For a few weeks now, a raccoon has been coming every night to my fourth-floor balcony in Turin and rummaging through my plant pots. It doesn't get inside because I keep the sliding door closed, but it wakes me up with the noise and scares me. I tried putting a net over them but it's really good at moving it. Does anyone know how to get it to leave for good without hurting it?
The problem is that raccoons are super smart and stubborn, so easy solutions like netting don't work for long. What actually works best is removing what attracts them: empty your plant pots or move them somewhere he can't reach, and if you have fresh potting soil or compost sitting outside, put those away. Don't leave anything edible lying around, not even crumbs. Raccoons go where there's easy food, and if he doesn't find anything interesting after a couple weeks he'll usually move on.
For the nighttime noise, try motion-sensor sound repellents - even the cheap ones work pretty well because they startle him. Or turn on a bright light when you hear noises (like an LED spotlight on the terrace), most of them don't like being illuminated. If he really won't quit, you can contact your city's pest control service: in Turin they usually help and might be able to trap him humanely and relocate him.
Anyway, the fact that he's climbing to the fourth floor means he's used to moving vertically and knows the area well. Be patient, because usually once you take away the motivation (the food) he'll leave on his own pretty quickly.
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