I am so sorry for your loss Kimber and thank you for the warning.
Beware of raccoons!
- Thread starter kimber_lee_314
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Coyote/Fox urine does not work in my experience. Not even for the deer. 3 big Labradors patrolling the back yard does however!. I personally would set the live trap. Throw a can of tuna in it. It sounds like you have a renegade raccoon.
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It all depends on how desensitized the the animal is..The racoon could lose fear of people if they no longer associate danger from them...A raccoon that lives in the city.. Most likely can't associate predator urine with danger.. Since few have ever encountered a predator in the city...
I use to have a family of Racoons that lived in the woods in front of my house..everyday they would feast on the rubbish.. I would go out with a stick and try to scare them they would hiss and act annoyed but not leave... So one day I released the dogs(two very lg rotties).. they grabbed a few and killed two..there were six.. It's been two yrs now and they have never come returned..
If the urine doesn't work..Contact your ACO..and tell them you think you have a sick raccoon(tell him you see him in the daytime and night time acting aggressive) coming around your property and see if they can set a trap..
If they can't help.. Then a couple pieces of meat.. Or peanut butter.. Loaded with rat poison....
I use to have a family of Racoons that lived in the woods in front of my house..everyday they would feast on the rubbish.. I would go out with a stick and try to scare them they would hiss and act annoyed but not leave... So one day I released the dogs(two very lg rotties).. they grabbed a few and killed two..there were six.. It's been two yrs now and they have never come returned..
If the urine doesn't work..Contact your ACO..and tell them you think you have a sick raccoon(tell him you see him in the daytime and night time acting aggressive) coming around your property and see if they can set a trap..
If they can't help.. Then a couple pieces of meat.. Or peanut butter.. Loaded with rat poison....
dmmj said:
Raccoons are very intelligent animals. They remember where they were sprayed at. With the mace being a very unpleasant experience for them, after being sprayed once, they don't come back.
I figure several hours of discomfort is better than killing them.
M
Maggie Cummings
Guest
I am so sorry that happened to your animal. It must have been horrible for you to find your ornate like that. You might try this...
http://www.safepetproducts.com/scarecrow-motion-sprinkler.html?gclid=CIGT36KKoKsCFQhrgwodLzuGZg
If the link doesn't work It's called a Scarecrow, it's a motion sensor sprinkler. From what I have been told they really work. Coons are very smart and will remember being sprayed with water and they should not come back after that. I seriously think it's worth the money to protect your animals...
http://www.safepetproducts.com/scarecrow-motion-sprinkler.html?gclid=CIGT36KKoKsCFQhrgwodLzuGZg
If the link doesn't work It's called a Scarecrow, it's a motion sensor sprinkler. From what I have been told they really work. Coons are very smart and will remember being sprayed with water and they should not come back after that. I seriously think it's worth the money to protect your animals...
dmmj said:
No, I didn't take your question to be criticism at all. Its all good.
I found that from when I first got the koi pond five years ago. I went from getting a raccoon every other week. Up until this year, where I've only gotten one. I believe these are newbies straying in my yard and not the same ones coming back. They always go for the catfood in the trap before they go after the koi or torts.
I don't make any judgments against anyone that choose to kill raccoons for the protection of their tortoises. Our torts are pets that we become attached to, and also investments of our time and money. If I believed that the same ones were coming back, I'd probably kill the raccoons too as a last resort.
I am a huge animal enthusiast, all kinds. Aside from the torts, we also keep bearded dragons, the koi, two dogs, a moluccan cockatoo, a cat, and a chinchilla. For me personally, I find it a huge ethical dilemma to kill an animal that's following its instincts and hunting/foraging for food. I feel bad about spraying them with mace, but figure they're a lot better off with three to four hours of discomfort as opposed to being killed. I go with what I can live with on my conscience.
I have lots of raccoons in my neighborhood. I like them, little bears that they are, but they would obviously wreck my tortoises. Since I happen to have my dogs, however, this becomes a non-issue for me.
I'm so sorry to hear about your tortoise!
You can try the urine and trap & release methods, but racoons are a very smart animals and I will say (from personal experience) they are unbelievable stubborn animals too! They do belong to the Carnivora and it will be difficult to break the raccoon of its habits. I agree with most folks that it isn't fair to kill a raccoon for its foraging habits, but if it threatens significant investments and loved ones (I'm talking your torts here), removal is probably your best bet.
Many are probably upset at my saying this, but if you live in a relatively rural area I'd keep a shotgun nearby and, next visit it makes, welcome it with some spray. There are many raccoons out there. This is, of course, if you feel comfortable doing this. If not but you do want to kill it, you can report it as a nuisance animal to one of your state agencies (not sure where you're at) and they may be able trap it for you.
I'd like to add that I'm a huge animal lover, but when it comes to something like this, I feel elimination is your safest and swiftest option, there are many, many raccoons in the wild (as I mentioned previously).
I'm sorry if my opinion upsets you or anyone else. I just see it as a major threat to your tortoises and the significant time, care, and affection you provide them. As always, take my opinion or leave it. I wish you luck with your problem!
You can try the urine and trap & release methods, but racoons are a very smart animals and I will say (from personal experience) they are unbelievable stubborn animals too! They do belong to the Carnivora and it will be difficult to break the raccoon of its habits. I agree with most folks that it isn't fair to kill a raccoon for its foraging habits, but if it threatens significant investments and loved ones (I'm talking your torts here), removal is probably your best bet.
Many are probably upset at my saying this, but if you live in a relatively rural area I'd keep a shotgun nearby and, next visit it makes, welcome it with some spray. There are many raccoons out there. This is, of course, if you feel comfortable doing this. If not but you do want to kill it, you can report it as a nuisance animal to one of your state agencies (not sure where you're at) and they may be able trap it for you.
I'd like to add that I'm a huge animal lover, but when it comes to something like this, I feel elimination is your safest and swiftest option, there are many, many raccoons in the wild (as I mentioned previously).
I'm sorry if my opinion upsets you or anyone else. I just see it as a major threat to your tortoises and the significant time, care, and affection you provide them. As always, take my opinion or leave it. I wish you luck with your problem!
sorry i hate to hear that
I've put food out from my house-- creating a trail away. Seems to have worked. Keep going further into the woods.
Hi Diane:
That might work just the opposite of what you want, that is...bringing them into the house by starting out at the end point.
That might work just the opposite of what you want, that is...bringing them into the house by starting out at the end point.
I haven't had to use it, but I keep a few cans of wasp and hornet spray outside to use on any unwanted stray or wild animal that may venture into the yard and is not seen by one of my dogs (which is very unlikely) unlike mace it is legal everywhere and it doesn't cost much and it will stop just about anything that is sprayed with it.-----I wish it was sold in pocket size cans---- also .22 shorts don't make much noise. Sorry about your Loss
The active ingredients in wasp and hornet killers are pyrethroids, which are synthetic versions of pyrethrins. Pyrethrin is an extract from chrysanthemums, and is an ideal pesticide for agriculture and many home uses due to its high toxicity to insects, even at low doses, while being very safe to mammals and birds.??Len?? said:
Probably what worked well for you was simply that the raccons were startled by you squirting them with a foamy spray all of a sudden.
On the other hand, the reason pyrethroids are effective on insects, but not mammals or birds is because most modern insecticides are designed to target specific biological processes that only ectotherms possess. Ectotherms are cold blooded animals, like insects. Unfortunately fish and reptiles are also ectotherms.
Most of the safety data on insecticides refers to mammals, birds, fish, and different classes of insects and spiders. Rarely do they mention reptiles. But they are often quite succeptible to these otherwise safe insecticides.
So, long story short, be careful about where you spray your wasp and hornet killer. If the animal is in your tortoise or turtle pen, don't spray, because the next day your torts will be walking back and forth through it!
Steve
supremelysteve said:
What probably worked well for him was simply that it burns like Hellfire in the eyes. Strong irritant to mucous membranes and sometimes skin if the concentration is sufficient.
As for the safety profile, synthetic pyrethroids are relatively safe, but by no means very safe and that includes humans and birds. Pyrethroids target the same sodium channels that you and I possess and not "specific biological processes that only ectotherms possess." We simply are better at enzymatically deactivating them on a relative scale, so they are far less toxic for a given given concentration upon exposure, on a relative scale, to us. That is the source of the aforementioned relative safety, with toxicity of any substance being a matter of dose.
Around here, if a 'coon comes into our fenced yard, my wife's cavies and bunnies and my daughter's chickens are in danger (the tortoise enclosures are locked), so if one of the big dogs doesn't beat me to him/her, his/her dismembered self goes into the crockpot, along with potatoes, garlic and onions, courtesy of my 60# recurve and a broadhead-tipped 2117.
emysemys said:
So far it has worked
And I use feeding blocks as well- they are huge and take a while to break down (not cheap either)...and they are far away. So far, so good Feeding blocks come in all types of flavors...and my neighbor pitched in for the good food- so the distraction for them to relocate to another huge tree has helped us out a lot. We didn't want to hurt them....I feel really bad about this poor little turtle - so sad to come out and find it in that condition....
I stand corrected!Baoh said:
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