Can a raccoon cause any real problems?

In some situations, a raccoon - like most Arizona wildlife - can be a cool and interesting neighbor/visitor. They are kinda cute (especially the babies) and the way they clean their food before eating it is pretty unique and fun to watch. As long as that's all that they are doing on or near your property I'd say kick back and enjoy the show. Especially when they have little ones in tow.

However, raccoons can also be a real problem to homeowners sometimes, too. Their diets are pretty wide open and love almost any type of food they can get their hands on including whatever you throw away. They are very good with their hands (better than most rodents) and can get into things like trash cans, sheds, etc. easily if not tightly secured. Raccoons are famous for damaging anything (trash cans, landscaping, sheds, vehicles, etc.) to get to what they are after, which is usually something to eat. And they don't clean up after themselves, either, so they mess can wear on you when it becomes a daily thing.

Raccoons are also known carriers of rabies and several other diseases so you don't want to try to touch or handle them. They are quite strong and can be fierce so keeping your pets and children away from them is a must. Of course, one of the problems with raccoons - as well as with most all critters - is that they have babies. So before you know it you're dealing with the mess, poop and possible threat from several raccoons instead of just one. The longer they are established in an area, the harder it is to get them to leave. So if you're experiencing any of the above problems, the sooner you get rid of raccoons the better.

How do you get rid of nuisance raccoons? You can try lighting, noises, water hoses, predator urine and exclusion. Typically the homeowner ends up needing professional help in the form of a wildlife trapping and control specialist to trap and remove the raccoon(s). Make sure they are licensed and that they are practicing humane animal control techniques before you hire them. And once the raccoon(s) are gone, make sure to take care of the environmental conditions that invited them in the first place so you don't have to go through this again with the next critter that comes along.