Raccoon Roundworm question

[CritterMom]

OK, I have a really DISGUSTING problem.

I have a small, 2nd floor deck that is accessed through doors in my bedroom and what is the parrot room. The floor of this deck is the roof of my dining area, so it is a flat roof with a rubber cap, and has regular pressure treated decking boards on top of the flat roof so it matches the downstairs deck.

For some ungodly reason, the local raccoons – and living on the edge of a woods, I have some MONSTER raccoons, have decided that this is their TOILET. The side of the deck by the parrot room is covered in massive turds – looks like someone put a grossly overfed Rottweiler up there for two weeks. It is everywhere and it is revolting. And probably dangerous. I don’t know why they are doing it – there is no food or anything remotely like food there – I can only assume that they spend the evenings pooping and trying to figure out how to pry the door open and eat the parrots… We have a ton of rain coming in for the weekend and I want to get it cleaned up before then. I will have to first “debulk” with a shovel, but then I am going to have to drag a hose up and powerspray it out from between the deck boards.

I will wear a mask and old clothes that I can pitch when I am finished, but my concern is that when I spray the crap out of the deck boards it is going to (1) aerosolize and (2) land all over the downstairs deck and gardens where my squirrelies eat and I garden.

I know that if I dumped bleach on it first it would likely kill the roundworm, but it will also kill my poor wooden deckboards. What can I use to neutralize any roundworm eggs/spores first, before I start the hosing down? Straight Lysol? Any other ideas?

Then there is the problem of keeping them off once I get it cleaned up. I have been told that they don’t like baby powder, but this is a completely open deck and it will be very hard to keep that in place. Is there any place I can buy mountain lion urine? Do I need to buy a coonhound to live up there? Honestly – any assistance would be appreciated…
:yuck :yuck :yuck :yuck

[VTech1]

So sorry to hear you are dealing with such a problem. I used to be a wildlife rehabilitator and would not take in raccoons because of the roundworm and the difficulty it presents in keeping areas clean, areas that were used for injured or orphaned raccoons. I love all animals, but this worm scared me.

Here is a link to the entire article about raccoons and roundworm. And the two paragraphs below are from the article, specifically in regards to latrines.

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/9/12/03-0039_article.htm

Latrines should be removed promptly and fecal material disposed of properly (2,3). Wearing rubber gloves, protective overalls, and rubber boots will reduce the possibility of exposure through self-contamination during cleanup activities. If one is working in a confined space such as an attic, a particle facemask should be worn to reduce the possibility of exposure to fungal spores or other contaminants. Feces should be carefully removed, double-bagged in plastic garbage bags, then placed in routine garbage containers for disposal in a landfill or by incineration. If the latrine is located on the ground, approximately 5–7.5 cm of underlying soil should also be removed and discarded.

B. procyonis eggs are difficult to destroy without resorting to high heat (e.g., propane gun flame, boiling water, steam) (2). (Obviously, using flame sources around a home is hazardous and should be discouraged unless surfaces like concrete or soil are to be decontaminated.) Furthermore, the eggs have a sticky proteinaceous coat that allows them to adhere to surfaces. They can be rendered less sticky by applications of hot water and bleach, which may be useful for removing residual eggs from flammable surfaces. Additional information regarding latrine removal and decontamination can be found elsewhere (2), or by contacting appropriate government agencies. Further studies are needed concerning the survivability of B. procyonis eggs under varying conditions and the assessment of optimal, situation-specific methods for inactivation.

[CritterMom]

Dear God. I'm thinking that using the propane torch on my lumber decking would be a mistake...

I guess I will just dump straight bleach all over the area, let it sit tonight, dump more on tomorrow morning, and hose it off tomorrrow after work. I guess I need to start housing my "rescue panther" on the upstairs deck, huh? Spike strips? Cobras?