Raccoon advise please

If she’s gonna be there anyway, try putting out a bowl of kibble for her, maybe then she’ll leave your planters alone.
It’s either that or a live trap, and you don’t seem the type to trap and relocate her.

-- the day you quit learning is the day you quit living.

Dini

I am doing just that
I eat a lot fruit

I save the skins and peelings and put it out by the garden where I know is his trial he uses to get to my deck

I keep all old bread and since they love peanut butter I put out several slices a nite

I have also put out dried cat food. Hoping she gets full to prevent her/him digging

It take me a log time to eat a loaf of bread so goes moldy before I can eat it all

But she loves it

I am sure it is a female because she is so thin the past 2 weeks I think she has kittens and I think she is starving

but this is costing me and I don’t want to feed her but I can’t stand to see her starving either.
I had hoped by feeding her she would stay away from my deck, but not so

But I cannot get over her liking hot pepper. That is the stumper. If it burns my mouth it should burn hers but does not

OH BTW a friend of mine , we live trapped 13 huge coons last year and relocated them at lesst 20-25 km away

The live trap was $105.00 plus tax

I also called Natrural resources as one female had 4 kittens and they took the brood to a wild life park

And boy they were not happy with my call and persistence over that. Their comments were just shoot them

I can’t do that and don’t think you could either and I can’t live trap this one, she has babies and they will die without her and I don’t know where the kittens are to catch them and relocate them altogether
I know if I called NR this year they would not come and relocate them again this year they were so mad at me last year

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

She does look thin, but if you can hang in there a couple more months, her kits will be out on their own, and if she’s still hanging around you could maybe get your friend to trap and move her then. Our town’s animal control office has live traps they loan out for situations like this.

-- the day you quit learning is the day you quit living.

Hmmm…well, I’m sorry that the pepper didn’t work for you! I’ve had quite a bit of success with it, but admittedly, I’ve never had to deal with raccoons.

How about getting a dog?

-- Living on the square...Metro Detroit

Sorry no dogs for me and if I had one I would not leave him out all nite Bears!! They a re here.

I don’t beleive in that

I refuse to have a dog because they are too much work. I;ve had dogs when the kids were home but can’t now.

My job takes me here and there and sometimes over nite stays

Dogs I;ve had destroys everything in site to leave them in the house. I’ve gone through too many pairs of shoes in the past plus I have a disability I could not walk a dog. I barely can walk through a grocery stores for items I need

I guess I am just so stumped the pepper didn’t work and I do not believe in using that on animals for fear of burning their eyes and mouth

I guess I just got a strange one that loves hot stuff. I even bought a hot pepper and sliced it up and she ate every bit and looked for more. I couldn’t believe it .

I expected her to eat and run but no, she l just looked for more food.

Guess if one is starving they will eat anything. Poor thing

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

shoot it

-- Central northish Ontario

I don’t believe you should feed the racoon especially if you have neighbours, I doubt they will like a coon around. Pick up a haveaheart trap (eastern farmers co-op sell them for a good price (about $40) or wildlife may lend you one) and catch her humanely and have her relocated. Call your local wildlife department to come pick her up if you don’t know of a good spot to relocate her.

-- Xploreorganics, 5b Canada, LFD 06-20

I’ve heard lights (activated with movement) or a radio playing.

Maybe H.R.H. would prefer hot sauce instead of the cayenne powder. I have

them here too and fences won’t stop them as they will climb anything including

the bird feeder. They also enjoy veggie gardens.

Along with the rain I’m having a problems with squirrels digging …. the little sweethearts!

blooz

-- blooz 5b - You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt. ~author unkown

Green thumb

That means I need to shot the babies too. sniff sniff

I could never shot an animal.

I am going to leave her alone til the babies get big so they can feed themselves

I don’t care about my neighbour. I live rural, They all have them. too Plus I own all the land so this one would need to do some tavelling to get to the neighbours

Of course I hear her during the day chattering to the babies, so she is sticking close by til time for her to snack .

I am going to try something else put rocks between the plants in the planters then she will have a hard time digging. That might sidcourage her and I will put some hot sauce on them. Thanks for that tidbit

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

I just feed em.

I never have a problem when they are fed.

Bob

-- I want to believe in a lot of things but, in the meantime I have to deal with the truth

MOVE TO ENGLAND WE DON`T HAVE RACOONS !
REGARDS MIKE

-- MIKE MILTON COMMON U.K.

Yeah Mike, But what about those Gnomes?

Bob

-- I want to believe in a lot of things but, in the meantime I have to deal with the truth

No raccoons or skunks on PEI, Cape Breton Island or Newfloundland either

Too far for them to swim and its the only way they can get there unless someone put them there

I am just going to feed her

She did not ask to be born, she did not ask to be starving.

Now I feel like a big jerk ass for complaining.

I did her 2 shots last nite so assuming neighbours were shooting them.

If I had as many as last year I would have something to complain about but with just her . I will shut my mouth

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

PROBLEM SOLVED

Some one suggested putting rocks between the plants

I have a collection of small flat river rocks I was collecting to paint for plant markers

They aren’t that big, About 4 in across and about 1/2 inch thick

I placed them between the plants..

Too funny, she smelt them , dug around them a bit, she tried to lift them out.

No reaction to pepper, she loved the stuff, yet here she is so stumped looking with the rocks. too funny

I didn’t think of rocks so thank you very much

Now some of the plants are dug up ruined and dead but I can buy more

Mrs Hot Stuff isn’t hurt not physically, maybe her feelings cause she can’;t dig

Just to funny to watch her tho

She sees me sitting at the kitchen table and sits there looking at me for quite a while with this funny stumped look on her face. Too cute

Then she gave up and left

I didn’t even spray them with ammonia or anything, just plain old rocks

She must have been one of the coons around last year to remember where to dig.

I did plant nasturtium seeds in there that did not germinate so she must smell them

WEll, rocks was a great suggestion,

I didn’t think of them. Dah!!! But tiny driveway gravel would not have worked. This bigger stone did

I would not hurt her for one second as frustrated I get.

If she got hurt there are babies that would be hurt too and I could not handle that on my conscience

Last nite I heard shots and with so many coons this year I thought someone was shooting them to discover tonite it is fireworks . whew!! I feel better there

So, all is just A OK fine

Thanks for all your help and suggestions of what to do

Problem solved with such a simple thing as rocks

I took pic but I didn’t have the deck light on so I could watch her without scaring her so they didn’t come out
_
Cheers Butterfly

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

I am so glad your problem is solved … I could see how distraught you were. I just didn’t have any advice for ya. So I imagine you will sleep better tonight, ey!!! ;-)

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

I have always been told that moth balls work wonderfully. Just place around the perimeter and animals stay clear.

-- There is always room for one more plant!!

I am so glad you can now enjoy her visits, without worrying about what she might destroy.

-- the day you quit learning is the day you quit living.

Racoons…...........one of the major reasons for the decline of songbird populations. A coon has “no conscience” and will eat the eggs and or baby chicks of any songbird, chickens, quails, partridge, pheasant. Being that the coon has no more natural predetors because of “us”............to let it live along with its young is a death sentence for all it preys upon.

Last year, the evening before the corn was ready to pick…..........all of it destroyed from a coon.

I find them nothing more then vermen.

-- Central northish Ontario

Moth balls are dangerous to animals and children

They are poison

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

Dini

Finally stumped her

So darn cute with her ears tipped forward and giving me this look, ””Hey lady, smarten up, whatca doing to me”“

Well she didn’t come back and didn’t do any more digging

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

I beleive that Greenthumb

WE haven’t had sparrows in about 15 years

They blamed that on pesticides

WE are seeing some ground sparrow s lately but there you go, they lay their eggs in the shrubs etc and the coons soon find them

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

We have a coon that crosses our back yard every night.I think something must of scared it last night because I see one big branch of my sumac is broken and drooping down.So far it has not been in my gardens.If it does I guess I will just have to put leftovers from supper out for it so it stays out of the gardens.

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

I understand there is hardly creek left in Ontario that can host newts, salamanders , frogs or crayfish now due to pollution and urbanization of the woodland habitat.
It’s not hard to believe that the remaining animals must adapt or die.
Every time, withou fail, when man interferes with nature, chaos it the result.

So I am saying you can’t kill your way to success.

We are going to have to rethink how we are using the planet.

Bob

-- I want to believe in a lot of things but, in the meantime I have to deal with the truth

I tend to agree with you Bob. Sitting outside at night in Ontarios most southern city there is an orchestra that plays. My better half asked what that never ending music was and I replied “RATS”........millions of rats.

Once again, I agree with you but…..........we dont have coons here anymore.

Would I shoot a wolf….......No
A fox…............................No
A bear…..........................No
A lynx/Bobcat….................No

a coon…........................yes

-- Central northish Ontario

Rats!! Oh dear

I would shoot them

I don’t have Mrs Hot Stuff any more

The rocks between plants cured her or at least discouraged her from coming

I should say at least 2 nites now she is not showing up

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

I have the odd fox that shows up, same for a ferrel cat but with four dogs they have yet to cause me grief but those coons are very adaptable, they also have a “thumb” similar to ours.

Another menace is the “house sparrow”. I have a colony of cliff swallows here. Very pretty little bird that darts over the pool and woops down near my head when I cut the grass. One morning as I walked outside, all the little baby swallows were dead on the sidewalk, as were the broken eggs.

I looked up at the colony of nests and who pokes his head out a hole but a house sparrow. That little prick systematically went through every nest and rousted the swallows. Needless to say “it” is gone and the swallows are back.

In south central Ontario the so common barn swallow is all but gone. I havent seen one here this year but we did have a few last year. In the Muskokas the Barn Swallow was a common site but no more. Recently on a trip to local farm to buy a dozen bales of straw I noticed that there were lots of barn swallows going in and out of the open cattle section and commented the farmer (lady) that they are the first I have seen this year and offered my opinion as to why they are in decline….........coons and house sparrows and she didnt look like she believed me.

Then I spot a house sparrow, show her and say “Watch it”..............the little bastard was systematically ousting the young barn swallow chicks and eggs from thier nests. I am quite sure that woman owns a pellet gun and used it.

-- Central northish Ontario

Oh I didn’t know house sparrows would do that

I would not like that

I don’t like birds that kill chicks of other birds

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

I just planted my tarter on Sunday

I jsut fund half them of them dug up the fleshy part of the tarter to the sun half dried out
I replanted them and gave them water

Are they now dead or will they be ok

Obviuosly the raccoons did this grrrr

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

What’s a “tarter” ?

Bob

-- I want to believe in a lot of things but, in the meantime I have to deal with the truth

Potatoes

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

That would be “taters” up here. <g>

You should try feeding your visitor away from your garden a bit.

She can smell about 6 feet deep.

Bob

-- I want to believe in a lot of things but, in the meantime I have to deal with the truth

They may survive…we call them Taters.

-- Xploreorganics, 5b Canada, LFD 06-20

lol,lol ok a miss spell

This tater garden isn’t any where near the other garden areas where I have put food

Last nite I didn’t put any food out for her but she found the taters which about 1 acre away from the other garden

One time I had them grow in a compost bed after a long frozen winter from peelings

How long is the norm for them to root?

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

If your coon comes back try burring a blown ballon under ground, when they dig and pop it, it will scare them off. You will need to do it a few times. Works for dogs digging in the wrong spot.

-- Central Valley California

lol,lol sounds like fun Ron

I went looking for the kittens today behind my shed

I think she moved them because I used to hear her chattering to them during the day

Now not a sound and they are not there any more

My heart is broken, lol,lol I hope she moved them

I am thinking she might have gone down over the bank further. There is gully down there and it makes sense she would move them handy water

I know they do move them around if she thinks there is danger

The people next to me 2-3 acres over, were putting off fireworks and that might have scared her off. I hope so

My taters haven’t been touched since. Nothing has been touched in 2 days now

The balloon sounds like it would work thou Good idea I don’t want to hurt her so scaring her she would move the kittens away

thanks

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

Balloons and fireworks. Coons on the run. ha ha ha never thought of either one but sounds like fun.

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

don`t you lot know anything potatoes are spuds, if i called anything a coon here i would be prosecuted for race relations. i like the look of the racoon are they viscious or timid.?
regards mike

-- MIKE MILTON COMMON U.K.

I had one for three years when I was a Kid.
They are wild animals and as such unpredictable. I have years experience with certain type of wildlife and enjoyed my times with the raccoon. “Connie”
He used to love to go fishing for crayfish and clams in the creek and would get quite annoyed if he didn’t get his fill. (I kept him on a leash when off our property)

He could nip you if you scared him or tried to take food from him but other than that he was like a big dog.
He used to ride in the basket of my bicycle and every time I picked up the fishing pole He would waddle Ive to get picked up.
He was a real nuisance at night because that’s when they are wide awake.

A car got him.

Bob

-- I want to believe in a lot of things but, in the meantime I have to deal with the truth

What an awesome story and memory Bob!!!! Sorry about the car getting him :-(

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

THATS INTERESTING BOB SHAME YOU LOST YOUR PET THAT WAY.
REGARDS MIKE

-- MIKE MILTON COMMON U.K.

Very nice story Bob!Lucky you you that you had such an experience as a boy! :-)

Where we lived when I was a kid, we did not have raccoons but skunks. They used to come and feed out of my hand and scared the heck out of my mom! I so wanted to have one as a pet!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

Oh “E”, I am just imagining the look on your mom’s face … but childhood innocense is such a precious and wonderous time.

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

E

My neighbor has a skunk as a pet. They make wonderful pets, very clean and so lovable just like a cat or more so

They had the skink de-skunked I will call it , lol,lol when it was a kitten

It has a harness and leash, so darn cute

Some else has one in town because we see him , a man walking it down the street just like a dog

They say they are very smart

One time coming home from shopping at nite, 2 summers ago I almost put the car off the road on the TC

My lites caught white animals. I thought cats. So I stopped. My daughter and I got out

Here it was mother skunk and 4 kittens but they were all white with a black strip down their backs.

People have seen them since. Last year someone took videos of them crossing the road and sent it to the news. it was on TV. so they still are around They are pretty

Your story is very sweet

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

Were they albino skunks? Or a different type of skunk to be white with a black stripe?

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

Don’t know for sure

Some are calling them albino but I didn’t hear official reports other than a genetic problem maybe

But they are cute

I haven’t seen any this year yet but there are a lot of them. Seems each year a few more are born

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

I have never used ceyenne pepper as a deterent, it burns their eyes really bad and is just plain cruel.

But we have feed mommy and babies in our old house thru the summer with no problems to anyone’s gardens, garages etc. Their diet constists of peanut butter sandwiches, and we had a baby’s pool for them to drink from and play in to cool off, the babies had a blast in it We would also feed them dry cat food, which they loved.

She then left on her own with the kids.

to cute they were!

-- Toronto, Ontario

pepper didn’t burn her eyes as I said she licked it up nite after nite. She loved it

She comes every nite and last nite with one baby then she left him

I took a few pic and then he began to cry just like a baby. Mom came around the corner after me
I soon boot it to the door
I don’t have a flower left in the planters, they dug them all up

But he is cute and hope I don’t have a 100 next year. Feedin them I would not do. That just encourages them to come

!!

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

Great picture Bunting!
How sweet is that baby!!:-)

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

Great pics Bunting. BTW, the coons could walk over the bridge now to PEI ….. there they would have
tons of spuds to enjoy.

Keep your digi handy tonight. Maybe Mama will bring along two for you to approve. lol

-- blooz 5b - You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt. ~author unkown

I just adore those masked faces!

-- Toronto, Ontario

Although they are pretty cute.you obviously have not lost a few $100 in veggies and flowers

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

22 caliber, blunt nose

on another note. At the cottage one summer night we all sat around the fire telling stories, having fun when a big fat coon walked up to the big Coleman cooler. Darn thing opened the lid and pulled out a can of Pepsi, took a few steps back, sat up and looked at all of us with the can of Pepsi between its paws.

That coon opened the can hoisted it up with both hands and drank it, all of it. dropped the can, looked at us and burped….............and waddled away

I wish I had a camcorder

-- Central northish Ontario

they can get into amazing things, we never thought possible!

he was thirsty!

-- Toronto, Ontario

that’s a great story. haha

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Thhat’s agreat story Green thumb. Yes should have been on video

They are so smart. Can you imgine him clueing in how to open the can then knowing how to drink from the can

Smart they ,is no question

One year I watch mom teach 2 little ones how to take the cover off the composter to get in and it only took her 3 times showing the babies how to do it

So distructive they are. If they weren’t I would not mind them around

Thank Heavens I only have one adult this year. I live trapped 14 last year and lugged them away 20 kms. They never came back

If the traps weren so expensive I would trap her and the baby once I knew how many they were and t ake them away too

They must be taken where there is water and I could not take mom wihout the baby. The baby would die

My cuz tells me I am nuts to care as he says there are so many they would never be missed if they died

I can’t do that not ever. I can’t hurt an animal unless it was a rattle snake or a bear charging me and meant my life

I normally take my feeders in at nite but forgot the other nite. She didn’t come back last nite

I watch TV a lot in my kitchen and the garden door there is glass almost to the bottom so I can see the feeder from where I sit.

Cute they are but bad, just plain darn bad, worse them a dozen kids

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

when trapping and re-locating, make sure you get all of her babies, otherwise they will die.

trapping is illegal in Ontario.

Our previous old and venditive neighbours got caught for trapping squirrels, serves him right! We live in a big city, squirrels are everywhere…...............and he wasn’t one for re-locating!

-- Toronto, Ontario

bo who goose neck on the death of her little carniverous babies who get taught to eat the very song birds babies I love to listen to in the morning…........cry me a river

whats next…............outlaw a “fly swatter”

and BTW…............trapping is not illegal in Ontario, live leg traps are, but the “Live trap” is sold just about everywhere and in the event it isnt

might I recommend a can of 7-Up mixed with fly bait

-- Central northish Ontario

oh Greenthumb you are so sentimental :) (just teasing you)

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

yup, I am a softy when it comes to trapping squirrels only to kill them.’

-- Toronto, Ontario

trap the coon and send it to Gooseneck COD…......... neighbors will love it.

Cheers

-- Central northish Ontario

Greenthumb

Wow, sounds like a terrific idea and COD at that, lol,lol

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

you guys are too funny.
Poor Gooseneck…

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Greenthumb … my gut hurts from laughing!!!! :-)

Gotta love Gooseneck!!!

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

Goosneck is really a sweety but I giggle too

and she is good sport lady

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

Trapping is illegal in Ontario? I didn’t know that.

We used to have a lot of trouble here with Raccoons,- until a neighbour ( who has since moved away ) decided that he would teach them how to swim. Sounds normal, except that the pool had a lid. We are glad that he is gone, and also glad that the raccoons are gone.

-- jroot

I know they can swim

I always like swimming at nite

One nite 2 were in the pool and I didn’t see them at first til I heard a noise

Scard the wits out of me. I wsn’t long getting out of there

I was told that by water they are very good at killing other animals

They get on top of the other animals back and keep pushing their head under water til they drown

They also use a claw to puncture the neck. Don’t know for sure if this is true but I never went in the pool at night after that not alone

So my imagination got to me. I have had over the years so many coons and so much trouble with them I don’t go in the yard after dark any more not since years now

Live trapping is legal here in fact they encourage it. They can’t be runnig to people’s pproperty to get rid of them for us so I know when I called them I had so many last year. he told me to live trap them take them away at least 15-20 kms and dump them handy a brook. if that far away they won’t come back. They never did.

I think it was 16- or 18 live trapped last year.

I don t feed this mom any more . Not since maybe 2-3 weeks

She is back but not as often as she used to

Hooray for that

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

Well, you are getting on top of it now. Good for you.

-- jroot