Problem raccoon.....

Bluefront · Post by **Bluefront** » Sun May 25, 2008 4:03 am

Arrg.....the damn thing has taken up residence under my car-port, sleeping on top of some shelving next to the house. Now that doesn't bother me, but the animal is constantly knocking things off the shelving.

It's got to go..... on it's own, without hurting the thing. This is a residential neighborhood, far from any place you'd think a raccoon would live. I've never seen one here before....only a few opossums.

Plan one.....got up early when the coon was gone, and covered the top of the shelf with moth-balls. I've heard these discourage all sorts of animals. So....any other ideas? I don't have a dog. And the yard cannot be fenced in completely due to power line right-of-ways on one end.

Matija · Post by **Matija** » Sun May 25, 2008 4:52 am

If you were a raccoon, why would you hang around someone's house? Remember, you can sleep anywhere you like, so that isn't a factor.

Post by **Ralf Hutter** » Sun May 25, 2008 5:58 am

My suggestion would be to bait a humane trap, catch the thing and release him somewhere away from your house.

You could also contact your local animal control and ask for their advice. They helped a buddy of mine get a mom raccoon and her kids out of his attic recently.

Bluefront · Post by **Bluefront** » Sun May 25, 2008 6:31 am

I suppose it's sleeping there because it's dry, and there are no dogs to disturb it. There's certainly nothing for a raccoon to eat around here.

And I've thought of the live trap idea...... last resort.

Bad news.....I went outside after the sun came up, and the coon is back, apparently sleeping right on the moth balls. Maybe it'll get tired of the smell and leave. If not it's on to plan # two.....still in the formation stage.

Redzo · Post by **Redzo** » Sun May 25, 2008 7:14 am

Any friends that have a dog that can come over and scare it away ? You could let the dog spend the night or 2, that will make it go away trust me.

widowmaker · Post by **widowmaker** » Sun May 25, 2008 7:21 am

Put more stuff on the shelving so there's no room to sleep?

Bluefront · Post by **Bluefront** » Sun May 25, 2008 8:00 am

I'm not wild about the dog idea....and I don't know anybody with a dog who would lend it to me.

This is a big raccoon.....he's knocking things off the shelving as is. There's a ladder on the top shelf, and he sleeps on top of it. I'm afraid he'll hit my truck with something really heavy, since it's right next to the shelving.

Maybe I could go out there early in the morning while it's still dark....scare him off a few mornings as he's returning from whatever raccoons do at night.

VanWaGuy · Post by **VanWaGuy** » Sun May 25, 2008 9:17 am

Occaisional dogs are not going to be enough to scare the critter away. We have a couple dogs in the house, and have still had them rummage through our yard. When they got to be very frequent, we found out that a neighbor was feeding their dog on the back porch, and once they stopped leaving food out, I have only seen them once more.

Bluefront · Post by **Bluefront** » Sun May 25, 2008 9:34 am

Yeah...two of my neighbors on adjoining property have dogs. Might have attracted this raccoon.

Good news.....the thing left the carport in the day-time. Those moth-balls must have done it. Now the whole carport smells like an old-time closet. Hope that did it. Thanks guys.....

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Sun May 25, 2008 9:35 am

Since raccoon doesn't seem to do no harm, would it be easier to make another shelving and put your things on that and leave that current shelving for raccoon to use? I mean live and let live? Least problems is that if you move stuff slightly away and give the raccoon some sort of path way so it won't knock everything out.

Of course one way would be that you will see where the raccoon comes in and block its bathways. If it doesn't find entrance, its intrest will shift elsewhere.

Cistron · Post by **Cistron** » Sun May 25, 2008 11:03 am

"It's in my raccoon wooooounds!" scnr

Try putting a ball of cat or dog-hair onto the shelf. Works pretty well with martens in Europe. Alternatively, there are more professional devices available that emit uncomfortable noise outside outside our hearing-spectrum.

Bluefront · Post by **Bluefront** » Sun May 25, 2008 11:03 am

thejamppa..... sounds nice. But I use the carport for many things, like wood-working projects. And this is no tame raccoon. I really wouldn't want to be out there with a wild raccoon a few feet away. In this country, raccoons are notorious for having rabies...... maybe 1/3 test positive. You really don't want to be around them at all.

Matija · Post by **Matija** » Sun May 25, 2008 12:01 pm

Everything in life happens for a reason.

There's a billion places the raccoon could linger around... But it's in your company. If you scare it away, it might become roadkill. Or maybe it's a she, and expecting babies?

Get it moved to somewhere safe.

Bluefront · Post by **Bluefront** » Sun May 25, 2008 1:14 pm

Heh.... animals like raccoons and opossums have been living around people forever. I suppose this animal is as safe around here as anywhere. There are no dogs running loose, and no hunters. Out in the country there are coyotes and wild dogs (it's only predators), as well as hunters and cars. Actually catching the thing and turning it loose somewhere would be as dangerous to it as leaving it run free around here. Just not in my back yard....

Matija · Post by **Matija** » Sun May 25, 2008 1:48 pm

That's also a possibility - get it moved, and it might die to a coyote.

Choose.

Life is great sometimes