Destructive raccoons ...

fly_girl - Yes, I know about the forum and have read some pretty funny dilemmas over there. I am posting here not for suggestions ...... yet. But for support! I get no sympathy here at home. My family is rooting for the bloody raccoons!!!! :-{

Well ..... I hauled 2 pavers to the gate. Blew out a vein in my left wrist doing it. And then it took me 30 minutes shoveling to get the pavers to lay flat enough that the gate could even close. You see ..... my yard slopes on all sides of the property perimeter.... it slopes really bad ..... another environmental phrase would be ...... erosion. Welcome to swamp land Florida!

I finally got it done! Whoo hoo!

The pavers are literally wedged in between the gate posts. I had to jump up and down on the last paver to go in to get it to squeeze down into a snug fit. If Rocky moves them now ..... well ..... then I am sending my 15 yr. old daughter out to arm wrestling him and kick his furry behind all the way back to the forest!!! And of course, not to take any chances, I stacked pavers on the outside of the gate once again!

What do ya think? Who will win tonight?

This message was edited Mar 27, 2007 8:55 PM

And as I was finishing up, I thought to look down that side of the fence to make sure there was no other way into my backyard. I was surprised to see this rabbit. I swear .... truly .... he was sitting there laughing at me! Seriously! Do you see the smile on his face!???? I bet the wild animals here are taking bets on who will win tonight. Well .... it looks like the rabbit thinks Rocky is going to win, too! :-{ :-{ :-P~~~~ (Sigh)

So I worked around the yard planting seeds in the herb garden, watering all the plants, and cleaning up. Took hours and my wrist is really hurting by now. I roll up the hose, look around as it is about 15 minutes until dark. Real dark. I had that feeling of accomplishment.

And then it HIT ME ........I remembered in disbelief .......

I had picked up some compost and top soil today that was STILL in the back of my van. That compost stinks! Bad! So ..... much to my total dismay ..... I had to go back through my house, to the side of the yard to the fence gate and unstack all the borders. Go into the backyard and get the wheelbarrel, and go unload the 8 bags from my van. Grrrr...... And this is all in the dark by this time! I had to leave the gate open as I was walking the wheelbarrel back and forth. I had this feeling that I was being watched. And then those ideas start creeping into my mind........ I could just picture Rocky and his buddies scurrying into the backyard and hiding somewhere. Wouldn't that be just PERFECT!!!! (sigh)

Anyway, it is done. Borders stacked back against the gate, everything put away, and I am pooped. Literally. What a day!!!

Anyone care to bet what the score will be tonight? Becky - 1 Rocky - 100+ or maybe 101 ..... tomorrow we'll see.

I think the bunny did it :)

Looks good and solid, they'll need a tank to get through that!

fly_girl - ROTFLMBO! I don't know if the bunny did or not, but it wouldn't surprise me if he helped!!!! lol

lol - oh, I love the compost in the van story, I always think I'm the only one that can be forgetful and make things harder for myself!!

I'm predicting you are the winner tonight !!! At least you'll be sleeping like a baby after all that work. I'm definitely checking here first thing in the morning to see what happened.

The little rabbit really has round ears :)

Red - The rabbit had his ears back because he was laughing so hard at me! :-) :-) :-)

Yeah .... to bed I go! I'm one tired contender. We'll see who wins the golden gloves tomorrow! Thanks for the vote of confidence, fly and Red! ;-)

That is funny Becky, good thing you're on spring break...you have plenty to do.

I thought I was the only forgetful one too! The latest idotic thing I did was making deviled eggs. I make the mustard stuff and it didn't look right, so I ask DH to try it and tell me what's missing. He does and makes this awful face, then starts laughing...I forgot to add the egg yolks! Duh.

Oh...so sorry Becky! We gardeners just don't have time for cleaning up and starting things over!

Funny that you are having this problem tho. I just went to the Wildlife forum and asked about some paw prints in my yard. They could just be a cat but they look different to me. We've always had cats roaming too and I've never seen prints like this. They are right under our fence gate in a spot where it stays wet. Whatever jumped landed hard enough to make deep prints. I'd think that cats would jump out a little farther than just straight down too. The only reason I think it might be a coon is because last year something actually took things out of my gardening bucket and got out a bag of bread I had for birds. No field mouse can do that!

I've actually hoped it was a racoon until seeing your pics. lol I would like to see it tho.

These look familiar?
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/706491/

Beckygardener -- remember you are not allowed to catch racoons mainly, I believe, because they are usually rabid. You either must call a licensed trapper, or contact Animal Control. You can get a trap from them (or the Humane Shelter); it's free but you have to put a deposit down. I used to have problems with racoons. Now my problems are with 'possumsm, which I do catch and relocate.

Thanks, orchid923! I was already aware of that and know what I would have needed to do. But it's great that you posted that info for others who may not be aware of the law and safety issues. Thank you! :-)

Well I have to tell you Becky, that I am totally enjoying this saga.....and feel very guilty for doing so (lol). This is the first thread I go to each day.

I have raccoons too PEPPER works for me . It is cheep I keep some in my garden shed and sprinkle it on my pots . I believe it irritates their noeses put some on the ground where they are digging.
This is what momma left me last spring, she went to an animal rehab to be raised and released.

Okay, don't know if the posts that I put in the wrong thread can be moved here, so I am copying and adding here where they belong. I am sooooo embarrassed that I made that blunder. My mind is a maze of fog right now. I think that comes with being exhausted. So ....

Well, I happen to wake up at 3:30 am this morning and of course the FIRST thing on my mind was the coons! So I peeked out the side window nearest the fence gate. The moonlight gave enough light that I could see the area and the gate. Not a creature in sight!!!!

So, of course, first thing this morning I walked outside to check it out. Much to my surprise, no scratch marks, no holes, nothing! WOW! This is just too easy!!!! (Which also gave me an uneasy feeling. Is it too good to be true? )

Here's the photo of the outside of the gate. I didn't see a single paw print! Do you suppose the digging from the night before, only to never make it in to collect on the bounty, discouraged Rocky? Let's hope so!!!

But, as I turned around and started walking back to the front door of my house, I saw what looked like scratch marks and sand all over the area under my Oak tree just a few feet from the gate. Looks like there was a fight or one very angry raccoon!

I had put that sand down a month ago to keep the soil from eroding under the tree. We had to have the wooden wall installed after the hurricanes of '04. We had so much rain and erosion after those 2 hurricanes hit us, that we were concerning it would crack the foundation of our house. Now mind you, if we had neighbors instead of a vacant lots next to and behind us, this wouldn't be happening! But I do like the woods around part of our yard. We have a neighbor on the east side of our home and lots of neighbors across the street from us. So we do feel we have a little slice of nature surrounding us! :-)

This is how it looks on the west side of my house. You can see the wooden retaining wall.

Paige - Your paw marks are definitely raccoon! I'd recognize them anywhere! Do NOT leave ANY food out at all ! They are cute from a distance, but they will trash your yard, garden, and anything in their path. Take care not to encourage them in any way to keep coming back. They are kind of in the same category as bears. They have a keen sense of smell and have hands that can just about get into anything that a human can!

Plus, I think they are safer staying away from neighborhoods where someone might poison, shoot, or hurt them in some other way. I am all about caring for nature! And I wouldn't harm my neighborhood raccoons. But I WOULD relocate them for their own safety and protection of my property.

BTW - I don't know if these are the same raccoons or maybe offspring, but these coons have been around my neighborhood for at least 15 years that we have lived here. I respect their right to live here as they were here first. But I have to draw the line when it comes to them getting into things they shouldn't. There is a huge nature preserve just a few blocks from our house/neighborhood. They need to stay out there, not here where they are getting killed on the roads (every day) and could possibly be harmed by someone else less caring.

I will now step down off my soapbox! LOL

Score: Becky - 2 Rocky - 100 I truly hope the score stays that way. But I also know they are smart and persistent. :-}

Gardengus - What a cutie! Yes, they CAN be sooooo adorable. A good friend of mine raised 5 baby raccoons when the mother was hit by a car near her home. They were tiny. She had to bottle feed them around the clock. Exhausting for her, her husband, and their two daughters.

This was 20 years ago and the laws have since changed. There was a wild life place locally that would take in hurt animals or abandoned baby animals, but they were short-handed or something and offered to humanely euthanize them instead. My friend said NO WAY! They gave her instructions on how to care for them and gave her some special formula for them. She raised all 5 and then later released them on a wildlife preserve about a 2 hour drive from her home.

When they were babies, they were easy. But as they got older, they became more rambunctious and quite destructive. They also have very sharp nails and would scratch my friend when they were playing with her. She did missed them after setting them free, but was glad to see them go as well. She now just contributes financially to the animal wildlife shelter to help with their funding and staffing. ♥ But she has not raised anymore wildlife animals.

I'm thinking mine really must be a raccoon. My cats were at the window last night because they smelled something strange. Their little noses were twitching fast and they were breathing really fast. Another reason I think so is because cats are too smart to jump down into a muddy spot so close to the fence. They would walk along the fence and can jump out further from the fence.

I don't leave anything out except apple pieces and raisins in a hanging feeder for the mockingbird, but those haven't been bothered. The last few years I've had whole or half pieces of fruit (like bananas and peaches) disappear from a low hanging feeder I have for butterflies. I never figured out what took those.

There's not been anything disturbed or torn up but about a month ago I did find a weird spot in the back of my bed where something had claws and had just dug around and made a mess. It could be an armadillo too but there's no way for it to get into the yard whereas the raccoon is jumping off the fence.

My neighbor is an Animal Control officer but they have a waiting list for the live traps but her husband and another neighbor bought one to try and catch stray cats so I'll see if they'll loan it to me.

I know that this is supposed to be a forum for the winged and feather garden creatures, but ya gotta love all the visitors to our gardens! So I thought I'd share another creature with y'all!

Every morning ...... EVERY MORNING ...... my cat sits by the back door meowing to get out into the screened porch. (He is strictly an indoor cat!). And of course! I know why he wants out ......

This happens at our home almost everyday .....

There is our resident alpha male squirrel. He just LOVES to come visit and harass my cat!

My cat sits out there at the east corner of the porch as the squirrel climbs down the screen to mock him! It is a hoot!

I hope you can see my gray cat sitting between the chair and the planter. And just to the left of him is the squirrel on the screen. LOL!

And on occasion, like this morning, another squirrel comes along to join in the game of "Tease the cat"!!!!

See the other squirrel in the upper corner of the screen post. As the leader is parked down nearer to the bottom of the screen LOL at my poor kitty! =:-O LOL!

All in a day at the Cook animal ranch. (sigh .... oh boy!)

And of course, my poor cat is constantly jumping against the screen trying to get at that annoying squirrel ! If squirrel chattering is laughter, then that squirrel must be ready to spring a bladder leak! I crack up watching my cat's tail and whiskers twitching. So darn funny! Everyone in my family gets a kick out of this little game every morning. I think my poor cat needs another cat in our house. He beats up our poor little dog so much that the dog hides behind my legs whenever the cat is present in the room. So actually, it should be my POOR dog. I think the cat is taking his frustration from the squirrels out on the dog. :-( :-( :-( My poor little doggie.

Paige - You know what .... my cat does the same thing at night. We have been thinking it is another cat roaming around the outside of our house at night. But now after your post, I believe it might be Rocky instead. HA!

Raccoons love food..... any kind! Fruit is a delicacy for them. Especially bananas! The banana scent travels far and wide! LOL! Good luck catching and releasing your coon! :-) If you do, let us know here on this thread how it worked out. I still need to know about THAT option. I do NOT believe the battle of wits is over yet between Rocky and me. I just know raccoons far too well. Ya live in Florida, then you know ALL about raccoons! LOL

BTW - I need a name for my alpha male squirrel. Does anyone have any good name suggestions? ;-D

Maybe the squirrel's trying to ''free the cat'' so they can ''play''.

Gardengus - I missed your suggestion and was re-reading your post. (I think the cute baby raccoon photo distracted me.) Great idea about the pepper. I may try that next if this saga continues. Thanks for the idea!!!! :-) :-) :-)

gardengus - LOL! Actually, I think the squirrels are hoping that the cat will bust the screen out so that THEY can come into the porch. They KNOW I come in and out of the house with the peanuts and bird food! And so do the birds! I think it's a conspiracy! >;-x ALL the wildlife critters are in on it!!! LOL

It works for me , every spring momma brings the young ones to the soft dirt of my newly planted pots.Of course it's probably my fault I have a compost pile nearby.Good pickings.

Maybe they think the cat is hording THEIR peanuts

Yeah Becky ! I'm glad you were the winner for one night at least. *I had a cat growing up that looked just like your gray cat, I'm partial to the grays now - he was a great cat... lived to be 19.

Hey, thanks for the pepper suggestion, gus, I'm going to try that too. Our cat was sleeping on the patio the first night I noticed the raccoons, I heard him growling ; looked outside,and there were 3 - since our raccoons are still small, they were afraid of Tiger - they kind of bowed down to him; it looked like they were praying to him :). Tiger just growled, but didn't even stand up - he's saves his fighting for the tomcat across the street, I guess.

Oh what would we do without the "drama of the animals". I sure don't like the destruction, tho!

what kind of pepper do you use, and do you just put it around the perimeter ? Thanks!

I use cheep whatever I can find pepper and put it on top of the soil wherever they are likely to dig.In my case in pots. Needs to be reapplied after a rain. By the way it also keeps the bunnies off my lettuce.Just remember to wash well before eating.

Ya'll are hilarious!!!! :o)

Loved all the photos of Miss Lobo, Miss Bunny, Mister Lizard, kitty, the racoons and all those squirrels.

Ya know...the more stuff you put out there to keep them out the more amused they will be. Am sure they scamper back to their burrows and tell stories of 'tough man' and 'survivor' and how to break into Fort Knox to all their kin!!!

Wonder what they'll do with a jar of peanut butter :o)~

~ Cat

Love the squirrel stories, my indoor cats do the same thing. They Really get excited when a wasp or spider get in, the quicker the better...they love a challenge.

Becky, I think you've outwitted the raccoons! Good job!

I feel your pain Becky, Here is one of the five racoons I've trapped in my yard here in West Palm.

Gus - Thanks for the info about the pepper.

Red - I'm with ya on that!

Cat - Should I leave a jar of peanut butter outside my gate to see if Rocky can open it and make a P&J sandwich???? LOL

fly_girl - Cats are pretty funny, aren't they?!!! But I'm not so sure about outwitting Rocky.

Come to find out that my son came home much later last night than I thought. He was supposed to be home around midnight. Everyone went to bed. He has his key to get in. Well .... he started playing some video game at his friend's house and didn't get home until around 2:00 am. So ...... now I am thinking that my son might have scared Rocky off before he had a chance to try his paws at Fort Knox.

We'll see if Rocky is back tonight ............... :-)

Bill - What happened to the raccoon you trapped? He doesn't look very happy, does he? :-)

Becky...am thinking if Rocky gets his paws into the peanut butter he'll spend all night trying to lick it off and it will keep him out of Fort Knox. Not sure if they even like peanut butter...maybe you can pretend he's Elvis and leave out peanut butter and bananas sandwiches :o)

Bill...poor little bugger...he doesn't look happy - then again, he doesn't look very remorseful either :o) What's all that digging around the cage? Were his cohorts trying to spring him from Alcatraz?

~ Cat

Bill, I love that picture! what a riot, he has not an ounce of guilt for being in your yard!

Yep, he looks kind of proud of himself.....he nabbed the can of bait!