How to Keep Raccoons From Pooping on My Deck

Raccoon feces on your deck poses a serious health hazard.

Raccoons prefer to poop on flat surfaces like decks and will continue to use the area as a latrine. Raccoon excrement on your deck is not only unsightly and smelly, it often contains deadly germs. Between 70 to 100 percent of raccoon stool is infected with the Baylisascaris roundworm. If this roundworm enters the body, it will often gravitate toward the brain and eat away brain tissue. You must prevent the raccoons from using your deck as a toilet by deterring them from the area and declaring the deck a poop-free zone.

Things You'll Need

• Fox, wolf or coyote urine
• Battery-powered radio
• Gloves
• Mask
• Eyewear or goggles
• Spray bottle filled with water
• Heavy-duty garbage bag

Instructions

Repel Raccoons

1. Remove temptations from the deck and yard. Raccoons are often attracted to the yard because of food. Remove any food from on top or around the deck, including dog food or waste in trash receptacles. If you feed your pets outside, consider feeding them indoors or in the garage.

2. Spray or pour coyote, wolf or fox urine on and around the deck. The idea of deterring raccoons with another type of animal excrement may not be the most appealing idea, but the urine smell drives away raccoons. Fox, wolf and coyote urine doesn't pose the same health hazard as raccoon feces.

3. Place a battery-powered radio on the deck. Turn the radio to a talk radio station and play it, especially at night when raccoons are most active. The sound of a human voice will ward off the masked pests.

Clean the Latrine

1. Put on gloves, eyewear and a mask over your nose and mouth to guard against dust flying up while cleaning the feces.

2. Spot the raccoon feces on the deck. Raccoons tend to defecate in the same spot, producing piles of poop. Older feces can look like dried leaves or other debris.

3. Pick up the raccoon feces with your gloved hands and place it in a heavy-duty garbage bag.

4. Scrape away any stuck-on feces with a thin, flat object, then pick it up with your gloved hands and throw it away.

5. Throw the scraper away in the bag when the job is done. Tie the bag in a knot to seal it and discard in the garbage. Dispose of the mask, gloves and eyewear in case any eggs or roundworms attached themselves to these objects. Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly with warm water and soap.

References

• "Herald Tribune"; Raccoon Droppings Pose Danger; Cheryl Waterhouse; February 2009
• "Purdue University Extension"; Protecting Yourself From Wildlife Disease: Raccoon Roundworm (Baylisascaris Procyonis); Joe N. Caudell
• Interesting Animals: Raccoon Deterrent
• Raccoon Facts: Raccoon Deterrent

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish