It might sound hilarious; however, this is quite a common situation when it comes to dealing with raccoons. The simple fact is that raccoons love water. Their Latin name actually translates to “washes with hands”. Even though they love going through the trash, they are actually one of the cleanest animals in the wildlife. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that they won’t poop in your swimming pool, especially if you have steps leading down to the water. The reason they do so is that they want to “hide” their feces, at least in their own mind it is so.

The Problem

You might have seen feces once, decided to clear it and hoped it would never happen again. We are sorry to be the bearers of bad news, but raccoons are animals which defecate on the same location repeatedly. There are two approaches to dealing with this issue – through prevention measures and through direct removal.

Taking Precautions

A good way to discourage the pest would be to remove the stairs leading to the pool, if possible. Obviously, that would not be the best solution in terms of practicality, but neither would be to build a fence around the pool area. Raccoons are known to be good climbers, and even if the fence is too high, they would dig a hole underneath, so you would have to burry it below ground as well.

You could potentially cover the pool area when you are not using it; however, it still takes a continuous effort for a long period of time. The issues should be treated in a manner which makes the environment for the raccoon unpleasant. You should not have any food outside your house at any times, nor should your garbage containers be open. You should advocate this behavior in front of your neighbors as well. They might be the ones with the real raccoon infestation, but the creature will still come and defecate in your pool.

Natural and chemical repellents are proven to be inefficient when it comes to dealing with this type of pests. Don’t bother even trying as you would only spend time and money and might even contaminate your water, in case you try using mothballs.

Direct Approach

A much more efficient method is to just trap them and relocate them in another area with no people. The truth is prevention methods simply don’t work. When you choose to trap them without the help of an expert, do not use lethal traps that might even be illegal depending on the place you live in. Something to keep in mind when it comes to relocating them is their well-developed memory. Be sure to go at least 10 miles away, otherwise, you might meet your friendly visitor on the very next day.

We suggest that you contact your local animal control service and hire their help. It will ensure the safety of both the creature and the pool owner.

Read the How to get rid of raccoons page for helpful information and to learn more about How to Prevent Raccoons from Pooping in My Swimming Pool