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Raccoons are nocturnal mammals, which means they are awake and active at night. Those aren’t ghosts rummaging around the attic that you hear; it’s probably a mother raccoon looking to nest. Noises in the walls or chimneys also indicate that you have raccoons in your home.

You might also notice raccoon feces around your property or damage to your walls or roof. If you have a family of raccoons, at least one will eventually die, and the smell will enter your home.

Aside from making scratching and crawling noises all night, raccoons can carry some particularly nasty zoonotic diseases. These diseases can pass from animal to human. They can also cause a lot of damage to your home, from tearing up drywall and insulation to ruining roof tiles.

Raccoons can enter your home through any small entry point. They might reach your roof and attic by climbing a nearby tree or coming in through a vent. Particularly determined raccoons can even tear a hole in your walls. They’re searching for a warm, dry, and quiet place to nest.

You can hire a professional for barrier installation, which costs $10 to $20 per linear foot. These barriers can prevent raccoons from entering your home's chimney, attic, porch, or other openings.

To deter raccoons from entering your home, you can also try light or smell deterrents, although these have a low success rate. Raccoons do not like the smell of garlic, peppermint, hot peppers, or onions.