raccoon was living, is removed and replaced, so the attic is back to how it should be.
How do I stop raccoons from pooping on my deck?
Find out where the raccoon is living. If it's under the deck, the droppings will keep coming until it is out and the space under the deck is closed. We do both, and clean up and disinfect the deck, the patio and the patio furniture; droppings on a porch roof, a flat roof or a garage roof are cleaned up too.
Will the raccoon come back to the same spot?
Raccoons return to a spot they know, which is why sealing the opening is part of the job. Every entry point we seal comes with a lifetime guarantee, for as long as you own your home. If an animal gets back in through it, we come back and take care of it at no charge. Full terms are written on your invoice.
How much does raccoon feces removal cost?
It depends on how much has built up, how much insulation has to come out and what the raccoon damaged getting in. We explain the price first, before any work begins.
Are you insured?
Yes. Good Neighbors Wildlife carries $5 million in liability insurance.
How soon can you come?
Same-day service is available for requests received before 4 PM, subject to technician availability. Calls are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and if a raccoon is still in the attic, getting it out safely comes first.
Humane. Local. Same-Day Service.