LOL...funny stories and great pics from everyone! I'll talk to the neighbor about borrowing the trap this weekend. My dad had a raccoon last year that ate all the fish from his little pond, his fish tank outside, the fish food and then ate the cat food!
Can you believe that I've never seen a raccoon!? That's why I've secretely wanted it to be one. I heard one once while visiting the Dinosaur track park. It crawled in a dumpster and the lid shut on it and boy did it hiss and scream at the men trying to get it out!
Becky, since you already have Rocky the Raccoon, you should name the squirrel...Bullwinkle. LOL (ok, the squirrel was really Rocky but his name is taken)
Destructive raccoons ...
Funny you should mention that....all my fish in my pond are gone! I haven't seen them in days, and they always were there when I had the feed. Did they leave any fish scraps around your dad's pond? I haven't seen anything! Not a single scale or fin...nothing. The plants around the edges aren't moved, it's a big mystery.
How about Balboa.....you know Rocky Balboa...wasn't that his last name? Yeah, I know..it's a little squirrely heehee.
I think they made quite a mess digging around in my dad's little pond. You could have neat ones tho. lol I'm thinking "disappearing fish" is less likely than "raccoon snacks".
Balboa is good! Or you could have Rocky and Rambo!
We have friends who had a pet rabbit named Al. Al lived in their garage and was litter-box trained so he was free to hop around wherever he pleased there in the garage. They also had a pet door in the side door of the garage so Al could go out into the side yard during the day and enjoy the sunshine. At night, they locked the pet door so Al would be safe in the garage.
One night, a very large raccoon broke through the wooden panel on that pet door. He then caught, killed, and ate poor Al. :(
So yes, while they can be adorable and fun to watch, they are wild animals and can be mean if they want to be. So be careful when dealing with them.
Marilee
Haha
Reminds me of when I was 13, I won a pony and his name was Rocky....we were Rocky and Roxie......but, remember....No-one calls me that anymore!! lol
Aawwww, poor AL.
I agree...they can be viscious and dangerous. I read somewhere that 50% of them can be carrying rabies...I don't know if it's true, seems high.
I've heard that said about raccoons too, along with bats. People act like you need rabies shots if you've just seen a bat. I was a little oogied-out by it when people freaked out after my dad found one with babies in his driveway. My husband really wants a bat house but I just heard about people having to get rabies shots when bats were in their attic. ?? Paul James just had a little segment about it on his show tho and said they didn't carry it any more than any other animal. I just want to look at the raccoon and let the bats eat mosquitoes. No playing with either.
Why would you get a rabies shot if they didn't bite you?
Do the shots still have to be done in your stomach.....that's the worst part, I've heard. There's so many rrumors and nonfacts that go around, who really knows? I didn't like St Bernards for years after I saw that Stephen King movie.
I didn't realize coons ate rabbits.....I knew they ate meat...like grubs, dog food...but a rabbit....oh man. I'm starting to lose my infatuation with them.
I asked the same thing! Don't you think you'd know if a bat bit you?! But apparently they can bite and you don't know it. When I told my neighbor about my dad finding the bats she (animal control) told me that a little boy in a neighboring town had just died from being bitten and he didn't know it!!
And still in the stomach?! You'd think they could have come up with something better than that by now.
Poor bunny Al. I just saw a bunny having a weed buffet in someone's yard while I was out walking tonight. We had a baby last year nibbling on the Queen Anne's Lace. I hope we get another baby this year!
I'm reading a book called "Enslaved by Ducks" and it talks about how they liked and fed their visiting raccoons until they started eating their ducks. Possums are mean too.
This message was edited Mar 28, 2007 11:48 PM
I guess they eat about everything and anything. Maybe that's why they can easily get rabies, they would get it from the animal they killed right?
Yeah, if they are still in your stomach....makes you think twice about a bathouse.
Recently, there was a teenager that died of a rabies bite from a bat. Apparently, it flew in his bedroom window while he was asleep and bit him. I think he started acting weird, didn't know he had been bitten, and by then it was too late for him. It was sad.
So, keep your screens on.
pool Al - oh that is sad !
I can imagine a big raccoon eating a rabbit. The raccoons used to eat all the koi in my neighbors pond - but they would just take a couple big bites out of each fish and leave the head/tail as evidence (yuck!) maybe because there were so many fish ? ! not sure... he had to put a screen on top.
Ooohhh, and I haven't seen any fish part around my pond.....must not be coons.
Change of subject here.....I heard lipstick is made up of fish scales...that's how it sticks to your lips. I almost quit using it when I read that, but I wouldn't be able to go outside lol
I think I scored again last night!!! Yay!
Becky - 3 Rocky - 100
I did see some little paw prints in front of the gate this morning. Looks like Rocky or another raccoon was there but decided they couldn't get in so didn't bother to try. :-) :-) :-)
This message was edited Mar 29, 2007 9:09 AM
Though ..... now I think there is something else getting into my yard. I think it might be a possum. I don't think an armadillo can get in through the fence anywhere, but a possum could climb in and out like the squirrels do. Or maybe it is a large bird. Don't know. The reason I say this is because something got into a bag of topsoil and compost that were already opened that I had sat in my bog bed and rolled the tops up. Something got into the bag and kicked dirt out of it. ACK!!!! This is getting frustrating!!!!
And something was digging again in the same two areas of my gardens. I do not know why something keeps coming back to this corner spot in my seed bed. But they are uprooting my little starter seeds. (sigh)
Oh the things we discover that are ''just not right''.(not normal).
I read they have altered some tomatoes with fish dna. Who wants fishy tomatoes!
This was a reply to fly-girl I got (dog) distracted and posted slowly.
This message was edited Mar 29, 2007 9:23 AM
And something KEEPS digging in my daylily and iris bed! Grrrrrr ....... THAT is a serious no-no!!!! They are not digging up the bulbs, but doing something in there! Earth worms, grubs, WHAT are they digging there for??? This is the 3rd time!!! They uprooted one of my irises last week. Had to plant it back into the bed. I am NOT happy about this!!!!
Maybe it's a squirrel doing that, but I don't think so. (grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr .......)
My irises unfortunately are blooming sooner than I was expecting. I was hoping they would bloom with my lemon yellow daylilies. But the daylilies are still poking along growing their blades of leaves. :-(
On the bright side ..... as I was out inspecting my garden beds early this morning for signs of intruders, I glanced over at the bird feeder when something caught my eye. The feeder was only about 8 ft. away and got a great shot of one of my woodpeckers. (I think Pellitory ID it as a red-bellied woodpecker.) So I guess I just have to take the good with the bad! :-) Small price to pay for being a gardener! :-) :-)
Raccoons can be fierce when hungry, sick, or threatened. Always best to enjoy them from a distance!!!! As far as the rabies issue, ANY mammal can get rabies and spread it. Wild animals don't get rabies shots like domesticated animals, so they are most at risk for contracting it. We used to have tons of the small brown bats here. No one ever got rabies here. Now their numbers are dwindling because of development. I, too, plan to get a bat house at some point in time. Their poop is some of the richest compost you can get! ;-) The problem is that I will need to erect a pole with a bat house attached some 15-20' in the air away from any trees or the house. I do have a place in my yard that I can do that, but that is another LATER project. I want them around to help keep the mosquito population down around my yard. (It's really bad here because of the swamp land.) Bats (and mosquitos, too lol) can bite you if you are in a deep sleep and you would not know it.
Here is a great website about bats:
http://www.friendsofbats.com/frameset/fob-set.html
This message was edited Mar 29, 2007 9:50 AM
love the woodpecker.... I'm glad you kept Rocky out anyway - Is it maybe a cat getting in and digging around, I couldn't tell how much damage they did - just a thought ?
Fly girl & Gus , fish-lips and fishy tomatoes, who needs that!?
Becky, do you have armadillos in your area? They are horrible at digging things up for no apparent reason. Not sure if they wander that far tho. You might need to get yourself a live trap to stop it.
I've heard that about fish and lipstick. Don't think about it. You never heard it. My dad never had fish parts left, just plants messed up and missing koi. Maybe it depends on how hungry they are or how big the fish are.
Fly, that's the exact same story I heard about the boy dying. It flew in threw his window but I heard it was a younger kid. Maybe I need to look it up on Snopes.
I believe I have figured out what is digging in my garden beds!!! I was gone most of the morning and when I let the dog out to do his business, I did another inspection of the backyard. Looks like someone was busy while I was gone!!!! =;-O
It's GOT to be the squirrels!!! Though I don't think it is Simon the alpha male squirrel. (Yes! I named him Simon the Squirrel in honor of the sarcastic and annoying judge on American Idol! lol) I think it is one of the other squirrels. All the seed I put out is already removed from the shell. So there is NO reason to bury the seeds. I think this "other" squirrel is bored or mad because Simon hogs the squirrel feeder and takes his time eating while all the other squirrels are out there nearby watching and drooling...... and probably scavaging and digging around in my garden beds like squirrels naturally do!
Do you suppose the pepper would work to discourage squirrels digging, too?????
Here's a photo of the neighborhood "Band of Squirrels" visiting my yard in the mornings! There are 5 squirrels total that come around. (They come several times a day just like the birds.) I have the bowl of water in the bird feeder bed on the ground which everyone uses, but I saw one of the squirrels standing up with his head partially in one of my taller water garden pots. He was drinking from it! So funny!!! I can never catch them fast enough with my camera. :-S They sure DO keep me amused!!! LOL!
PS - This photo was taken before I added the squirrel feeder to the bottom of the post. I took the photo from a bedroom window. They are very skittish of me. Someone is probably trying to keep them away, so they don't trust humans. Which is good. I don't want to be shaking their hand/paw! :-D
This message was edited Mar 29, 2007 1:58 PM
fly_girl - Do you have BIRDS like Kingfisher or Herons that might be the culprit eating your fish? I wouldn't be surprised if that was what was doing it! Or maybe a REALLY big frog or turtle!!! LOL
Usually raccoons do leave a mess. Doesn't sound like it's a coon eating your fish, as you would find fish parts floating in the water. Sounds like a bird swooping down and grabbing them right out of your pond. =:-O
This message was edited Mar 29, 2007 2:34 PM
Becky, I don't think we have Kingfishers, but I've seen Herons around, not in my yard, but maybe.
I went and bought some more goldfish and when I let them loose from the bags, the others swam up from the bottom. They're in there, but something must have spooked them pretty bad. I have one that only has one eye...ole one-eye, I've probably told the story so I won't bore everyone again lol, but he's still there, he's my fave.
Love your squirrel and raccoon stories! Simon is a perfect name, I can just hear his little British accented squeaks.
I just saw a squirrel today and thought "...I wonder if they would tear up a yard?" lol
My dad found tracks by his pond, but no fish parts. He had polite raccoons. :)
Thanks y'all for the great support and suggestions.
I believe the raccoon issue is resolved. Not a sign of them last night either. I will be removing the concrete borders to see if Rocky still stays out with the pavers down. They will stay there permanently. I can NOT imagine him moving those pavers. They are heavy. And they are wedged in between the gate posts. There is very little room for him to get in between them and the gate. Maybe a snake could, but not a raccoon. (Of course, let's keep this between us. I don't want Rocky thinking that WE ARE ALL betting he can't get in now! Shhhhh!)
I also used almost a whole large can of pepper. Sprinkled it all over my seed beds. And a couple other areas where the squirrels were digging. I don't know if it will keep them out, but it sure had me sneezing! I now have a tingly sensation in my nose and throat! LOL!
I took all five racoons that were trapped about five miles west of my place,a wooded rural area where ,hopefully,they will be happy.
There are still more in my area because I saw another one in my yard 3 days ago,Time to bait the trap again.
Here's how I protect my ponds fish and plants from the varments. P.V.C frame and deer netting is keeping them out so far.
Bill - Lovely pond you have there! I see your dilemma. So glad that you are humanely catching and releasing the coons. Yes, hopefully they will be much happier and safer away from neighborhoods! That is a win-win situation most likely for you and the wild critters!!!
Interesting netting system you devised. Amazed they didn't tear it up! :-) Good luck trapping the rest of the coons bothering you!!!
Okay .... another dumb question. It rained quite a bit here today and is supposed to rain some more tomorrow. Do I need to re-apply the pepper to my garden beds because of the rain?
My poor cat gets so frustrated with the squirrels. This morning they didn't tease him. It rained yesterday and the squirrels were hungry and went straight to the squirrel feeder and ground bowl of seeds and nuts. I think my kitty was disappointed no one came to "play" with him. I can see him saying, "Moooooommm, I'm bored!" lol
My cat sits under my porch plant stand (on the bottom shelf) and peers above the screen guard to spy on the wild critters. I think that he believes no one can see him! lol
Becky, sorry you had such a troublesome bunch of varmints! (OK, I admit I chuckled some... but I understand your frustration!) I was going to suggest the same solution you came up with, installing some sort of paver "sill plate" so that the gate still had enough clearance to open, but not enough to admit a racoon underneath.
I do have a suggestion for improving your defense, though... just in case Rocky gets to digging... can you pound in some pieces of rebar at the front and back edges of your paver? I know you don't want to end up with anything too unsightly, and maybe you can find a flat sturdy metal strip to use rather than rebar... look around the home improvement store, I don't know what those metal straps or braces are called (like they use to tie together two lengths of lumber), but I know they exist!
LOL at your cat and the squirrels! I've been tossing seed out on the deck all winter (in addition to birdfeeders, or when there was too much ice to get to the feeder for a refill), and Blake had a fine time watching "kitty TV" through the patio door. The birds got very used to his presence... and now, when he is out on the deck, they are being extremely bold. They haven't figured out yet that he is no longer safely behind glass! (No worries, fellow birdlovers... he's stalked birds in the yard for years, but he's never come close to catching one.... he's deadly to grasshoppers LOL but not to birds.... such an indoor kitty!)
Hi critterologist! I am going to wait to add anything further to the gate. Right now the pavers are literally wedged between the gate posts and are NOT moving. I think the coons are discouraged. I haven't seen any disturbances around my yard for several days now. Thanks for the great suggestion. I may still have to try it if they come back and start wrecking things again!
LOL about your cat relaxing on the deck while all the birdies are feeding! Let's hope Blake is a slow kitty! Otherwise, you might be receiving a "gift" from your furry feline friend! :-D I don't dare let my kitty out. He catches those fast lizards and anoles that manage to somehow get into the screened porch area. I know he would nab a bird for sure!!! =;-O
I thought y'all would get a kick out of a couple photos of Simon. This squirrel feeder is about a foot off the ground on the same post as the bird feeders. Simon does NOT allow any other squirrels in it! It's HIS!!! Sometimes he sits on the top of the feeder.
Sometimes he prefers to sit IN the feeder.
"WHO you looking AT????"
That's Simon! No one bullies him!!!! :-)
And here's Lucky taking in the view of a lovely morning on the porch! :-) He knows how to appreciate the good life! Ha,ha!
Lucky is lovely!! You're right, cat's have "taking their ease" down to an art form!
I'd suggest adding something like the rebar *before* Rocky gets the idea that perhaps he can dig under your new defense... You want him to be discouraged on his very first attempt. :-)