Racoons on Tortoise

[Renj]

[/size][/font]Hi everyone,

I just got a redfoot 3 weeks ago from a reputable breeder in california, her name is Dora and she's a sub-adult 10 inches tortoise. Very active, healthy and doing great in her outdoor enclosure. However, I have to take her inside every night coz I'm afraid Racoons will come and chew on her. I know that they come every night and mess around the enclosure that I made for her because I saw their footprints everywhere. I don't know what they're looking for but Dora must have left some scent of sort that makes these Racoons visit her pen every night, dig beside her food dish and destroys the plants I put up in her enclosure. I'm thinking of putting up a cover like a chicken wire with a latch so I can leave Dora to sleep overnight now that the weather is nice but I'm afraid they can find their way inside. Are Racoons capable of destroying outdoor enclosures?

 

[dmmj]

Your bigger worry should be the raccoon killing and eating your tortoise, which they will. Either have a secure hiding spot which you lock or bring him in at night, the enclosure being destroyed is secondary, but they will also destroy the enclosure.

 

[jaizei]

You will probably need something tougher than chicken wire. Either hardware cloth or welded wire. And you will need something that actually locks rather than latches. Raccoons are skilled at figuring things out and breaking into pens.

 

[bigred]

I have some history with those little shi!$ , several years back I had a bunch of ornate boxies and a racoon bit off his tail and left him bleeding. It was my fault really for thinking they would be safe in the outdoor enclosure where they were. Racoons will bite off limbs and heads and tails just for the heck of it and leave them to die. What I did was get 2 traps and trap them and either relocate them or well you know. To me they are really just a big rat with a mask on. Traps work great

 

[NudistApple]

I lost a chicken and a clutch of eggs to a raccoon in a pretty secure outdoor enclosure. I would just bring her in each night.

 

[ascott]

Inside or a locked building....

Story;

I live in california, a couple hours or so away from Palm Springs...there is this aerial tram thing that takes you up to a restaurant....well, when we came out of the restaurant I had a doggy bag...my friend and I was walking back to the truck, and you know when you get that feeling like you are being followed, well I had that feeling and it was just about dusk--so I turn and look behind us and there was the meanest, ugliest, mangiest, snarling raccoon following us closing in on my doggy bag--that was in my hand...so yeah, I share this piece of info (really fast) and began to speed up...well, told the friend you better hurry...as he was laughing I broke from stride and began to mess with the raccoon....I started to bob and weave in the parking lot (for fun to see if he would follow)...well, I will strongly suggest for folks to NOT do this...it apparently ignites their instincts and will break into a quick stride almost a snarling run...so needless to say the bag went flying, my *** jumped into the bed of the pick up truck, friends laughter echoing through the canyon....not a proud moment....

 

[AustinASU]

here's what you need a beer, spotlight and a gun

 

[bigred]

here's what you need a beer, spotlight and a gun

I patially agree with you, Probably need more than one beer and bullets. The more beer you have the more bullets you will need

 

[AustinASU]

haha it's funny how that works

 

[TortoiseRN]

I hear coon-skin-hats are making a huge come back. Just saying.

 

[Yvonne G]

I know its a pain, but I think you should put Dora out in the morning and bring her back in at night. Raccoons are very agile and adept at getting into things. I wouldn't take a chance on leaving her out at night. The 'coons will eat your tortoise.

 

[acrantophis]

I have a 9' fence around the 2' wall that encloses my tortoise pen. I do this because I have a raccoon the size of a Kodiak bear in my neighborhood.

 

[RonHays]

here's what you need a beer, spotlight and a gun

Other than the beer, I agree!

 

[GBtortoises]

I have a 9' fence around the 2' wall that encloses my tortoise pen. I do this because I have a raccoon the size of a Kodiak bear in my neighborhood.

You do know that racoons climb right?

The height of fence is irrelevant to them! Unless it has a secure roof over it that they can't get into. A big one goes about 22-23 pounds, on rare occasion 25 pounds. Years ago when I was a teen we used to hunt them for their fur. That and it's just fun shooting things out of trees at night!

 

[bigred]

I have a 9' fence around the 2' wall that encloses my tortoise pen. I do this because I have a raccoon the size of a Kodiak bear in my neighborhood.

You do know that racoons climb right?

The height of fence is irrelevant to them! Unless it has a secure roof over it that they can't get into. A big one goes about 22-23 pounds, on rare occasion 25 pounds. Years ago when I was a teen we used to hunt them for their fur. That and it's just fun shooting things out of trees at night!

When I had one of them in the trap and left for about an hour, when I came back he bent the metal trap and got out. They are pretty smart and tough

 

[Nay]

Hot wire will help, but there are no guarantees! I have mine on a timer,but then again I haven't seen any around. I just worry.
I think if I knew they had ever been in my pen I would not ever leave them out.Nay

 

[Moozillion]

A friend of mine was losing whole ducklings and finding little pieces of them DESPITE them being locked inside a pen 24/7. We researched the possible culprits and found out raccoons are the largest member of the WEASEL family. Weasels are ruthless and efficient predators. One site referred to raccoons as "super-predators" because they are very smart and have OPPOSABLE thumbs like humans. I never knew they had opposable thumbs! They can easily open many things other animals can't. And they swim well too. My friend's duckling enclosure was made of double layers of chicken wire: good protection from CHICKENS but useless against raccoons!

 

[Jacqui]

Problem is, you no longer have very many options. You have allowed the coons to know the tortoise area is a food source. Your biggest asset is now lost and they have moved from just scouting to actively using your area as a nightly hunt zone. One thing everybody in here is over looking is, coons normally only come out and hunt at night, but they can and do come out at other times, too. I learned this when I played games with a family of them going after my chickens a few years back. I learned sometimes they would come out in the late afternoons or really early evenings, several hours before dusk.

I would no longer be allowing my tortoise out, except early in the day and when I am there. I would no longer be feeding her outside. Are they eating the plants or just knocking them around while searching for where the smells of food and tortoise are coming from? Can you have her out while your watching her in another area of the yard for awhile? Just totally abandon her current location.

 

[Nixxy]

AS cute and clever and amazing as raccoons are...they are not good to have around when you have torts. Unless you have Aldabra's or Galapogos, they are pretty dangerous to torts. They might not bother a large Sulcata, either.

The problem is, they can get into almost anything. They have opposable thumbs, sharp teeth and claws, and are super intelligent.

 

[Jacqui]

They are also smart enough to go into houses thru catdoors and even open windows. Once they set their minds to something they are stubborn and relentless. They also have no real fear of man.