Raccoon Removal in Klein, Texas

When a raccoon gets into a Klein attic or chimney, Michael Gerbino of Cypress Critters & Pests comes out, finds the way it got in, and catches it alive in a cage trap or lets it out through a one-way door. Then he closes the opening with metal so another raccoon cannot reuse it, and repairs the soffit or vent it tore. No poison is used. Call Michael at 713-775-8799 and describe what you are hearing.

What do raccoons do in Klein houses?

Klein has a lot of wooded, established neighborhoods, and raccoons treat them like a forest with roofs in it. A mature tree with a limb resting on the shingles is a staircase. From the roof, a raccoon tests the edges with its hands until something gives. On a house that still has its original trim, something usually does.

The most common pattern Michael sees on these houses goes like this. A soffit corner, where a lower roof runs into a second-story wall, has loosened over the years. A raccoon peels the panel back, climbs into the attic and flattens a bed in the insulation. In late winter and spring, it is often a mother getting ready for young. The family sleeps through the day, so the house is quiet in the afternoon, and then the walking and thumping start after dark.

Signs that point to a raccoon rather than a smaller animal:

• Heavy footsteps overhead at night, not light scratching
• A soffit panel hanging open or a gable vent screen pushed in
• Muddy prints on a downspout, the siding or the chimney
• Chattering or whining from the attic edge or the flue in spring
• Trash cans tipped and pet food gone by morning

Is it safe to wait it out or try to scare it off?

Waiting rarely works, since a raccoon that has made a den does not move out on its own, and every week adds damage to the insulation and duct wrap. Do not go into the attic to chase it. The Texas Department of State Health Services advises people not to handle any wildlife, whether it looks healthy or sick. Keep the attic hatch shut, keep pets inside at night, and let Michael do the catching.

How Michael handles it here

He starts outside, looking at the limbs over the roof and every soffit return and vent, then goes up into the attic to find the den and check for young. Raccoons are caught in cage traps set on the path they walk, or let out through a one-way door fastened over the entry. Every raccoon Michael catches in Klein is removed alive and handled following Texas rules.

Taking the raccoon away is only half the job. A trapped raccoon leaves behind an open hole and an attic that smells like a den, and the next raccoon in the neighborhood follows that scent to the same corner. That is why Michael finishes every raccoon job with exclusion, sealing each opening with heavy galvanized mesh, metal flashing or a chimney cap, the way it is described on the animal exclusion page. More on raccoons in general is on the main raccoon removal page.

Call 713-775-8799 if a raccoon is in the attic or the chimney right now.

Nearby

Michael writes up raccoon work in neighboring towns as well: raccoon removal in Spring and raccoon removal in Cypress. On the same Klein roofs, he also handles squirrel removal and animal exclusion for the whole house. Everything he does in town is on the Klein page, and you can write to him through the contact page or call 713-775-8799.