Easiest Way to Get Raccoons Out of a Dumpster

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If you can see something that the raccoon could use to get out its tricky situation, you will find that the answer to this riddle is simple — you just need to allow the raccoon to get itself out.



The smooth metal surface will be the thing that's stopping this creature from making a bid for freedom, but you can give it that chance. Do you see something made out of material or fabric? Can you move it (wearing gloves, obviously) so that it is reachable by the raccoon, but still gets to the rim of the dumpster? From the rim, the animal can probably make its own way, but it just needs a little bit of a helping hand on that initial run on the escape ladder.

If you can't find material to help the raccoon, look for something that is made out of wood that you could use in a wheelchair-ramp kind of way for the animal. By that, we mean that the animal can use it to simply walk right out of the dumpster. A diagonally placed piece of wood can usually fit this bill quite nicely, and almost all dumpsters have wood in them somewhere.

We would like to add a few more points:
> Do not get “hands on” if you don't have gloves or appropriate protection. Rats, raccoons, all sorts might have been in that dumpster, and if you touch anything with your bare hands, all that “all sorts” is then going to be on your hands.
> Do not get “hands on” with the animal. A raccoon won't appreciate you trying to touch it unless you have food. You're not going to appreciate the bite you get in response. Raccoons can have rabies … Don't get too close.
> Do not assume a baby raccoon is an orphan. Its mother is probably coming back for it. By moving it, you are deliberately making it an orphan. If you give it some time, you might just find that mama does come back after all.
> Do not call the police. (Unless someone's life is in danger or a raccoon-crime is being committed, such as a raccoon breaking into a car ... which we would pay to see.) The police don't have the time or resources to help you and may even give you a little bit of a telling off for wasting police time. Wildlife rehabilitators are the best people for this job. Give them a call. If it's not on your property (the dumpster down the street, for example) you aren't liable for the cost.

For more information, you may want to click on one of these guides that I wrote:
How much does raccoon removal cost? - get the lowdown on prices.
How to get rid of raccoons - my main raccoon removal info guide.
Example raccoon trapping photographs - get do-it-yourself ideas.
Raccoon job blog - learn from great examples of raccoon jobs I've done.
Raccoons in the attic - what to do to solve the problem.