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March 13, 2012

Safe Cleanup of Raccoon Latrines

A task best left to the pros, but if you’re on your own, take these precautions…

Raccoons often leave their feces in communal sites called latrines.

Because raccoons are the primary host of Baylisascaris procyanis, a roundworm that can harm people, and the roundworm eggs may be present in raccoon feces, their latrines should be removed and cleaned up whenever they might pose a health hazard.  This the task requires extreme caution.

Where might a raccoon latrine be? If not around the base of a tree or on a log, rock, stump, or woodpile, a raccoon latrine may be in an attic or a garage, or on a roof, deck, or patio.

Raccoon latrines in or near a dwelling should be are considered a potential health hazard.

Best left to the professionals

It is safest to hire a professional to do the cleanup, but if you must do it yourself, follow the CDC’s recommendations for doing it as safely as possible.

• Wear disposable gloves and either rubber boots that can be scrubbed or disposable booties that cover your shoes.
• Wear a N95-rated respirator (available at hardware stores).
• Use a spray bottle to mist the area to be cleaned up with water to minimize the dust that may be stirred up while cleaning up the latrine.
• Remove feces and feces-contaminated material using a shovel or inverted plastic bag; then, burn, bury, or bag it and send it to a landfill.
• If outside, treat feces-soiled surfaces with boiling water.
• If inside, repeatedly wipe the feces-contaminated area with a damp sponge, rinsing the sponge frequently in a bucket of hot, soapy water. Flush the water down the toilet when done.
• Disinfect the shovel and bucket with boiling water. Place the sponge in a plastic bag and throw it away.
• Scrub boots with hot soapy water or throw away disposable booties in a plastic bag.
• Dispose of gloves in a plastic bag and wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm running water.
• Wash clothing thoroughly with hot water and detergent, and wash hands again after putting clothing into the wash.
• Do not bring wood on which raccoon feces have been found into the house. Burn such logs outside.

Resources

» Purchase a copy of Wild Neighbors, the go-to guide for useful, humane solutions to conflicts with wildlife. 
» If you are located within the D.C. Metro Area, take advantage of our wildlife conflict resolution service.
» Read Dorcas MacClintock’s Natural History of Raccoons (Blackburn Press, 2003) to learn more.