Author Topic: Sick to death of Raccoons (Read 2466 times)

LeeAnne151 · « **on:** July 07, 2008, 04:51:29 PM »

I spent several hours draining and cleaning out my whiskey barrels and replanting them and the damn coons have dumped over all the pots filling them with mud and gravel and trashing the plants. Now I have to do it all over again but I have to go on a business trip so it will have to wait.

There are no frogs, tadpoles, fish, snails or anything at all for them to eat in there.

They trashed all the starts I had potted up for sale too.

I just want to cry. :'(

Ky Kim · « **Reply #1 on:** July 07, 2008, 05:22:28 PM »

That sucks, I'm so sorry.

Kim

Rick · « **Reply #2 on:** July 07, 2008, 05:46:39 PM »

Sorry

Damn Raccoons

livetogarden · « **Reply #3 on:** July 07, 2008, 07:05:09 PM »

Leeanne.....want to borrow one of my dogs? THey'll get them out of there.

We have raccoons around our neighborhood, they are often on our front porch even, but NEVER in our back yard because our dogs are out often.
Cath

Kat · « **Reply #4 on:** July 08, 2008, 04:11:23 AM »

Yikes, what a mess to keep dealing with!

Bartman · « **Reply #5 on:** July 08, 2008, 05:39:49 AM »

Damn deer here. Eating my lily pads again and now also munching the blooms. Two of three Colorado blooms bit off. Also got into the garden at the farm when a wind storm blew down part of the fence. It's like they just stand around waiting for any opportunity.

Bart

Rick · « **Reply #6 on:** July 08, 2008, 06:03:24 AM »

Well, my problem for koi is Hawks and Owls, no herons or raccoons

LeeAnne151 · « **Reply #7 on:** July 08, 2008, 08:53:45 AM »

They were in my front ponds last night. Pulled off buds. Shredded waterlily pads. Muddied up the water.

I'm a cat person not a dog person so I have no intention of getting a dog and if I had one it would be inside at night with us anyway......I may have my neighbor walk hers though my yard and see if his scent might upset the raccoons.

MikeW · « **Reply #8 on:** July 08, 2008, 09:12:17 AM »

Sorry LeeAnne. They can't do too much damage to my pond, but they visit regularly and still make a mess.

As far as the dogs go - a herd of toy poodles does not seem to phase them. They wake me up though, and I leap up, grab a walking cane I have at the back door, and sally forth to make as much noise as possible.

I'll swear the coons have a look of irritation on their faces that I am interfering with their playtime.

Cheers,

Mike

LeeAnne151 · « **Reply #9 on:** July 08, 2008, 09:16:10 AM »

Bob gets up at random and tries to catch them in the act but hasn't been particularly successful. When he got up this morning at 5 the rocks were all wet out front and there was a trail of water across the driveway....

Mikey · « **Reply #10 on:** July 08, 2008, 09:21:39 AM »

That must be soooo frustrating.

Desertponder · « **Reply #11 on:** July 08, 2008, 09:24:04 AM »

I'm sorry. I know that has to be frustrating.
I've got something bugging my kiddie pools. Not sure what it is.
I was spoiled and used to the 6 ft. chainlink fenced yard at the other place, now everything is out in the open.
Nothing has been trashed yet but something keeps tipping over some of the marginals in the kiddie pools.
We haven't had wind so its not that. Something has to be tipping them over.

I'm afraid one of these days I'm going to go out there and discover a real mess.

LeeAnne151 · « **Reply #12 on:** July 08, 2008, 10:28:18 AM »

what frustrates me to no end is that they don't just tip over pots, they dump them out and I have found the plants torn apart ten feet away. This happened last week. I had potted up a bunch of stuff for a friend's pond and woke up to all the pots dumped out, the pots were on the lawn, empty. Plants clear across the yard. All ruined. I have plenty more but I spent a lot of time on it.

My barrels now both have mud and gravel on the bottom again. The mud really stinks after awhile.....

Sandye · « **Reply #13 on:** July 08, 2008, 12:48:54 PM »

I'm so sorry, LeeAnne.

That must be extremely frustrating.

Do the Scarecrow (Heronizer?) water sprayers work on raccoons, or do they just enjoy the bath? I know you have (or had) a fido fence on your back pond...maybe you could just enclose your whole yard with an electric fence.

Julles · « **Reply #14 on:** July 08, 2008, 01:33:05 PM »

So sorry, LeeAnne. I've had raccoon woes here, myself. Sucks.

There are places you can buy special chemical scents to ward off critters. Fox urine, wolf urine, etc. I thought I had noted the website of one vendor, but I just spent 10 minutes trying to find it with no luck. Try Googling. Or, I got the link from someone here in another thread; maybe he will repost it.

LeeAnne151 · « **Reply #15 on:** July 08, 2008, 03:32:21 PM »

The fish pond is electrified but I've got "ponds" all over the front and back yards so no way to electrify the whole thing.

I just wanted to vent.

livetogarden · « **Reply #16 on:** July 08, 2008, 08:26:45 PM »

Leeanne....Our dogs are inside at night, always. So maybe having your neighbor bring her dog over from time to time might help. LIke I said.....our dogs will alert us to a raccoon being in the front yard at times but we have never seen one (nor have they let us know they have by barking like they do when one's in the front) in our back yard. It can't hurt.

jatfla · « **Reply #17 on:** July 09, 2008, 05:04:26 AM »

We've had raccoon problems since we first made our pond. Some very wise people, from the old site, suggested a trap with marshmellows as the bait. Over the last 6 yrs. I know we have caught 13+. They can't resist the marshmellows. Works every time.

We live in the city. Our neighbors have cats and leave catfood out so I imagine that is what draws them and then they hear the water so they come over to check it out. Oh the messes they've made!! It may be a terrible thing to say, but when I drive around our neighborhood and see a dead one lying beside the road, I say "YES!!".

Joyce · « **Reply #18 on:** July 09, 2008, 05:08:19 AM »

LeeAnne, that's how I lost my Momo Botan, raccoons dug it up.
Didn't eat a thing, just dug it up and shredded it, while we were on vacation in Newport a couple years ago.

They also got ALL the fish in the pondsai one year except for the white cloud mountain minnows.

I use the Liquid Deer Fence and Deer Off sprays now. They DO work, when you remember to use them!

(and you don't need to use that much, just a very fine mist)

jatfla · « **Reply #19 on:** July 09, 2008, 06:16:54 AM »

We have had trouble with raccoons ever since we put the pond in. They're awful! I don't think they've ever gotten any fish; it's the plants they mess up and so...the water. We live right in the middle of town and I know we've trapped at least 13+ these last 6 yrs. A suggestion from the old site has worked perfectly. Buy you a trap and bait it with marshmellows. They can not resist. Works every time.

I may not sound very nice but every time I see one lying on the side of the road I say "YES!!"

miguynmkoi · « **Reply #20 on:** July 13, 2008, 09:49:11 PM »

Unfortunately we have raccoons in our neighborhood too. The ones going through my yard ate all my 2" feeder fish in my lily pools, knocked over all the lilies and made sure to dump them real well so all the name tags were tossed aside.

They forage through my garden diggin up all my young plants and bulbs looking for snails Really hate is a strong nasty word so I will use it saying "I hate raccoons."

I was talking about my raccoon problem at a BBQ party and someone says they let their little boys pee around the perimeter of their yard. This works for them and they do not get raccoons like their neighbors. Anyone try this before?

Mikey · « **Reply #21 on:** July 13, 2008, 11:48:07 PM »

Quote

...pee around the perimeter of their yard. This works for them and they do not get raccoons like their neighbors. Anyone try this before?

My neighbor does this every time he drinks too much beer.... I think he forgets our home is on a raised foundation and we can see over the wall into his yard......while he errr....secures his perimeter......

Jonna · « **Reply #22 on:** July 14, 2008, 01:55:18 AM »

Make sure your cats are inside at night, those things are ferocious. I had a $300 vet bill after they got one of my cats once. He survived and lived to be 18 but I was eating beans that month. We got a pump BB gun after that and one night Mimi heard them and went out and pumped that thing about 20 times and popped one on the rump of the biggest raccoon. He grabbed his butt, looked at her and ... charged! She beat feet back in the house and barely got the door shut. I have to say that I too hate raccoons. There are raccoons and their cousins coatamundi's down here. Some crazy woman over by our condo feeds them every day

The tourists love to come and watch them eat and wrassle and I have to admit that there are some baby coatimundi's over there now that are really cute. Still, they grow up to be horrors just like their moms. We actually have a crocodile in the mangroves across the street and he catches them every once in awhile. I secretly cheer too.

Raccoon, Coatamundis and baby in the mangroves

Mom Coati and baby

Coatamundi

SueSTx · « **Reply #23 on:** July 14, 2008, 06:11:35 AM »

"Securing the premisis"

Thank goodness, I've never had a racoon...knock on wood...I wonder whose has been doing my security work?

miguynmkoi · « **Reply #24 on:** July 14, 2008, 12:54:38 PM »

Looks like you have double trouble, Jonna! I use to think raccoons were cute until they started to use my yard

LeeAnne151 · « **Reply #25 on:** July 14, 2008, 04:59:48 PM »

Territory marking didn't work here. I had Bob try that a long time ago.

Jonna, the coatis are cool. They live in AZ but I never saw a wild one. None in the big city. Haven't thought of them in years. Would not want to have them rampaging through my gardens though.