Thumping and walking sounds overhead at night — heavy, deliberate, almost like a person up there? November is when Melrose's raccoons settle into winter dens, and with the Middlesex Fells along the city's northern edge and Ell Pond in the middle of town, raccoons are never more than a few streets from the older Victorians and colonials they like best. An attic or chimney here is exactly the warm, dry shelter they're looking for.

 

Harvey's Animal Evictions LLC is a licensed Massachusetts wildlife removal company based in Wilmington, with our shop in Medford. We humanely remove raccoons from Melrose attics, chimneys, and walls, and seal the entry points so the next raccoon doesn't move into the same spot.

 

Signs raccoons have moved in

 

• Thumping, walking, or slow scratching sounds in the attic or ceiling, mostly at night

• Chattering or growling from the chimney or wall voids

• Torn or pried soffits, roof vents, or chimney caps — raccoons are strong and pull building materials apart

• A raccoon seen on the roof at dusk, or crossing from the Fells side of the neighborhood after dark

• Tipped trash barrels and scattered garbage — a sign raccoons are working the street, even before one gets in

• Droppings in the attic (raccoons use one spot as a latrine) and torn-up insulation

 

A raccoon inside isn't just noise. Raccoons are strong enough to tear ductwork, pull apart roof vents, and damage wiring, and they compress and soil insulation wherever they den. Raccoon droppings can carry parasites you don't want in the house. And a raccoon setting up in November is settling in for the whole winter.

 

Where Melrose raccoons get in

 

Melrose is a city of older, layered houses — Victorians and colonials in the Highlands and around Wyoming Hill, garrison colonials and Capes near Ell Pond, many with dormers, additions, and porches added over a century and a half of building — sitting right against raccoon habitat: the southern Fells at the north end, Ell Pond and its shoreline, and mature trees over nearly every street. Every one of those roofline layers leaves openings:

 

• Uncapped chimneys — a raccoon's favorite den: warm, vertical, and protected

• Roof returns and soffits — pried or rotted open where roof meets wall

• Roof and gable vents — pulled apart by an animal that works with its hands

• Gaps where additions, dormers, and porches meet the original house — every roofline change leaves small openings

• Under decks, porches, and sheds — ground-level dens close to food and water

 

From the Highlands to the Ell Pond neighborhoods, the pattern is the same: if a raccoon can reach your roofline, it is testing the weak spots — and in November it only needs one to work.

 

How we get them out — and keep them out

 

Every job starts with an inspection, which you can book online through our website. We don't give estimates over the phone or online, because the plan depends on what we find: the entry points, where they're denning, and how much sealing the house needs.

 

1. Inspection — We find every entry point, locate the denning area, and check the damage, then give you a clear plan and price before any work starts.

2. Humane removal — Raccoons are removed safely and humanely using live traps and, where the situation fits, one-way exclusion devices that let them leave but not get back in.

3. Exclusion and repairs — We seal entry points with durable materials a raccoon can't pry apart: chimney caps, vent covers, and soffit and roof-line repairs. Raccoons are strong, so the sealing has to be stronger than they are.

4. Cleanup — We can remove soiled insulation and nesting material and sanitize the space, including latrine areas.

 

See our full raccoon removal process and our wildlife exclusion and damage repair services.

 

Why Melrose homeowners call Harvey's

 

• Licensed Massachusetts Problem Animal Control agents

• Wildlife only — no bugs, mice, or rats; nuisance wildlife is all we do

• Removal + exclusion together — the raccoons are out and the holes are sealed, so the attic stays empty

• 24/7 emergency service — a raccoon loose in the living space doesn't wait for business hours

• Based in Wilmington with our shop in Medford — in Melrose for jobs regularly

 

Melrose raccoon questions

 

How much does raccoon removal cost in Melrose?

It depends on the entry points, how much damage there is, and how much exclusion work the house needs, so we never quote a price without looking. Every job starts with an inspection — book online through our website, and the inspection fee is confirmed at booking. After the inspection, you get a clear price before any work starts.

 

Once they're out, will more raccoons move in?

Not through the same holes. Other raccoons will test a house that's sheltered a den before — with the Fells at the top of the city there's always another raccoon working down into the neighborhoods — which is why we seal every entry point we find, including the ones they're not using yet, with materials they can't pry apart.

 

My Victorian has a complicated roofline — does that change things?

It makes the inspection matter more, not less. Dormers, additions, and porch roofs mean more joints and more weak spots, and raccoons only need one of them. The inspection maps the whole roofline, and the exclusion work seals what we find — that's what keeps the next raccoon from picking a different gap on the same roof.

 

Do you handle other animals in Melrose?

Yes — squirrels, bats, skunks, woodchucks, opossums, birds, and more, plus mole and vole lawn treatment. See the full list on our FAQ page.

 

Book your inspection

 

A raccoon den in the attic gets more expensive — and riskier — the longer it stays. Book an inspection online, or call 1-800-692-0406 — emergency service, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.