Well it seems we have a new neighbour, he’s noisy, messy, and smelly. And I have the feeling that using the old fish fertilizer trick on him isn’t going to scare him away. That might even keep him around too much.
He isn’t a picky eater, and he’s a scavenger. Some people know them as Masked Bandits. We call him a Raccoon.
We were hanging out on the deck yesterday afternoon when Boo pounced on something, and headed straight for the open patio door. It was a good thing that Gar noticed him, I was busy repotting a new acquisition of a red maple tree, and my mind was elsewhere.
At the last second Gar managed to catch hold of our evasive black beauty with his squeaking bounty in his mouth. Yes, Boo had caught a mouse, and he had managed to do it all by himself. Although at first Gar did say that the mouse most likely marched in front of the Boo, laid it’s self down and died, but I knew better.
Boo the proud hunter was praised for his vermin catching skills, and the poor dead mouse was quickly dispatched to the compost pile that lurks on the edge of our deck.
Life went on, and the afternoon passed. Later we were sitting inside and noticed that the Boo had perked right up. He headed out the door at a dash, and curious I followed.
There at the compost pile was this raccoon, munching on the mouse. The neighbour’s cats were only 3 feet from it wondering what the animal was doing, and Boo showed no fear, but seemed inquisitive. This certainly called for the immediate use of the water hose, but even that wouldn’t scare our new neighbour away.
I vote for eviction, but that might be hard to do. This guy seems determined to stay. The pics are not the best, it was a little dark under the Rhodies, but I wanted to show you just how big and dangerous this guy is.
So if you have any [nice] suggestions on how to evict him, please let me know!!
If you haven’t already, don’t forget to enter the giveaway from Ramsign, you can find that post here. It’s on until Saturday, May 28th 2011.
Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams
Cute pics! Are racoons dangerous? I had no idea.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning, Jen,
ReplyDeleteHmmmm...he is dangerously close, and we wouldn't want him to tangle with the cats, now would we. He does have a cute face and could be a good subject for a photo shoot?
Sorry, I don't know how to get rid of him...I'd be calling animal control here.
Have a terrific Tuesday. ~Natalie
Raccoons: a gardener's scourge. No suggestions here. Well, my dad years ago set up motion lights in his garden to scare the vermin away, but I don't think it worked. Hope you don't plan on planting corn! Kudos to Boo.
ReplyDeleteYikes. Racoons can be so dangerous! I'd call animal control too. A racoon wouldn't think twice about attacking a kitty. Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteJen~
ReplyDeleteRaccoons carry rabies..
they do NOT think twice about attacking anyone /anything when in the throes of the disease..
in the past, I have caught them in "have a heart cages" and relocated them..
the best option is call animal control to rid you of his presence..
the compost pile is like a deli to him..
good luck!!
warm sandy hugs..
Loui♥
Even if you evict him, you may find another return in his place. We have the best luck simply making sure there's nothing available for them to eat. Picking up fallen fruit under fruit trees, no pet food outside, a secure compost bin, and bungees over the trash can lids if necessary. If it's a particularly persistent raccoon, then I'd consider relocation. Good luck with your masked bandit, they can be rather formidable, especially around pets...and chickens!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi all, I have been having great difficulties with leaving comments on anyones blog, even mine.
ReplyDeleteBut, this one might work, so... I just wanted to add some details that were missing in the post. The so called compost pile, is nothing more then a pile of dirt, and dead plants, no food at all. We make sure that we keep any water, or food inside, there is nothing to temp him at all. But he insists on hanging around.
We now have children here in this building, and many more cats. It's dangerous for them, but it seems that Animal Control won't be helping out much.
Raccoons are very dangerous, to animals, and people, stay away from them.
Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams
I hope he moves on. I think they are cute to look at but they can be a real pain. They occasionally come and tear up the pond, making a mess and never catching the fish they are after. One attacked our neighbor's husky one night. Keep your kitty inside at night.
ReplyDeleteNow that was just rude of the Raccoon taking Boo's hard earned meal from him. LOL! I have been known to runat them with a broom to chase them off. LOL!
ReplyDeleteYou can get what's called a Havahart trap. It traps raccoons without hurting them, and then you can take the trap somewhere far away and release him.
ReplyDeletewe never had any luck with keeping raccoons away so I'm afraid I'm no help there,, lovely photos though.We once had a raccoon get into one of our cars,, our teenage son left a window down when he came home one night and it gotin the car and pooped in it.We had to replace the car seat,, couldn't get the smell out,, keep the car and truck windows up!
ReplyDeleteoh dear, when I lived in North Vancouver raccoons were a HUGE problem. Every week they were into the garbage bins. We tried dissuading them by wrapping pieces of ham around wasabi but they appeared to like it. who knew?
ReplyDeleteSorry about your raccoon problem ~ and I have no advise to give. I just have rabbit problems. Not dangerous, just a lot of perennials munched on and lots of rabbit 'pellets' left behind. ;)
ReplyDeleteGood luck getting rid of the new 'neighbour'!
xo Catherine
It's a pity they're such pests -- they are just sooooo cute. Cuteness aside, when we had problems with raccoons under the back porch, ammonia (the smell is the deterrent), bright lights, obnoxious rock music were all suggested. Lee Valley Tools also used to have a motion-sensitive sprinkler intended to soak unwanted visitors. There might also be some wildlife "control"/rescue organizations in your area which might be able to provide some advice -- I know there are some in Montreal where I live. Not sure if any of these suggestions would be practical for your particular situation though.
ReplyDelete/krys
I have no idea how to chase away a racoon but.....your photos are sure beautiful. What an incredible animal, pesky though it is.
ReplyDeleteI've heard that you shouldn't leave any food out for them. There's no way to get rid of them but they won't come around if there isn't any food. I cover my patio pond at night because they love water especially during a summer drought. I love your photos. The darn things sure are cute. Interesting that your cats just watch. I've noticed the same thing with my cats.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if its the season for raccoons to have a nest with babes nearby? Maybe the reason this one is so persistent in remaining? They are so cute, it is hard to believe they can be vicious. I hope that he/she moves on so all of you and your domesticated critters can move about freely again!
ReplyDeleteYikes! I have always heard that they are nocturnal, and if you see one during the day, it is rabid. I don't know if that is an old wives tale, but I do know that I wouldn't want to tangle with one on my deck! Sorry, I don't have any practical solutions... Good luck, and keep your kitty safe. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, and congrats on the mouse! Our cat once sat on my lap and watched a mouse run practically over my feet, and didn't move... :)
My comment disappeared? Lovely shots...hope that you can all live in harmony...
ReplyDeleteHi Jen, Get a live trap and bait it and then have Gar drive him way out in the country...I wouldn't want him around either. I would dispatch him out of my area one way or the other. That may sound mean but they often carry rabies:(
ReplyDeleteI only know about elk! We've had raccoons get our chickens but that has been years ago. Kim
ReplyDelete