Can a Raccoon Really Climb My Downspout and Get Onto the Roof?

Yes.

This surprises people way more than it should.

We will be looking at an obvious raccoon entry point near the roof and the homeowner will say, “But how would it even get up there?”

Meanwhile there is a downspout basically functioning as a raccoon ladder.

Raccoons are excellent climbers.

They do not need a tree branch politely placed beside your roof.

They can use downspouts, fences, decks, brick and other parts of a house to reach areas that seem completely inaccessible when you are standing in the yard.

Getting onto the roof is only half the problem

The next question is whether there is somewhere to get inside.

Soffits are a big one.

A loose corner, damaged panel or vulnerable roof transition can be enough for an animal to start working at it.

And once wildlife has created or enlarged an opening, that opening can remain a problem even after the animal leaves.

That matters because another animal does not care who made the hole first.

A squirrel can use an opening associated with an old raccoon problem.

A raccoon can exploit damage that started another way.

The species can change while the house problem stays exactly the same.

This is why “we got the raccoon” is not always the end

We talk to homeowners who already paid someone to remove an animal and then six months later they are hearing something again.

Sometimes they assume the original company somehow failed to relocate the raccoon far enough away.

That may not be what happened at all.

There may simply still be a usable way into the house.

The new animal might not even be the same species.

That is why our first step is a free inspection. We identify the current activity, look for the actual access points and determine what method of removal makes sense based on what we find.

If you are dealing with raccoon activity around Lexington, Greenbrier, Hamburg or surrounding Central Kentucky, call (859) 893-1304.