Whatever Happened To Critter Pricker Raccoon Deterrent After Shark Tank Season 11?

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Businesses on "Shark Tank" come and go, but one that stuck with all of us is Joseph Balistreri's Critter Pricker Raccoon Deterrent, which promised to provide a humane method for keeping raccoons out of your yard. The product features large polypropylene mat strips with spikes sharp enough to make the pests change their mind about crossing its path but not too threatening as to cause them physical harm. The mats can be spread all across the yard, so your fences, walls, gardens, trash cans, and roof will be guarded. Even your swimming pool is safe from midnight swimmers once you place these deterrents around it.   

When the Pennsylvania native pitched his brainchild Critter Pricker Raccoon Deterrent on Season 11 of "Shark Tank" in 2020, it seemed like the odds were not in his favor. According to Balistreri, his company was valued at around $766,000, and things looked to be on the rise, a sentiment that was cemented by the generous investment made by Shark Kevin O'Leary. As fans of the show, we were already hooked when all the Sharks save O'Leary backed out of investing. All we want to know now is what's happened so far and if the company survived past its reality show moment of fame. 

"Shark Tank" has seen a lot of promising companies and pitches, and the Critter Pricker Raccoon Deterrent isn't much different. When Joseph Balistreri pitched his surefire way to banish raccoons from your property, he gave a convincing speech. "Property owners can never feel too secure," he told the Sharks. "These bandits cause thousands of dollars in damages a day ... Being that raccoons have hypersensitive hands and a lack of depth perception, once they come in contact with the Critter Pricker's patented plastic strips, they quickly move on. Goodbye, trash panda."

When Balistreri revealed that he had only made $80,000 that year, the Sharks were not that impressed. Shark Barbara Corcoran raised an issue with the spikes having to be moved and replaced every day as the entrepreneur was explaining how he would cover the perimeter of a swimming pool with the spikes. "You set it up every night?" Corcoran asked in disbelief. Even Mark Cuban expressed skepticism about the safety of the product around people who could easily step on the spikes and sue for damages. "You're dependent on your customer being smart," he told Balistreri and backed out of the investment opportunity. Corcoran and Daymond John both cited liability as an issue with neighbors, kids, and pets and decided to follow Cuban's footsteps by not going through with it. Despite most of the stars of "Shark Tank" bowing out, Balistreri managed to snag a $115,000 pledge from investor Kevin O'Leary for a 15% stake in the company, per Balistreri's initial offer. However, O'Leary demanded a $2.50 perpetual royalty for each unit sold.

The Critter Pricker products may not have been entirely embraced by the investors on "Shark Tank", but they've been well-received by customers who left positive reviews on the company's Amazon page. The product has been out of stock on Amazon for a while, but it's been rated 531 times.

One reviewer called Jay shared back in 2019 how he foresaw the raccoon season and used his intuition to purchase some prickers ahead of time. Once the pests started rolling in, he quickly set them up and lay in wait. "From that night on, there hasn't been one empty, trashed bird feeder," he wrote. "Not only did it work for the raccoons, but it left no place for the squirrels to jump from or to, to get at the feeders. These are the best [purchases] I've made in my life."

In 2020, another buyer, David, praised the sharpness of the spikes and its ease of use when it comes to setting it up. According to him, it is safe enough to even use indoors with his cat by barring it from certain places. However, he did observe that the connectors became less sturdy after being hooked together. 

Although the product is riddled with good reviews, not everyone has positive things to say. One user, Martin, complained in May 2023 that the spikes were ineffective as the raccoons crawled around them and squirrels walked right through.

Critter Pricker had a bit of a shaky start on "Shark Tank," but it seems like most of the investors' unwillingness to buy in was justified. While Balestreri's LinkedIn page still lists him as the active CEO of Critter Pricker, the company appears to have gone out of business. As of 2025, the brand's website is inactive, and the listing for the product on Critter Pricker's Amazon Storefront is unavailable. While it's clear that the company went out of business — or is currently inactive at the very least — it's less obvious why. The most recent review on Amazon was from March 2025, but ratings are few and far between after 2022, suggesting a potential drop-off in customers or available stock. Because the company never shared an official message stating that it was going out of business, however, the specific reasoning is unclear.

While it's no longer possible to get the Critter Picker for yourself, there are other companies selling similar products online. Quunoot's Bird Spikes, available on Amazon, are primarily intended to ward off flying visitors, but the brand also mentions raccoons as a pest they're capable of deterring. The designs have plenty in common — plastic spikes along a thin strip of material — though the Amazon spikes do appear to be slightly longer.

Since Balestreri's appearance on "Shark Tank," his social media presence, both personal and on the Critter Pricker account, has gradually dwindled. Because of this, it's difficult to tell exactly what's next for the inventor. Only time will tell if Balesteri is planning a Critter Pricker revival or has decided to move on to his next project.