Oh, trust me. We've tried just about everything with lighting, noise, etc. Our coons are not afraid of humans at all, and come out during the day as well as night. Nothing has worked, and we're sick of dealing with it.
Memorial frog pond
I figured you had tried those things. This is kind of a funny site. http://www.getridofthings.com/get-rid-of-raccoons.htm
Ah! Yep, I've been there. I like that site. :)
Hi Pony - Just popping in to wish you a wonderful new year. I know this past one has been hard in so many ways. I wanted you to know that my DGS and I have seed balls on our spring calendar plus a marble walk on the beach in June. Don't give up on Ivy's garden. I can't help but feel it is meant to be. Hope our marbles are holding up too.
Love to you, Barb in NH
Hi Barb!
Your marbles are inside for now, where I can keep them safe. Once we take care of the raccoon problem, I'll re-glue them on the stone where I had them before. :)
Happy New Year to you and yours! And yes, I sure hope 2010 is a kinder year than its predecessor.
Dear Pony, I am so sorry I have not sent the marbles yet. I will do that in the new year, and hope that you will get the chance to glue them to the frog pond. I wish you success with the Memorial Frog Pond for Ivy, and hope that this labor of love finally works. I will put some of the marbles in my pocket for visits to the beach.
Love,
Bonnie
Hi Bonnie! No worries- the pond isn't going anywhere. ;) I'm determined to get it back to its former glory and keep it that way in the new year. :)
Pony, I was intrigued by your thread and the efforts you put into your pond. Raccoons and herons are the worst culprits. I don't feel so bad about the herons, because they steal fish to eat. However, raccoons destroy ponds for the fun of destruction. They threw my plants around and bit the heads off the fish to kill them, but did not eat them.
In the spring, I covered the pond with deer netting, and when the raccoons first appeared and tried to get in, I covered the pond with chicken wire. The raccoons got so nasty that they jumped on the chicken wire so that it was in the water but couldn't get in, so they left their poop on nearby rocks more than once.
When fall came and the leaves fell, the pond was no longer a pleasure so we decided to bring the fish inside to protect them. You cannot do that with frogs unless you don't mind finding them in your bed! My husband built a frame in which we laid pond liner, and the deed was done! As soon as we caught the fish, they were at home inside, really a pleasure.
We're in zone 6 which is colder than your area, and critters don't always survive in our occasionally below zero temps. The fish would certainly die in a frozen pond.
It's going to be really difficult to put them back outside in the spring. We're going to see if there is a better way to keep the pond creatures safer.
Have a happy new year all!
Ugh. Such nasty critters, raccoons are. And that's exactly it- they just trash things for the joy of trashing them. I would have no problem with them drinking from the pond if they didn't insist on destroying everything in and around it! I shudder to think how much they cost me in lost plants. Water lilies are expensive! I'm not going to be able to replace those again.
I have no idea if I have any goldfish left, the water is so muddy I can't see anything. I'll have to do a complete water change in the spring. I'll be really surprised if there are any survivors.