Beware of raccoons!

[kimber_lee_314]

We all know that raccoons kill turtle/tortoises. I keep mine in little boxes with doors that come down as ramps at night so the raccoon can't get them. Last night I hear the neighbor's dog barking so I went out and saw a raccoon in the yard. I shooed him away but felt confident that everyone was safe. Big mistake! He was able to rip the hinges of the ramp right off the box. He pulled out my sweet little ornate and chewed her up. I found her today and had to have her euthanized. This is just a beware post for everyone, plus advice on how to keep this raccoon out of my yard would be much appreciated!

 

[chase thorn]

i am so sorry to hear!! sorry i cant help with the solution. i bring my sullys in at night.

 

[dmarcus]

So sorry to hear about your Ornate. Wish I knew how to repeal raccoons

 

[chase thorn]

not sure, but would a security light scare a raccoon away? the ones that detect movement and turn on? just an idea that popped in my head.

 

[lynnedit]

Oh, I am so sorry to hear that you had to go through that!
I am not sure how to keep a determined raccoon out of a yard, except for a big dog. I know that is why some keep their torts locked in small outdoor sheds. Sure sounds like your boxes were a good idea, but raccoons are strong, I guess.
Is there any remaining food in the enclosure, especially things like Mazuri pellets, etc.? That might have lured them there, then they got curious?
What did you decide to do during the night from now on?

 

[kimber_lee_314]

Right now everyone is in the garage until I come up with a solution. I have too many turtle/tortoises to bring in every night though. Most of them are trained to go in their little houses, so I only have to go around and do a head count each night. I've been using this system for several years, so I was shocked that he was actually able to rip it lose like that. I've been thinking about a bog dog, but then I'd worry about him getting to the torts. I'm thinking I'm just going to have to build new pens with covers over the top.

 

[ChiKat]

I am so sorry for your loss Thank you for reminding us that these tragedies can happen and we need to take extra precautions!

Motion detector lights don't deter raccoons- at least not the ones around here! It's just an extra spotlight to them so I can watch them climb on my deck and eat the bird seed...and not move when I open the door and yell at them.

 

[Jacqui]

Once a coon associates your place with food, they can be hard to get to leave. Like was mentioned, make sure no food is left outside for any pets and garbage cans are in lock down mode. Coons can, as you discovered tear into things, find holes in walls/fences, ect.., They are smart, they are strong, they are not easily scared. Those lights will not bother them at all. Dogs can work, but they can also tear up a dog.

My best advice is live trap them and then have the animal destroyed. Do not release it somewhere to become a problem for somebody else. If you can't kill the animal, then just bring your tortoises in every evening... and do not wait for dusk even. These guys will start coming before dusk to eat.

 

[ascott]

I am so so very sorry for your loss and sorry for your little one;

www.predatorpee.com

You can purchase coyote urine....this is a natural predator of the racoon.....will not harm your torts but should deter the pesky racoon as well as skunks.....

You can also purchase wolf, bobcat and mountain lion urine for other pests....despite what some may think--that raccoons are cute and all, they are very vicious and carry rabies .....they will stalk as well as attack small children and pets....now, they would much rather avoid us, but if put in a corner (in their mind) they will turn very vicious....

 

[Tony the tank]

You don't need the actual dog.. You need the scent of a dog or any predator to keep most of the raccoons away.... It's tough for anyone to enjoy a meal.. If your worried of becoming a meal yourself[/i]

Feed stores sell coyote urine.. Even saw a place that had Mountain lion urine...Kind of makes you wonder how they collect it

 

[ascott]

the urine is collected at rehab/farms via floor grates...the pee donator simply urinates, it goes through the grate then collects and is then collected and processed....

 

[lynnedit]

If you build the outdoor pen(s) securely enough, it might work. There was a great thread by one of our members of one that looks pretty sturdy (set in the woods, so lots of predators).
Here it is-
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-It-s-Complete-Final-Stage#axzz1Xye8Ke8J

 

[Jacqui]

You don't need the actual dog.. You need the scent of a dog or any predator to keep most of the raccoons away.... It's tough for anyone to enjoy a meal.. If your worried of becoming a meal yourself[/i]

When we had the coon problem (they were going for chickens, not tortoises), I actually saved my own urine and marked the area, I left my hair from brushing, I left hair from the dogs' brush and brought dogs down to let them urinate on the chicken run fencing. The coons did not buy it.

Heck, I even ended up sleeping out with the chickens, trying to figure out how the coons were getting in and also trying to scare the coons away. They were not at all afraid of me, of the noise I could make, at lights I shown on them, but it did make for a rather funny time and learning experience. Of course, my neighbors I am sure ended up thinking I was even crazier then they thought.

I would like to try the coyote urine next time and see how that works, actually I would rather NOT ever have a next time.

---

If you build the outdoor pen(s) securely enough, it might work. There was a great thread by one of our members of one that looks pretty sturdy (set in the woods, so lots of predators).
Here it is-
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-It-s-Complete-Final-Stage#axzz1Xye8Ke8J

Dee's place! I got to see this one in person and it is indeed a very nice one. She has problems with the deer being able to stick their faces thru the wire enough to eat plants she has along the edge.

 

[Squirtle's Mother]

I'm so sorry to hear about that! It happened to me once too. I'm really sorry for your loss.

We all know that raccoons kill turtle/tortoises. I keep mine in little boxes with doors that come down as ramps at night so the raccoon can't get them. Last night I hear the neighbor's dog barking so I went out and saw a raccoon in the yard. I shooed him away but felt confident that everyone was safe. Big mistake! He was able to rip the hinges of the ramp right off the box. He pulled out my sweet little ornate and chewed her up. I found her today and had to have her euthanized. This is just a beware post for everyone, plus advice on how to keep this raccoon out of my yard would be much appreciated!

 

[Laura]

Jacqui is right... might have to trap him... they will be back. :-( and you cant release elswhere... or shouldnt..

you can also eat a big steak, high protien carnivore dinner.. save your urine or if you are aguy.. go out after dark and mark your territory.. see if that works!

 

[jackrat]

Coon is pretty good,baked with some sweet potatos.

 

[Neltharion]

I trap them. Not only do I have to worry about them getting torts, I also have a koi pond to worry about. I used to lose quite a few fish in the Summer. A trap with a can of wet cat food will draw them in before they go after torts or live fish.

I don't kill them though. I personally don't believe that they should have to die for doing what comes naturally to them, foraging for food. I spray them with mace, then drive them out to the nearby wildlife preserve and release them. When I first started, I was getting a raccoon about once every two weeks. Over time, their visits have become much more infrequent. This past Summer, I've only had one raccoon. They are smart animals. They remember where they got sprayed and don't come back.

 

[dmmj]

why do you spray them with mace?

 

[AnthonyC]

Such a tragic story. I'm sorry for your loss. It must've been traumatizing seeing your tort in that condition.

 

[yagyujubei]

Catch the raccoon and kill it. It will soon bring all it's relatives around. Two years ago, I killed 9 over a couple of weeks. The trap was on my porch.