How Do You Deal With Raccoon's?

[jkaands]

[quote name='southern california guy' timestamp='1308966402' post='2258346']
The raccoon's that live here are becoming a real nuisance. They eat the cat food, scare off the cats, and the night before last they got the screen door open and got into the house!

I've tried putting the cat food inside a cage but somehow the raccoon's can squish their fat bodies through the door (It's something pretty amazing to see!). And I have to keep the cat door into the house closed because they will get into that.

Does anybody have any good ideas for dealing with them -- short of shooting them?

[img]http://inlinethumb15.webshots.com/12046/2489759880066947068S600x600Q85.jpg[/img]
[/quote]

Don't leave any food outside. If you feed your cats outside, bring the food in every night.

If the raccoons are really bad, don't feed your birds either. Don't leave any bird food, suet, etc out on the ground. Most birders feel that you shouldn't feed birds. They become too dependent on human sources and starve when the humans go out of town, or move away and other humans move in who don't feed birds. Instead, plant things that birds eat.

First the raccoons, then deer, then bears.

[carmenchristi]

That is the most ADORABLE creature ever!!!!!!! I want one as a pet!

[southern california guy]

[quote name='carmenchristi' timestamp='1309254773' post='2259610']
That is the most ADORABLE creature ever!!!!!!! I want one as a pet!
[/quote]

Where do you live? I'll catch you one. But I don't promise that it won't bite you..

[southern california guy]

[quote name='jkaands' timestamp='1309130628' post='2258928']
Don't leave any food outside. If you feed your cats outside, bring the food in every night.

If the raccoons are really bad, don't feed your birds either. Don't leave any bird food, suet, etc out on the ground. Most birders feel that you shouldn't feed birds. They become too dependent on human sources and starve when the humans go out of town, or move away and other humans move in who don't feed birds. Instead, plant things that birds eat.

First the raccoons, then deer, then bears.
[/quote]


I've come to realize that this is what I have to do. Since I've been bringing the food in I haven't had a problem. Thank you.

I don't have a bird feeder but there's a plant just outside my bedroom that the hummingbirds absolutely love. I think that the original owners planted it there because they liked to watch the hummingbirds.

Edited June 29, 2011 by southern california guy

[cmotherofpirl]

[quote name='carmenchristi' timestamp='1309254773' post='2259610']
That is the most ADORABLE creature ever!!!!!!! I want one as a pet!
[/quote]
ah NO.
They are very cute when they are babies, but after that they more or less revert to their wild state, and they have a nasty bite.

[thessalonian]

Something like Bill Murray in Caddyshack comes to mind for me. There has to be some explosive charge by a gun or some other device.

[dUSt]

I had a pet raccoon when I was a kid and I loved that thing. But, Cmom is right. I made a mistake of letting it outside once, and as soon as it got the taste of "freedom" it quickly turned wild, meaning, it would only be my friend when it wanted food. It got killed by my wolf shortly thereafter, and a few months later my wolf got killed by my neighbor, which led to my friend threatening my neighbor with a butter knife with peanut butter on it, which started a chain reaction that eventually ended up with me in jail after a house party where one of the girl's laughs sounded like she was getting mugged... But that is another story... several actually.

[BigJon16]

[url="http://www.davide-pedersoli.com/scheda-prodotto.asp/l_en/idpr_75/rifles-waadtl"]http://www.davide-pedersoli.com/scheda-prodotto.asp/l_en/idpr_75/rifles-waadtl[/url]


"This is my BOOMSTICK!!"

[carmenchristi]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' timestamp='1309317679' post='2260075']
ah NO.
They are very cute when they are babies, but after that they more or less revert to their wild state, and they have a nasty bite.
[/quote]


When I was little my mom worked for a vet. Once we got to raise a baby raccoon whose mother had died. I was so sad when we had to let him go!! But actually I DO realize that cute though they are, they can cause quite a bit of damage. I grew up in the boonies.

[Papist]

Raccoons carry a very strong strain of rabies. Don't mess around. Get a product called Shake-Away. 100% organic and non-toxic.

[img]http://www.critter-repellent.com/images/img_bottleLarge.png[/img]

[dUSt]

[quote name='Papist' timestamp='1309387970' post='2260488']
[img]http://www.critter-repellent.com/images/img_bottleLarge.png[/img]
[/quote]
I need that for the wimmins!!!

[Norseman82]

[quote name='dUSt' timestamp='1309388561' post='2260497']
I need that for the wimmins!!!
[/quote]

And the wimmins need that for you!

[fides' Jack]

Raid. Lots and lots of Raid. Into their eyes and throat.

[southern california guy]

You should have seen the "raccoons" down in Costa Rica. They were just as fearless as the ones here. And apparently they cause just about as much trouble.

I'd post one of our pictures but my camera stopped working and I haven't gotten the pictures from Maria yet. We got some good ones! We walked right up to a whole group of them on a big tree when we were down on the Oso Peninsula.

Anyway here's a picture that I got off Google images. Apparently it's called a "Coati"

[img]http://www.wildernessclassroom.com/www/schoolhouse/rainforest_library/animal_images/coati31.jpg[/img]

Edited June 30, 2011 by southern california guy

[Basilisa Marie]

You can get a live raccoon trap at a feed store (if you live in the country like I do, they aren't hard to find). We actually had a problem with a few raccoons breaking into our chicken coop and making off with our hens. So my dad set up the live trap, baited it with dog food (they love the stuff, for some reason) and caught 8 within as many days. He spray painted their backs green and released them up on the golf course. I'm not sure how good the spray paint was for them...but we've never seen another green raccoon.