Darn Raccoons...

[Mikey]

We came home late last night and I saw a raccoon on our roof......  I immediately went to the back yard and checked out the pond where I saw wet tracks across the bridge and I could see some fish swimming about.  I took a closer look this morning and didn't notice any fish missing, however, I also noticed the Raccoon(s) winterized my pond....  A potted iris that had been sitting on a shelf was now at the bottom of the pond.  At least it looked to be right side up....  Another pot of water poppies was dumped and the potting basket was floating.  So now I have a mess of dirt and lava rocks on the bottom....    The only way to retrieve the potted iris is to go into the pond and I'm not looking forward to doing that at this time of the year.....  Darn Raccoons.....

[Esther]

Oh phooey!! It's hard to believe that right in town you are having more trouble with raccoons that I have and am on the edge of open country. But I guess you're right. I see them dead in the roads in town too sometimes. Pete says he has seen them in the city sewers. I guess they are opportunists. They take food wherever they can find it. Do you have handles on your pots? How deep is this area? Could you put a hook on the end of a pool tool handle and snag the pots to bring them up?

[Mikey]

The only way for me to retrieve the basket pot on the bottom of the pond is to join it.....or pay some neighborhood kid to get it....

[Esther]

Tie a rock and a rope on a neighbor kid and throw them in the pond by the pot. Pull it up when he has the pot in his hand.

[Julles]

Sorry, Mikey.  I hate when you take care of things and do them correctly, and have to go clean up a mess caused by someone else!  Raccoons are a big pain.

You were very kind in your choice of words.  Here, I'll say it better:  DANGED RACCOONS!

[marla]

Knock on wood double/triple times that is one varmit that has not been a visiter to the ponds that I know of and it surprises me being out in the country I know they are around, but I'm so glad not visiting......now if only the heron would find my place less attractive.

[Kat]

Racoons sure are a pain.  We are in the city, too, but have a golf course with woods nearby.  The woods are rapidly disappearing because of new construction & I've gotten racoons the last 2 years now.  They know how to lift the lids up on the big city trash cans, leave trash on the ground, dumped my fancy taros over, tore up lilies in my smaller ponds looking for fish & snails, tore up a struggling $35 brand new hard to get hardy lily several times (I finally relocated it & saw recently that it survived the winter  ), left half eaten goldfish, have pushed the nets around trying to get to my watonai, & a general pain in the backside    

Hope you are able to get the pots off the bottom of your pond without too much difficulty.

[PondJoy]

We had a baby raccoon in our gutter once and had to have someone come and remove it.  I have never seen one near the pond, but it was obvious when they had been there...everything turned over..what a mess!  Our pond is right outside our bedroom window and sometimes at night I hear very strange things out there....I always check in the morning and breathe a sigh of relief when I see that all is well....

Sorry about your mess....hope it's not too much trouble to get it cleaned up again.

[Indiana Karen]

We have two raccoons that are making nightly visits to our deck.  Every morning we put an ear of corn out for the woodpeckers and cardinals.  The raccoons come every evening and finish off the ear.  We turn on the deck lights and enjoy watching them.  They are so darned cute.  Come summer, we will have problems.  They never bother the pond, but love to dig in my flower pots.

[MikeW]

Oh I know those wet tracks so well. I like Esthers' idea of tossing a kid in with a rope attched.
I could be repotting my hardies right now, but always find an excuse to stay out of the water once I feel it.

Cheers,

Mike

[Argos5]

Where's the SWAT team when you need it...

[miguynmkoi]

....AND there are masked bandits stirring up a mess in your neighborhood.     Too much excitement for a retired cop! 

[LeeAnne151]

Mikey,
I feel your pain!

    I potted up "dish gardens" in two large waterproof bowls last summer with marginals, wood and rocks for decor. They are both destroyed and ripped to shreds. Nothing but mud left. The potted plants in my whiskey barrel were all dumped over and ditto in my sunken barrel liner. How they lift gallon pots full of gravel and tip them over when they are all wedged in with no space between them is beyond me.