Racoons in my backyard at 3am!!! (Howe: house, buy, live)

[512ATX]

2 HUGE racoons that looked like that size of baby bears crawled under my fence and into my yard digging around. IMO they were digging because I normally toss out the un-eaten dry dog food that my dog leaves in her bowl since it's usually covered in ants by the time I go out to pick up her bowls...well, I think they were eating that dog food because they bounced around the yard "nibbling" and pausing. I have no nut trees and my fruit trees are dormant so I know that's what they were eating.

MY question is...now that I got Racoons casing my yard out at night what can I do to get rid of them??

the good thing is, when the coons showed up the ferel cats broke camp.

Lesser of two evils?

I have a 22 that I can put to use if the coons come back but I don't wanna send them to Coon heaven I just want them to move along and never come back.

help me out here. I would hate for my little Bichon to get mugged by some Wild Coons since I do let her out at night for sometimes hours because she likes it. .

[atxcio]

Keep the food inside, bungie your trashcans, and make sure they have no shelter available under your house (block the crawlspace).

You can also try coyote urine, available at some garden stores.

But they should go away if they have no food or shelter available there. You could also trap and relocate them. Typically you only need to trap one; leave it in the trap for a few hours before getting rid of it somewhere far away. The others will usually get the message.

[kiacook]

Area wildlife is starving due to the drought - there is literally nothing growing and nothing to eat. If they're not doing any damage, you could keep on feeding them the dog food you would just throw away anyway. If there is a spot outside your yard (if you're near a green belt or empty lot) you could throw it there so they don't come in your yard.

[512ATX]

Originally Posted by atxcio

Keep the food inside, bungie your trashcans, and make sure they have no shelter available under your house (block the crawlspace).

You can also try coyote urine, available at some garden stores.

But they should go away if they have no food or shelter available there. You could also trap and relocate them. Typically you only need to trap one; leave it in the trap for a few hours before getting rid of it somewhere far away. The others will usually get the message.

As far as going "under" my house, that's not gonna happen (slab), and my trashcan has a self lock on it so that's out too, but my issue is the dog eating in the house/garage. my Bichon is on the clock so to speak, she'll eat some now, some later, it takes her about 2 hours to finish a meal because she's such a Diva dog..lol..and the garage is way too hot. that being said, she poops in between eating so I can't go for her eating, then pooping/peeing on my new carpet, then eating some more then wanting to go outside.
so to remedy that...I just put her outside for the entire time, sometimes she eats it all, other times not so much, but she gets to poop/peep under her favorite tree and roam the backyard. which she loves.

I guess I could toss the food in the inside trashcan but that would bring ants inside eventually and I prefer to keep them little suckers outside in the yard.

[512ATX]

Originally Posted by kiacook

Area wildlife is starving due to the drought - there is literally nothing growing and nothing to eat. If they're not doing any damage, you could keep on feeding them the dog food you would just throw away anyway. If there is a spot outside your yard (if you're near a green belt or empty lot) you could throw it there so they don't come in your yard.

I do have a greenbelt and I did ponder tossing the old dog food over the fence into the greenbelt to keep them on that side. but that doesn't keep them away from my yard does it?

thanks. I think I'll try this. but if all else fails, I'm bringing out the .22

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by 512ATX

I do have a greenbelt and I did ponder tossing the old dog food over the fence into the greenbelt to keep them on that side. but that doesn't keep them away from my yard does it?

thanks. I think I'll try this. but if all else fails, I'm bringing out the .22

It is illegal for you to fire a firearm in the city and most populated areas. You could accidentally kill or maim a kid. It is possible to use a live trap to capture and then relocate the coons to a new location. Legally I believe you are supposed to hire a licensed pest control company to do that for you.

However there could be a lot more then just the two you saw visiting your yard. I relocated two from my yard just to have more show up later. As long as there is food available in your yard, you will continue to have visitors.

But as others have said, your best bet is to stop making food available to them.

[512ATX]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

It is illegal for you to fire a firearm in the city and most populated areas. You could accidentally kill or maim a kid. It is possible to use a live trap to capture and then relocate the coons to a new location. Legally I believe you are supposed to hire a licensed pest control company to do that for you.

However there could be a lot more then just the two you saw visiting your yard. I relocated two from my yard just to have more show up later. As long as there is food available in your yard, you will continue to have visitors.

But as others have said, your best bet is to stop making food available to them.

I know. and I understand. but I can't afford to have them trapped and relocated. I just paid down a $700 utility bill that I have yet to figure how it got so high since I'm rarely home. sux, but yeah I'll stop with the dog food dump and see what happens.

[NY Annie]

I hate raccoons - they are such a nuisance. I found that putting out rags soaked in ammonia helps. They hate that smell (like coyote urine, I think).

As for the cats running, cats and raccoons get along. My old tomcat used to follow them around.

[someguyatx]

If you dont want to pay somebody then buy some traps. These should work on raccoons and is much safer than shooting in the dark Catch and Relase Live Animal Trap, Pack of 2 - 5132129 | Tractor Supply Company

[512ATX]

Originally Posted by someguyatx

If you dont want to pay somebody then buy some traps. These should work on raccoons and is much safer than shooting in the dark Catch and Relase Live Animal Trap, Pack of 2 - 5132129 | Tractor Supply Company

+

cool thanks. I'll look into these