Direct answer: If a raccoon bent your gutter screen, the first job is to see whether the screen alone is damaged or the animal also loosened the gutter, pulled out hangers, or packed the trough with nesting debris. Most of the time the screen can be re-secured or replaced, but a sagging gutter or separated corner needs attention first.
Most likely: The most likely problem is a lifted or crushed gutter guard section at the roof edge or front lip, sometimes with hidden debris stuffed underneath it.
Raccoons usually leave pretty obvious field clues: claw marks, a peeled-up screen edge, droppings, dented metal, or a section bowed up near a downspout or corner. Reality check: if a raccoon got interested once, it may come back unless the opening is closed tight. Common wrong move: screwing a new screen over a gutter that’s already loose or full of packed debris.
Don’t start with: Don’t start by forcing the screen flat from a ladder without checking whether the gutter lip, hangers, or corner joint got bent with it.
One section of gutter screen is peeled up, crushed, or bowed, but the gutter run still appears level and tight to the house.
Start here: Start with the damaged screen section and check how it was attached at the front lip and under the shingles or roof edge.
The screen is mangled and the gutter front edge dips, twists, or pulls away from the fascia.
Start here: Start by checking gutter hangers and the front lip for bending or pull-out before touching the screen.
The raccoon worked at a corner, outlet, or downspout area where water already tends to collect debris.
Start here: Look for packed leaves, nesting material, and a separated gutter corner or blocked outlet under the damaged screen.
Water now spills over the edge or drips behind the gutter after rain, even if the visible damage looks small.
Start here: Assume there may be hidden blockage or a loosened gutter section and inspect the trough, not just the screen surface.
This is the most common outcome when a raccoon pries at the edge looking for water, insects, or nesting material.
Quick check: Look for a screen edge that no longer tucks under the roof edge or no longer clips to the gutter front lip.
Animals often leave leaves, twigs, and mud jammed under the bent section, which turns a simple guard problem into an overflow problem.
Quick check: Use a flashlight to look through the opening for matted debris, standing water, or a blocked outlet.
If the raccoon put weight on the gutter, the screen damage may be secondary to a hanger that loosened and let the run sag.
Quick check: Sight down the gutter line and look for a dip, twisted front edge, or hanger screws backing out.
Corners and joints are weaker spots, and raccoon pulling can open a seam that starts leaking even after the screen is fixed.
Quick check: Check for a visible gap, staining, or water marks at a gutter corner or joint near the damaged area.
You want to know whether this is a simple guard repair or a gutter support problem before climbing up and handling bent metal.
Next move: If the gutter line still looks straight and tight, the repair may stay limited to the gutter screen and cleanup. If the gutter is visibly loose, sagging, or separated, plan on fixing the gutter support or joint before replacing the screen.
What to conclude: A bent screen by itself is usually manageable. A bent screen plus a distorted gutter means the animal likely loaded the assembly hard enough to loosen structural parts.
Most raccoon damage shows up where the gutter screen clips to the front lip or tucks under the roof edge, and that tells you whether it can be re-secured or needs replacement.
Next move: If the screen seats back cleanly and the attachment points are still sound, you may only need to re-secure that section. If the screen stays sprung up, has torn attachment points, or the gutter lip is bent, that section should be replaced after the gutter itself is confirmed solid.
What to conclude: A screen that won’t sit flat usually has permanent deformation or lost its attachment point. Forcing it flat rarely lasts through the next storm.
A raccoon often opens the screen where debris already collects, so hidden blockage is one of the most common reasons the damage turns into overflow.
Next move: If debris removal restores normal flow and the gutter body is still sound, you can move on to securing or replacing the damaged screen section. If water still ponds, spills at a corner, or backs up at the outlet, the problem is bigger than the screen and may involve a blocked downspout, separated corner, or poor pitch.
This is where you confirm whether the gutter can hold a new screen section or whether support hardware or a damaged corner has to be corrected first.
Next move: If the gutter is solid and the damage is isolated, replacing the damaged gutter screen section is a reasonable fix. If the gutter stays loose, the lip is badly deformed, or a corner has opened up, stop at stabilization and move to the gutter repair itself before adding a guard.
Once you know whether the issue is screen-only or gutter-plus-screen, you can make a repair that actually lasts through rain and animal activity.
A good result: If water runs cleanly, the gutter stays firm, and the screen sits flat without lifting, the repair is done.
If not: If the gutter still overflows, shifts, or leaks at a corner after the screen repair, the next job is the underlying gutter repair rather than more guard work.
What to conclude: The lasting fix is the one that restores support and drainage first, then closes the opening the raccoon used.
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Only if it was lightly lifted and the attachment points are still intact. If the screen stays sprung up, has torn tabs, or no longer grabs the gutter lip, replacement is the better fix.
Sight down the run and look for a dip, twist, or section pulled away from the fascia. If the gutter moves when touched or the front edge is visibly bent, the support problem comes first.
Because the animal often opens a spot where debris was already collecting. Leaves and nesting material can get packed under the bent screen and block the outlet or slow flow enough to cause overflow.
Not usually. If the rest of the guard is secure and only one section is bent, replacing that section is often enough. Replace more only if multiple sections are loose, mismatched, or failing the same way.
Check the corner joint carefully before doing anything with the screen. If the corner has opened up or leaks during a hose test, fix the corner issue first and then reinstall or replace the guard over it.
It helps only if it fits tightly and the animal cannot pry up an edge again. Trimming access branches and keeping the gutter clean matter just as much as the replacement screen.