I've had that problem, only the critter that dug up the box turtle eggs was a skunk. They make very distinctive little 'v' holes looking for the eggs. He eventually moved on.
Raccoons, any solutions?
- Thread starter allegraf
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I'm getting my info from a CA wildlife biologist that works for the state, and everything he said lines right up with everything else I know from years of wildlife study. I was working rattlesnake abatement in one of our state parks here and one requirement to film in these parks is to hire one of their biologists to make sure the film crew isn't having too big an effect on the local wildlife. Bottom line is that we had hours to sit and talk about animals.
We talked about a long term and still ongoing study on problem animal re-locations. It started with "problem" bears going into neighborhoods. They would trap re-locate the bears to near by wild forested areas only to have them return within days. They moved them farther and it would take longer for them to get back, and when they got back, they would show up with various injuries. They started fitting them with radio collars and GPS collars. What they found was that no matter where they dropped them off, that territory was already inhabited by a local bear population would would immediately track down and attack the interloper and chase it from its territory. The re-located bear knew this wasn't it's territory and immediately began the trek "home" upon release. They found that if they released the bears less than 300 miles from home, they would find their way home if they didn't get HBC (hit by car…) or killed by a human or other bear along their journey. Greater than 300 miles and they would be outright killed or slowly starve or dehydrate in unfamiliar territory. None of the bears adapted to knew territory once dropped off. Of the ones that made it "home" there was a whole list of injuries they had sustained on their frantic journey to get back to their own territory.
With the surprising and interesting results from the bear study, they started trying it with other animals. The "magic" distance for coyotes was 25 miles. For rattlesnakes it was 3 miles with an almost zero survival rate for any relocated animals. I'm sorry I can't remember the distance for raccoons and I don't want to just guess, but it was a similar story. Any other wild area already has a raccoon population and they don't want to share resources. This is why I assert that almost any relocated animal is almost certainly going to suffer a terrible death.
I have the opposite problem. I love them. They are super cool animals and I've even trained a few. I just can't have them messing with my tortoises or their eggs.
You are right. Its not totally humane. I can't abide by this. There are quicker and much more humane ways to euthanize pest animals.
OK, good info.
Reminds me of the couple of years I spent working for the Florida Game and Fish Commission in the late 70s to early 1980. When we would capture nuisance alligators we would invariably be asked what would happen to them. The standard reply was that they would be 'relocated'....which wasn't a complete lie. They would be relocated, meaning, to somewhere else, and then shot.
Just as with your bears, the gators would immediately attempt to return to where they came from causing problems all along the way.
I just didn't realize that this would occur with the smaller varmints too.
Mazuri pellets work really wel
Yes. It appears modern technology has allowed us to accurately study these things a bit more than in years past. GPS is an amazing thing.
Yes. It appears modern technology has allowed us to accurately study these things a bit more than in years past. GPS is an amazing thing.
How sure are you about it being raccoons? It looks a lot like armadillo digging. Its not their main diet, but they will eat turtle eggs and even ground nesting bird eggs and nestlings.
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Not sure at all, could be anything. But whatever it is, I don't want it!
I was reading about this earlier, would cayenne, or even ammonia work as a deterrent.
Would any of these interfere with your torts sense of smell though?
M
Maggie Cummings
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Like chicken
M
Maggie Cummings
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Nightly I have put a whole can of cayenne, since then, no cats putting muddy prints on my car. Just don't do it on a windy day....and my pepper trick was no place close to tortoises. Guess I'm not much help.
I would make sure I knew what I was dealing with before I decided to try to get rid of it. A game camera is not a terribly expensive piece of equipment, and will give you the info you need. If you have raccoons in the area, trapping and "removing" them (whatever your definition of removal is) is a short-term solution only. More raccoons will fill the void the removed ones have left. I have a number of raccoons in the 14 acre swamp/woods that my backyard backs up to, and see them frequently in the yard. Never had a problem with them with the tortoises. The holes in your tortoise pen look a lot like armadillo holes, although I don't think they are very good at climbing. Is there a way into that pen that an armadillo could be using? Also, check with your state dept of wildlife and fisheries. I know that in Florida it is illegal to relocate raccoons, so they have to be euthanized if trapped. And allograft, your cherry heads are gorgeous, btw. How did you put that group together?
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I think it is a raccoon since most of the egg shells were in the water dishes. Well we straightened out everything, put down fresh mulch-liberally added pepper and cayenne. We will see if they still mess with the pen. Torts are inside, no food or water at all. I want to encourage them to move on.
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Luck! Back in the mid 2000s, the local reptile stores used to get sub adult and adult cherries in stock every few months.over the last few years, I've only seen hatchlings available. Few good friends also helped me create the group by passing along tips of cherries for sale or swapping some cherries into my herd. We are working on creating the second generation of breeders. Starting from hatchlings and plan on growing them out to start a secondary breeding herd.
Totally off topic, but need to ask you.
I notice you have mulch almost all over, is the mulch also in the areas they choose to nest in? If so do they hide the nest well by back filling the mulch back into position?
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Yes, they dig mostly in the mulch and yes, they do such a good job, it is hard to spot the experienced girls' nests. The inexperienced ones are obvious-either a huge mound or not enough fill back in the hole.
I guess i would have to invest in a bigger gun then. Although it's been years since i last trapped a coon. (Apparently other people in the area are dealing with them somehow; we had a huge population explosion a few years ago and they did a lot of damage.)
I have shot trapped coons a couple times in the trap and it did not go well. I was only using .25 ammo but it was hollow point at point-blank range. I remember one incident distinctly. Even a perfect shot between the eyes from inches away didn't do much immediately. So i put in a couple more slugs and the beast convulsed incredibly, bowing out the cage in agony. It wasn't a quicker or more painless death than drowning.
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Behind the ear. One shot.
I'm not proud. I love ALL animals.
They never know what hit them.
I use my .380 handgun.
I warn my neighbors beforehand.
I had them living in my attic.
Once the colony was gone. None have ever returned. It's going on six years.
I'm not proud. I love ALL animals.
They never know what hit them.
I use my .380 handgun.
I warn my neighbors beforehand.
I had them living in my attic.
Once the colony was gone. None have ever returned. It's going on six years.
When it isn't cold, do you put your animals away for the night?
Okay, I'm really sorry, I did not read the text completely and did not see that actual clutches of eggs had been involved. More than likely raccoons, and def needs removal, because they have found a source of easy food and will keep returning. Get a live trap from the feed store and bait with sardines. A couple of .22 shots to the head will take care of that. Good luck, that's an awful problem I hope I never have to deal with.
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