Raccoons & Squirrels in Your Nassau County Home: Dangers, Signs & Exclusion

Wildlife in Nassau County Homes Is More Common Than You Think

Nassau County's suburban landscape — with its mature trees, wooded preserves like Stillwell Woods and the Nassau County Museum of Art grounds, and aging housing stock — creates a perfect interface between residential neighborhoods and wildlife. Raccoons and squirrels have adapted remarkably well to Long Island suburban life, and for homeowners from Levittown to Great Neck, finding these animals in an attic, wall void, or crawl space is a growing and alarming problem.

Raccoons are drawn to the warmth and shelter of attics, especially as temperatures drop each fall. Squirrels take advantage of gaps near rooflines and overhanging branches to access attics year-round. Both animals can cause serious structural damage, create significant health hazards, and prove remarkably difficult to remove without professional help.

Why Raccoons Enter Nassau County Homes

Raccoons are highly intelligent, remarkably dexterous, and completely opportunistic. In Nassau County's suburban neighborhoods — where raccoons thrive on unsecured garbage, bird feeders, fallen fruit, and pet food left outdoors — they've become comfortable around humans and view homes as a resource.

Why they come inside:

• Denning: Female raccoons (sows) seek warm, dry, elevated spaces to give birth and raise young. An attic is an ideal den — elevated, insulated, and protected. Mothers with litters become territorial and can be aggressive if disturbed.

• Winter warmth: As temperatures drop across Nassau County in October and November, raccoons seek insulated shelter.

• Opportunistic access: Raccoons are powerful enough to pry open damaged soffits, tear through rotted fascia boards, and remove misaligned attic vents. Nassau County's older housing stock — many homes built in the 1950s and 60s — is particularly vulnerable to these intrusions.

Raccoon behavior to know:

• Nocturnal: Active primarily from dusk to dawn. Heavy thumping, scratching, or vocalizations in your attic at night strongly suggest raccoons.

• Highly intelligent: Raccoons can manipulate simple latches and will test every weak point in your home's exterior systematically.

• Family groups: A single raccoon is often a pregnant female or nursing mother. Removing her without locating and safely managing the young leads to worse problems — distressed animals, deaths, and severe odor.

Why Squirrels Enter Nassau County Homes

Gray squirrels are among the most abundant wildlife in Nassau County. Neighborhoods throughout Nassau County feature the mature oaks, maples, and elms that squirrels depend on — and when these trees overhang rooflines, they provide a direct highway to your home.

Why they come inside:

• Nesting: Squirrels build nests in attics using insulation as material, destroying it in the process.

• Food caching: They store food in attics and wall voids for winter, adding to the mess and damage.

• Year-round activity: Unlike raccoons, squirrels are active all year. Invasions spike in late fall as they seek winter shelter and again in late winter before trees leaf out.

Squirrel behavior to know:

• Diurnal: Active during daylight hours. Daytime scratching, scurrying, and rolling sounds in the attic point to squirrels rather than raccoons.

• Compulsive gnawers: Squirrels must chew constantly to manage their ever-growing teeth. They will gnaw through wood, plastic vent covers, and electrical wiring — a genuine fire hazard.

• Tiny entry points: Squirrels can squeeze through openings as small as 1.5 inches. A gap that looks minor to a homeowner is a wide-open door to a gray squirrel.

The Damage They Cause

Many homeowners underestimate just how destructive these animals can be in a relatively short period of time.

Insulation Damage

Both animals destroy attic insulation — raccoons tear it apart for bedding, squirrels shred it to build nests. Damaged insulation reduces your home's energy efficiency substantially. In severely infested attics, all insulation may need to be removed and replaced — a significant expense.

Electrical Fire Hazard

Squirrels gnawing on electrical wiring is one of the primary causes of attic fires in suburban homes. In Nassau County's older homes — some of which still have aging aluminum wiring — this risk is especially serious. Never ignore the sounds of squirrels in your attic. The damage may extend well beyond cosmetic issues.

Structural Damage

Raccoons are strong animals and cause real structural damage — bent roof venting, torn soffits and fascia, damaged roofline elements. Water infiltration following this damage can lead to mold growth and compounding structural deterioration, significantly increasing repair costs.

Contamination from Droppings and Urine

Raccoon latrines are particularly concerning. Raccoons establish communal defecation sites within attics, depositing large amounts of feces in the same locations repeatedly. This waste soaks through insulation and into structural materials. The ammonia odor can be overwhelming and can penetrate living spaces below. Squirrel droppings, while smaller, create similar sanitation problems over time.

Health Risks to Your Family

Raccoon Roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis)

This is one of the most serious health risks associated with raccoons. Roundworm eggs are shed in raccoon feces and can survive in soil and debris for years. If eggs are accidentally ingested or inhaled during cleanup, larvae can migrate to the brain and cause severe, potentially fatal neurological damage. Children are at special risk. Never attempt to clean up raccoon feces without professional-grade protective equipment.

Rabies

Raccoons are the primary rabies vector in New York State. While most raccoons are not infected, any raccoon behaving abnormally — active during daylight hours, staggering, approaching people without fear — should be treated as potentially rabid. Never handle a wild raccoon. If an animal has entered your living space, contact both a wildlife removal professional and your local health authority.

Leptospirosis

Both raccoons and squirrels can carry leptospirosis, a bacterial infection spread through urine. Contaminated surfaces pose infection risk. Human leptospirosis can cause severe flu-like illness and in serious cases, kidney or liver failure.

Secondary Pest Problems

Wildlife in your attic can bring fleas, mites, and flies that then spread into living areas. Additionally, raccoon and squirrel activity can attract other wildlife — from rats drawn by the scent of food caches to larger predators following the wildlife trail.

Warning Signs: Wildlife in Your Home

Watch for these indicators:

• Sounds: Heavy thumping and chattering at night (raccoons) or daytime scurrying, rolling, and scratching (squirrels)

• Droppings: Found in the attic, near entry points, or on exterior surfaces near the roofline

• Odor: Musky, ammonia-like smell from the attic or through ceiling fixtures and light fittings

• Exterior damage: Torn soffits, chewed fascia boards, damaged vents, or visible gaps near the roofline — particularly near where branches overhang the roof

• Visual observation: Raccoons or squirrels seen repeatedly entering a specific area of the roofline

• Staining: Brown grease-like staining around entry points from animals' repeated passages

Why DIY Removal Doesn't Work — and Can Be Illegal

Attempting to trap and relocate raccoons or squirrels yourself creates several serious problems:

Legal concerns: New York State DEC regulations govern wildlife trapping and relocation. Certain species require permits, relocating animals across county lines may be restricted, and trapping a nursing mother without addressing her young is an outcome that creates both legal and humanitarian issues.

Safety risks: Raccoons are strong, agile, and will bite and scratch aggressively when cornered or defending young. Handling wild animals also creates real exposure risks for rabies and leptospirosis.

Ineffective without exclusion: Removing one animal without sealing all entry points simply invites new animals into a space that already smells like a den site. This cycle can continue indefinitely.

The Professional Wildlife Exclusion Process

Nassau County Pest Control uses a systematic, humane exclusion approach:

1. Complete exterior inspection — identifying all entry points, not just the obvious ones

2. One-way exclusion devices — installed at primary entries, allowing animals to exit but not re-enter

3. Monitoring period — allowing time for all animals, including young, to vacate

4. Permanent sealing — closing all entry points with appropriate materials (heavy-gauge hardware cloth, metal flashing, professional sealants that animals cannot chew through)

5. Attic assessment — evaluating damage to insulation, wiring, and structure

6. Decontamination guidance — safe removal of droppings and soiled materials using proper protective equipment

7. Ongoing prevention advice — landscape and structural recommendations to reduce future risk

Seasonal Considerations

• Spring: Nesting season for raccoons. Mothers with newborns require special management to avoid separating family units. Extra care ensures young are old enough to exit before entry points are sealed.

• Fall: Peak invasion season as animals seek winter shelter. Act quickly — the sooner exclusion begins, the less damage occurs.

• Year-round: Squirrels are active all year; fall and late winter are peak intrusion periods.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it legal to trap raccoons yourself in New York State?

New York State regulations on nuisance wildlife trapping are specific and can be complex. While homeowners may trap certain wildlife under certain conditions, commercial-grade trapping requires licensing. More importantly, trapping without sealing entry points is ineffective — new animals move in quickly. Professional wildlife removal ensures legal compliance and lasting results.

What should I do if I find baby raccoons?

Do not handle baby raccoons with bare hands. If babies are found without a visible mother, the mother is likely nearby. Allow several hours for her to return. If babies appear cold, injured, or genuinely orphaned after several hours, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in Nassau County. Do not attempt to raise raccoons — it is illegal in New York and creates serious health risks.

How can squirrels get into my attic when I don't see any holes?

Squirrels can enter through openings as small as 1.5 inches — roughly the diameter of a golf ball. Common entry points homeowners routinely miss: gaps where rooflines meet at dormers, deteriorated plastic vent covers, spaces beneath fascia boards where the soffit meets the roofline, and small gaps around utility penetrations. A professional inspection covers your entire roofline and exterior systematically.

How do I know the animals have left after exclusion is started?

After one-way doors are installed, we typically monitor for several days before permanently sealing entry points. No fresh sounds, no fresh droppings at the entry, and no visible activity all indicate successful departure. In some cases, tracking powder or motion-sensing cameras at entry points confirm the animals have exited.

Can raccoons or squirrels get into my walls?

Yes. Both can access wall voids through attic spaces or directly from exterior gaps in siding or around pipes. Squirrels in particular are agile enough to travel through wall cavities from the attic. Sounds inside walls — rather than from above — should be taken as seriously as attic sounds and investigated promptly.