The Best Bait to Use to Trap a Raccoon
You’ve got raccoons on your property, and you want to remove them quickly and safely. A raccoon trapping bait is the best way to do that. To get raccoons into the trap, you need the best bait possible. Here’s what bait you should use, and why.
Raccoon Diets and Bait
It’s easy to think that you can place any old food into the trap, as raccoons are omnivores. You’ve seen them ripping apart garbage bags to get at what’s inside, and so surely they’ll be tempted by anything?
While raccoons are omnivores, you need to select their bait carefully. The best bait will have a potent scent, and draw the raccoon in. It’s the first thing about the trap the raccoon will notice, as they’ll be able to smell the food before they see it. If it’s tempting enough, they’ll go for it.
Sweet Fruits
Fruits and vegetables are a great way to draw raccoons into your trap. Watermelon, strawberries and apples all have a sweet scent that raccoons love, and will quickly come to check out. These on their own will work well when you need to trap a raccoon.
Marshmallows
Marshmallows are something many pest control operatives have a lot of success with. This is because they’re sweet food that can be simply taken out of the bag and placed wherever you need them. Also, because of their large round shape and white colour, they’re considered to be reminiscent of birds’ eggs too. Eggs are a staple of raccoon diets, so they’ll happily go for marshmallows.
Vegetables
Vegetables do work when trapping raccoons, as they eat them normally in their diets. However, they’re not as alluring as sweet fruits on their own. If you use something like corn, onions or carrots as bait, drizzle them with honey. That will make it perfect for the raccoon you’re looking to catch.
Meat and Fish
Many people swear by using meant and fish as bait inside their traps. It makes a lot of sense, as they have a potent scent so it’ll be easier for raccoons to find it. If you want to try this, chicken, cooked bacon or canned fish work well here. Wet cat food is another good option and very easy to use.
Using Poison Bait
When catching a raccoon, you have the choice to release it away from your home or euthanize it. The option you take will depend on the laws in your area and your own needs when it comes to pest control. If you need to euthanize the raccoon, you’ll be tempted to use poison bait. Surely this is the best option, as it draws in the raccoon and kills it too?

The problem is poison is indiscriminate, and it may kill other animals before the raccoon gets to it. This is dangerous, especially if you have pets. If a raccoon eats poison bait, they may die somewhere you can’t get to them, leading to other animals finding them first and creating more problems for you.
Trap and Bait Placement
While it’s important to think about the bait you’ll use, you also need to consider where you place the trap. The raccoon needs to feel comfortable moving towards the trap, so a trap way out in the open won’t work. Place a trap somewhere sheltered, such as under a hedge, and the scent and perceived safety will draw them in.
Washing the Trap
Before you even use the trap, remember that raccoons often don’t want to come near humans. If they can smell a human on the trap, they won’t want to enter it even if there’s good bait inside. When you get your trap, wash it first to remove your scent from it. Then, handle it with gloves to ensure you don’t transfer your scent to it when you place it.
There are lots of good baits you can use to bring a raccoon into a trap. Fruits, marshmallows, wet cat food and more all work really well. Place your trap carefully and wash it first, to ensure your bait has the chance to attract your raccoon. You’ll soon be able to remove them from the premises.
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