Learn how to identify raccoons and how to get rid of raccoons in your garden with these helpful tips.
What Are Raccoons?
Raccoons (Procyon lotor) have masks over their eyes because they could rob even a bank vault. These resourceful animals are second in persistence and imagination to no other animal (unless it’s a squirrel at a bird feeder).
Raccoons are great climbers, swimmers, jumpers, and runners. Their five-toed paws make them very dexterous, and their agility can allow them to outsmart every human concoction used to deter them. If they aren’t breaking into your garden, they might try to climb into your chimney to use it as a den.
Raccoons do not hibernate during the winter, but they will live in dens for periods of severe weather, causing them to lose a lot of their body fat in northern areas. They often live in hollow trees during the warm part of the year. Populations of raccoons often include many youngsters, and families will stay together for about a year.
What Do Raccoons Eat?
Raccoons are nocturnal and omnivorous, meaning they eat anything from grubs to crayfish, as well as all the plants and vegetables that you have in your garden, too. Especially in the fall, they develop a taste for fruits like apples, peaches, and pears, but they also enjoy a variety of vegetables, like sweet corn, potatoes, and peas.
Even though wild raccoons prefer areas with trees and a source of water, more and more of them are raiding gardens because gardens are an easy source of food. They’ll be even happier if you have a source of water and some forest near your garden.
Reader Comments
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Say no to relocation
Relocating animals is a very bad habit, especially if they are not being destructive, are not dangerous, or are not creating a health hazard. When you relocate you run the risk of 1) leaving baby animals without a mother, 2) causing the mother to find it's way home via a street or other dangerous path, 3) diminishing the gene pool. If you find that an animal has invaded your home, chances are that it wants/needs a safe place to make a nest. We have been very successful in creating habitats for our neighborhood critters, to where our house is not] longer appealing. We also use locking handle trash receptacles, and clean the recyclables before putting them out, so as to not attract critters in places we don't want them. Good habits = living in harmony with nature.
How to Control RACCOONS
I have found a Have-A-Heart trap to be the most effective. I caught all the raccoons in my neighborhood last summer, 5 total. Relocated them about 5 miles away in a rural area. On second-guess it would have been better to release them across the river from my county.
Almost anything can be used for bait. Raccoons have an especial appetite for Marshmallows. In fact that is printed on the box which contained the trap. I can verify that the raccoons in my area loved marshmallows.
Some have complained that the Have-A -Heart does not work. The bait was gone but the trap was not sprung. Reason for that is probably the animal was too light to spring the trap. If you are careful the trap can be set to a more sensitive setting. Also if that doesn't work a weight can be taped to the tripping platform. Use some any kind of metal such as bolts, nuts or whatever you have.
Relocation of Raccoons
Hope you don't live in Ohio. It is illegal to relocate raccoons to anywhere other than your property. Which kind of defeats the purpose. The reason is that raccoons can carry rabies and that would spread of the disease through relocation. As a person who lives in a wooded area I'd like to thank those who bring us the gifts of more raccoons, cats, dogs etc.
How to Control RACCOONS
I have found a Have-A-Heart trap to be the most effective. I caught all the raccoons in my neighborhood last summer, 5 total. Relocated them about 5 miles away in a rural area. On second-guess it would have been better to release them across the river from my county.
Almost anything can be used for bait. Raccoons have an especial appetite for Marshmallows. In fact that is printed on the box which contained the trap. I can verify that the raccoons in my area loved marshmallows.
Some have complained that the Have-A -Heart does not work. The bait was gone but the trap was not sprung. Reason for that is probably the animal was too light to spring the trap. If you are careful the trap can be set to a more sensitive setting. Also if that doesn't work a weight can be taped to the tripping platform. Use some any kind of metal such as bolts, nuts or whatever you have.
It is illegal to rehome
It is illegal to rehome raccoons in North Carolina also and for the same reason.
In a rural area. relocating raccoon
I used a Hav-a-Heart and took him over 10 miles away. four weeks to the day he returned to my house/attic. And, yes, it is the same one.
How to Control RACCOONS
I have found a Have-A-Heart trap to be the most effective. I caught all the raccoons in my neighborhood last summer, 5 total. Relocated them about 5 miles away in a rural area. On second-guess it would have been better to release them across the river from my county.
Almost anything can be used for bait. Raccoons have an especial appetite for Marshmallows. In fact that is printed on the box which contained the trap. I can verify that the raccoons in my area loved marshmallows.
Some have complained that the Have-A -Heart does not work. The bait was gone but the trap was not sprung. Reason for that is probably the animal was too light to spring the trap. If you are careful the trap can be set to a more sensitive setting. Also if that doesn't work a weight can be taped to the tripping platform. Use some any kind of metal such as bolts, nuts or whatever you have.
Raccoons
Raccoons are not only smart but they are also vicious creatures who will eat your cats and can kill your dogs. They also can collapse their bones allowing them to squeeze through little spaces you won't think them capable of fitting through. They carry a wide variety of nasty diseases. The biggest one I've shot had weighted almost 40 pounds (average size where I live is 30 to 40 lbs). One raccoon by itself killed both of my neighbors full grown German Sheppard's in the same attack in the middle of the day. To get rid of them, you need to shoot them. Yes. Shoot them. They are not cute little animals, they are s nasty, deadly disease carrying, over populated nuisance.
BS
There is no way in hell 1 40lb raccoon killed 2 german shepards at once. German shepards weight upwards of 60lbs each can rip apart a human and are trained police dogs. 1 alone would tear any sized raccoon to pieces...2 of them and it would be hard to even tell it used to be a raccoon... stop being such a jackass
Trained Police Raccoons
Sounds like the police should be training these mammoth raccoons then instead of German Shepherds!
Racoons
Buy from Amazon bottle of 100% coyote urine sprinkle around & good buy coons.
Raccoons
Ok I have tried all that you list to get rid of raccoons except catching I don’t want to that . I bought the strobe light with cougar sound plus another sound both not affective. Once raccoons feel no threat they move the device out of their path for food . I was at wits end until a week ago. I read somewhere about using cougar urine . I felt this was my last chance because I have outdoor cats that were scared to death . Neededto something.
Well I can tell ya it works perfectly. Setting the urine around perimeter especially if you know where they come out of . I am on my second week ‘’’knock on wood’’ it’s working .
Making my life , my cats and the raccoons much better to live together.
My cats can now eat at night without fear. As for the raccoons, lol there are now bother someone in neighborhood instead of me.
Just wanted to share oh by the way a bottle of cougar urine 5.99 it’s too bad I had spent 150 on devices before a 5.99 cured my problem
Raccoons
Several years ago we were having problems with raccoons - they were killing & eating my son's 4-H rabbits. We live trapped several & disposed of them. We even trapped some that had no bait in them. Someone told us about Nite Guard lights or Predator Eye - we bought about 8 of them and haven't had a problem with raccoons since. You can find the light on Amazon.
Killer raccoons
Raccoons will lead a dog to water where they will wrap themselves around them and hold their head under water and drowned them they are notorious for this they are very smart .
Raccoons
A neighbor has allowed his beautiful Tudor style home to go to rack and ruin. He moved out, tried to sell the house, but wanted far too much, so no one would buy it. The house has been empty for over 5 years, and is now the dwelling place of many raccoons. Since he pays someone to cut the grass every few weeks, there is almost nothing to be done about the situation although many n our neighborhood have complained by phone and in writing to the Town Government and tot he County Board of Health. A few m onths ago, it seemed a repairman was at the house so I went over to ask if it had been bought, and if new owners were beginning restorations. The man replied the owner had wanted him to fix a gutter that is hanging off and to do something inside, but had placed the keys with our police department. When the repairman went to the police, they refused to give him he keys because of all the raccoons living there. They are afraid some may be rabid. Several of us called the Board of Health again, but nothing was done. I think this owner must be paying off someone with influence. Because we're in suburban Long Island, there are lots of laws, but the owner seems to be above them. We are grateful that his home is surrounded by large thuja trees and therefore we don't have to see the condition the house is in!
Raccoons
We have a cabin in a remote area of the mountains of NE Georgia and feed the birds.. We have trail cameras out and see the raccoons destroying ornamental plants and even scaling a squirrel proof bird feeder. As they dug up the feeder's pole; they are quite ingenious..
Originally, it was a family of 3 raccoons; now, it is down to one raccoon.. Although GA DNR will claim there aren't any cougars, period. As I have a picture of a 75-80# one, my trail cams disagree.. I have a picture of a large footprint also which implies an even bigger cougar...
As I can't expect the cougars to protect our container plants; I take the dogs out to urinate by the containers which has proven to be effective.
Raccoons
Trap and release is only giving someone else your problem. Trap with live trap using marshmallows and shoot them. Dispose of properly. Put them in a thick trash bag and roll up tightly and tape securely. Put in deep freeze until trash day and they will be gone.
Raccoons in the attic
I've lived in this house about 15 years now, and although we live in a small city, there's a ton of wildlife in my neighborhood. My neighbors and I joke about our "pet coons and groundhogs" and find the squirrels entertaining, as well as the rest of the wild life. It wasn't a problem until last year, when my next door neighbor took a fancy to a family of feral cats and started feeding them on his porch day and night. The coons love cat food, and started coming around and eating with the cats, scaling the houses, and playing on the roofs - keeping us up all night long. We trapped a few and relocated them, but I finally begged my neighbor to please only feed the cats in the morning, and not both morning and night. He did, for a while, then started to sneak & feed them late at night (I would hear him - our houses are very close). Long story short, one of the coons got pregnant and ripped a hole in my roof to get in and have her babies in the attic. The noise was deafening!! First, the sound of roofing and wood being torn apart, then the birthing, then the babies and the mewling and skittering and scratching, all night long. We couldn't figure out exactly where they were, because the noise seemed to be everywhere, until I was talking to another neighbor one day and looked up to see a large hole in my roof, surrounded by debris. Since then, we've had two "critter guys" and three roofers out here to get rid of the problem. It took about three months, but the coons are finally gone, but the three roofers have all refused to climb my steep roof to fix the hole (I live in a 100 year old faux-Victorian farmhouse), so there is always the possibility of another coon family moving in, not to mention the possible further damage from inclement weather. Anybody have any suggestions. Still looking for roofers, too...
raccoons
I have twice had raccoons as pets and consider myself as partial to them. But, now consider them an overpopulated nuisance. I can't keep chickens anymore because they kill every bird. Yes, they do occasionally kill cats, especially kittens. They will usually just eat all your cat's food.My cat hides from them. They will steal from your garden too. When something is in season that they like such as sweet corn, watermelons, canteloupe, tomatoes, etc; they can come in your garden several families together and wipe you out in a couple of nights. I have trapped alive many coons but finally gave up and kill them when I can.The best way to keep them at bay is an outside free roaming dog. Which can cause other problems...
Raccoons in my yard
I have raccoons that visit frequently, usually in the wee hours. They get up on my shed and cruise my yard. I do not have a veg garden. I do not keep pet food or bird feed out. Tonight I tried spraying with water to scare them off. It looks to be a family. I think the parents are out and about looking for food and the kids are holed up under my shed, then come out to play. When they see me, they go back under the shed, but keep coming back out. They’ve been at it for 3 hours tonight.
Something leaving deep holes in my yard and muddy footprints
I see muddy footprints on my pool deck (look like 3-4 toes) in the a.m. here in Florida not sure if it's going in the pool too, some mud in the pool but for sure deep holes in the dirt part of the back yard. How about moth balls? Does anyone know if that works? Ty
raccoon repellent
Although some older sources mention mothballs as a raccoon repellent, it is no longer recommended, now that we know more about pesticides. Unless the label says otherwise, mothballs are meant for indoor use only (as a pesticide, it is regulated by the EPA). One concern is that placing them outside can leach toxic pesticide chemicals into the environment (soil, water, plants). The mothballs can also be poisonous to children, pets, and all wildlife. In addition, even for adults, prolonged exposure to mothballs can be hazardous, and can cause mild to serious health issues. As an alternative, you might try mustard oil, which is said to deter raccoons in certain cases.
Raccoons Endangered ??
I was told (here in CA) that raccoons were an endangered species. Can anyone tell me why??????? They have already killed 6 feral cats in my backyard. How can I tell you ask - because they rip them apart. Hate these critters.
raccoons
No, raccoons are not classified as rare or endangered. That said, you’ll see need to check with your local laws which may have other legal restrictions.
Are the racoons eating the
Are the racoons eating the Cats or killing them only? Have you solved them killing them yet?
Cats
I am so sorry to hear about your cats. I worry about one I am feeding. They scale my 4ft fence around my garden. I did’t plant corn last year. I know they are God’s creatures, but whew, infuriating.,
raccoon killing cats
I fear this is what may have happened to my feral cats that I trapped ,fixed and released a coon family has moved in and one by one the cats are disappearing. I know they are eating the food I put out for the cats I did not know until today they will kill a cat. I am so upset about this.
Fish Pond
My poor little fish pond has been hit twice now. I really just wanted it for the sound of running water and a couple of water plants. But I started getting mosquito larvae so I got some feeder gold fish from the pet store and no more larvae. Well, I guess the racoon likes fish even tho they are very small. He has torn up my plants and the pond and has eaten all the fish, twice now. I really don't know what to do about this. Animal Control seems to not care even tho I live in town. I do have an outside cat and a small inside dog, after reading some of the other comments I am now worried for their safety. I have set a trap but have not caught it, I also have several wind chimes in the area, he seems to not be afraid of anything. If anyone has better suggestions, I am willing to try anything at this point.
Pond Netting
For the disappearing fish problem, you may want to look into pond netting. It could prove to be just enough of an obstacle to deter the raccoon(s). Also try placing strong-scented substances in dishes around your pond, such as garlic and chili powder or Irish Spring soap. Make sure that any run-off produced by these substances doesn’t enter your pond and that a curious dog doesn’t sniff the wrong thing!
coon eating fish
suggest a dish of cat food mixed with broken razor blades bits.
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