Raccoons are naturally curious animals who tend to get creative when looking for food. If a raccoon suspects they can get an easy meal out of your dumpster, they may try to crawl into your dumpster. The only problem with their natural curiosity is that raccoons do not always think about how to get out of the mess they just got into before hand.
If your dumpster is not full, a raccoon can easily get caught inside of your dumpster. Here is what you should do if you go outside and discover that a raccoon has gotten stuck inside of your dumpster.
Don't Freak Out
The first thing you need to do is not freak out. If the raccoon has been stuck for an extended period of time, chances are that the raccoon is more scared and freaked out than you are.
When the raccoon sees you, they may try to hide in the corner of the dumpster so that you don't spot them. They may also ruffle up their chest and hide their faces. They are not going to attack you; remember, they are stuck.
Find A Large Box Or Crate
Raccoons are very athletic animals. In order to get out of your dumpster, they just need a little assistance. The sides of your dumpster are too steep for them to climb, and if your dumpster is not that full, they may not be able to jump out of the dumpster.
What they need is something that they can jump up onto and use to get out of the dumpster. You can help them out by finding a large box or crate you can put inside. If you don't have those two items, you could also use a tree branch or even a couple of bags of garbage; anything that will allow the raccoon to climb out.
Place The Large Box Inside
Once you find the box or object that you want to place inside of the dumpster, open the dumpster lid on the opposite side from where the raccoon is. Place the item or items as close as possible to the side of the container so that it will be easy for the raccoon to get out.
After you have placed the items inside of the dumpster, quickly walk away from the dumpster. If you stick around, the raccoon may continue to hide and will not use the objects that you placed inside of the dumpster to get out. Or, the raccoon may get out and then think that you are a threat and may pursue you. It is in your best interest to place the items inside and give the raccoon it's space to figure out how to escape.
If the raccoon is still inside of your dumpster after you have tried to help them escape, you may want to call up your local animal control department and see if they can send out someone to capture and release the raccoon. You should not attempt to capture or handle the raccoon on your own; keep in mind that it is a wild animal and may respond as such if you try to handle it.
To learn more, contact a dumpster rental company like Tri-State Disposal.
Share