Problem Solving
Keeping Raccoons Off Bird Feeders
A raccoon has hands, patience and a night to work with. Anything a person can open with two fingers, a raccoon can open in the dark.
The short answer
- If a feeder is empty at dawn with the lid open or the hardware undone, suspect a raccoon before a squirrel.
- Bringing feeders in at dusk and putting them out at dawn ends the problem completely, costs nothing, and takes two minutes a day.
- Raccoons climb better than squirrels and are far heavier, so a baffle has to be wide, tall on the pole and mounted on a pole they cannot flex or bend.
- Store seed in metal or thick rigid plastic with a latching lid. A raccoon opens a screw-top bin and chews through a paper sack.
- Never leave pet food, trash or spilled seed out overnight. Feeder raids usually start after a raccoon has already learned your yard is worth checking.
If your feeder is empty at sunrise, the lid is off and nothing is chewed, you have a raccoon. Squirrels gnaw and work in daylight. Raccoons undo things, at night, with hands that manage latches, hooks, clips and screw-top lids.
The good news is that raccoons are easy to shut out compared with squirrels, because their approach is predictable: they climb the pole or the support, then work at the feeder from above or alongside. Deny the climb and take the food away overnight and the raids stop, usually within a week.
This page covers how to confirm it is a raccoon, the two fixes that end the problem outright, how baffle and pole requirements differ from squirrel-proofing, and what to do about the food sources in your yard that brought the raccoon in before it ever noticed a feeder.
Confirming a raccoon raid#
Raccoons leave a distinctive set of clues. You rarely need to see the animal.
| Evidence | Reading |
|---|---|
| Lid, roof or cap removed and set aside | Raccoon; squirrels do not do this |
| Feeder unhooked and on the ground, undamaged | Raccoon |
| Suet cage pried open or the whole cage gone | Raccoon |
| Five-toed prints like small handprints | Raccoon |
| Muddy smears and scuff marks up the pole | Raccoon or opossum |
| Plastic ports gnawed wider | Squirrel, see stopping squirrels |
| Pole bent or snapped, feeder crushed | Bear, see bird feeders and bears |
| Only spilled seed gone, small droppings below | Mice or rats, see rodents under feeders |
A trail camera settles the question in one night if you have one, but the lid test is nearly as good: hang the feeder with a carabiner clipped shut and see whether it is open in the morning.
The two fixes that actually end it#
Bring the feeders in at dusk. This is the whole answer, and everything below is for people who cannot or will not do it. Take feeders down at sunset, store them in a shed, garage or a sealed bin, and rehang at first light. Birds do their heaviest feeding in the first two hours of daylight, so the cost to them is close to zero. It also removes the overnight buffet for rats and mice, opossums, skunks and deer, and in bear country it is not optional at all. The seasonal version of this argument is in when to take your feeders down.
Baffle the pole properly. A raccoon weighs 10 to 30 pounds (4.5 to 14 kg) and has a reach a squirrel would envy, so squirrel-scale hardware is not enough. Details in the next section.
Feeders are usually the second course
A raccoon that raids a feeder has almost always already found something easier: pet food on the porch, a trash can without a locking lid, a compost heap with food scraps, fallen fruit, or a bag of seed in an open garage. Clean those up first. A raccoon with no other reason to visit your yard often stops coming altogether, and the feeder stops being tested.
Pole and baffle specifications for raccoons#
Everything about squirrel-proofing gets scaled up.
- Pole diameter and rigidity. A raccoon can flex or topple a light pole, and a bent pole delivers the feeder to the ground. Use a heavy steel pole set firmly in the ground, not a thin garden stake pushed into a lawn.
- Baffle size. Cone or dome baffles should be at least 18 inches (45 cm) across for raccoons, wider than the 15 inches (38 cm) that handles squirrels. Wraparound cylinder baffles should be 18 inches (45 cm) or more in length.
- Baffle height. Top of the baffle at 5 feet (1.5 m) or higher. A raccoon standing on its hind legs reaches surprisingly high, and it can then hook a rim and haul itself over.
- Clearance. Nothing within reach of the feeder from a fence, deck rail, tree trunk or wall. Raccoons are excellent climbers and can descend a tree headfirst, so an overhead branch is as much a problem as it is with squirrels.
- Hanging feeders. A raccoon will climb the support and reel a feeder up by the chain. Hang from a baffled pole arm rather than a tree limb. Sizing by baffle type is in baffles: types, sizing and placement.
Latch it, do not just close it
Replace S-hooks with locking carabiners, and swap any lid that lifts freely for one that clips or screws down. It will not stop a determined raccoon on its own, but it turns a 10 second raid into a long noisy job, and raccoons prefer easy food. It also stops the feeder ending up in the neighbor's yard.
Ranked fixes#
| Fix | Rough cost | Effectiveness | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bring feeders in overnight | Free | Total | The only fix that is close to guaranteed |
| Remove pet food, trash and compost access | Free | High | Addresses why the raccoon is in your yard |
| Heavy pole with an 18 in (45 cm) baffle at 5 ft (1.5 m) | Low to moderate | High | Must also clear nearby climbing routes |
| Sweep spilled seed nightly | Free | Moderate | Removes the ground-level attraction |
| Locking clips and latching lids | Low | Moderate | Slows raids, prevents lost feeders |
| Take suet in at night | Free | High for suet | Suet and peanut products draw raccoons hardest |
| Motion-activated lights or sprinklers | Moderate | Low and short-lived | Raccoons habituate within days |
| Ultrasonic repellents | Moderate | Negligible | No reliable evidence |
| Greasing the pole | Free | Harmful | Fouls feathers; never use it |
| Trapping and relocating | Moderate | Often illegal | Contact your wildlife agency instead |
What does not work#
Repellent sprays, mothballs and ammonia. Mothballs used outdoors are a misuse of a registered pesticide in the United States and are toxic to pets, children and wildlife. Ammonia-soaked rags do nothing after the first rain. Predator urine products have no dependable effect on a raccoon that already knows the yard has food.
Lights and noise. Motion lights and radios work for a few nights and then stop working, because raccoons living alongside people habituate quickly. Motion-activated sprinklers last a little longer and are at least harmless.
Greasing the pole. As with squirrels, grease and oil mat a bird's feathers and destroy their waterproofing. It is a genuine welfare risk and it is not even effective against an animal that can grip a pole with its hands.
Anything with entanglement or injury risk. No netting, no fishing line, no spikes, no electrified strips. Beyond the cruelty, an injured raccoon near a house is a public health problem.
Do not encourage close contact
Raccoons in North America are a primary rabies vector in parts of the East, and their droppings can carry raccoon roundworm, which is a genuine hazard to people. Never hand feed, never try to move a raccoon yourself, and wear gloves when cleaning a latrine site or heavily fouled feeder area. If a raccoon is out in daylight and behaving oddly, or is denning in a chimney or attic, call your state or provincial wildlife agency or a licensed wildlife control operator.
Seed storage and yard cleanup#
Raccoons are the reason to take seed storage seriously. A paper sack in an open garage or a plastic tub with a friction lid is not a container to a raccoon, it is a puzzle with a reward.
Use metal cans with a latching or clamped lid, or thick rigid plastic bins with a locking mechanism, and keep them inside a closed building. The same storage protects the seed from moisture and from the rodents that follow it. Full detail is in storing bird seed.
Under the feeder, spill is the standing invitation. A catch tray, hull-free seed and a weekly sweep cut ground-level attraction sharply, which matters for chipmunks and rodents too. The full cleanup routine is in seed mess, hulls and dead grass.
Nest boxes and bird baths#
A raccoon that has your yard in its rounds will also check nest boxes. Raccoons reach in through the entrance hole for eggs and nestlings, so any box on an unbaffled pole or tree is vulnerable. Mount boxes on smooth poles with their own baffle and, where possible, use a predator guard block at the entrance. Siting rules are in nest boxes: sizing and siting.
Bird baths are less of an issue, though raccoons will wash food in them and leave a mess. If you find a bath fouled most mornings, empty it at dusk along with taking the feeders in and refill it in the morning. Cleaning routine is in bird baths: the complete guide.
A routine that keeps raccoons out#
- Take feeders down at dusk, every night, and rehang at dawn.
- Store feeders and seed in latching metal or rigid plastic, inside a closed building.
- Keep pet food, trash and compost inaccessible overnight.
- If you leave feeders out, use a heavy pole with an 18 inch (45 cm) baffle topped at 5 feet (1.5 m), clear of all climbing routes.
- Sweep the spill below the feeder before dark.
- Bring in suet and peanut feeders first, since those draw raccoons hardest.
Give it a week. Raccoons check a reliable food source nightly and abandon an unproductive one fairly quickly, though a persistent individual may test the setup for longer. If raids continue after two weeks of clean overnights, something else in the yard is still feeding it.
Frequently asked questions#
How do I know if a raccoon is emptying my feeder?
The signature is overnight loss with evidence of hands: a lid flipped off, a hopper roof lifted, a feeder unhooked and dropped, or a suet cage pried open. Look for five-toed prints that look like small handprints in mud or snow, and for smeared muddy marks on the pole. Squirrels work in daylight and chew rather than open.
Will a baffle stop a raccoon?
Yes, if it is large enough and mounted high enough on a pole the raccoon cannot bend. A raccoon is much heavier and longer-limbed than a squirrel, so use a wide cone or a long wraparound baffle with the top at 5 feet (1.5 m) or higher, on a pole with at least 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 cm) of clearance from anything climbable.
Should I bring bird feeders in at night?
It is the most reliable single answer to raccoons, and it also removes the food source for rats, opossums, skunks, deer and bears. Take feeders down at dusk, store them in a shed, garage or sealed bin, and hang them again at first light. Birds feed heaviest in the early morning, so you lose almost nothing.
Are raccoons dangerous to birds at feeders?
Raccoons will take eggs and nestlings from nest boxes and occasionally catch a roosting bird, so a raccoon that has learned to climb your feeder pole is a problem beyond the seed. Baffle nest box poles as well as feeder poles.
Can I trap and move a raccoon?
In many states and provinces it is illegal to relocate raccoons, partly because of rabies and canine distemper transmission risk. Relocation also usually fails for the animal. Remove the food source instead, and contact your state or provincial wildlife agency if a raccoon is denning in your building.