Every animal has an ingestion system along with an excretory system. The body metabolizes all the food contents and the waste products are then eliminated from the body. The same is the case for Raccoons.
Can raccoons bury their poop? No. Raccoons are not capable of burying their feces. Raccoons empty their stomach in the form of a group. Many Raccoons gather in one place to poop. By doing so, they mark their area. This is referred to as ‘Raccoon Latrine’.
Interaction with Raccoons must be kept at a distance as their poop carries infectious diseases.
Such infectious particles can be transmitted from the Raccoons to humans. Especially if they are living in the same locality. Germs can also be transferred to other nearby animals.
Raccoon’s Latrine
Raccoons are distinguishable due to the black fur surrounding their eyes. They have alternating light and dark bands present on their tails.
It is better if you remain on the lookout for a raccoon’s poop in your yard. If it is done once, a raccoon will do it again. Deterrents can be used to keep the Raccoons away. Unlike many animals, a raccoon does not bury its poop. Rather, it stays there as a sign of marked territory.
Once a site is marked by Raccoon, it will remember it and will return to it. That is why it is best if the Raccoons at kept at a distance and driven out of residential areas.
Where Do Raccoons Like To Poop?
Raccoons prefer raised, flat grounds to poop. They can also use an area surrounding a tree base. It has been seen that Raccoons can poop in open areas as well. Other common sites include attics, fence lines, fallen logs, rocks, roofs, haylofts, and decks.
If a raccoon finds a comfortable area to poop, it will do it. It will gather its mates in the same place.
They all contribute to marking their territory.
Raccoon Poop With Seeds
Raccoons tend to poop in groups. Hence, you will always come across a pile. Do raccoons bury their poop? No. That is why sometimes the lying poop acts as a death trap or delicatessen for other animals.
Why do other animals feed on Raccoon’s poop?
That is because a Raccoon’s poop has a lot of undigested seeds in it. When other animals arrive to feed on it, they get infected with a roundworm parasite.
The roundworm parasite is present inside a Raccoon’s poop and if any animal feeds on the seeds inside a Raccoon’s feces, it will fall ill and die eventually.
Do Raccoons Mark Territory With Poop?
Raccoons possess anal glands. It exists in pairs. Glands secrete specific substances that the Raccoons use for marking their territory.
They do this by rubbing their anal area to any specific site they want to claim.
Urine For Marking Territory
Other than feces, Raccoons use their urine to mark their territory. Their urine has a distinct smell and can be sniffed by Raccoons from miles. This is why this animal’s homing instinct is sharper than most animals.
What Does Raccoon Poop Look Like?
This small hairy animal has a poop that is tubular in appearance. It has blunt ends. The poop is dark in color. The coloration of poop can vary depending on what the animal has consumed in its last meal.
Raccoon’s poop can be mistaken for other animals
A Raccoon’s poop is much similar in appearance to canines like coyotes. The size, shape, and components are the same in both. Moreover, their pooping habits are the same. They gather with their mates in an open field and then poop by using latrines.
Do Raccoons Poop Where They Sleep?
Many animals can never sleep in the same areas where they poop. Raccoons act in the same manner. They are clean animals and maintain their cleanliness in a variety of ways.
Raccoons will always create a latrine away from their sleeping or eating spot. ‘Latrine Site’ is the place where the poop site is made. However, a Raccoons does not stick to the same latrine site for very long. Raccoons create another one when they move to a new place.
Why Are Raccoons Pooping In Your Yard?
If you find Raccoons pooping in your yard, then you should know that raccoons have found a latrine site. It is the place where a Raccoon feels comfortable in opening its bowels.
Once a Raccoon has found a safe spot for excreting feces, it invites its mates to come there. If one member likes it, so will the others.
How Do I Stop Raccoons From Pooping In My Yard?
There are many ways a Raccoon can be driven away from a particular site. If you want to get rid of Raccoons, you should try a few things in your yard. Hopefully, the raccoons will run away in no time at all.
- Firstly, you can thoroughly clean the area
- Secondly, you can move your furniture outdoors
- Thirdly, you can do planting on the latrine site
- Fourthly, you can use deterrents like water, mud, soil, and plastic.
All these things make a raccoon uncomfortable in a place. Hence why, raccoons end up changing their litter site.
How Do You Stop a Raccoon Latrine?
If you belong to an area frequently visited by Raccoons, here are a few ways to discourage Raccoons from littering.
- You should not leave human food around in your yard
- You must not leave pet food behind. Raccoons come at night to feed on the remaining food.
- Your garbage tin should be tightly sealed
- Attics and Deck’s entrance should be tightly shut.
It is most likely that if you prevent a Raccoon from settling in your yard, it will not poop there. Raccoons do not have a habit of burying their poop.
If you get exposed to their feces in any way, there is a chance that you will get infected by germs present in feces. It can make you very sick.
How Do You Remove Raccoon Poop?
If you see poop lying in your yard, it must be removed immediately. There are several ways to get rid of feces:
- You can wash it away
- You can wear gloves, pick feces and throw it away
- You can use inverted plastic bags to pick it up
- You can use a gardening shovel to scrape poop and then throw it away
- You can burn poop
- You can bury feces in ground
- You can dump the poop in a landfill as well.
Use a damp cloth or sponge to clean the area containing poop.
. It is better to spray a disinfectant afterward. This reduces the chances of you or other animals being infected by roundworms.
Conclusion
A raccoon prefers a specific site for doing feces. It explores various places to find the most comfortable one. When the best place is discovered, a Raccoon goes to inform its mates. Raccoons return to the same site each day.
If their latrine site is disturbed in any way and they start feeling uncomfortable they do not return to it. Raccoons are smart enough to find another place for themselves.
Humans must keep their distance from Raccoons and try their best to stay away from a Raccoon’s feces. Raccoon’s feces, if consumed indirectly, can cause diseases among the human population.
References
Chris A. (2006). Raccoon roundworm. CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l’Association medicale canadienne, 174(10), 1410.
Roussere, G. P., Murray, W. J., Raudenbush, C. B., Kutilek, M. J., Levee, D. J., & Kazacos, K. R. (2003). Raccoon roundworm eggs near homes and risk for larva migrans disease, California communities. Emerging infectious diseases, 9(12), 1516.