Keep Raccoons Out Of Your Swimming Pool
Did you know that raccoons love water and often like to wash their front paws or food before they eat it?
Raccoons do not discriminate on what type of water, either. Yes, this means they will often be attracted to your pool! An oasis for you is also an oasis for these little critters.
To keep raccoons out of your swimming pool, make sure to keep your pool covered, remove any vegetation in your yard, keep your pool lit, and use scents that raccoons hate such as hot pepper to deter them.
Basically, you want to make sure you are not unintentionally attracting raccoons into your backyard and pool area, and if they do come in, you want to make sure they cannot access your pool easily.
Some additional tips include running an automatic swimming pool cleaner, leaving large inflatables out of your pool, triming tree branches that hang above your pool, and planting rose bushes or globe thistles around your swimming pool! Remember that raccoons have full use of their hands, like humans, so they will be grabby… use that to your advantage! If they grab a handful of something that will poke them, they are going to leave that area alone.
According to the CDC, raccoons can spread a ton of germs and bring other unwanted things to your swimming pool, especially since they can sometimes use your swimming pool to relieve themselves! So if you have found a raccoon has been in your pool, the CDC recommends closing your pool to all swimmers until you have cleansed the pool. If you see any droppings, have it tested and contact animal control to make sure it was not contaminated.
Read more on the CDC’s website.
Article inspired by Pest Poiners.
