Raccoons, Cute or Dangerous?

illwind - Toronto Canada: 7th Feb 2006 - 19:13 GMT

I had the pleasure of a family of raccoons living on my third floor outside alcove.

The mess they made was incredible.

They are pests; they carry disease (such as rabies) and they fear no one!

Good luck in getting rid of them.

Regards,

Illwind

P.S. BBQ raccoons with a little of ketchup/tomato sauce/hoisin sauce and teriyaki glaze is to die for!

Squirrel: 7th Feb 2006 - 19:34 GMT

Geez people, what's the matter with you? Raccoons are cute and harmless.

I had a whole family of them living in my backyard. I spent all summer working in the back yard while mom and the 'kids' played right next to me.

They were like yard pets.

And what's with the 'they carry disease' stuff? Do you know which species carries the most diseases communicable to humans? Rats? No it's HUMANS!

Hobart: 7th Feb 2006 - 19:38 GMT

Actually, Google indicates that many bird species carry more "diseases" than most other species, and that insects, as a whole, are in fact nature's busiest disease carriers.

Though this might be considered besides the point ;-D

grange: 7th Feb 2006 - 19:46 GMT

good recipe illwind , and they come with there own tooth picks too .
A nice chilled chardoney goes good as well.
Cheers all .
PS . BBQ clowns suck however, as all that makeup ruins the gravey ..
( please stop me if I have gone too far no that one )

Hobart: 7th Feb 2006 - 19:49 GMT

For the curious:

www.netcooks.com/recipes/Game/Baked.Raccoon.html
www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/264/Barbecue_Raccoon9749.shtml
www.hugs.org/Stuffed_Roast_Racoon.shtml
www.backwoodsbound.com/zracoon.html
www.recipeland.com/recipe/1696

Don't forget to remove those lymph glands, kids!

illwind - Toronto Canada: 7th Feb 2006 - 19:49 GMT

Squirrel:

The most diseases transmitted to humans: Humans (agreed)

The most infected mouth to cause the worst infections: from humans

Almost all the lethal diseases to humans ARE transmitted are from humas.

HOWEVER, almost all the viral diseases ORIGINATED from the animal kingdom; mutation of the viral genome made it possible for viruses to be communicated between humans.

Think 1918 Spanish Flu, 1968 Hong Kong Flu, AIDS, Ebola, the next Avian Flu etc.

Regards,

Illwind

Squirrel: 7th Feb 2006 - 20:46 GMT

To carry this discussion along an even more oblique tangent:

Do an inventory of all the animals that people consider 'pests': rats, mice, seagulls, raccoons, cockroaches, sparrows, pigeons etc... What do they all have in common, they are US.

What I mean by that is that they are generalists: hardy, adaptable omnivores, like us. Even worse not only do they survive in urban environments, but have the nerve to thrive, in OUR cities! We hate them because they are muscling in on our turf.

Humans tend to value delicate little animals that have the good sense to go and die in a far off wilderness somewhere where we never have to see them. :-)

Catherine Penfold-Waxman: 7th Feb 2006 - 21:24 GMT

I think that you should rename this article. I propose: Raccoons Cute, Dangerous or Delicious?
And please, if anyone knows about Elaines question whether raccoons cover their eyes with their hands, let us know. I'm desperate to know.

grange: 7th Feb 2006 - 21:53 GMT

Yes Catherine they do .Although not because they are shy .Raccoons are in a word "clean freaks" ( actually two words ) Like cats the groom themselfs .Often raccoon's self groom and the young will groom other kits in the litter,like kittens will . Its a social behaviour common to many mammals . However as they grow older ( about 8 months ) they become solitary animals, and self grooming occurrs.During mating females will produce estrogen pharmones , which is not only along their anal area , but along the snout . Musk if you will .Racoons like cats groom after eating and sex or just for the fun of it . Remember racoons buy their nature forage in watery areas , like creeks , lake shores etc for the main diet .Unless its city racoons, then it's dumpster diving .Somewhat like bears they become habitulated to foraging in easy areas for food . So city racoons ,like bears ,can get use to humans .Therefore shed their natural warriness of humans and becoming aggressive . It should be pointed out in the woods coming into contact is rare unlike the urban areas . So "cornering a racoon " is more common and will result in its fear/ flight reaction coming into play .With out a clear exit raccon will attack . When raccons attack

grange: 7th Feb 2006 - 22:03 GMT

opps, lost the site . So to continue .When racoons attack they often will give a good couple of bites and retreat .If you grab it while its doing so it will contiue till you let go .
As for rabies yes racoons can carry it but first have to be bitten by another animal with it .It if rare for a urban raccon to carry rabies..With the introduction if airal vaccine drops in rural areas . rabies have dropped remarkably .
So to conclude . Racoons are dangerous only if provoked , can cause alot of damage if the get in your houses, wash their faces ,will eat damn near everything as long as its free,and are damn tasty , kind of like my ex .......

grange: 7th Feb 2006 - 22:05 GMT

oh ya , and her eyes glowed in the dark too ....hows weird is that .

M.G. Michaud: 7th Feb 2006 - 22:49 GMT

Hello!

As a wildlife rehabilitator and someone who has hand-raised many orphaned raccoons over the years, I wanted to contribute a few words to the forum.

Raccoons are as "intelligent as any primate" (this from a friend who is a behavioural science prof at the University of Western Ontario). They may carry rabies, but so may squirrels, dogs, cats, and wolves. They are wild animals, and as such, one should NOT approach a raccoon any more than one would approach a bear or a wolf. A cornered raccoon is an extremely dangerous wild animal. They can indeed make a mess; this occurs when they are searching for food or a new accomodation. Given that they are blessed with little "hands" (no opposable thumb, but rather five tiny fingers), they have a greater capability when it comes to making a huge mess.

If you can keep your trash locked up and beware of weaknesses in attic roofs, you should be fine. Should you suspect that there is a chance raccoons are coming into your home, your fastest and easiest response is to find the place they are getting into, and put a radio there playing the most obnoxious music available on the dial. Raccoons do not like loud noises, and are extremely jittery.

They will eat the fish in your Koi pond (they love to fish!), but they also eat insects like earwigs, cockroaches, and junebugs. They are omnivorous, meaning that they will eat just about anything.

They are not evil creatures; they're just looking for a place to live and some food, just like all animals. Because they have discovered that living in urban areas provides them with plenty of food and few natural enemies, they can find living in the city works to their advantage.

And finally, about eating raccoons: not a good idea. Raccoons carry a roundworm that lives in their intestinal tracts without harming them. HOWEVER, if passed on to a human, it will nest in the human intestine until it grows, at which time it will freely burrow out of the intestine and go wherever it pleases in your body. This roundworm seems to like the human brain, which is where it usually heads, resulting in blindness or even death.

Raccoons are an important part of natural biodiversity, and because it is we, the humans, who have intruded on their habitat, the best thing we can do is learn to live with them and understand that they serve a purpose in the scheme of things. I have spent a great deal of time with these animals, and they are beautiful, charming creatures. When they're small, they learn their names, come when called, and are the most loving little babies. They learn everything quickly and love to play, remaining playful even as adults. They have a huge vocabulary of sounds they use to chitter and talk to each other. When they become adults, of course, they grow wild and must be respected as such. Protect your property and protect yourself. Stay away from raccoons, and if they get too close to you try the radio trick. If that doesn't work, I implore you to call a reputable "no-kill" animal removal service.

These animals have a natural value, and they also have an intrinsic value. Besides, they're real cute! Enjoy them at a distance.

The Raccoon Mum

Catherine Penfold-Waxman: 7th Feb 2006 - 23:12 GMT

I've decided NOT to eat any raccoons I might find on I95. I won't corner any, but I will play loud music, but not Public Enemy, because they are cute, clean little buggers who are just trying to get by in the world. Just like Grange's ex girl friend ;)

moose: 8th Feb 2006 - 00:34 GMT

"Raccoons are an important part of natural biodiversity." That's why I recommend spaying them with a garden hose. Boy can they run fast if you blast them . They will be back in two days , however. Another proven method is a swat with the blade of a hockey stick. When you make a raccoon hiss you feel that you have made your point , But they will be back in three days.

GGP: 8th Feb 2006 - 02:40 GMT

a few years ago, here in Park Slope, there was a raccoon perched over my neighbor's brownstone doorway--it was BIG!!

Elicar: 8th Feb 2006 - 03:54 GMT

It has been quite interesting reading all the comments regarding my family of raccoons!

I have come to a conclusion that that these cute but sometimes spooky not so little critters are just like humans. They look for shelter, protect their young, scavenge for food and will choose where there is least resistance, i.e. urban areas and they are wild in their adulthood. Sounds familiar?

Peter: 8th Feb 2006 - 04:07 GMT

i was just hanging out with my friend sally. she saw this entry and freaked out. apparently, not everyone likes raccoons!

elaine: 8th Feb 2006 - 09:25 GMT

you could try them with different kinds of music. i knew someone who was looking after a herd of cows and they were usually piped classical music during milking. she switched it to the pogues, and the yield went up.

elaine: 8th Feb 2006 - 11:42 GMT

not that i am suggesting you should try milking raccoons

moose: 8th Feb 2006 - 13:31 GMT

"call a reputable no-kill animal removal service"
We had two trees beside our house which provided raccoons access to our roof. One year one mother managed to push through the aluminum flashing under the eaves and she set up her nest .At first we did not know why we could hear these chirping sounds but one day we saw mommy sleeping on the roof next to the hole in the flashing. We called the removal service.This guy did not arrive in a beat up truck. It was a brand new van with a fancy paint job , the best ladders and they had two way radios. He removed the babies within 30 minutes . They do not carry the animals away in a bag. He left them on the roof in a box to allow mommy time to come back and take them away . She did and the next morning they were under the neighbours porch. Total cost for removal was $ 360 . Total cost for raccoon proofing the roof $360. Total cost for building a screen around the trunk of one tree $50 to $ 70 .Two years later tree two was chopped down and a smaller tree planted in its place . Total cost for new tree about $60 . Its been pretty quite at our house since the tree two was chopped down .The raccoons seem to be spending their time in the neighbours yard as you see them running across the street every morning .

moose: 8th Feb 2006 - 13:55 GMT

"they will eat just about anything"
In theory correct but not a given. On occasions we have goofed and did not place all the bungee cords on the garbage cans. The next morning we see the mess. We cannot figure out what they were after. Left over food stuff , vegetables , pasta , bones , lobster shells , etc . all over the place and it seems that there is plenty of edible food left untouched. Maybe they are picky eaters , but they sure are sloppy. Once we left a smalll plastic bag of sand and gravel in the back yard. OK it was close to the garbage cans . The raccoons came and tore the bag open.

moose: 8th Feb 2006 - 14:17 GMT

" it is we ,the humans , who have intruded on their hahitat"
This is true from a historical point of view . BUT. I work in the cnstruction industry and we build new buildings in , among other places , downtown Toronto. The site is fenced off and there are warning signs. Do Not Enter. Once enough of the building structure is in place you see ample evidence that raccoons have already scouted out the building. They poo in the stair wells. On occasions they are caught riding up on the construction elevators where they sit on the elevator cab roof . If we are not careful we may turn over the building to the owner with a resident population of raccoons . They are living in buildings in downtown Toronto, whole families are .

ian: 8th Feb 2006 - 23:03 GMT

Beautiful creatures, but, yes, pests. Unfortunately. You will probably want to have them relocated.

Stevo: 9th Feb 2006 - 06:43 GMT

Headlights in the dark. I was going to say something about how they all wear masks so that they cannot be identified in a police line up, but some one else beat me to it.
My old National Geographic "Animals of North America" book thinks Racoons always want to wash their food, given a chance. There is a pic of a racoon washing a corncob... NG theorizes that that the 'coons have poor salivary glands.. it's an old book! thanks for the pics!

elaine: 9th Feb 2006 - 09:22 GMT

now they are getting so popular, perhaps someone will give them typing and piano lessons, give their little fingers something to do

anon (63.250.117.199): 10th Feb 2006 - 18:31 GMT

Toronto wouldnt be Toronto without the raccoons. They are pushy, busy and active, something like the rest of us here. I've caught them in my kitchen, trying to climb in windows etc. No damage yet other then a door screen. The radio trick does work, used to do it in my garden when the corn got ripe. They know its ripe about a day before you do.
I used to sit on my porch in the early evening and watch the family go from roof top to roof top on their rounds. When i was a kid, one of neighbours had one for a pet. it was really smart, but it did turn a bit mean as it matured and was set loose in the woods it came from.
You want to know what urban animal gives me the spooks. It's those skunks waiting in ambush on your front lawn. Just pray you see the sucker in time.

Cavit8: 11th Feb 2006 - 03:09 GMT

We have raccoons in our backyard. When they get fighting, it's a little crazy. The babies are very cute. With our garbage bundled up, they simply go elsewhere. I have more of a problem with skunks. You dont want to go rushing out your door in the wee hours in case one is sitting on the front step... eeee...

Foxy (dee_c25@hotmail.com): 28th Feb 2006 - 02:37 GMT

I have a problem with raccoons. They live in my roof above my 7 month old daughters room and I cannot get rid of the bastards!!! My daughter and I live alone and I have had Wildlife Removal guys come and "deoderize" them out but they never left. What is a girl to do? Does anyone have any ideas? I am afraid because they have gotten into my walls and sleep under my bathtub sometimes or crawl under my bathroom floor and I can feel them under my feet banging on the ceramic tiles if I get up the night to use the washroom.
How can I get rid of these critters for good? Feel free to email me at the following address with some good advice.
dee_c25@hotmail.com

grange: 28th Feb 2006 - 13:00 GMT

foxy ..open a wall. get a stick , and kill them ...sorry . While you at it . find where they have craped .it will be a big pile in one place , and remove it .
Oh now all you animail lovers out there , putting them in a nice woods will only add to their misery because if there are other racoons there the will run them off , or kill them .Awwww the charms for the animal kingdom , aint it grand .

keltesmouse: 10th Mar 2006 - 22:26 GMT

calling animal control would probably be a better solution to that problem, although at times they are unwilling to do things free of charge and therefore you need to resort to removing the animals yourself. When they have gotten to the point of being in a dwelling on your property it is time to get the creatures out... You could try the radio trick which seems to work for most, evidently perminent removal is going to be the final answer.

Person: 4th May 2006 - 00:42 GMT

There is this racoon on my roof! Its so COOL!

Amy: 4th May 2006 - 00:49 GMT

Ok one night my sister and i were outside and i said " hey steph look it is a kitty on the roof of our neghbors house and she said " that isn't a cat that is a raccoon and the scary part is that they are supposed to be necturnal and the raccoon was out during the day and early evening

Blue: 4th May 2006 - 06:50 GMT

I'm trying to get to the bottom of this opposable thumb thing. Whats the deal? They can grab stuff, open it, and it looks like they got little people hands. I mean, if it works like a thumb but its technically just a fifth finger, why dont we just give em this one. Is it because we're insecure about the whole "opposable thumb" thing. Some friends and I just had a mess of a dinner conversation about it when I brought it up outta the blue. I think I'm gonna catch one of those cute furry little bastards and see for myself, then I'll let ya'all know

elaine: 4th May 2006 - 15:38 GMT

while you are at it can you give me hawk's eyes and a tiger tail?
p.s. are you *sure* sharing the opposable thumb is such a good idea? it could be the thin end of the wedge...

Concern: 5th May 2006 - 10:57 GMT

I just saw a Huge raccoon near the trees in my fenced backyard Should I be afraid to play with my 20 month-old son in the backyard now?

patti: 9th May 2006 - 14:15 GMT

I live on Long Island, New York, in a small village and have a few raccoons in the neighborhood. Two years ago they made their way into the sofits/eves of my garage and were sleeping there every day. I spoke with a local expert and he told me to go buy a couple boxes of mothballs, wait until the middle of the night when they're out and about, and throw the moth balls into the sofits/eves. It worked like magic. They never went back in and after a week or so, I sealed them up (of course, my car smelled a bit like moth balls for a while). But now, I'm in my hot tub late at night and this one keeps coming around...seems curious. Comes within two feet of me. I'm afraid he might decide to jump in and join me (but with 104 farinheit temp, I don't think he'd be too happy). How loud must a radio be too keep him away? I don't want to wake my human neighbors...I keep a bowl of water out for four ferel cats I feed and I know the raccoons will use this (most mornings it's filthy, and I know the raccoons have been washing up). By they way, I got home after dark one night and hadn't fed the four cats yet. Got their food together and opened the door to go out and saw the four cats and two raccoons all just sitting in a circle, hanging out together. The cats didn't get fed that night...

Tyfoid Kid: 9th May 2006 - 15:03 GMT

I've heard that the radio trick works. I also heard it should be some kind of talk radio since it's the sound of humans that Racoons don't like. I don't think it has to be too loud, just loud enough for them to hear it should work. Like a normal human conversation. We have racoons and I don't mind them but in Minnesota they carry a parasite that can be lethal if ingested by a human (usually a child who's touched Racoon feces and then puts their hand in their mouth.) www.dnr.state.mn.us/volunteer/janfeb02/fn_raccoon.html

elaine: 9th May 2006 - 16:15 GMT

i think i would like to know about anyone making tapes for them... like praps mantras, "i lovingly release you raccoons from my life" or scary movie laughing, or children in a playground. there has to be a particular thing that freaks - them - right - out...no?

fever: 13th May 2006 - 07:00 GMT

Yes, it is almost 3in the morning. that raccoon woke me up. we just purchased a house in toronto 2 weeks ago. the first week we did not hear any crawlers over the attic and the past few days or would say early moring, that freaky creature is waking me up so damn early that i could not go back to sleep....any ideas how i can rid of them?

74: 19th May 2006 - 17:11 GMT

i know exacly how u feel cuz i came on this website 2 c realy what could happen & just last week there waz a raccoon in r basment window it looked sooo cute & harmless but i wasnt gonna risk it i dont think any 1 would!!!

74: 19th May 2006 - 17:19 GMT

also,i cant belive those pic did u take them?!?!? u must hav been scared expacly that close!but ya ive cen alot more scarere things than raccoons tell me bout it!!

74: 19th May 2006 - 17:24 GMT

i 4got when it waz in r window i got very nervous cuz it would just b staring @ me & honestly, it looked... PREGNANT!

Autumn: 23rd May 2006 - 02:33 GMT

All of this is very interesting until 4 of those cute, cuddly coons which, by the way, can rip a dog apart, find your pet door. I boarded up the pet door, so they ripped open my screen door. They trash my house every night.Every night I lie in bed listening to them working on tearing off the boards, waiting for them to breach the fortress. They make a horrible sound and when they come across a skunk it's good night nurse for me! I need help!

anon (ip68-1-162-20.ri.ri.cox.net): 29th May 2006 - 01:57 GMT

this made my friend more scaerd

anon (ip68-1-162-20.ri.ri.cox.net): 29th May 2006 - 02:01 GMT

racoons are dangerous! They attacked me and my grampa. They may be cute from a distanse, but if you get too close they can tear you apart

rob: 31st May 2006 - 06:10 GMT

I was watering my grass and reeling my hose in and heard sound in the branches, at first I thought it was the leaves moving from the woater hitting them or rats, since the sound was not going away it seemed to be getting closer and closer so I just dropped the hose and ran to my front door and when I opened the screen door I stopped and turned around and saw 2 eyes staring at me upside down on the tree, I stopped and he stopped and we both stared at each other for about 10 seconds or so, I immediately went inside and closed the door. It really freaked me out. I saw them running across the street but not that close. I am going to cut those branches down and check my roof out.

jessica: 2nd Jun 2006 - 04:18 GMT

Not to rain on anybody's fuzzy furry cute racoon parade, but that previously mentioned ( smart racoon guy, several entries above) roundworm is anything but cute. Try googling "racoon roundworm" if you don't believe me. Although pretty rare statistically, a friend of mine's young nephew contacted it at a daycare center (he ate some dirt with eggs in it as an infant) and he's now blind and permanently mentally disabled for life. Apparently it can affect pets too.

(The eggs of raccoon roundworm are extraordinarily difficult to kill and can remain viable in the soil for several years, studies show. If they are ingested, they hatch inside the body and get into various tissues via the blood vessels. They do their damage as they migrate, before lodging in the liver, lungs, muscles or other parts, where they are usually walled off by the body. But if they reach the brain, they can wreak havoc for weeks before the body is able to wall them off. And a parasite migrating in the retinal arteries can destroy a victim's eyesight, according to the most prominent expert on the subject, veterinary parasitologist Kevin Kazacos, D.V.M., Ph.D., of Purdue University.)

karen:jun06-2006: 7th Jun 2006 - 04:22 GMT

i have a family of raccons that i have been feeding for yrs-i feed them cheap dry dog food or any old leftovers i have- they love spagetti-bread crackers-i have 4 cats and they seem to have a live and let live policy-i also have a possum and have seen them eating from the same dish with the raccons with no fighting-i hate possums ha- but i have some real cute pics of my raccons-they have gotten in my house 2x and made a big mess but i enjoy watching them eat out my backdoor-my dog who is inside with me goes crazy barking at them-he enjoys his nightly entertainment-i know they make many nightly rounds-i believe that the mommy knows my house is safe and there is food here so she sends the baby here while she hunts so i guess i,m a racoon babysitter-i never try to touch them-i always have a window between us -but i do enjoy them-does anyone know where they live in the wild-do they live in burrows?are they related to squirrles?rats?

ebcunni: 10th Jun 2006 - 04:15 GMT

I'm SO incredibly sick of them, argh!!! One of the three we have here in Maryland came at me on the deck one night (it was in my neighbor's garbage at the time); I think it thought I was going to take its food or something. The funny thing is it had the Pizza Hut breadsticks out AND the damned sauce/dip stuff!!! Amazing, but horrible pests. I spray them with pepper-spray all the time but they keep coming back. Loud music or voices? Ha! That's funny, that's really funny. Good luck with that ...

ebcunni: 10th Jun 2006 - 04:17 GMT

I should have said, "the three we have here in my neighborhood in Maryland ..." not Maryland!!! Sorry, that would be something if there were only three in all of Maryland, sorry about that ... laters, e.

jeeff: 10th Jun 2006 - 05:10 GMT

clearly there are raccoons, and then there are raccoons.

jessica: 11th Jun 2006 - 21:38 GMT

Oh- I neglected to mention THE perfect solution for when raccoons become pests, a tried and true method that my brother in The Adirondacks of Upstate New York invented: shoot the critters with a PAINTBALL GUN! He snuck up on them raiding the garbage one night, and covered them in pellets of bright paint. Apparently they didn't take too kindly to becoming living breathing Jackson Pollock sculptures, and they have left him alone since!

Toronto animal Assult!!!: 13th Jun 2006 - 23:01 GMT

Ok...solutions anyone please...

I have a possessed squirrel and raccon that are ruining my life.... oh and a strange pooping stray cat....So...

The squirrl rips up my garden every day, I looked out the window one day to see it, picking the leaves off my plants riping them to shreds and throwing them on the ground..is this normal! its not even eating anything....

The raccoon arrives on the evening shift to spread garbage its collected from the neighbors or arround town. all over my yard... The other day it tore out and snapped the roots of all my crawling vines...(why do they hate beauty so much!)

The cat shows up periodically to shit all over my yard...(it has the nerve to beg for food as it shits in front of my face!)......

I've tried everything I can think of to get rid of these devils...so...
I'm putting out poison this week sooo.... if thats your squirrel, raccoon, or cat...get it out of my yard!

gummie: 16th Jun 2006 - 07:34 GMT

I live in California (southern california) and I think I just saw a raccoon and/or baby possum...Is that possible? I almost pooped in my pants and now my laundry is sitting in my wash room because I'm scarred to go out there...I'm cute and edible...they may want to eat me!

ellen: 28th Jun 2006 - 21:22 GMT

Does anyone have ideas for stopping them from pooping on one's deck. I've tried vinegar, putting aluminum wrap on their favorite step and no luck.
I've got kids and cats and worry about the roundworm.

thanks in advance for any advice.

Autumn: 29th Jun 2006 - 00:19 GMT

Me again! The one with the boarded-up pet door and ripped up screens.I have so many trees around my house they form a canopy fot the racoons to jump around in. Then I found a pile of poo on my lawn under a tree outside my livingroom window. The poo is bigger than human poo! The darn thing is living up there, and the poo keeps pileing up. More and more. So I studied the poo. When the Mulberry tree is ripe it has mulberry seeds, then seeds from my birdfeeder. How the heck does vinager help when it's dropping from a tree? I plan to put a sheet under the tree to see if the poo is still dropping (it's starting to look alittle old - no flies). If the vile creature has left the tree (no poo), I plan to wait a week then unboard my pet door. If not (more poo), I am going to let a 12 yr. old set up tent in my backyard and shoot the things. Then I will become an ex-PETA member, ex-vegitarin, and reclaim my property. Hallujah!!!

Littleone53: 30th Jun 2006 - 02:18 GMT

To get to my home u must drive 9 miles I live far out into the woods,I have alot of wildlife here,Racoons are cute, but even thro some of u are scare of them, there will not hurt u,I have been feeding them for about a year now,along with the other wildlife.They have to eat also.Every nite at 10:00pm the racoons come out to eat.Just think if u were a creature and no one feed u.

Peter: 30th Jun 2006 - 02:27 GMT

such creatures lived for millennia without anyone feeding them, so...? no one feeds me and i get by.

Autumn: 1st Jul 2006 - 04:20 GMT

By the way, I put a sheet under my tree, and no more poo. He musta moved on. I plan to give it a week. If no poo by then, I will open up my pet door and put mothballs around it. Mothballs are great. They rid my of my skunks also. Put the mothballs in an old pantyhose, cut the leg of the pantyhose to where the mothballs are in the toe, tie it off and hang them around where the skunks and racoons are giving you problems. Vinigar is great for skunk smell. Put a little in a saucer, it will soak up the nasty smell:-)

Jean whit: 12th Jul 2006 - 09:43 GMT

I have been raising a baby racoon...it was only a couple of days old when it's mother left it behind...He bit me tonight and drew blood now should i be running to the hospitial to get rabie shots? Please someone let me know...His foot was caught in something he was in pain and when i tried to help he bit me...He is not mean....PLEASE HELP..please leave comment

Autumn: 14th Jul 2006 - 13:33 GMT

Jean, I would defintely seek advise from the Division of Wildlife in your state, call a veterinarion and/or see your Dr. I came down with "cat scratch fever" after my own pet cat bit me. It occurs to me that there must be a reason why the mother raccoon would abandon the baby. Please keep the baby raccoon - if they can test it, no rabies shots:-)

Chris: 24th Jul 2006 - 16:40 GMT

I have a raccoon that insists on pooping in my yard! Any suggestions?? I have tried 'Critter Ritter', mothballs and ammonia. I works for one night and then he is back. It is disgusting.

Autumn: 25th Jul 2006 - 16:02 GMT

I had the same problem - totally disgusting! Poo bigger that human poo!(see post above).I finally put a big old sheet to cover the poo and no more poo...Make sure there is absolutly NO food source. Even from fruit trees. Good luck!

Chris: 26th Jul 2006 - 02:19 GMT

Did someone recommend using a sheet? I have been spraying every night and finally they got the message. One night no poo anywhere. Then the next night, I believe he/she brought their friends and have now starting pooing up against my house! It is disgusting trying to clean it up. I will try the sheet. Thank you.

anon (cache-rtc-ad06.proxy.aol.com): 27th Jul 2006 - 17:26 GMT

Meye:

OMG! I was out last night pulling weeds in my flower garden when I spotted something walking up on me the right side from behind. At first I thought it was a big fluffy cat. I turned around, stomped my foot, and yelled, "GET" very loudly. It ran up a tree, but only to the bottom ofthe trunk. I then ran on my porch, and got a better look at it. It was just looking at me. That's when I realized it wasn't a cat, but a raccoon. It actually started walking toward me again...that's when I threw my shoe at it. It wobbled away into my neighbors yard. That was the first time I had ever seen a live raccoon in person. I was really scared.... I quiver when I think about that incident. I wonder what it would have done to me had I not turned and scared it away. What do you think it wanted, I 've never seen any other racccoons in my neighborhood before last night.

tricia: 29th Jul 2006 - 18:15 GMT

raccoons like to hang in my yard at night and trash stuff. last night they kept revisiting, mamma and babies, they slashed big holes into a chair, dug up my cactus, and in my flowers. opened a sealed tin of cat food, that i had put outside, cause the other night i left a window open while i was out and they came inside and opened the tin, and didnt finish it so i didnt want to feed my cats the food filled with drool. basically they like to hang out. last year they would come and i had a blow up pool even empty and upside down they loved to play on it and eventually trashed it with their sharp little claws. there is usually not pet food in the yard. they just love to play. i dont know what to do to detur them. i have a motion sensor light. doesnt matter. last night they were even scratching at my window to get in. every night they mosey over the fence and come and hang out! i love my yard, and i guess they love it too. but what should i do?

Donna: 1st Aug 2006 - 19:41 GMT

Raccons have been living in an old home that I recently purchased and am in the process of renovating. We have ripped out the ceilings and some walls and much poo!! has fallen out. It appears these guys lived here a long while before we came along. What is the best way to get rid of the smell?? We have removed all the old poo we can reach but most likley there is still some around. The smell is the biggest issue, we are going to piant so that should help some any ideas would be great.

Robby: 7th Aug 2006 - 20:15 GMT

I like them, but they are both cute and dangerous.
If bitten, immediately get a rabies shot.

RE: Toronto animal Assult!!!: 12th Aug 2006 - 11:27 GMT

Hilarious post! (sorry) The leaf by leaf destruction of a frustrated squirrel. The racoon who brings his own garbage to scatter all over your yard. And the cat that begs for food out one end while dropping poo on your yard out the other. Quite a bunch of characters. It also sounds like they're vandals and willfully pranking you. Maybe their friends put them up to it. Do you ever hear other animals at the edge of your yard, snickering?

A dog in the yard might keep them all away. I think even owning a dog, having it piss all over the area, can keep pests away without the dog even needing to be present. You might want also want to try scattering your own piss, as I heard that deters foxes. But a predator urine might be best. Coyote urine is for sale, and specifically prescribed for racoons. Good luck.

Tony Iommi: 17th Aug 2006 - 18:06 GMT

At one point, while I was attending undergrad, I lived in an apartment building (actually, a house converted to apartments) where a rather large family of raccoons lived as well. They chose to reside on a fire escape landing/ deck off of the top floor of the building (2nd floor), around back. I lived in the front apartment and would share my supper, every night, with one of the daughters. The rest of the family would stop by to greet me from time-to-time, but the one female would sit with me on the porch and politely share my sandwiches (which made of soy-based foods, as I am a vegetarian). We would meet at roughly the same time every night and she would actually "ask" me to share with her. She would sit down next to me and we would communicate silently in a most friendly and respectful way. When we would finish eating, she would stand up, apparently "thank" me and waddle off. The next night, we would repeat the exchange. I have the utmost respect for raccoons and, from experience, have found them to be profoundly intelligent and thoughtful/ feeling beings. Just as there are not-so-nice human beings (perhaps a few have subscribed/ responded to this blog), there are, I am certain, nasty raccoons. Though i am sure I will some day, I have not met one yet.

Autumn: 21st Aug 2006 - 03:55 GMT

When you own your home, it's a quite different experience. Older, wiser and not so naive, I finally hired an animal trapper that I found in the yellow pages under "pest control" and paid them to trap the racoons and haul them back to the mtns where they belong.There is a big difference between urban raccoons and wild racoons. Let them poo in the wild!

Grange: 21st Aug 2006 - 17:07 GMT

Wow , I cant beleive this thread has gone on for so long .Perhaps homeland security should be advised of this danger in our midst .
Suicide bombing raccons cant be far away!

anon (cache-rtc-ad06.proxy.aol.com): 22nd Aug 2006 - 01:24 GMT

yea theres plenty of coons out here theres 1 way of getting rid of them a bullet in the head

Autumn: 22nd Aug 2006 - 17:29 GMT

Please tell me racoons hibernate in the winter - shooting illegal in city limits....

Carol: 25th Aug 2006 - 18:26 GMT

I awoke one morning an found a 50 poumd racoon in a pile of his/her own feces dead at the bottom of my kid's slide. Obviously looking for thrills, the critter tried the steep slide and had a heart attack/ shat its pants in the process (or became incontinent as the anal sphincter relaxes upon death expelling its content). Well, I called the city who said they will not pick up any carcasses on private property...so somehow miraculously, that racoon made it out to the sidewalk (I think its name was Lazarus).

zoe: 28th Aug 2006 - 14:43 GMT

I just trap them and remove them...release them. Just make sure you catch the mother or it starts again next year...removed about 10 already

Mary: 29th Aug 2006 - 07:37 GMT

My dog, a Jack Russell, was attacked by a raccoon just a few minutes ago. It is a hot night, so I have the window open in my TV room. My dog, who had been peacefully lying next to me on the couch, started barking and acted like she was going to jump out of the window. I was trying to hold her back and shut the window at the same time. I heard rustling outside and something jumped on the fence that is about 6 feet from my window. I thought it was my neighbors cat, because he likes to parade back and forth and drive my dog crazy. I let my dog outside (she likes to chase the cat away) and all of sudden I hear this high pitched noise and I realize that it's my dog. I ran out on my back porch. I couldn't see anything but I could still hear the high pitched yelp. Suddenly my dog comes running toward the house and when she is about 10 feet from the back door steps I realize something is chasing her. I thought it was the neighbors cat. My dog ran past me and into the house. It was then that I realized it was a raccoon that was chasing her and it wasn't stopping as it got to the steps. I rushed towards it with my arms out and made sort of a guttural noise. It paused and then ran off. My dog got a couple of bites and scratches on her stomach. FREAKED ME OUT!! I got online to see what to do about raccoons, because one year we mysteriously lost 3 cats within a few months, and people mentioned maybe it was raccoons, but I had never seen any. Now I know they are here.

Carol: 29th Aug 2006 - 14:57 GMT

some people say a motion sensor sprinkler would do the trick. Sounds complicated. I've tried everything short of barb wire. Everymorning I trek out to the back with a mask, rubber gloves and bags to pick up their darn poo. Because of all the garbage they eat, often its diahhrea. I hate these critters.

anon (CPE000f1fa33286-CM014260023618.cpe.net.cable.rogers.com): 1st Sep 2006 - 11:53 GMT

Does anyone know where you can buy coyote urine?I just relocated a family and I want to make sure that another family does not move in.

Dianna: 4th Sep 2006 - 17:42 GMT

Do raccoons tear up new lawns ?my neighbor has a new lawn and almost every nite parts of the lawn are folded back like a carpet. We have alot of raccoons around but this is really weird

Carol: 5th Sep 2006 - 20:57 GMT

Dianna: yes racoons tear up new sod because they like to feast on the grubs underneath.

Gordon: 8th Sep 2006 - 02:43 GMT

IN Carroll Gardens , Brooklyn.. I have one comming all night long... right into the house.. Down the circularstair..from the 5th floor roof into the kitchen.. and through the cubbords... eatting the cats food..my coon prefers the dry science diet.. got some great photos of it comming down the circular stair way..

littleone53: 9th Sep 2006 - 20:35 GMT

I would like to let everyone know, that if u let your cat or dog outside, when raccoons are around, you need to make sure that the adults do not have there babies around, cause they will attack your animals, there are only protecting there young, So check before u let your cat or dog out, because a raccoon will hurt ther animals.

raccooned: 12th Sep 2006 - 02:49 GMT

I was up painting late last night and I looked up and saw what I thought to be one of the feral cats in the neighborhood that several of us feed. It was on the other side of my sliding glass door. When I realized that it was a racoon, I stood up - and so did he. On his hind legs. I live in Phoenix AZ and have never seen a racoon around here, so I was taken aback. Then a smaller racoon appeared by his side. I said "Hell no," as I went outside to chase them away. They ran off, and two of the feral cats in the yard were just lounging around as if they felt no threat. Sure enough with the food bowl filled with cat food out there, the two racoons returned within 20 minutes. This time I just watched, entranced, as they ate the cat food with their hands and stared at me. My indoor cats ran up to the window and watched them, and the outdoor feral cats just stayed back while the raccons ate. I realized that the cats would be in danger if the racoons were to attack ( I mean when they stand up they are pretty darn tall) but the cats really didn't seem threatened and the coons ignored them. I was searching the internet to find out how dangerous of a sitiuation this is if I keep putting the bowl of food out. Looks like I would indeed be endangering the feral cats and possibly even my own if a coon were to get inside. They really are beautiful creatures and seem surprisingly intelligent. I am worried because if I stop feeding them, will they become hungry enough to eat the feral cats? Catch 22 because if I keep feeding them they will breed and rely on me. Guess I'm going to have to stop putting out the food bowl.

jody Richman: 13th Sep 2006 - 12:10 GMT

Do racoons yelp when hurt. At 4 this morning I heard what sounded like a small dog yelping in pain in the neighbors yard. I went to investigate, but couldn't see. I thought I heard a growl too. Anyway, I thought two animals were going at it, so I clapped as loud as I could. I heard rustling, a pot turn over and scrambling over the fence. But it was the animal scrambling away that sounded like it was the one in in a lot of pain. I still couldn't see...but I could still hear scrambling over various fences and yelping as it got farther and father away. And then all was quiet. poor thing. Do raccoons cry out like that? Thanks

autumn: 13th Sep 2006 - 21:44 GMT

Racoons do growl, they growl at me in my own home, but betcha it was the animal the racoon wounded that was yelping...Mycat door is forever boarded up and sadly, I will never put food out again. This has been a looong year for me:-(

Bay Girl: 14th Sep 2006 - 05:17 GMT

A read a couples years ago that racoons hate the smell of amonia but who doesn't. The article said to dip a rag in amonia, hang the rag over a pail to catch the drips and hang the pail in the area where the racoons are. I'm going to try it out this weekend.....especially after reading about racoon ringworm.

Carol: 18th Sep 2006 - 00:57 GMT

Bay Girl: where can you buy ammonia? I went to Home Depot and they said they don't sell it anymore. Furthermore, regarding ringworm, some kids have developed serious neurological problems and have even died from contact(ingesting) with racoon worms/larvae. The larvae remains dormant for years in soil. And, once they find a nice place to poo, they establish a "Community latrine" where they all shit together in the same spot. That is why every morning, I find at least 6-8 fresh clumps of poo on my shed roof. 'Thus, I would never leave out pet food because input will require a place for output.

Astro Guy: 21st Sep 2006 - 03:05 GMT

Great. Just great. How the heck am I supposed to relax when I’m outside on clear nights at the telescope?! I’m in BC, right down in the extreme South-West, by the US border in a little place called Crescent Beach. We just had 4 raccoons pass through the back garden half an hour ago!

I found this forum through google. Trying to find methods for repelling raccoons, and assessing the dangers they pose. It was 7:30pm, and it was quite light outside still! Looks like 3 babies and a mother. They climbed up into the honeysuckle bushes that overhang thickly the neighbors fence. They were eating a few of the berries before slowly and ponderously dropping down out of view into the neighbors yard!

Pepper spray… loud radios… heh, ya right. Guess it's time to sell off the telescope and gear, as another interesting hobby bites the dust. Prisoner in your own home at night… if it’s not the dope thugs with guns it’s the raccoons with deadly round worms, rabies, and razor claws sneaking up on you. And if you kill these raccoons? I guess they are protected and you get fines. Sure. Of course. Makes perfect sense to me. *not amused* =(

Michele: 22nd Sep 2006 - 03:49 GMT

Ok....here's my story
My dog Milo passed away on May 2, 2006. I was and still am grieving from losing him. Anyhow on the day Milo died I noticed this raccoon which I have never seen before. At first I wasn't happy because I use to live in the city and I know how these animals behave and I wasn't happy with the idea. He came back the next night and for some reason I was happy to see him it was like Milo told him to keep an eye on me. I live in Kitchener and it's not like Toronto where they're so many of them. I named him Rocky and I leave 2 slices of bread with peanut butter and a side of sunflower seeds for him each and every night. I say hello when he shows up and I watch him for a bit then I leave so he can enjoy his treats. I love my Raccoon Rocky, he adds comfort to my soul since Milo my dog died and he choose me to visit and that I'm thankful for. I don't know much about raccoons but I do know my raccoon Rocky is a picky eater he doesn't eat garbage or left over pizza. He loves peanuts, peanut butter sandwiches and sunflower seeds. He's not loud and he doesn't make a mess all he wants is a snack and then he leaves and I pray that he never gets hit by a car like my Milo....my baby boy.
And that's my story if you want to comment or send me an email you can. I'm at lost_milo@hotmail.com

Zee Zee : 27th Sep 2006 - 03:52 GMT

Racoons are definately scary. They ate my leaves

autumn: 3rd Oct 2006 - 02:46 GMT

Whew!If you watch "House" (who doesn't?), you just got a very graphic image of the ringworm theat can be present in the raccoon poo we are so causually discussing. And it can remain in the soil for years. In my case, racoon poo has been in my house, on my roof, my porch and in communal pooing pits. Must be in my lawnmover, my hoses, rags, vacuum cleaner - EVERYWHERE!!! Well, my skunks are back (what a welcome relief), so the 'coons must be gone. The pet door has been reopened for the winter. I will NEVER leave food outside again. If you're old enough to remember the movie "Deliverance", I think racoon ringworm was the culprit, not incestuous inbreeding.

autumn: 3rd Oct 2006 - 02:58 GMT

So sorry! That's ROUNDWORM, not ringworm. Anyhoo, a rose by any other name...Yikes!

Desprate Oct 5,06: 5th Oct 2006 - 15:14 GMT

Racoons have been pooing on my roof all summer. We've gone on the roof
many times to clean it. We've used critter ritter, we've used cyene pepper. Nothing is working. I checked this morning and the poo is back.
Anyone out there with any suggestions.

autumn: 5th Oct 2006 - 20:18 GMT

To get rid of the poo, start by getting rid of the source - the racoons. Think. Why are the racoons enticed to your home? Is there a food source? Examine the poo without touching it. What is it comprised of? Does it have birdseed in it? Fruit tree seeds? Pet food? Can you hear them on the roof? "Critter Ritter" is illeagal in Colorado. Do not touch the poo! Get preditor unine (coyote), or pee on the poo. Have traps put out and get rid of the racoons. Pour ammonia on the poo. Do NOT give the racoons my address! Did I say "pee on the poo"?

Desprate Oct 6,06: 6th Oct 2006 - 13:05 GMT

Thanks Autumn,

I'll try your suggestions. It probably doesn't help that our backyard
is on a ravine that connects to conservation. A lot of our neighbours
have bird feeders,friut trees and fish ponds. In the past years we've dealt with racoons tearing our whole yard apart. The grass was neatly rolled up. We take care of our lawn now to insure that there's no grubs. It's helped. I'll keep you posted on how the pee works out.

autumn: 6th Oct 2006 - 15:33 GMT

Desperate - I think we are in similiar situations - My property borders on the Colorado National Monument. Skunks are wonderful for the grubs in the lawn, racoons are much more destructive. Please check ordinances in your area before you climb on your roof and pee on it. And please let me know what works and what doesn't. Are you in Canada?

Desprate Oct 6,06: 7th Oct 2006 - 00:58 GMT

Autumn
Yes I am in Canada and our racoon problems are just as bad in the country
side as it is in our cities.
My Mom lives in the city and has a similar problem. She has used bleach,
mothballs and as of this summer, she even had her roof shingles replaced.
Guess what? They went up on the roof and pooed in the same spot. They are pretty smart but they are a real pest.

autumn: 7th Oct 2006 - 15:43 GMT

I hope this thread continues through the winter. Racoons are in their winter condos now, planning their survival come spring, when they will bring the next generation out. They will teach the young what they have learned this year to survive. I'm sure my home will be in their storytelling. I plan to re-roof my home come spring. I think it would be a good idea to get advice from roofers regarding the best type of racoon-proof material. A new roof that they less able to destroy. Trust me, they will return. They are very smart and delight in new obstacles to overcome.Human evolution is the core of their storytelling. Try coyote urine, ammonia and buying cattle to attract coyotes.

Michele: 7th Oct 2006 - 20:14 GMT

Raccoons are animals with feeling. I know they can be a pest to many however they need to survive as well. We have taken away from the wildlife by building and continue buliding on every open space possible. The same thing goes for deers.

autumn: 8th Oct 2006 - 17:27 GMT

Michele, I am old, educated and wise.I am well aware of what human over population is doing to the very delicate balance of the planet. Mammals are either preditor or prey. Preditors have eyes set forward, prey have eyes set to the side. Mice, prey. Cats, preditor. Look at the setting of the eyes.Racoons, preditor, deer prey.It is a very delicate balance. When humans, (preditor), upset balanced ecosystems there are dire consequeses.Where I live, the ranchers kill coyotes, resulting in overpopulation of coyote prey, rabbits, resulting in striping of grass, which rabbits now eat, resulting in landslides when it rains, which brings us back to the cattle with no place to graze. If humans were taken out of the equation, the earth would be a well-balanced ecosystem and no mammels would overpopulate. But humans are unfortunately here, for the time-being anyway. Which relates to racoons how? We humans have a responsibility to carefully think out the consequences of our actions.I need a new roof. Beef is in demand, so coyotes are culled, resulting in overpopulation of racoons, resulting in the destruction of my property. It is my responsibility to purchase a roof that will not result in attracting racoons( while having the least impact on the earth), hence no need to kill racoons. Leave that to the coyotes. I can address Bambi later if you wish. Deer are prey for wolves. Wolves need deer to survive. Take away the wolves, which we did, and deer overpopulate. So now we are reintroducing wolves.Just trying to put some humor in a very lengthty philosophical debate.You made a great statement - keep thinking that way:-)

fedup: 11th Oct 2006 - 16:49 GMT

That's it. I've had it. I just can't be 'senstive' any longer. If I go to the country, I will be cognizant of being in the raccoons backyard and act accordingly (let him/her have their way). But, here in Toronto, sorry, this is MY yard, these are MY kids. Raccoons trespass. If they're on my property, ideally they should be shot. Period. Fill up the ass end of a raccoon with buckshot and next time he'll give my place a wide berth. Unfortunately, that's not possible or realistic (in downtown Toronto, I could end up accidentally shot by some scared neighbour).

There isn't anything much more toxic than a raccoons feces. Do a little research, you'll see. How can anyone even think that the welfare of raccoon is equal or greater than that a child possibly dying (no matter how remote) of roundworm?
They shit everywhere. Especially on decks.
Can you believe it. I had one 'pest control' company preach to me how cruel it is to live trap raccoons and relocate the animals. If fact they said it is illegal to relocate raccoons more than 1 km. (which is a pile of shit, or if it's true, tough shit) 'They might get confused and die' Oh Really! They might die? I didn't know that. Thank you very much! .
So, trapping it is. Relocate > 1 km. In fact, I might design some sort of electrical prodder that I can torture them while in the cage :-)...really, I have absolutely no guilt at whatsoever.

fedup: 11th Oct 2006 - 16:56 GMT

Okay I'm basically illiterate. I should have re-read my previous post for grammer and spelling mistakes. Sory

autumn: 12th Oct 2006 - 14:51 GMT

fedup - you are right - DOW in US ( Department of Wildlife) has very strict rules regarding racoons. Mine are coming from the Colorado River a mile south. Trap them, take them back to their home, they are back the next night. Population of racoons needs to be culled. Same with deer. Here, we are fined if we feed deer but no fine for racoons. My advice - racoon-proof your home and property. I worked on it all year and am finally ('til next breeding season) racoon free. My next fear? Pigeons! They are moving about a mile closer every year. What a crappy, shitty mess! Take a valium.

Michele: 18th Oct 2006 - 14:45 GMT

I'm young and educated (currently in law school) as I get older the "wise" part will kick in. I understand what you're saying Autumn but I love all animals. I've fought with my parents for years regarding wildlife and it's still a continuing argument because I don't share their views. Anyhow good luck to all of you and remember "The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man".Charles Darwin

Michele: 18th Oct 2006 - 14:49 GMT

fedup....honestly you scare me more than the raccoon.

Susannah: 18th Oct 2006 - 17:56 GMT

I'd rather have racoons than these guys. This was my backyard before we put up a fence a couple of winters ago:

Susannah: 18th Oct 2006 - 17:59 GMT

They came in through a gap in the neigbors fence; here's the neighbor's yard:

anon (bas6-kitchener06-1177625186.dsl.bell.ca): 19th Oct 2006 - 03:40 GMT

Susannah........that's such a cute picture. It's look like Kitchner Ontario
Am I right?

Susannah: 19th Oct 2006 - 04:09 GMT

No - its New Jersey, believe it or not, less than 15 miles from Newark. We have a major deer problem out here. Sometimes they run down the main strip of town. We've even had a couple bear in the last year or so, but this summer we were lucky. Some times I go outside and try to shoo the deer away from my rose bushes and they just look at me like I'm crazy.(As do the neighbors).

autumn: 19th Oct 2006 - 20:06 GMT

Michele,gg, keep it up. I am educated to the PhD level but also have "street smarts". Worked 20 yrs. as a CPS Social Worker. My home & 1 acre of property are the sum total of my life, mortage paid off:-)This last year I had 6 racoons the size of bear cubs rampaging and pillaging INSIDE my home.Came in through my pet door. Hissing and growling at me. Man, it was scarey! Boarded - up the pet door. They ripped it off, ripped my screen doors open. I have MS. Racoons in my fridge, ripping up my indoor plants, climbing on my widowsills, sterio, couches, chairs, even muddy prints on top of my washer and dryer. Got my home racoon - proffed eventually and lie in bed listening to them on my roof, fighting the skunks, jumping from tree to tree - I am totally traumtized!Live alone semi-disabled, semi-rural. Great God, tell me this is not something out of a Stephen King novel. What would you feel in my shoes? Susannah -Lol - take the raccoons over the deer any day.Am aware of the deer wars back east. My brother lives about 12 miles away in the country. About 10 years ago he was naive enough to start feeding them. Lol, now they are eating every tree and plant on his 10 acres. Squirrels in the walls ripping the insullation out. We are both non-violent but he ended up trapping all the squirrels, shooting them and lineing them up for the vultures.Lol...when ANY population of ANYTHING, whether it be raccoons, deer, mice, locusts, squirreles, humans, rampages out of control, it needs to be culled or we will all become like "fedup"! When we humans are culled, and it's coming, the wildlife will take care of it's own culling.

garry: 27th Oct 2006 - 23:24 GMT

How would people like to have a family of people next door who every evening around 4pm put out a lbor 2 of seed for the birds but the nly ones getting it are the onwanted racoons .The people thinks its ok to feed them in there yard and have my yard for a bathroom .don,t like to go out there anymore because of the germs and dont feel safe .have a heart problem dont need any bugs peroid.

autumn: 28th Oct 2006 - 20:42 GMT

Did you say 2 pounds???In the evening?Birdseed??

TM: 1st Nov 2006 - 08:01 GMT

YIKES! Well, I think I now know what happened to one of my cats. She was a curious lil' thing. She was actually seen going after a very large raccoon one night as if to play with it. That's just how she was but not with people or dogs. She was actually a stray and an outdoor cat that I took in Sept. of 2005. I couldn't keep her in but I sure wish I tried harder or just forced her to stay in and ignore her cries to constantly go back outside. She'd only sleep in when it was severly cold in the winter, during a bad storm, or once when she got a bite on her tail. I never found out what it was from but I'm guessing that bit on her tail was maybe from the raccoon finally. The last episode I am not even 100% sure of but I know she would have returned to me by now and her paw prints are on my front door. I miss her terribly and although people say "you couldn't have foreseen a tragedy" or it wasn't your fault", B.S. I disagree to a point. Ok, now you cat haters can trash this if you wish but I do believe now, it was the darn raccoon that got her. I could have saved my cat but what's done is done. I actually go on this site/chat room called APLB.org. It's for pet loss & bereavement. Go head, laugh and say, "it's only a cat". But seriously, hopefully someone will see this and make good use of the site. It's a great chat room and does help anyone suffering. Unfortunately, it doesn't give any advice on raccoons although I haven't asked yet. Anyhoo, glad I checked in. I was getting my hopes up when I read a post that said cats and raccoons were hanging out together but sure enough went on to read other posts about raccoons killing cats. Guess my poor baby got too curious.

Susannah: 3rd Nov 2006 - 03:54 GMT

I didn't know raccoons were a danger to cats. My cat is almost as big as a raccoon, I think he would be okay. But they are brazen, they were going through my garbage one night (we forgot to bungy cord it) I came out and got real close to them and yelled "GET LOST", they just looked at me. To be honest, unless we forget to put bungy cords on our trash cans they leave us alone, and bother someone else. We haven't experienced the destruction I've read about here, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we never do. My husband would go ape.

fedup: 13th Nov 2006 - 19:35 GMT

It's been awhile since my last post.
Summary: Got TWO raccoons in my live trap, and relocated them to a friendlier neighbourhood (a little more than 1 km away I guess, about 25 minutes on the freeway:-) ). No more poop on my deck (for now).
Also accidentally trapped a skunk! A roll of duct tape,5 black garbage bags, very slow movements, and a little luck, the little critter scampered away :-) My kids were delighted (and so was I) that no smelly stuff came our way.

Hermann Schmuck: 15th Dec 2006 - 03:01 GMT

We have several racoons visit us every evening and have been feeding and caring for them for years along with our two cats and will continue to do so. They are very intelligent, gentle animals.
I think perhaps we should eliminate the human population so that racoons and all wildlife can live in peace.

gail: 3rd Jan 2007 - 00:36 GMT

my neibor thought it was a good idea to raise a newborn coon,it is a female that has attacked the neibor and got away know it has killed 6 out of 10 outside cats and longed at me!they are meant to be wild and stay wild.i'm still considering calling wildlife control so they will be fined $2000.00 but the thing i hate is i will have to pay there exspense when it should be my dum ass neibor since they could't tame the wild.IMAGINE THAT!!!!!!!!

autumn: 16th Jan 2007 - 19:58 GMT

Been awhile since I posted. The only nice thing about below zero winter is that THERE ARE NO RACCOONS. My pet door is open again. But not for long - dreading the day I will need to board it up again. Raccoon poo still under the snow - I will not touch it due to the nasty worms that stay in the soil for years. Gentle my foot. The adult raccoons get in my home and hiss and growl at me while the trash my house and property. Call the Dept. of Wildlife and ask what THEY say about feeding 'coons! Getting me a 'coon hound:-)

autumn: 16th Jan 2007 - 20:24 GMT

By the way, does anyone know how to "raccoon-proof" a roof?

Grace: 23rd Jan 2007 - 14:03 GMT

I have raccoons and possums coming to my back yard. I heard that coyote urine is for possums and fox urine is for raccoons (or visa versa). So I thought I'd buy both. Anyone have proof that either one really works?

Catherine Penfold-Waxman: 23rd Jan 2007 - 14:39 GMT

Where can you buy Coyote and Fox urine? And how do they collect it? does cat urine do anything because I have a lot of that at home. Mosty on my bathmat.

Grace: 23rd Jan 2007 - 15:58 GMT

Cat Urine doesn't do anything. There are wild cats living in my area and rome in my yard. I think they live in harmony with the possums and raccoons.
I understand that the raccooms natural enemy is is the fox and the possums natural enemy is the coyote.
It's in a pellette form or powder and you are supposed to sprinkle it around the area you want to protect. I don't know if it works or not, but you can buy it on line. I just wrote "natural solutions to eliminate raccoons" on the search bar and I got their website. There are a few companies that make it but as they tell me, that's the order of nature. Coyote urine is also supposed to keep mice and rats away, just for your information. But I'm still curious as to whether this method is successful.

yurneyurbs: 30th Jan 2007 - 18:34 GMT

The hairy pink eyed racoons that roam ny are particularly frightening to me since they are great politicians and smoke blunts.

autumn: 6th Feb 2007 - 03:28 GMT

For coyote urine, go to Critter-Repellent.com. I haven't tryed it yet but I bought some...It's reasonablly priced and I want to be ready at the first sign that the raccoons are back. Gonna nip this in the bud this year!

Dr.mike: 18th Feb 2007 - 03:58 GMT

raccoons are cute but dangores and I should know Im an animal care expert at a vet clinic.

jackie: 25th Feb 2007 - 15:59 GMT

I have not seen one of my cats for two days and that is why I went to this site, to see if a raccoon could possibly have gotten him. Guess so. This is making me very sad. This morning my other cat was yelling and I let my german shepard out and whatever it was took off. Is a raccoon a threat to my large dog?

Kevin: 26th Feb 2007 - 19:18 GMT

Being from a wooded area in South Jersey, I have much experience with Raccoons, and I can say they are both cute AND dangerous. First - if you see them during the day - STEER CLEAR! It's a tell tale sign of rabbid raccoons. In my experience, raccoons are relatively docile and steer clear from humans under NORMAL circumstance, but if they have young around, it' a different ball game. Raccoons can get quite large in size, and can put up a good fight and even kill a large agressive dog. They will tear garbage cans apart, and are very good at figuring out how to get into things. Your best bet - try to discourage them from sticking around. Don't make food readily available. get trash cans with tight fitting/locking lids, and put them in a corral so they can't be knocked over. Enjoy their presence while they're there, but do so at a distance - and hope eventually they move on.

chazzz: 26th Mar 2007 - 03:42 GMT

I've known about a racoon in my attic for about 3 weeks now. i have a very low crawl space there. i tried trapping the critter with sadines and had no luck. i finally decided i had enough of the professionals advice. i removed the trap from the attic, and i ripped the end gable vent off the house where the racoon was coming and going. i hung the live trap right in the vent opening closed off the sides. at 2 pm i served the racoon its eviction notice. at 4pm i had it trapped and on the ground. 1 hooked together two pieces of 1" pvc pipe. 1 took my air chipping hammer and wired the trigger closed. i hose clamped the chipping hammer on the end of the pvc. i had people watching on the outside of the house. i put the chipping hammer right next to the nest. i then hooked the air supply to the chipping hammer it took about a minute then finally the racoon left the nest and ran out the vent opening right into my trap. it was quite rewarding thing to see this thing gone from my attic. i lowered it to the ground and will have the kits located and removed and re united with its mother. this was quite a thing to see. hopefully this will help some other victim...

grange: 26th Mar 2007 - 09:48 GMT

This has to be a record for posts on one subject .
Elicar re post as it gets tiring scrolling all the way down .

autumn: 31st Mar 2007 - 02:43 GMT

Good Going chazzz...How did she find that place in the attic? Is this the time for the young to be born? Nice, humane work. Got my coyote unine ready. This year they are NOT going to trash my house and yard. They scare me real bad - will let everyone know how that "Critter Ridder" stuff works. Still have poo on my shed roof from last summer:-)

jewelia 4/30/07: 30th Apr 2007 - 08:27 GMT

got racoons in the crawl space under my house. They are pooing under the porch area and under the foyer area and boy does it stink! I am going to try firecrackers and smoke bombs to get them out. I'll let you know how it works.

autumn: 3rd May 2007 - 15:16 GMT

Well,my raccoons are trying to make a comeback. Found their muddy pawprints on my front porch, on my car, and a little poo at my tree. Immediately sprinked some coyote urine and haven't seen any signs since. Absolutely NO source of food left out. But my fruit and Mulberry trees are getting ready to produce a source of food for them:-( I'm frightened but I have a TON of coyote urine...Good luck, jewelia, raccoons are NASTY! They belong in the wild, smart little suckers.

sonja: 13th May 2007 - 19:06 GMT

I tried the fox urine.It did NOTHING!!!I still hav the family between the walls.Tried to call animal rescue.No they cant do anything.So i called our local *critter getter*nam of his company.He wants to put cages around for 300 bucks.Excuse me but what happens when you catch the mom and you dont get the babies?cause they are waiting on mom to come back??
Ive tried lights radio..(well all tvs going loudly in house)nothing is working!!anyone have wild idea let me know because I have tried it all.DO they leave once babies are ready to go?or do they stay?let me know..
hugsandhissyfits@yahoo.com

autumn: 14th May 2007 - 14:59 GMT

Coyote urine bought online DOES NOT WORK, don't waste your money. Raccoon repellent bought in store irritates every living thing that comes in contact with it, inc. birds,humans,pets and the envirement. I returned it. When I moved in my home 20 yrs. ago, I had the forsight to use deeply dug chicken wire everywhere skunks or raccoons could try to dig under my home. This year, I caught them opening my windows! Now, every night I lock up all cat & dog food, birdfood, pet treats, even my fruit bowl. With absolutely nothing edible accessable in my home, they have slowly stopped coming in. What a pain! Thank god I have never had the mother with babies problem. Only the big adults. Since I am disabled and live alone, the Health Dept. was going to get involved. My advice is to wait until the babies have left then raccoon proof your entire house - they will try to return. Year after year. Urban raccoons are dangerous and a health hazard.

pearlseeker: 17th May 2007 - 03:26 GMT

We live on a farm. We have about 15 feral cats...and now 2 raccoons! When I call the cats to eat, the raccoons come out to eat, too! They act like they think THEY are cats, too. The cats and raccoons get along OK, but the raccoons are bullies in that they push a cat away to eat the cat food I put out. We may trap the raccoons and take them to a woods about 10 miles away. I am concerned about the round worm.
Many times I see them on my porch looking for food...just like the cats do! I clap my hands together and the noise makes them run to the barn. They do not seems aggressive...BUT THEY BOTH ARE OUT DURING THE DAY AND I ALSO SEE THEM AT NIGHT. They do not seem sick....they just know I feed the cats around noon and/or 6 p.m. (daylight).
Could one of you experts let me know if this really means they ARE rabid or sick?? I just assumed they came out to eat then because they know that is when I feed the cats.
They are cute...but have huge appetites and eat all the cat food. But they have caused no messes here...they just eat and run back into the barn.

Majin_Boo: 18th May 2007 - 07:09 GMT

I just got home around 2:15am and there was a raccoon just sitting on the driveway. My girlfriend thought it was a huge cat and was about to get out the car, but I quickly stopped her. Sure, it looked like a nice furry animal, but I wasn't about to be fooled by it. The last thing I wanted to do was drive in, scare it with the headlights then jump out and head towards my door; possibly scaring it some more. After sitting in the car for a few seconds, it came out of hiding (bushes by my front door) and slowly walked off. Then we waited a little longer and just as I thought, another one leaped out of the bushes and followed in the same direction of the 1st one. So we waited again, and yet another one leaped out of the bushes and followed the other two. At least that was the last of them. I'd hate to end up at the hospital or worse because I provoked a raccoon family.

I definitely don't think its wise to feed a raccoon, hence making it comfortable. They're scavengers. If the food is always there then they aren't going to leave.

Fast Eddie: 18th May 2007 - 11:59 GMT

Found this page through Google -- looks like my problem of finding coon feces at my deck door every morning is not unique, and there is really no sure cure, except to trap and remove. I have already tried Critter Ridder, bleach, cayene pepper, a gate, mothballs and motion-light, and I've already read that radio and urine don't work either. The only contribution I can make is that a trap can be rented for $25 for a few nights and we would have to relocate the coon ourselves.

Fast Eddie: 18th May 2007 - 12:23 GMT

To supplement: I'm in Toronto. We have never kept food or garbage on our deck. Starting some time last Winter, the coons poops right in front of our sliding door where we get in and out. We have accumulated quite a pile of them through the winter and now we have our nightly deposit. Until I clean out the feces, I can't even enjoy our own backyard. Bummer.

Has *anyone* successfully repelled raccoons short of trapping and removal or shooting?

autumn: 18th May 2007 - 20:17 GMT

Fast Eddie - I have had raccoons for yrs., tried EVERYTHING and have reluctently come to the conclusion that trapping is my last option. As for the pile of poo, throw an old sheet or towel over it and see if you have fresh poo. When I tried this on my communal pooing pile, they moved elsewhere. Re: seeing them during the day, I know that skunks are aggressive in the daylight during this season due to defending their young. Maybe the same with raccoons.

Fast Eddie: 19th May 2007 - 02:57 GMT

Thanks, Autumn. Will try the sheet and this would be truly my last resort (may be ammonia, if I know where to get some) before trapping.

Coon-B-Gone: 30th May 2007 - 19:54 GMT

I had my first run in with raccoons in Toronto last summer just before vacation. My family was already gone and I woke to the sounds of something scratching at the door outside of my bedroom that leads to a second story deck (one corner I've come to find out is their poop deck). This was at 4am. Freaked me out. I finally realized it was climbing on the door (French glass). I moved the curtain aside and the thing just stared at me like I was bothering *it*. I went to the third floor, opened the window and dropped water on it and its lover. They slowly sauntered away. I then went on vacation. When I returned from vacation, I went to the lower deck to discover a pile of raccoon poop on top of my barbeque. Not very sporting if you ask me. They would then come back later that summer and make love on my deck. Again, not very sporting.

Last night was the first return of them. Six babies and a mother. The mother was teaching them to climb my french glass door at 4am. She probably also showed them the place of their conception. I'm sure she'll teach them to poop on my barbeque. I wonder if I can get one with a remote starter?

My understanding of raccoon removal in Toronto is that they can only move them within a mile of where trapped. My guess is that is not very effective.

I wonder how they like pepper spray?

autumn: 31st May 2007 - 02:00 GMT

OMG, I would NEVER get close enough to pepper spray a raccoon. They hiss and growl at me as it is...Hissing, growling and ANGRY? Try it then RUN LIKE HELL!

Julian: 1st Jun 2007 - 15:28 GMT

I've thoroughly enjoyed all the stories on this page. Especially the one about the pissed off squirrel, the pooing while begging for food cat, and the BYOT raccoon. What a trio.

I found this site via google because like a lot of other people I've recently had a few runin's with a raccoon. In north Florida, Tallahassee area specifically, we don't seem to have a ton of these things running around. But ever since I moved a few miles out of town last year I've randomly noticed a raccoon here and there. Well for the past two weeks there's this one that lives in a tree about 15 feet from my front door. And now I see him down at the base of the tree every night! Usually he scampers off as I open the door but quickly realizes what I am and then stops and goes about its business! I try to scare it off but I clearly see what its thinking..."you ain't gonna do ****, human!"

So I stand there outside doing what I do and he plays and forages in the dirt. I can't scare him off but he doesn't seem that interested in me anyways. I'm not what you call motivated so I don't think I'm up for trapping or otherwise forcing him to leave. It doesn't terrorize the trash, which it easily could do, and I'm confident it's never inside the house.

So I'm content to let it be for the time being. Just wanted to share my pointless story. The main reason I'm posting this is to thank all of you for making my morning an entertaining one. The story about the cats and raccoons chillin' in a circle in that one guy's backyard was priceless as well.

yikes: 8th Jun 2007 - 08:53 GMT

Holy Crap! It's 4:30am. House is dark, sliding door open about a foot because cat is outside and storm coming. I look down from the glare of the computer, and it's a RACCOON..AAUUGGHH Talk about being scared!! My other cat saw it, hissed at it and it headed toward the door. It didn't even leave until I got up out of the chair and started towards it! OMG That was CRAZY!! Thank God I didn't get bit!

fedup: 8th Jun 2007 - 18:01 GMT

Hello, I'm back for another season. Re-reading my previous posts, it seems like I might have been somewhat deranged back then. I am much more calm now. In fact, only last week, I came out my home late one night and startled a mother raccoon and two kits on my front lawn. The little ones quickly scrambled up a tree, the mother took off in the opposite direction (post partum confusion?). I had the water hose ready to soak the two little ones, when I suddenly stopped. What was I thinking. THey're little. They're helpless. I don't want to be a monster.

So there. I have a human side.

However, I found a large pool of feces on my deck the next day. Roundworm, danger to kids.....overrides being nice to coons. I have a trap and have found trapping is really easy (I have had good success with sardines), relocating is easy (like I said, relocating to a spot 'less than 1 km away' to be 'legal'....I am not good with distances but I usually drive 20 minutes on the Gardener freeway or DVParkway (Toronto)...about 1 km I guess)

It helps for about 1-2 months or so. There are many coons in TOronto, and relocating is an endless task I suppose, but I don't mind

anon (cache-dtc-ad08.proxy.aol.com): 13th Jun 2007 - 18:47 GMT

Is it true that a racoon seen during the day could have rabies? I have grandchildren at my house and I want to be very carefull.

autumn: 15th Jun 2007 - 23:57 GMT

anon - as I indicated above, I called the Department of Wildlife regarding aggressive skunks seen during the daytime. They had received alot of calls regarding this behavior. Their response was that both skunks and raccoons could been during the daytime if they were protecting their young. Must be the time of year - pretty disconcerting.

anon: 16th Jun 2007 - 04:25 GMT

there's 3 of them in my backyard right now, and they're freaking me out... all I wanted to do is have as smoke, but they're slow and they dont care, they kept making their way at me so I had to run back in the house and then one of them tried to get in... there's 2 small ones and one huge one, bigger than your average minature dog... I really do feel like kicking them so they can get out, they come every night and almost always make a mess, stupid annoying animals...

char: 18th Jun 2007 - 20:20 GMT

do raccoons like rain? how in the world do i get rid of them. we trap one and there's always more in a few days. i have 3 kids that love the outdoors but i'm afraid that they'll come across a mad momma raccoon. please help

anon (bas5-kitchener06-1096639712.dsl.bell.ca): 27th Jun 2007 - 04:13 GMT

Dr.mike: 18th Feb 2007 - 03:58 GMT
raccoons are cute but dangores and I should know Im an animal care expert at a vet clinic.

Dr Mike ummm the correct spelling to the word "dangores" is DANGEROUS

Shimbo: 27th Jun 2007 - 15:17 GMT

Get this, I live in Brooklyn N.Y., I got a raccoon caught in the cage right now but, i tried calling the city to relocate it, but they say they dont do that. He's a cute little sucker too. I live a few blocks from prospect park, i might let him go there but he will probably find his way into someones backyard again.

The funniest thing is that the first time i saw a raccoon in my yard he was much bigger than this one. I never knew we had this problem in brooklyn. Any one ever heard of a raccoon in Brooklyn, Flatbush at that!

Worried: 29th Jun 2007 - 12:36 GMT

How do you clean the feces? I know they can be extremely dangerous but it seems that many people are faced with this potential health hazard each and every morning. I found some scat on my deck this morning and to be honest I'm not sure what left it there. I know raccoons tend to visit a latrine and so because I found a single piece I doubt that its raccoons, but I have 2 small kids and you know what, I'm not taking any chances with their well being!!

Marylizbeth: 4th Jul 2007 - 05:10 GMT

Uggghh...RACCOONS. They have been haunting us and our neighbors for the last month. We each have a pool and fountains and these rotten raccoons have been using the pools and fountains as their bathroom. Every day there are feces in the water--no where else but in the water. They are using these pools as their toilets.

It is so disgusting. We called wildlife control and they gave us the "we are in their habitat" line. But they also told us we could get traps and they would pick them up if we trapped them.

So on July 5th we will set the trap and pray they come and get them. Personally I would rather hire a professional but neighbor has already gotten the traps.

Has anyone had this problem with raccoons using pools and fountain as their toilet?

Bright lights and motion detectors have helped somewhat but these nasty guys are still hanging around.

We are in Southern California in a newly developed community in Orange County.

I am ready to move to a high-rise condo!!!

Marylizbeth: 4th Jul 2007 - 05:11 GMT

I just realized this was a "city" website. And I thought I could move back to the city (native NY'er) to escape these rascals. Who knew!

gioconda: 7th Jul 2007 - 03:20 GMT

I live in Los Angeles. Just lost 2 cats to raccoons in 2 weeks. Faccoons come to eat grapes & oranges that grow in my backyard, and since its' summer and everything is ripe, they are here. I started notice a lot of droppings in weird places...turns our it was raccoon poop. They are mean, fearless, and only leave if sprayed with a garden house.

One cat killed was a feral I fed for a year. The other was a precious pet I raised from a kitten. I ALWAYS bring my cats in before dark because of coyotes and raccoons. Sometimes, one will be stubborn and refuse to come in. I wait an hour and try again because I am afraid something will attack them after dark.

DON'T LEAVE CATS OUT AFTER DARK if you want them to survive.

For people who say raccoons don't kill cats THINK AGAIN. They DO KILL CATS, and brutally. They disembowel them while they are still alive. Some people say they've seen raccoons eating out of the same bowl of food as a cat, and all animals were getting along peacefully. I assume that's possible, but if you saw what they did to my pet, you would never take this chance. It was HORRIBLE. I am keeping all my cats inside for the rest of their lives. To put them in danger of such an excruciating death is cruel.

autumn: 15th Jul 2007 - 14:28 GMT

I think I am headed for the psych ward. I removed all outside sources of food, closed-up my home and felt safe until these little devils started opening my windows to get in, repeatedly ringing my doorbells while they worked. Then they growl and hiss at me unless I remain quiet and still in my bed while they have their way in my house. Come on, Steven King, I want some royalties when that book "Headlights in the Night" comes out.

help: 17th Jul 2007 - 04:01 GMT

I need help. I moved to the burbs from a city condo...we have racoon poo EVERYWHERE, all over our back yard. I have been resisting pesticides and fertilizers for our lawn and garden because of our 10 month old baby. Now, we have raccon poo all over it. How do I rid of this problem??? From what I have read here, there is no real fool proof method?? How dangerous is it for my son???

XxxshannonxxX: 26th Jul 2007 - 11:05 GMT

last night, a little raccoon touched it's nose on my hand, cuz i freed it from a garbage dumpster bin. it was so cute, but i was shaking afterwards.
does anyone know if there is any laws about feeding wild raccoons.
i am asking, cuz i live in an appartment building, and every night i go ouside to the dumpster bins and feed the raccoons.
i was told that i could get into alot of trouble doing that.
is it true?

autumn: 2nd Aug 2007 - 04:01 GMT

XxxshannonxxX - My response would be "yes, you can get in alot of trouble" in more ways than one. A baby raccoon can be very cute. Irrestably cute. But baby raccoons will grow up very fast -they become huge. Raccoons are not only very intellegent but are also wild animals. They carry diseases like roundworm and rabies. The baby raccoon will grow up and invite all it's friends and family to your feeding station. Soon you will find 6-8 adult raccoons waiting to be fed. They will growl and hiss at you, as will your neighbors. If you are bit, you will be in trouble. I don't know where you live, but feeding wild animals is illegal where I live. Did you free it or feed it? I had a tiny skunk covered with flys trying to get a drink out of my dripping sprinkler in the middle of a very hot day. It was so weak it couldn't move when I turned on the sprinkler and brought it some cat food. Once I knew it would live, I stopped feeding it - skunks can live on grubs in my yard. Then the huge racoons came along and ran-off all other wild animals. Saveing an animals life is one thing - making it dependant on humans is another.

ken: 10th Aug 2007 - 18:10 GMT

I see raccoons all the time in NYC when I take late night walks between 3-4am. They usually run away, as soon as they see me, which makes me sad.

Belroc: 10th Aug 2007 - 23:02 GMT

Raccoons rule the dumpsters at my apartment complex.
You'll know that they're in there because all the
cats will congregate and wait outside of the dumpster for thier turn..

Heres a big one!!

^^And a baby....

autumn: 11th Aug 2007 - 20:56 GMT

OMG - Stuff of nightmares!ppl sure waste enough food! Glad I got rid of my coons but nice pics - ewwww, even in daytime...

carla: 20th Aug 2007 - 21:08 GMT

i'm rally scared of raccoons they've been leaving in one of my trees and at night they kill squerrls and they make such wier noises

autumn: 27th Aug 2007 - 01:59 GMT

carla - I'm scared of raccoons too...They growl, hiss and charge at me. They live in my trees too, jumping from one tree to another over my house. They have chased off all my wild pheasant, rabbits, squerills, quail, skunk, EVERYTHING. Yes and they do make noises that seem weird to humans. Raccoons can be very vicious, they can bite and carry nasty roundworms. Please don't ever try to do what "Belroc" just did - picking them up for photos. That is very dangerous and not a good example of how to deal with raccoons. NEVER try to pick up a raccoon. Those photos should be removed.

Jonathan: 3rd Sep 2007 - 08:01 GMT

Some Raccoons just cornered me inside the house when I went for a midnight snack. I'm sleeping out in a detached office. They made a racket and kept hissing and staring at me from outside.

After a while I gathered the courage to do a runner in the dark back to the office. I decided to google them for their dangerousness and ended up here.

I call the big one 'bitey'.

AJ: 14th Sep 2007 - 19:01 GMT

Take a pellet gun and spray the raccoons or a slingshot and rocks and shoot them off ur property

Frank: 26th Sep 2007 - 02:22 GMT

I have 3 or 4 huge fat raccoons that visit regularly on my flat garage roof. The mess they leave behind is utterly disgusting! I have to go up there at least once a week to clean up the mess. I hate raccoons now. They don't belong in our neighbourhoods.

To all you animal lovers who claim racoons are cute and cuddly and we should not interfer with them..Wake Up! its time YOU went to a library and did some research. City and surburban racoons are a serious problem that is only getting worst. They can be very dangerous and are full of diseases because they live off of our garbage. They would not be in our neighbourhoods if we took steps like NOT feeding them, not leaving your garbage accessible, not allowing your property to become a garbage dump etc. etc. I read someone here actually feeds the baby raccoons and watches them grow up in their backyard while their children watch on..shame on you if you do this. You are the root cause of this problem.

After reading many comments here, I will not waste my time on any of these products that claim to scare racoons away like coyote or fox urine. Those products are designed to line the pockets of the snake oil salesman who invented them.

I would agree with all who claim the only real solution is to trap and release somewhere very remote..and keep doing that for as long as it takes.

autumn: 1st Oct 2007 - 02:29 GMT

Frank - I couldn't have said it better! Thank you!

Scott: 2nd Oct 2007 - 22:58 GMT

We've had a single coon that shows up here about once a week. It's been showing up for almost a year now. Typically shows up after the cats have eaten and then it'll eat whatever is left over. Today I was outside feeding the cats. Was sitting in a lawn chair petting one of the cats when it's hair sttod up and it let out a high pitched growl. I turned my head to see behind me to figure out what the cat was looking at and there was the coon again, but this time there were 3 little ones with it. They were all about 4 feet right behind my chair. I hadn't been scared of it before, just always kept a close eye on it. This time I felt the fear factor rise a bit. Sitting there I just slowly raised my arms over my head so they would notice me, hoping I wasn't coming across as being aggressive in case the mom was feeling hair-trigger. The mom and one of the little ones scampered off, The other 2 little ones headed straight for the cat food. When I stood up they also took off. Kept an eye on the cats while they finished eating so as not to waste cat food. Interesting to watch, but I don't want them right under my feet.

Larry, Curly & Moe raccoon removal?: 4th Oct 2007 - 05:49 GMT

The bright woman that lives next to us, has allowed a tree to grow against the foundation wall to three stories high. This is a perfect stepladder for our raccoons. Now "we need trees for oxygen" I was told when I pointed out it was not good idea for the house and the future squirel and coon problems. I got rid of the squirels in the spring. I have to laugh at the many holes in the facia and sofit on her house ($$$ then brains). But now I have coon crap on my roof. I've read the dangers of this stuff, so I will now have to take precautions to clean it up. The woman 2 doors down is just as bright, she has been feeding the 2 babies (not small now) all summer from her plate when she is out on her deck at dusk. And if thats not enough, another woman 3 doors down called local humane society people on a fella trapping and releasing coons after they ripped a hole in his flatroof. $9000.00 for a new roof. I just see Larry, Curly, and Moe.

Loria: 10th Oct 2007 - 23:25 GMT

I woke up in the middle of the night last night to hear something gobbling up my cat's food.. I thought maybe it was the neighbor's cat who sometimes frequents our home. I dozed off to sleep, only to be awakened by a loud growling. I opened my eyes and was face to face with a large racoon in my bedroom on its hind legs. Insinctively I snapped my fingers, pointed to the door and yelled "GET OUT!". It quickly ran to the front door and out the cat's door, which will now of course have to be sealed up. How can I keep my cat's IN/OUT priveleges without racoons coming in? Live in the woods.

Fattfree: 1st Nov 2007 - 13:07 GMT

The house on one side of us has a pool (racoon's drinking fountain/bath). On the other side the neighbor feeds squirrels, birds, etc.(their "restaurant"). So our yard was the "bathroom". Last year, our neighbors with the pool got a German Shepard. The racoons have not been back since.

Dee Dee: 14th Nov 2007 - 07:40 GMT

Racoons are wild animals and should never be fed. They carry rabies and can give a vicious bite. They can be fearless. You should respect them and observe them but not interact with them. They are not pets.

Frank: 19th Nov 2007 - 19:14 GMT

DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS! Its really not a difficult concept to understand. Who knows you might even make friends with those neighbours who don't have alot of respect for you because you just don't get it!

Recently I picked up some traps at Depot and plan to catch and release any raccoons that come through my yard or to use my roof as an outhouse!@#! I don't want to hurt them but just using temporary methods of keeping them out of your yard does not address the longterm problem in your neighbourhood. Trapping and releasing is the only way to reduce the number and to hopefully keep you, your children, pets safe and homes and properties clean and disease free! If Im successful getting the 4 monster racoons out of my neighbourhood I may even put out an ad to help others.

lynda: 6th Dec 2007 - 16:08 GMT

Hm.. all you guys seem to just be talking bad about reccoons... have any of you ever seen a life one that was someone's pet... we actually have two... my step mom works at an animal clinic so we take is a few orphaned baby animals. an dthey are some of the most adorible little things you will ever see. alot of people i know that were afraid of raccoons ended up wanting one after they seen ours... dont get me wrong... raccoons are a hassle but they are not horrible... they make messes but so does any animal.

Never feed wild ones, they do carry dieseases... but i just wanted to show you gusy this isn't a one sided thing. If you have someone that can take care of them, they do make good pets, even though they scratch and bite. Also they are wonderful guard-animals

Anna:12th Dec 2007: 12th Dec 2007 - 14:53 GMT

Hi,I live in the city of Phila,and last night i left my dog out around 12:30 for last call and much to my surprize there was a racoon in my yard. I thought it was a cat at first and went out to help the cat from my dog,I don't think I've ever been this scared. My dog had it cornered for about 15mins'. Could a racoon kill a dog(huskey)?and will the racoon keep coming back?

Cheryl: 12th Dec 2007 - 16:19 GMT

I recently had squirells. I live Freeport Long Island. However someone told me you cannot have both. I know confirmed that teh racoons bit the squirells and I have racoons. I cover the area in my sons closet where they where trying to get into the house. However I am scared that they will get in. It sounds like peopkle walking over you. Will they get in my house? If you trap them cant they bite you via the cage when handling the removal? Well email me back omittpart3@aol.com

becky: 21st Dec 2007 - 05:12 GMT

they do not cover their eyes when you shine a light at them! I used to hunt them and have had them as pets and and tasted one cooked before. I've had alot of experience with them. they are great animals but you DO have to respect that they are not domesticated animals!

Irene west: 14th Jan 2008 - 00:00 GMT

I live In Back woods of Pa.
My Husband and I have raised several , Baby coons.
Not one stabed me in the back, more than I can say for some people.

Gavin: 6th Feb 2008 - 23:43 GMT

There's a Little Fat Middle Body Hanging Raccoon in Ace Ventura: When nature
Calls.

diane ziotas: 7th Feb 2008 - 12:48 GMT

for the first time last evening, i noticed a coon decending the tree in my front yard. live in the bronx. i happen to own a blue tick coon hound. i attempted to rouse him enough to get up on the couch and notice the coon, but no luck. i have to admit, being an animal lover, i enjoy seeing them up close and personal!

sage: 19th Feb 2008 - 06:14 GMT

Guy McLaren says in an earlier post:

"All wild animals are dangerous. Especially African ones."

My response:

All domesticated humans are dangerous. Especially american ones.

I've lived with raccoons, coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, rattlesnakes, and opossums my whole life--and lived to tell the tale. What is dangerous is our fear of the unknown, not the animals whose home we share. Try confronting your fear and embracing the unknown with wonder and awe. Your enemies just might become your best friends.


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Toronto, ON - Elicar - Tuesday, February 7th, 2006 : goo [previous] :: [next] A whole family of them....in my backyard!!! This article has been viewed 34357 times in the last 2 years GGP: these are great!! eyeshine-a-go-go! Elicar: 7th Feb 2006 - 02:28 GMT Thanks GGP. But it's not great when they are in your backyard! So far, they are harmless, but still spooky! mtb4ever: 7th Feb 2006 - 02:36 GMT Raccoons are both cute and dangerous. Don't let them get comfortable in your yard. They will become cute little pests very quickly. If you wonder how much damage one can do, take a good look at their claws the next time you see them. joey: 7th Feb 2006 - 03:00 GMT dangerous. beware. raccoons killed our cat. right in our backyard. those pesky critters live up in the palm tree. they make really strange whiny-type sounds at night. on the juice : 7th Feb 2006 - 03:24 GMT don't feed them.........they don't make good nature pets........they will trash your kitchen if givin the chance.........they will defend thier young to the death.....i have seen them in action and it's not a pretty picture.......all said they sure are cool creatures,from a far Elicar: 7th Feb 2006 - 03:46 GMT Okay folks, you are scaring me! So far, I have been able to scare them away. But they do make a mess of my garbage when I am not looking. The joys of living in the city I guess. One has to share the space with urban scavengers. ahimsa: those is some crazy animals seen! jeeff: 7th Feb 2006 - 04:02 GMT it's great when they really want some garbage in your backyard and you have a hose with a spraygun handy. they creep up, you spray 'em, they run away. 2 minutes later they try again. repeat ad nauseum. it's like a video game. sally: 7th Feb 2006 - 04:32 GMT i'm TERRIFIED of raccoons. their glowing, evil little eyes haunt me. thanks a lot, elicar. goovie: winchester .22 elaine: 7th Feb 2006 - 10:08 GMT i want to play that game! damn birds on my windowledge just fly off even if i think about looking at them, touchy buggers. Guy McLaren: 7th Feb 2006 - 10:58 GMT All wild animals are dangerous. Especially African ones. des: 7th Feb 2006 - 12:23 GMT those racoons!and they are allways in gangs or tag teaming,never alone,and theese days they hardly run away from people Chris G: 7th Feb 2006 - 12:43 GMT > One has to share the space with urban scavengers. Also with the raccoons! Harry?: raccoons ate my sister grange: 7th Feb 2006 - 14:07 GMT Racoons , yep there scary , but not as scary as clowns .Dont get me started on mimes ...geshhhhhhhhhhhhh ! whats that about ? grange: 7th Feb 2006 - 14:08 GMT Yikes , I had another thought ...Racoon mimes !!!!!!!!!! argggggggggggg. Jamie: Birds ate my face Catherine Penfold-Waxman: 7th Feb 2006 - 14:39 GMT Thanks for the raccoon pics. I've been living in America for 13 years and I've yet to see a live raccoon. I've been to about 15 of the contiguous states and seen (look away, Elaine) plenty squished on the road. I apparently slept as one raided the campsite I was in. Now this posting has terrified me and I’ll probably be jumped by one on the way home. elaine: 7th Feb 2006 - 15:16 GMT is it raccoons that sit in trees and if you shine a flashlight up at them they cover their faces with their little hands? maybe it is something else less killer, like bushbabies or something. someone from minnesota told me about the flashlight thing and it has been haunting me ever since. you lot get some fab nature, you know. jack: 7th Feb 2006 - 16:36 GMT racoons wear masks over their eyes so you won't recognize them in a line up. they are somewhat harmless at night but don't go near them in the day. i believe racoons are really aliens from the planet racanat in the silianic galaxy. they came here millions of years ago and could not get back to their planet. they will eat you if given the chance. they like female's legs, of course so do i but i won't eat your legs. i may lick them, of caress them the way a lion licks his kill before he devours it. Catherine Penfold-Waxman: 7th Feb 2006 - 16:47 GMT I was enjoying the story until you got to the end, Jack. Then it turned a bit creepy. tex: what did the rangers do to you jack? grange: 7th Feb 2006 - 17:07 GMT Up here in the country ( Owen Sound ) We have two types of racoons . The fast ones ( live) and the slow dim witted ones ( napping on the side of the roads ) The fast ones only come out at night and mess with your heads by juming out of the trees at you . . The slow ones make good pets and some damn fine eatin . Dont miss tomorrows episode , Possum , the other white meat . Peter: people eat raccoons? jeeff: you don't?? Peter: 7th Feb 2006 - 18:28 GMT nope, but i bet this guy does! www.guardian.co.uk/food/Story/0,,1698632,00.html illwind - Toronto Canada: 7th Feb 2006 - 19:13 GMT I had the pleasure of a family of raccoons living on my third floor outside alcove. The mess they made was incredible. They are pests; they carry disease (such as rabies) and they fear no one! Good luck in getting rid of them. Regards, Illwind P.S. BBQ raccoons with a little of ketchup/tomato sauce/hoisin sauce and teriyaki glaze is to die for! Squirrel: 7th Feb 2006 - 19:34 GMT Geez people, what's the matter with you? Raccoons are cute and harmless. I had a whole family of them living in my backyard. I spent all summer working in the back yard while mom and the 'kids' played right next to me. They were like yard pets. And what's with the 'they carry disease' stuff? Do you know which species carries the most diseases communicable to humans? Rats? No it's HUMANS! Hobart: 7th Feb 2006 - 19:38 GMT Actually, Google indicates that many bird species carry more "diseases" than most other species, and that insects, as a whole, are in fact nature's busiest disease carriers. Though this might be considered besides the point ;-D grange: 7th Feb 2006 - 19:46 GMT good recipe illwind , and they come with there own tooth picks too . A nice chilled chardoney goes good as well. Cheers all . PS . BBQ clowns suck however, as all that makeup ruins the gravey .. ( please stop me if I have gone too far no that one ) Hobart: 7th Feb 2006 - 19:49 GMT For the curious: www.netcooks.com/recipes/Game/Baked.Raccoon.html www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/264/Barbecue_Raccoon9749.shtml www.hugs.org/Stuffed_Roast_Racoon.shtml www.backwoodsbound.com/zracoon.html www.recipeland.com/recipe/1696 Don't forget to remove those lymph glands, kids! illwind - Toronto Canada: 7th Feb 2006 - 19:49 GMT Squirrel: The most diseases transmitted to humans: Humans (agreed) The most infected mouth to cause the worst infections: from humans Almost all the lethal diseases to humans ARE transmitted are from humas. HOWEVER, almost all the viral diseases ORIGINATED from the animal kingdom; mutation of the viral genome made it possible for viruses to be communicated between humans. Think 1918 Spanish Flu, 1968 Hong Kong Flu, AIDS, Ebola, the next Avian Flu etc. Regards, Illwind Peter: hobart... those recipes... ewwww.... Squirrel: 7th Feb 2006 - 20:46 GMT To carry this discussion along an even more oblique tangent: Do an inventory of all the animals that people consider 'pests': rats, mice, seagulls, raccoons, cockroaches, sparrows, pigeons etc... What do they all have in common, they are US. What I mean by that is that they are generalists: hardy, adaptable omnivores, like us. Even worse not only do they survive in urban environments, but have the nerve to thrive, in OUR cities! We hate them because they are muscling in on our turf. Humans tend to value delicate little animals that have the good sense to go and die in a far off wilderness somewhere where we never have to see them. :-) Catherine Penfold-Waxman: 7th Feb 2006 - 21:24 GMT I think that you should rename this article. I propose: Raccoons Cute, Dangerous or Delicious? And please, if anyone knows about Elaines question whether raccoons cover their eyes with their hands, let us know. I'm desperate to know. grange: 7th Feb 2006 - 21:53 GMT Yes Catherine they do .Although not because they are shy .Raccoons are in a word "clean freaks" ( actually two words ) Like cats the groom themselfs .Often raccoon's self groom and the young will groom other kits in the litter,like kittens will . Its a social behaviour common to many mammals . However as they grow older ( about 8 months ) they become solitary animals, and self grooming occurrs.During mating females will produce estrogen pharmones , which is not only along their anal area , but along the snout . Musk if you will .Racoons like cats groom after eating and sex or just for the fun of it . Remember racoons buy their nature forage in watery areas , like creeks , lake shores etc for the main diet .Unless its city racoons, then it's dumpster diving .Somewhat like bears they become habitulated to foraging in easy areas for food . So city racoons ,like bears ,can get use to humans .Therefore shed their natural warriness of humans and becoming aggressive . It should be pointed out in the woods coming into contact is rare unlike the urban areas . So "cornering a racoon " is more common and will result in its fear/ flight reaction coming into play .With out a clear exit raccon will attack . When raccons attack grange: 7th Feb 2006 - 22:03 GMT opps, lost the site . So to continue .When racoons attack they often will give a good couple of bites and retreat .If you grab it while its doing so it will contiue till you let go . As for rabies yes racoons can carry it but first have to be bitten by another animal with it .It if rare for a urban raccon to carry rabies..With the introduction if airal vaccine drops in rural areas . rabies have dropped remarkably . So to conclude . Racoons are dangerous only if provoked , can cause alot of damage if the get in your houses, wash their faces ,will eat damn near everything as long as its free,and are damn tasty , kind of like my ex ....... grange: 7th Feb 2006 - 22:05 GMT oh ya , and her eyes glowed in the dark too ....hows weird is that . M.G. Michaud: 7th Feb 2006 - 22:49 GMT Hello! As a wildlife rehabilitator and someone who has hand-raised many orphaned raccoons over the years, I wanted to contribute a few words to the forum. Raccoons are as "intelligent as any primate" (this from a friend who is a behavioural science prof at the University of Western Ontario). They may carry rabies, but so may squirrels, dogs, cats, and wolves. They are wild animals, and as such, one should NOT approach a raccoon any more than one would approach a bear or a wolf. A cornered raccoon is an extremely dangerous wild animal. They can indeed make a mess; this occurs when they are searching for food or a new accomodation. Given that they are blessed with little "hands" (no opposable thumb, but rather five tiny fingers), they have a greater capability when it comes to making a huge mess. If you can keep your trash locked up and beware of weaknesses in attic roofs, you should be fine. Should you suspect that there is a chance raccoons are coming into your home, your fastest and easiest response is to find the place they are getting into, and put a radio there playing the most obnoxious music available on the dial. Raccoons do not like loud noises, and are extremely jittery. They will eat the fish in your Koi pond (they love to fish!), but they also eat insects like earwigs, cockroaches, and junebugs. They are omnivorous, meaning that they will eat just about anything. They are not evil creatures; they're just looking for a place to live and some food, just like all animals. Because they have discovered that living in urban areas provides them with plenty of food and few natural enemies, they can find living in the city works to their advantage. And finally, about eating raccoons: not a good idea. Raccoons carry a roundworm that lives in their intestinal tracts without harming them. HOWEVER, if passed on to a human, it will nest in the human intestine until it grows, at which time it will freely burrow out of the intestine and go wherever it pleases in your body. This roundworm seems to like the human brain, which is where it usually heads, resulting in blindness or even death. Raccoons are an important part of natural biodiversity, and because it is we, the humans, who have intruded on their habitat, the best thing we can do is learn to live with them and understand that they serve a purpose in the scheme of things. I have spent a great deal of time with these animals, and they are beautiful, charming creatures. When they're small, they learn their names, come when called, and are the most loving little babies. They learn everything quickly and love to play, remaining playful even as adults. They have a huge vocabulary of sounds they use to chitter and talk to each other. When they become adults, of course, they grow wild and must be respected as such. Protect your property and protect yourself. Stay away from raccoons, and if they get too close to you try the radio trick. If that doesn't work, I implore you to call a reputable "no-kill" animal removal service. These animals have a natural value, and they also have an intrinsic value. Besides, they're real cute! Enjoy them at a distance. The Raccoon Mum Catherine Penfold-Waxman: 7th Feb 2006 - 23:12 GMT I've decided NOT to eat any raccoons I might find on I95. I won't corner any, but I will play loud music, but not Public Enemy, because they are cute, clean little buggers who are just trying to get by in the world. Just like Grange's ex girl friend ;) moose: 8th Feb 2006 - 00:34 GMT "Raccoons are an important part of natural biodiversity." That's why I recommend spaying them with a garden hose. Boy can they run fast if you blast them . They will be back in two days , however. Another proven method is a swat with the blade of a hockey stick. When you make a raccoon hiss you feel that you have made your point , But they will be back in three days. GGP: 8th Feb 2006 - 02:40 GMT a few years ago, here in Park Slope, there was a raccoon perched over my neighbor's brownstone doorway--it was BIG!! Elicar: 8th Feb 2006 - 03:54 GMT It has been quite interesting reading all the comments regarding my family of raccoons! I have come to a conclusion that that these cute but sometimes spooky not so little critters are just like humans. They look for shelter, protect their young, scavenge for food and will choose where there is least resistance, i.e. urban areas and they are wild in their adulthood. Sounds familiar? Peter: 8th Feb 2006 - 04:07 GMT i was just hanging out with my friend sally. she saw this entry and freaked out. apparently, not everyone likes raccoons! elaine: 8th Feb 2006 - 09:25 GMT you could try them with different kinds of music. i knew someone who was looking after a herd of cows and they were usually piped classical music during milking. she switched it to the pogues, and the yield went up. elaine: 8th Feb 2006 - 11:42 GMT not that i am suggesting you should try milking raccoons moose: 8th Feb 2006 - 13:31 GMT "call a reputable no-kill animal removal service" We had two trees beside our house which provided raccoons access to our roof. One year one mother managed to push through the aluminum flashing under the eaves and she set up her nest .At first we did not know why we could hear these chirping sounds but one day we saw mommy sleeping on the roof next to the hole in the flashing. We called the removal service.This guy did not arrive in a beat up truck. It was a brand new van with a fancy paint job , the best ladders and they had two way radios. He removed the babies within 30 minutes . They do not carry the animals away in a bag. He left them on the roof in a box to allow mommy time to come back and take them away . She did and the next morning they were under the neighbours porch. Total cost for removal was $ 360 . Total cost for raccoon proofing the roof $360. Total cost for building a screen around the trunk of one tree $50 to $ 70 .Two years later tree two was chopped down and a smaller tree planted in its place . Total cost for new tree about $60 . Its been pretty quite at our house since the tree two was chopped down .The raccoons seem to be spending their time in the neighbours yard as you see them running across the street every morning . moose: 8th Feb 2006 - 13:55 GMT "they will eat just about anything" In theory correct but not a given. On occasions we have goofed and did not place all the bungee cords on the garbage cans. The next morning we see the mess. We cannot figure out what they were after. Left over food stuff , vegetables , pasta , bones , lobster shells , etc . all over the place and it seems that there is plenty of edible food left untouched. Maybe they are picky eaters , but they sure are sloppy. Once we left a smalll plastic bag of sand and gravel in the back yard. OK it was close to the garbage cans . The raccoons came and tore the bag open. moose: 8th Feb 2006 - 14:17 GMT " it is we ,the humans , who have intruded on their hahitat" This is true from a historical point of view . BUT. I work in the cnstruction industry and we build new buildings in , among other places , downtown Toronto. The site is fenced off and there are warning signs. Do Not Enter. Once enough of the building structure is in place you see ample evidence that raccoons have already scouted out the building. They poo in the stair wells. On occasions they are caught riding up on the construction elevators where they sit on the elevator cab roof . If we are not careful we may turn over the building to the owner with a resident population of raccoons . They are living in buildings in downtown Toronto, whole families are . jack: wow i cant believe all the talk over racoons. ian: 8th Feb 2006 - 23:03 GMT Beautiful creatures, but, yes, pests. Unfortunately. You will probably want to have them relocated. Stevo: 9th Feb 2006 - 06:43 GMT Headlights in the dark. I was going to say something about how they all wear masks so that they cannot be identified in a police line up, but some one else beat me to it. My old National Geographic "Animals of North America" book thinks Racoons always want to wash their food, given a chance. There is a pic of a racoon washing a corncob... NG theorizes that that the 'coons have poor salivary glands.. it's an old book! thanks for the pics! elaine: 9th Feb 2006 - 09:22 GMT now they are getting so popular, perhaps someone will give them typing and piano lessons, give their little fingers something to do anon (63.250.117.199): 10th Feb 2006 - 18:31 GMT Toronto wouldnt be Toronto without the raccoons. They are pushy, busy and active, something like the rest of us here. I've caught them in my kitchen, trying to climb in windows etc. No damage yet other then a door screen. The radio trick does work, used to do it in my garden when the corn got ripe. They know its ripe about a day before you do. I used to sit on my porch in the early evening and watch the family go from roof top to roof top on their rounds. When i was a kid, one of neighbours had one for a pet. it was really smart, but it did turn a bit mean as it matured and was set loose in the woods it came from. You want to know what urban animal gives me the spooks. It's those skunks waiting in ambush on your front lawn. Just pray you see the sucker in time. Cavit8: 11th Feb 2006 - 03:09 GMT We have raccoons in our backyard. When they get fighting, it's a little crazy. The babies are very cute. With our garbage bundled up, they simply go elsewhere. I have more of a problem with skunks. You dont want to go rushing out your door in the wee hours in case one is sitting on the front step... eeee... Foxy (dee_c25@hotmail.com): 28th Feb 2006 - 02:37 GMT I have a problem with raccoons. They live in my roof above my 7 month old daughters room and I cannot get rid of the bastards!!! My daughter and I live alone and I have had Wildlife Removal guys come and "deoderize" them out but they never left. What is a girl to do? Does anyone have any ideas? I am afraid because they have gotten into my walls and sleep under my bathtub sometimes or crawl under my bathroom floor and I can feel them under my feet banging on the ceramic tiles if I get up the night to use the washroom. How can I get rid of these critters for good? Feel free to email me at the following address with some good advice. dee_c25@hotmail.com grange: 28th Feb 2006 - 13:00 GMT foxy ..open a wall. get a stick , and kill them ...sorry . While you at it . find where they have craped .it will be a big pile in one place , and remove it . Oh now all you animail lovers out there , putting them in a nice woods will only add to their misery because if there are other racoons there the will run them off , or kill them .Awwww the charms for the animal kingdom , aint it grand . keltesmouse: 10th Mar 2006 - 22:26 GMT calling animal control would probably be a better solution to that problem, although at times they are unwilling to do things free of charge and therefore you need to resort to removing the animals yourself. When they have gotten to the point of being in a dwelling on your property it is time to get the creatures out... You could try the radio trick which seems to work for most, evidently perminent removal is going to be the final answer. Person: 4th May 2006 - 00:42 GMT There is this racoon on my roof! Its so COOL! Amy: 4th May 2006 - 00:49 GMT Ok one night my sister and i were outside and i said " hey steph look it is a kitty on the roof of our neghbors house and she said " that isn't a cat that is a raccoon and the scary part is that they are supposed to be necturnal and the raccoon was out during the day and early evening Blue: Raccoons are people too! Blue: 4th May 2006 - 06:50 GMT I'm trying to get to the bottom of this opposable thumb thing. Whats the deal? They can grab stuff, open it, and it looks like they got little people hands. I mean, if it works like a thumb but its technically just a fifth finger, why dont we just give em this one. Is it because we're insecure about the whole "opposable thumb" thing. Some friends and I just had a mess of a dinner conversation about it when I brought it up outta the blue. I think I'm gonna catch one of those cute furry little bastards and see for myself, then I'll let ya'all know elaine: 4th May 2006 - 15:38 GMT while you are at it can you give me hawk's eyes and a tiger tail? p.s. are you sure sharing the opposable thumb is such a good idea? it could be the thin end of the wedge... Concern: 5th May 2006 - 10:57 GMT I just saw a Huge raccoon near the trees in my fenced backyard Should I be afraid to play with my 20 month-old son in the backyard now? patti: 9th May 2006 - 14:15 GMT I live on Long Island, New York, in a small village and have a few raccoons in the neighborhood. Two years ago they made their way into the sofits/eves of my garage and were sleeping there every day. I spoke with a local expert and he told me to go buy a couple boxes of mothballs, wait until the middle of the night when they're out and about, and throw the moth balls into the sofits/eves. It worked like magic. They never went back in and after a week or so, I sealed them up (of course, my car smelled a bit like moth balls for a while). But now, I'm in my hot tub late at night and this one keeps coming around...seems curious. Comes within two feet of me. I'm afraid he might decide to jump in and join me (but with 104 farinheit temp, I don't think he'd be too happy). How loud must a radio be too keep him away? I don't want to wake my human neighbors...I keep a bowl of water out for four ferel cats I feed and I know the raccoons will use this (most mornings it's filthy, and I know the raccoons have been washing up). By they way, I got home after dark one night and hadn't fed the four cats yet. Got their food together and opened the door to go out and saw the four cats and two raccoons all just sitting in a circle, hanging out together. The cats didn't get fed that night... Tyfoid Kid: 9th May 2006 - 15:03 GMT I've heard that the radio trick works. I also heard it should be some kind of talk radio since it's the sound of humans that Racoons don't like. I don't think it has to be too loud, just loud enough for them to hear it should work. Like a normal human conversation. We have racoons and I don't mind them but in Minnesota they carry a parasite that can be lethal if ingested by a human (usually a child who's touched Racoon feces and then puts their hand in their mouth.) www.dnr.state.mn.us/volunteer/janfeb02/fn_raccoon.html elaine: 9th May 2006 - 16:15 GMT i think i would like to know about anyone making tapes for them... like praps mantras, "i lovingly release you raccoons from my life" or scary movie laughing, or children in a playground. there has to be a particular thing that freaks - them - right - out...no? fever: 13th May 2006 - 07:00 GMT Yes, it is almost 3in the morning. that raccoon woke me up. we just purchased a house in toronto 2 weeks ago. the first week we did not hear any crawlers over the attic and the past few days or would say early moring, that freaky creature is waking me up so damn early that i could not go back to sleep....any ideas how i can rid of them? 74: 19th May 2006 - 17:11 GMT i know exacly how u feel cuz i came on this website 2 c realy what could happen & just last week there waz a raccoon in r basment window it looked sooo cute & harmless but i wasnt gonna risk it i dont think any 1 would!!! 74: 19th May 2006 - 17:19 GMT also,i cant belive those pic did u take them?!?!? u must hav been scared expacly that close!but ya ive cen alot more scarere things than raccoons tell me bout it!! 74: 19th May 2006 - 17:24 GMT i 4got when it waz in r window i got very nervous cuz it would just b staring @ me & honestly, it looked... PREGNANT! Autumn: 23rd May 2006 - 02:33 GMT All of this is very interesting until 4 of those cute, cuddly coons which, by the way, can rip a dog apart, find your pet door. I boarded up the pet door, so they ripped open my screen door. They trash my house every night.Every night I lie in bed listening to them working on tearing off the boards, waiting for them to breach the fortress. They make a horrible sound and when they come across a skunk it's good night nurse for me! I need help! anon (ip68-1-162-20.ri.ri.cox.net): 29th May 2006 - 01:57 GMT this made my friend more scaerd anon (ip68-1-162-20.ri.ri.cox.net): 29th May 2006 - 02:01 GMT racoons are dangerous! They attacked me and my grampa. They may be cute from a distanse, but if you get too close they can tear you apart rob: 31st May 2006 - 06:10 GMT I was watering my grass and reeling my hose in and heard sound in the branches, at first I thought it was the leaves moving from the woater hitting them or rats, since the sound was not going away it seemed to be getting closer and closer so I just dropped the hose and ran to my front door and when I opened the screen door I stopped and turned around and saw 2 eyes staring at me upside down on the tree, I stopped and he stopped and we both stared at each other for about 10 seconds or so, I immediately went inside and closed the door. It really freaked me out. I saw them running across the street but not that close. I am going to cut those branches down and check my roof out. jessica: 2nd Jun 2006 - 04:18 GMT Not to rain on anybody's fuzzy furry cute racoon parade, but that previously mentioned ( smart racoon guy, several entries above) roundworm is anything but cute. Try googling "racoon roundworm" if you don't believe me. Although pretty rare statistically, a friend of mine's young nephew contacted it at a daycare center (he ate some dirt with eggs in it as an infant) and he's now blind and permanently mentally disabled for life. Apparently it can affect pets too. (The eggs of raccoon roundworm are extraordinarily difficult to kill and can remain viable in the soil for several years, studies show. If they are ingested, they hatch inside the body and get into various tissues via the blood vessels. They do their damage as they migrate, before lodging in the liver, lungs, muscles or other parts, where they are usually walled off by the body. But if they reach the brain, they can wreak havoc for weeks before the body is able to wall them off. And a parasite migrating in the retinal arteries can destroy a victim's eyesight, according to the most prominent expert on the subject, veterinary parasitologist Kevin Kazacos, D.V.M., Ph.D., of Purdue University.) woaquin: I DECLARE WAR AGAINST ALL RACCOONS. karen:jun06-2006: 7th Jun 2006 - 04:22 GMT i have a family of raccons that i have been feeding for yrs-i feed them cheap dry dog food or any old leftovers i have- they love spagetti-bread crackers-i have 4 cats and they seem to have a live and let live policy-i also have a possum and have seen them eating from the same dish with the raccons with no fighting-i hate possums ha- but i have some real cute pics of my raccons-they have gotten in my house 2x and made a big mess but i enjoy watching them eat out my backdoor-my dog who is inside with me goes crazy barking at them-he enjoys his nightly entertainment-i know they make many nightly rounds-i believe that the mommy knows my house is safe and there is food here so she sends the baby here while she hunts so i guess i,m a racoon babysitter-i never try to touch them-i always have a window between us -but i do enjoy them-does anyone know where they live in the wild-do they live in burrows?are they related to squirrles?rats? ebcunni: 10th Jun 2006 - 04:15 GMT I'm SO incredibly sick of them, argh!!! One of the three we have here in Maryland came at me on the deck one night (it was in my neighbor's garbage at the time); I think it thought I was going to take its food or something. The funny thing is it had the Pizza Hut breadsticks out AND the damned sauce/dip stuff!!! Amazing, but horrible pests. I spray them with pepper-spray all the time but they keep coming back. Loud music or voices? Ha! That's funny, that's really funny. Good luck with that ... ebcunni: 10th Jun 2006 - 04:17 GMT I should have said, "the three we have here in my neighborhood in Maryland ..." not Maryland!!! Sorry, that would be something if there were only three in all of Maryland, sorry about that ... laters, e. jeeff: 10th Jun 2006 - 05:10 GMT clearly there are raccoons, and then there are raccoons. jessica: 11th Jun 2006 - 21:38 GMT Oh- I neglected to mention THE perfect solution for when raccoons become pests, a tried and true method that my brother in The Adirondacks of Upstate New York invented: shoot the critters with a PAINTBALL GUN! He snuck up on them raiding the garbage one night, and covered them in pellets of bright paint. Apparently they didn't take too kindly to becoming living breathing Jackson Pollock sculptures, and they have left him alone since! Toronto animal Assult!!!: 13th Jun 2006 - 23:01 GMT Ok...solutions anyone please... I have a possessed squirrel and raccon that are ruining my life.... oh and a strange pooping stray cat....So... The squirrl rips up my garden every day, I looked out the window one day to see it, picking the leaves off my plants riping them to shreds and throwing them on the ground..is this normal! its not even eating anything.... The raccoon arrives on the evening shift to spread garbage its collected from the neighbors or arround town. all over my yard... The other day it tore out and snapped the roots of all my crawling vines...(why do they hate beauty so much!) The cat shows up periodically to shit all over my yard...(it has the nerve to beg for food as it shits in front of my face!)...... I've tried everything I can think of to get rid of these devils...so... I'm putting out poison this week sooo.... if thats your squirrel, raccoon, or cat...get it out of my yard! elaine: sounds like it is posessed. a priest? gummie: 16th Jun 2006 - 07:34 GMT I live in California (southern california) and I think I just saw a raccoon and/or baby possum...Is that possible? I almost pooped in my pants and now my laundry is sitting in my wash room because I'm scarred to go out there...I'm cute and edible...they may want to eat me! ellen: 28th Jun 2006 - 21:22 GMT Does anyone have ideas for stopping them from pooping on one's deck. I've tried vinegar, putting aluminum wrap on their favorite step and no luck. I've got kids and cats and worry about the roundworm. thanks in advance for any advice. Autumn: 29th Jun 2006 - 00:19 GMT Me again! The one with the boarded-up pet door and ripped up screens.I have so many trees around my house they form a canopy fot the racoons to jump around in. Then I found a pile of poo on my lawn under a tree outside my livingroom window. The poo is bigger than human poo! The darn thing is living up there, and the poo keeps pileing up. More and more. So I studied the poo. When the Mulberry tree is ripe it has mulberry seeds, then seeds from my birdfeeder. How the heck does vinager help when it's dropping from a tree? I plan to put a sheet under the tree to see if the poo is still dropping (it's starting to look alittle old - no flies). If the vile creature has left the tree (no poo), I plan to wait a week then unboard my pet door. If not (more poo), I am going to let a 12 yr. old set up tent in my backyard and shoot the things. Then I will become an ex-PETA member, ex-vegitarin, and reclaim my property. Hallujah!!! Littleone53: 30th Jun 2006 - 02:18 GMT To get to my home u must drive 9 miles I live far out into the woods,I have alot of wildlife here,Racoons are cute, but even thro some of u are scare of them, there will not hurt u,I have been feeding them for about a year now,along with the other wildlife.They have to eat also.Every nite at 10:00pm the racoons come out to eat.Just think if u were a creature and no one feed u. Peter: 30th Jun 2006 - 02:27 GMT such creatures lived for millennia without anyone feeding them, so...? no one feeds me and i get by. Autumn: 1st Jul 2006 - 04:20 GMT By the way, I put a sheet under my tree, and no more poo. He musta moved on. I plan to give it a week. If no poo by then, I will open up my pet door and put mothballs around it. Mothballs are great. They rid my of my skunks also. Put the mothballs in an old pantyhose, cut the leg of the pantyhose to where the mothballs are in the toe, tie it off and hang them around where the skunks and racoons are giving you problems. Vinigar is great for skunk smell. Put a little in a saucer, it will soak up the nasty smell:-) Jean whit: 12th Jul 2006 - 09:43 GMT I have been raising a baby racoon...it was only a couple of days old when it's mother left it behind...He bit me tonight and drew blood now should i be running to the hospitial to get rabie shots? Please someone let me know...His foot was caught in something he was in pain and when i tried to help he bit me...He is not mean....PLEASE HELP..please leave comment Autumn: 14th Jul 2006 - 13:33 GMT Jean, I would defintely seek advise from the Division of Wildlife in your state, call a veterinarion and/or see your Dr. I came down with "cat scratch fever" after my own pet cat bit me. It occurs to me that there must be a reason why the mother raccoon would abandon the baby. Please keep the baby raccoon - if they can test it, no rabies shots:-) Chris: 24th Jul 2006 - 16:40 GMT I have a raccoon that insists on pooping in my yard! Any suggestions?? I have tried 'Critter Ritter', mothballs and ammonia. I works for one night and then he is back. It is disgusting. Autumn: 25th Jul 2006 - 16:02 GMT I had the same problem - totally disgusting! Poo bigger that human poo!(see post above).I finally put a big old sheet to cover the poo and no more poo...Make sure there is absolutly NO food source. Even from fruit trees. Good luck! Chris: 26th Jul 2006 - 02:19 GMT Did someone recommend using a sheet? I have been spraying every night and finally they got the message. One night no poo anywhere. Then the next night, I believe he/she brought their friends and have now starting pooing up against my house! It is disgusting trying to clean it up. I will try the sheet. Thank you. anon (cache-rtc-ad06.proxy.aol.com): 27th Jul 2006 - 17:26 GMT Meye: OMG! I was out last night pulling weeds in my flower garden when I spotted something walking up on me the right side from behind. At first I thought it was a big fluffy cat. I turned around, stomped my foot, and yelled, "GET" very loudly. It ran up a tree, but only to the bottom ofthe trunk. I then ran on my porch, and got a better look at it. It was just looking at me. That's when I realized it wasn't a cat, but a raccoon. It actually started walking toward me again...that's when I threw my shoe at it. It wobbled away into my neighbors yard. That was the first time I had ever seen a live raccoon in person. I was really scared.... I quiver when I think about that incident. I wonder what it would have done to me had I not turned and scared it away. What do you think it wanted, I 've never seen any other racccoons in my neighborhood before last night. tricia: 29th Jul 2006 - 18:15 GMT raccoons like to hang in my yard at night and trash stuff. last night they kept revisiting, mamma and babies, they slashed big holes into a chair, dug up my cactus, and in my flowers. opened a sealed tin of cat food, that i had put outside, cause the other night i left a window open while i was out and they came inside and opened the tin, and didnt finish it so i didnt want to feed my cats the food filled with drool. basically they like to hang out. last year they would come and i had a blow up pool even empty and upside down they loved to play on it and eventually trashed it with their sharp little claws. there is usually not pet food in the yard. they just love to play. i dont know what to do to detur them. i have a motion sensor light. doesnt matter. last night they were even scratching at my window to get in. every night they mosey over the fence and come and hang out! i love my yard, and i guess they love it too. but what should i do? Donna: 1st Aug 2006 - 19:41 GMT Raccons have been living in an old home that I recently purchased and am in the process of renovating. We have ripped out the ceilings and some walls and much poo!! has fallen out. It appears these guys lived here a long while before we came along. What is the best way to get rid of the smell?? We have removed all the old poo we can reach but most likley there is still some around. The smell is the biggest issue, we are going to piant so that should help some any ideas would be great. Robby: 7th Aug 2006 - 20:15 GMT I like them, but they are both cute and dangerous. If bitten, immediately get a rabies shot. RE: Toronto animal Assult!!!: 12th Aug 2006 - 11:27 GMT Hilarious post! (sorry) The leaf by leaf destruction of a frustrated squirrel. The racoon who brings his own garbage to scatter all over your yard. And the cat that begs for food out one end while dropping poo on your yard out the other. Quite a bunch of characters. It also sounds like they're vandals and willfully pranking you. Maybe their friends put them up to it. Do you ever hear other animals at the edge of your yard, snickering? A dog in the yard might keep them all away. I think even owning a dog, having it piss all over the area, can keep pests away without the dog even needing to be present. You might want also want to try scattering your own piss, as I heard that deters foxes. But a predator urine might be best. Coyote urine is for sale, and specifically prescribed for racoons. Good luck. Tony Iommi: 17th Aug 2006 - 18:06 GMT At one point, while I was attending undergrad, I lived in an apartment building (actually, a house converted to apartments) where a rather large family of raccoons lived as well. They chose to reside on a fire escape landing/ deck off of the top floor of the building (2nd floor), around back. I lived in the front apartment and would share my supper, every night, with one of the daughters. The rest of the family would stop by to greet me from time-to-time, but the one female would sit with me on the porch and politely share my sandwiches (which made of soy-based foods, as I am a vegetarian). We would meet at roughly the same time every night and she would actually "ask" me to share with her. She would sit down next to me and we would communicate silently in a most friendly and respectful way. When we would finish eating, she would stand up, apparently "thank" me and waddle off. The next night, we would repeat the exchange. I have the utmost respect for raccoons and, from experience, have found them to be profoundly intelligent and thoughtful/ feeling beings. Just as there are not-so-nice human beings (perhaps a few have subscribed/ responded to this blog), there are, I am certain, nasty raccoons. Though i am sure I will some day, I have not met one yet. Autumn: 21st Aug 2006 - 03:55 GMT When you own your home, it's a quite different experience. Older, wiser and not so naive, I finally hired an animal trapper that I found in the yellow pages under "pest control" and paid them to trap the racoons and haul them back to the mtns where they belong.There is a big difference between urban raccoons and wild racoons. Let them poo in the wild! Grange: 21st Aug 2006 - 17:07 GMT Wow , I cant beleive this thread has gone on for so long .Perhaps homeland security should be advised of this danger in our midst . Suicide bombing raccons cant be far away! Autumn: lol, Grange... anon (cache-rtc-ad06.proxy.aol.com): 22nd Aug 2006 - 01:24 GMT yea theres plenty of coons out here theres 1 way of getting rid of them a bullet in the head Autumn: 22nd Aug 2006 - 17:29 GMT Please tell me racoons hibernate in the winter - shooting illegal in city limits.... Carol: 25th Aug 2006 - 18:26 GMT I awoke one morning an found a 50 poumd racoon in a pile of his/her own feces dead at the bottom of my kid's slide. Obviously looking for thrills, the critter tried the steep slide and had a heart attack/ shat its pants in the process (or became incontinent as the anal sphincter relaxes upon death expelling its content). Well, I called the city who said they will not pick up any carcasses on private property...so somehow miraculously, that racoon made it out to the sidewalk (I think its name was Lazarus). zoe: 28th Aug 2006 - 14:43 GMT I just trap them and remove them...release them. Just make sure you catch the mother or it starts again next year...removed about 10 already Mary: 29th Aug 2006 - 07:37 GMT My dog, a Jack Russell, was attacked by a raccoon just a few minutes ago. It is a hot night, so I have the window open in my TV room. My dog, who had been peacefully lying next to me on the couch, started barking and acted like she was going to jump out of the window. I was trying to hold her back and shut the window at the same time. I heard rustling outside and something jumped on the fence that is about 6 feet from my window. I thought it was my neighbors cat, because he likes to parade back and forth and drive my dog crazy. I let my dog outside (she likes to chase the cat away) and all of sudden I hear this high pitched noise and I realize that it's my dog. I ran out on my back porch. I couldn't see anything but I could still hear the high pitched yelp. Suddenly my dog comes running toward the house and when she is about 10 feet from the back door steps I realize something is chasing her. I thought it was the neighbors cat. My dog ran past me and into the house. It was then that I realized it was a raccoon that was chasing her and it wasn't stopping as it got to the steps. I rushed towards it with my arms out and made sort of a guttural noise. It paused and then ran off. My dog got a couple of bites and scratches on her stomach. FREAKED ME OUT!! I got online to see what to do about raccoons, because one year we mysteriously lost 3 cats within a few months, and people mentioned maybe it was raccoons, but I had never seen any. Now I know they are here. Carol: 29th Aug 2006 - 14:57 GMT some people say a motion sensor sprinkler would do the trick. Sounds complicated. I've tried everything short of barb wire. Everymorning I trek out to the back with a mask, rubber gloves and bags to pick up their darn poo. Because of all the garbage they eat, often its diahhrea. I hate these critters. anon (CPE000f1fa33286-CM014260023618.cpe.net.cable.rogers.com): 1st Sep 2006 - 11:53 GMT Does anyone know where you can buy coyote urine?I just relocated a family and I want to make sure that another family does not move in. Dianna: 4th Sep 2006 - 17:42 GMT Do raccoons tear up new lawns ?my neighbor has a new lawn and almost every nite parts of the lawn are folded back like a carpet. We have alot of raccoons around but this is really weird Carol: 5th Sep 2006 - 20:57 GMT Dianna: yes racoons tear up new sod because they like to feast on the grubs underneath. Gordon: 8th Sep 2006 - 02:43 GMT IN Carroll Gardens , Brooklyn.. I have one comming all night long... right into the house.. Down the circularstair..from the 5th floor roof into the kitchen.. and through the cubbords... eatting the cats food..my coon prefers the dry science diet.. got some great photos of it comming down the circular stair way.. littleone53: 9th Sep 2006 - 20:35 GMT I would like to let everyone know, that if u let your cat or dog outside, when raccoons are around, you need to make sure that the adults do not have there babies around, cause they will attack your animals, there are only protecting there young, So check before u let your cat or dog out, because a raccoon will hurt ther animals. raccooned: 12th Sep 2006 - 02:49 GMT I was up painting late last night and I looked up and saw what I thought to be one of the feral cats in the neighborhood that several of us feed. It was on the other side of my sliding glass door. When I realized that it was a racoon, I stood up - and so did he. On his hind legs. I live in Phoenix AZ and have never seen a racoon around here, so I was taken aback. Then a smaller racoon appeared by his side. I said "Hell no," as I went outside to chase them away. They ran off, and two of the feral cats in the yard were just lounging around as if they felt no threat. Sure enough with the food bowl filled with cat food out there, the two racoons returned within 20 minutes. This time I just watched, entranced, as they ate the cat food with their hands and stared at me. My indoor cats ran up to the window and watched them, and the outdoor feral cats just stayed back while the raccons ate. I realized that the cats would be in danger if the racoons were to attack ( I mean when they stand up they are pretty darn tall) but the cats really didn't seem threatened and the coons ignored them. I was searching the internet to find out how dangerous of a sitiuation this is if I keep putting the bowl of food out. Looks like I would indeed be endangering the feral cats and possibly even my own if a coon were to get inside. They really are beautiful creatures and seem surprisingly intelligent. I am worried because if I stop feeding them, will they become hungry enough to eat the feral cats? Catch 22 because if I keep feeding them they will breed and rely on me. Guess I'm going to have to stop putting out the food bowl. jody Richman: 13th Sep 2006 - 12:10 GMT Do racoons yelp when hurt. At 4 this morning I heard what sounded like a small dog yelping in pain in the neighbors yard. I went to investigate, but couldn't see. I thought I heard a growl too. Anyway, I thought two animals were going at it, so I clapped as loud as I could. I heard rustling, a pot turn over and scrambling over the fence. But it was the animal scrambling away that sounded like it was the one in in a lot of pain. I still couldn't see...but I could still hear scrambling over various fences and yelping as it got farther and father away. And then all was quiet. poor thing. Do raccoons cry out like that? Thanks autumn: 13th Sep 2006 - 21:44 GMT Racoons do growl, they growl at me in my own home, but betcha it was the animal the racoon wounded that was yelping...Mycat door is forever boarded up and sadly, I will never put food out again. This has been a looong year for me:-( Bay Girl: 14th Sep 2006 - 05:17 GMT A read a couples years ago that racoons hate the smell of amonia but who doesn't. The article said to dip a rag in amonia, hang the rag over a pail to catch the drips and hang the pail in the area where the racoons are. I'm going to try it out this weekend.....especially after reading about racoon ringworm. Carol: 18th Sep 2006 - 00:57 GMT Bay Girl: where can you buy ammonia? I went to Home Depot and they said they don't sell it anymore. Furthermore, regarding ringworm, some kids have developed serious neurological problems and have even died from contact(ingesting) with racoon worms/larvae. The larvae remains dormant for years in soil. And, once they find a nice place to poo, they establish a "Community latrine" where they all shit together in the same spot. That is why every morning, I find at least 6-8 fresh clumps of poo on my shed roof. 'Thus, I would never leave out pet food because input will require a place for output. Astro Guy: 21st Sep 2006 - 03:05 GMT Great. Just great. How the heck am I supposed to relax when I’m outside on clear nights at the telescope?! I’m in BC, right down in the extreme South-West, by the US border in a little place called Crescent Beach. We just had 4 raccoons pass through the back garden half an hour ago! I found this forum through google. Trying to find methods for repelling raccoons, and assessing the dangers they pose. It was 7:30pm, and it was quite light outside still! Looks like 3 babies and a mother. They climbed up into the honeysuckle bushes that overhang thickly the neighbors fence. They were eating a few of the berries before slowly and ponderously dropping down out of view into the neighbors yard! Pepper spray… loud radios… heh, ya right. Guess it's time to sell off the telescope and gear, as another interesting hobby bites the dust. Prisoner in your own home at night… if it’s not the dope thugs with guns it’s the raccoons with deadly round worms, rabies, and razor claws sneaking up on you. And if you kill these raccoons? I guess they are protected and you get fines. Sure. Of course. Makes perfect sense to me. not amused =( Michele: 22nd Sep 2006 - 03:49 GMT Ok....here's my story My dog Milo passed away on May 2, 2006. I was and still am grieving from losing him. Anyhow on the day Milo died I noticed this raccoon which I have never seen before. At first I wasn't happy because I use to live in the city and I know how these animals behave and I wasn't happy with the idea. He came back the next night and for some reason I was happy to see him it was like Milo told him to keep an eye on me. I live in Kitchener and it's not like Toronto where they're so many of them. I named him Rocky and I leave 2 slices of bread with peanut butter and a side of sunflower seeds for him each and every night. I say hello when he shows up and I watch him for a bit then I leave so he can enjoy his treats. I love my Raccoon Rocky, he adds comfort to my soul since Milo my dog died and he choose me to visit and that I'm thankful for. I don't know much about raccoons but I do know my raccoon Rocky is a picky eater he doesn't eat garbage or left over pizza. He loves peanuts, peanut butter sandwiches and sunflower seeds. He's not loud and he doesn't make a mess all he wants is a snack and then he leaves and I pray that he never gets hit by a car like my Milo....my baby boy. And that's my story if you want to comment or send me an email you can. I'm at lost_milo@hotmail.com Zee Zee : 27th Sep 2006 - 03:52 GMT Racoons are definately scary. They ate my leaves autumn: 3rd Oct 2006 - 02:46 GMT Whew!If you watch "House" (who doesn't?), you just got a very graphic image of the ringworm theat can be present in the raccoon poo we are so causually discussing. And it can remain in the soil for years. In my case, racoon poo has been in my house, on my roof, my porch and in communal pooing pits. Must be in my lawnmover, my hoses, rags, vacuum cleaner - EVERYWHERE!!! Well, my skunks are back (what a welcome relief), so the 'coons must be gone. The pet door has been reopened for the winter. I will NEVER leave food outside again. If you're old enough to remember the movie "Deliverance", I think racoon ringworm was the culprit, not incestuous inbreeding. autumn: 3rd Oct 2006 - 02:58 GMT So sorry! That's ROUNDWORM, not ringworm. Anyhoo, a rose by any other name...Yikes! Desprate Oct 5,06: 5th Oct 2006 - 15:14 GMT Racoons have been pooing on my roof all summer. We've gone on the roof many times to clean it. We've used critter ritter, we've used cyene pepper. Nothing is working. I checked this morning and the poo is back. Anyone out there with any suggestions. autumn: 5th Oct 2006 - 20:18 GMT To get rid of the poo, start by getting rid of the source - the racoons. Think. Why are the racoons enticed to your home? Is there a food source? Examine the poo without touching it. What is it comprised of? Does it have birdseed in it? Fruit tree seeds? Pet food? Can you hear them on the roof? "Critter Ritter" is illeagal in Colorado. Do not touch the poo! Get preditor unine (coyote), or pee on the poo. Have traps put out and get rid of the racoons. Pour ammonia on the poo. Do NOT give the racoons my address! Did I say "pee on the poo"? Desprate Oct 6,06: 6th Oct 2006 - 13:05 GMT Thanks Autumn, I'll try your suggestions. It probably doesn't help that our backyard is on a ravine that connects to conservation. A lot of our neighbours have bird feeders,friut trees and fish ponds. In the past years we've dealt with racoons tearing our whole yard apart. The grass was neatly rolled up. We take care of our lawn now to insure that there's no grubs. It's helped. I'll keep you posted on how the pee works out. autumn: 6th Oct 2006 - 15:33 GMT Desperate - I think we are in similiar situations - My property borders on the Colorado National Monument. Skunks are wonderful for the grubs in the lawn, racoons are much more destructive. Please check ordinances in your area before you climb on your roof and pee on it. And please let me know what works and what doesn't. Are you in Canada? Desprate Oct 6,06: 7th Oct 2006 - 00:58 GMT Autumn Yes I am in Canada and our racoon problems are just as bad in the country side as it is in our cities. My Mom lives in the city and has a similar problem. She has used bleach, mothballs and as of this summer, she even had her roof shingles replaced. Guess what? They went up on the roof and pooed in the same spot. They are pretty smart but they are a real pest. autumn: 7th Oct 2006 - 15:43 GMT I hope this thread continues through the winter. Racoons are in their winter condos now, planning their survival come spring, when they will bring the next generation out. They will teach the young what they have learned this year to survive. I'm sure my home will be in their storytelling. I plan to re-roof my home come spring. I think it would be a good idea to get advice from roofers regarding the best type of racoon-proof material. A new roof that they less able to destroy. Trust me, they will return. They are very smart and delight in new obstacles to overcome.Human evolution is the core of their storytelling. Try coyote urine, ammonia and buying cattle to attract coyotes. Michele: 7th Oct 2006 - 20:14 GMT Raccoons are animals with feeling. I know they can be a pest to many however they need to survive as well. We have taken away from the wildlife by building and continue buliding on every open space possible. The same thing goes for deers. autumn: 8th Oct 2006 - 17:27 GMT Michele, I am old, educated and wise.I am well aware of what human over population is doing to the very delicate balance of the planet. Mammals are either preditor or prey. Preditors have eyes set forward, prey have eyes set to the side. Mice, prey. Cats, preditor. Look at the setting of the eyes.Racoons, preditor, deer prey.It is a very delicate balance. When humans, (preditor), upset balanced ecosystems there are dire consequeses.Where I live, the ranchers kill coyotes, resulting in overpopulation of coyote prey, rabbits, resulting in striping of grass, which rabbits now eat, resulting in landslides when it rains, which brings us back to the cattle with no place to graze. If humans were taken out of the equation, the earth would be a well-balanced ecosystem and no mammels would overpopulate. But humans are unfortunately here, for the time-being anyway. Which relates to racoons how? We humans have a responsibility to carefully think out the consequences of our actions.I need a new roof. Beef is in demand, so coyotes are culled, resulting in overpopulation of racoons, resulting in the destruction of my property. It is my responsibility to purchase a roof that will not result in attracting racoons( while having the least impact on the earth), hence no need to kill racoons. Leave that to the coyotes. I can address Bambi later if you wish. Deer are prey for wolves. Wolves need deer to survive. Take away the wolves, which we did, and deer overpopulate. So now we are reintroducing wolves.Just trying to put some humor in a very lengthty philosophical debate.You made a great statement - keep thinking that way:-) fedup: 11th Oct 2006 - 16:49 GMT That's it. I've had it. I just can't be 'senstive' any longer. If I go to the country, I will be cognizant of being in the raccoons backyard and act accordingly (let him/her have their way). But, here in Toronto, sorry, this is MY yard, these are MY kids. Raccoons trespass. If they're on my property, ideally they should be shot. Period. Fill up the ass end of a raccoon with buckshot and next time he'll give my place a wide berth. Unfortunately, that's not possible or realistic (in downtown Toronto, I could end up accidentally shot by some scared neighbour). There isn't anything much more toxic than a raccoons feces. Do a little research, you'll see. How can anyone even think that the welfare of raccoon is equal or greater than that a child possibly dying (no matter how remote) of roundworm? They shit everywhere. Especially on decks. Can you believe it. I had one 'pest control' company preach to me how cruel it is to live trap raccoons and relocate the animals. If fact they said it is illegal to relocate raccoons more than 1 km. (which is a pile of shit, or if it's true, tough shit) 'They might get confused and die' Oh Really! They might die? I didn't know that. Thank you very much! . So, trapping it is. Relocate > 1 km. In fact, I might design some sort of electrical prodder that I can torture them while in the cage :-)...really, I have absolutely no guilt at whatsoever. fedup: 11th Oct 2006 - 16:56 GMT Okay I'm basically illiterate. I should have re-read my previous post for grammer and spelling mistakes. Sory autumn: 12th Oct 2006 - 14:51 GMT fedup - you are right - DOW in US ( Department of Wildlife) has very strict rules regarding racoons. Mine are coming from the Colorado River a mile south. Trap them, take them back to their home, they are back the next night. Population of racoons needs to be culled. Same with deer. Here, we are fined if we feed deer but no fine for racoons. My advice - racoon-proof your home and property. I worked on it all year and am finally ('til next breeding season) racoon free. My next fear? Pigeons! They are moving about a mile closer every year. What a crappy, shitty mess! Take a valium. Michele: 18th Oct 2006 - 14:45 GMT I'm young and educated (currently in law school) as I get older the "wise" part will kick in. I understand what you're saying Autumn but I love all animals. I've fought with my parents for years regarding wildlife and it's still a continuing argument because I don't share their views. Anyhow good luck to all of you and remember "The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man".Charles Darwin Michele: 18th Oct 2006 - 14:49 GMT fedup....honestly you scare me more than the raccoon. Susannah: 18th Oct 2006 - 17:56 GMT I'd rather have racoons than these guys. This was my backyard before we put up a fence a couple of winters ago: Susannah: 18th Oct 2006 - 17:59 GMT They came in through a gap in the neigbors fence; here's the neighbor's yard: anon (bas6-kitchener06-1177625186.dsl.bell.ca): 19th Oct 2006 - 03:40 GMT Susannah........that's such a cute picture. It's look like Kitchner Ontario Am I right? Susannah: 19th Oct 2006 - 04:09 GMT No - its New Jersey, believe it or not, less than 15 miles from Newark. We have a major deer problem out here. Sometimes they run down the main strip of town. We've even had a couple bear in the last year or so, but this summer we were lucky. Some times I go outside and try to shoo the deer away from my rose bushes and they just look at me like I'm crazy.(As do the neighbors). autumn: 19th Oct 2006 - 20:06 GMT Michele,gg, keep it up. I am educated to the PhD level but also have "street smarts". Worked 20 yrs. as a CPS Social Worker. My home & 1 acre of property are the sum total of my life, mortage paid off:-)This last year I had 6 racoons the size of bear cubs rampaging and pillaging INSIDE my home.Came in through my pet door. Hissing and growling at me. Man, it was scarey! Boarded - up the pet door. They ripped it off, ripped my screen doors open. I have MS. Racoons in my fridge, ripping up my indoor plants, climbing on my widowsills, sterio, couches, chairs, even muddy prints on top of my washer and dryer. Got my home racoon - proffed eventually and lie in bed listening to them on my roof, fighting the skunks, jumping from tree to tree - I am totally traumtized!Live alone semi-disabled, semi-rural. Great God, tell me this is not something out of a Stephen King novel. What would you feel in my shoes? Susannah -Lol - take the raccoons over the deer any day.Am aware of the deer wars back east. My brother lives about 12 miles away in the country. About 10 years ago he was naive enough to start feeding them. Lol, now they are eating every tree and plant on his 10 acres. Squirrels in the walls ripping the insullation out. We are both non-violent but he ended up trapping all the squirrels, shooting them and lineing them up for the vultures.Lol...when ANY population of ANYTHING, whether it be raccoons, deer, mice, locusts, squirreles, humans, rampages out of control, it needs to be culled or we will all become like "fedup"! When we humans are culled, and it's coming, the wildlife will take care of it's own culling. garry: 27th Oct 2006 - 23:24 GMT How would people like to have a family of people next door who every evening around 4pm put out a lbor 2 of seed for the birds but the nly ones getting it are the onwanted racoons .The people thinks its ok to feed them in there yard and have my yard for a bathroom .don,t like to go out there anymore because of the germs and dont feel safe .have a heart problem dont need any bugs peroid. autumn: 28th Oct 2006 - 20:42 GMT Did you say 2 pounds???In the evening?Birdseed?? TM: 1st Nov 2006 - 08:01 GMT YIKES! Well, I think I now know what happened to one of my cats. She was a curious lil' thing. She was actually seen going after a very large raccoon one night as if to play with it. That's just how she was but not with people or dogs. She was actually a stray and an outdoor cat that I took in Sept. of 2005. I couldn't keep her in but I sure wish I tried harder or just forced her to stay in and ignore her cries to constantly go back outside. She'd only sleep in when it was severly cold in the winter, during a bad storm, or once when she got a bite on her tail. I never found out what it was from but I'm guessing that bit on her tail was maybe from the raccoon finally. The last episode I am not even 100% sure of but I know she would have returned to me by now and her paw prints are on my front door. I miss her terribly and although people say "you couldn't have foreseen a tragedy" or it wasn't your fault", B.S. I disagree to a point. Ok, now you cat haters can trash this if you wish but I do believe now, it was the darn raccoon that got her. I could have saved my cat but what's done is done. I actually go on this site/chat room called APLB.org. It's for pet loss & bereavement. Go head, laugh and say, "it's only a cat". But seriously, hopefully someone will see this and make good use of the site. It's a great chat room and does help anyone suffering. Unfortunately, it doesn't give any advice on raccoons although I haven't asked yet. Anyhoo, glad I checked in. I was getting my hopes up when I read a post that said cats and raccoons were hanging out together but sure enough went on to read other posts about raccoons killing cats. Guess my poor baby got too curious. Susannah: 3rd Nov 2006 - 03:54 GMT I didn't know raccoons were a danger to cats. My cat is almost as big as a raccoon, I think he would be okay. But they are brazen, they were going through my garbage one night (we forgot to bungy cord it) I came out and got real close to them and yelled "GET LOST", they just looked at me. To be honest, unless we forget to put bungy cords on our trash cans they leave us alone, and bother someone else. We haven't experienced the destruction I've read about here, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we never do. My husband would go ape. fedup: 13th Nov 2006 - 19:35 GMT It's been awhile since my last post. Summary: Got TWO raccoons in my live trap, and relocated them to a friendlier neighbourhood (a little more than 1 km away I guess, about 25 minutes on the freeway:-) ). No more poop on my deck (for now). Also accidentally trapped a skunk! A roll of duct tape,5 black garbage bags, very slow movements, and a little luck, the little critter scampered away :-) My kids were delighted (and so was I) that no smelly stuff came our way. Hermann Schmuck: 15th Dec 2006 - 03:01 GMT We have several racoons visit us every evening and have been feeding and caring for them for years along with our two cats and will continue to do so. They are very intelligent, gentle animals. I think perhaps we should eliminate the human population so that racoons and all wildlife can live in peace. gail: 3rd Jan 2007 - 00:36 GMT my neibor thought it was a good idea to raise a newborn coon,it is a female that has attacked the neibor and got away know it has killed 6 out of 10 outside cats and longed at me!they are meant to be wild and stay wild.i'm still considering calling wildlife control so they will be fined $2000.00 but the thing i hate is i will have to pay there exspense when it should be my dum ass neibor since they could't tame the wild.IMAGINE THAT!!!!!!!! autumn: 16th Jan 2007 - 19:58 GMT Been awhile since I posted. The only nice thing about below zero winter is that THERE ARE NO RACCOONS. My pet door is open again. But not for long - dreading the day I will need to board it up again. Raccoon poo still under the snow - I will not touch it due to the nasty worms that stay in the soil for years. Gentle my foot. The adult raccoons get in my home and hiss and growl at me while the trash my house and property. Call the Dept. of Wildlife and ask what THEY say about feeding 'coons! Getting me a 'coon hound:-) autumn: 16th Jan 2007 - 20:24 GMT By the way, does anyone know how to "raccoon-proof" a roof? Grace: 23rd Jan 2007 - 14:03 GMT I have raccoons and possums coming to my back yard. I heard that coyote urine is for possums and fox urine is for raccoons (or visa versa). So I thought I'd buy both. Anyone have proof that either one really works? Catherine Penfold-Waxman: 23rd Jan 2007 - 14:39 GMT Where can you buy Coyote and Fox urine? And how do they collect it? does cat urine do anything because I have a lot of that at home. Mosty on my bathmat. Grace: 23rd Jan 2007 - 15:58 GMT Cat Urine doesn't do anything. There are wild cats living in my area and rome in my yard. I think they live in harmony with the possums and raccoons. I understand that the raccooms natural enemy is is the fox and the possums natural enemy is the coyote. It's in a pellette form or powder and you are supposed to sprinkle it around the area you want to protect. I don't know if it works or not, but you can buy it on line. I just wrote "natural solutions to eliminate raccoons" on the search bar and I got their website. There are a few companies that make it but as they tell me, that's the order of nature. Coyote urine is also supposed to keep mice and rats away, just for your information. But I'm still curious as to whether this method is successful. yurneyurbs: 30th Jan 2007 - 18:34 GMT The hairy pink eyed racoons that roam ny are particularly frightening to me since they are great politicians and smoke blunts. autumn: 6th Feb 2007 - 03:28 GMT For coyote urine, go to Critter-Repellent.com. I haven't tryed it yet but I bought some...It's reasonablly priced and I want to be ready at the first sign that the raccoons are back. Gonna nip this in the bud this year! Dr.mike: 18th Feb 2007 - 03:58 GMT raccoons are cute but dangores and I should know Im an animal care expert at a vet clinic. jackie: 25th Feb 2007 - 15:59 GMT I have not seen one of my cats for two days and that is why I went to this site, to see if a raccoon could possibly have gotten him. Guess so. This is making me very sad. This morning my other cat was yelling and I let my german shepard out and whatever it was took off. Is a raccoon a threat to my large dog? Kevin: 26th Feb 2007 - 19:18 GMT Being from a wooded area in South Jersey, I have much experience with Raccoons, and I can say they are both cute AND dangerous. First - if you see them during the day - STEER CLEAR! It's a tell tale sign of rabbid raccoons. In my experience, raccoons are relatively docile and steer clear from humans under NORMAL circumstance, but if they have young around, it' a different ball game. Raccoons can get quite large in size, and can put up a good fight and even kill a large agressive dog. They will tear garbage cans apart, and are very good at figuring out how to get into things. Your best bet - try to discourage them from sticking around. Don't make food readily available. get trash cans with tight fitting/locking lids, and put them in a corral so they can't be knocked over. Enjoy their presence while they're there, but do so at a distance - and hope eventually they move on. chazzz: 26th Mar 2007 - 03:42 GMT I've known about a racoon in my attic for about 3 weeks now. i have a very low crawl space there. i tried trapping the critter with sadines and had no luck. i finally decided i had enough of the professionals advice. i removed the trap from the attic, and i ripped the end gable vent off the house where the racoon was coming and going. i hung the live trap right in the vent opening closed off the sides. at 2 pm i served the racoon its eviction notice. at 4pm i had it trapped and on the ground. 1 hooked together two pieces of 1" pvc pipe. 1 took my air chipping hammer and wired the trigger closed. i hose clamped the chipping hammer on the end of the pvc. i had people watching on the outside of the house. i put the chipping hammer right next to the nest. i then hooked the air supply to the chipping hammer it took about a minute then finally the racoon left the nest and ran out the vent opening right into my trap. it was quite rewarding thing to see this thing gone from my attic. i lowered it to the ground and will have the kits located and removed and re united with its mother. this was quite a thing to see. hopefully this will help some other victim... grange: 26th Mar 2007 - 09:48 GMT This has to be a record for posts on one subject . Elicar re post as it gets tiring scrolling all the way down . autumn: 31st Mar 2007 - 02:43 GMT Good Going chazzz...How did she find that place in the attic? Is this the time for the young to be born? Nice, humane work. Got my coyote unine ready. This year they are NOT going to trash my house and yard. They scare me real bad - will let everyone know how that "Critter Ridder" stuff works. Still have poo on my shed roof from last summer:-) jewelia 4/30/07: 30th Apr 2007 - 08:27 GMT got racoons in the crawl space under my house. They are pooing under the porch area and under the foyer area and boy does it stink! I am going to try firecrackers and smoke bombs to get them out. I'll let you know how it works. autumn: 3rd May 2007 - 15:16 GMT Well,my raccoons are trying to make a comeback. Found their muddy pawprints on my front porch, on my car, and a little poo at my tree. Immediately sprinked some coyote urine and haven't seen any signs since. Absolutely NO source of food left out. But my fruit and Mulberry trees are getting ready to produce a source of food for them:-( I'm frightened but I have a TON of coyote urine...Good luck, jewelia, raccoons are NASTY! They belong in the wild, smart little suckers. sonja: 13th May 2007 - 19:06 GMT I tried the fox urine.It did NOTHING!!!I still hav the family between the walls.Tried to call animal rescue.No they cant do anything.So i called our local critter getternam of his company.He wants to put cages around for 300 bucks.Excuse me but what happens when you catch the mom and you dont get the babies?cause they are waiting on mom to come back?? Ive tried lights radio..(well all tvs going loudly in house)nothing is working!!anyone have wild idea let me know because I have tried it all.DO they leave once babies are ready to go?or do they stay?let me know.. hugsandhissyfits@yahoo.com autumn: 14th May 2007 - 14:59 GMT Coyote urine bought online DOES NOT WORK, don't waste your money. Raccoon repellent bought in store irritates every living thing that comes in contact with it, inc. birds,humans,pets and the envirement. I returned it. When I moved in my home 20 yrs. ago, I had the forsight to use deeply dug chicken wire everywhere skunks or raccoons could try to dig under my home. This year, I caught them opening my windows! Now, every night I lock up all cat & dog food, birdfood, pet treats, even my fruit bowl. With absolutely nothing edible accessable in my home, they have slowly stopped coming in. What a pain! Thank god I have never had the mother with babies problem. Only the big adults. Since I am disabled and live alone, the Health Dept. was going to get involved. My advice is to wait until the babies have left then raccoon proof your entire house - they will try to return. Year after year. Urban raccoons are dangerous and a health hazard. pearlseeker: 17th May 2007 - 03:26 GMT We live on a farm. We have about 15 feral cats...and now 2 raccoons! When I call the cats to eat, the raccoons come out to eat, too! They act like they think THEY are cats, too. The cats and raccoons get along OK, but the raccoons are bullies in that they push a cat away to eat the cat food I put out. We may trap the raccoons and take them to a woods about 10 miles away. I am concerned about the round worm. Many times I see them on my porch looking for food...just like the cats do! I clap my hands together and the noise makes them run to the barn. They do not seems aggressive...BUT THEY BOTH ARE OUT DURING THE DAY AND I ALSO SEE THEM AT NIGHT. They do not seem sick....they just know I feed the cats around noon and/or 6 p.m. (daylight). Could one of you experts let me know if this really means they ARE rabid or sick?? I just assumed they came out to eat then because they know that is when I feed the cats. They are cute...but have huge appetites and eat all the cat food. But they have caused no messes here...they just eat and run back into the barn. Majin_Boo: 18th May 2007 - 07:09 GMT I just got home around 2:15am and there was a raccoon just sitting on the driveway. My girlfriend thought it was a huge cat and was about to get out the car, but I quickly stopped her. Sure, it looked like a nice furry animal, but I wasn't about to be fooled by it. The last thing I wanted to do was drive in, scare it with the headlights then jump out and head towards my door; possibly scaring it some more. After sitting in the car for a few seconds, it came out of hiding (bushes by my front door) and slowly walked off. Then we waited a little longer and just as I thought, another one leaped out of the bushes and followed in the same direction of the 1st one. So we waited again, and yet another one leaped out of the bushes and followed the other two. At least that was the last of them. I'd hate to end up at the hospital or worse because I provoked a raccoon family. I definitely don't think its wise to feed a raccoon, hence making it comfortable. They're scavengers. If the food is always there then they aren't going to leave. Fast Eddie: 18th May 2007 - 11:59 GMT Found this page through Google -- looks like my problem of finding coon feces at my deck door every morning is not unique, and there is really no sure cure, except to trap and remove. I have already tried Critter Ridder, bleach, cayene pepper, a gate, mothballs and motion-light, and I've already read that radio and urine don't work either. The only contribution I can make is that a trap can be rented for $25 for a few nights and we would have to relocate the coon ourselves. Fast Eddie: 18th May 2007 - 12:23 GMT To supplement: I'm in Toronto. We have never kept food or garbage on our deck. Starting some time last Winter, the coons poops right in front of our sliding door where we get in and out. We have accumulated quite a pile of them through the winter and now we have our nightly deposit. Until I clean out the feces, I can't even enjoy our own backyard. Bummer. Has anyone successfully repelled raccoons short of trapping and removal or shooting? autumn: 18th May 2007 - 20:17 GMT Fast Eddie - I have had raccoons for yrs., tried EVERYTHING and have reluctently come to the conclusion that trapping is my last option. As for the pile of poo, throw an old sheet or towel over it and see if you have fresh poo. When I tried this on my communal pooing pile, they moved elsewhere. Re: seeing them during the day, I know that skunks are aggressive in the daylight during this season due to defending their young. Maybe the same with raccoons. Fast Eddie: 19th May 2007 - 02:57 GMT Thanks, Autumn. Will try the sheet and this would be truly my last resort (may be ammonia, if I know where to get some) before trapping. Coon-B-Gone: 30th May 2007 - 19:54 GMT I had my first run in with raccoons in Toronto last summer just before vacation. My family was already gone and I woke to the sounds of something scratching at the door outside of my bedroom that leads to a second story deck (one corner I've come to find out is their poop deck). This was at 4am. Freaked me out. I finally realized it was climbing on the door (French glass). I moved the curtain aside and the thing just stared at me like I was bothering it. I went to the third floor, opened the window and dropped water on it and its lover. They slowly sauntered away. I then went on vacation. When I returned from vacation, I went to the lower deck to discover a pile of raccoon poop on top of my barbeque. Not very sporting if you ask me. They would then come back later that summer and make love on my deck. Again, not very sporting. Last night was the first return of them. Six babies and a mother. The mother was teaching them to climb my french glass door at 4am. She probably also showed them the place of their conception. I'm sure she'll teach them to poop on my barbeque. I wonder if I can get one with a remote starter? My understanding of raccoon removal in Toronto is that they can only move them within a mile of where trapped. My guess is that is not very effective. I wonder how they like pepper spray? autumn: 31st May 2007 - 02:00 GMT OMG, I would NEVER get close enough to pepper spray a raccoon. They hiss and growl at me as it is...Hissing, growling and ANGRY? Try it then RUN LIKE HELL! Julian: 1st Jun 2007 - 15:28 GMT I've thoroughly enjoyed all the stories on this page. Especially the one about the pissed off squirrel, the pooing while begging for food cat, and the BYOT raccoon. What a trio. I found this site via google because like a lot of other people I've recently had a few runin's with a raccoon. In north Florida, Tallahassee area specifically, we don't seem to have a ton of these things running around. But ever since I moved a few miles out of town last year I've randomly noticed a raccoon here and there. Well for the past two weeks there's this one that lives in a tree about 15 feet from my front door. And now I see him down at the base of the tree every night! Usually he scampers off as I open the door but quickly realizes what I am and then stops and goes about its business! I try to scare it off but I clearly see what its thinking..."you ain't gonna do **, human!" So I stand there outside doing what I do and he plays and forages in the dirt. I can't scare him off but he doesn't seem that interested in me anyways. I'm not what you call motivated so I don't think I'm up for trapping or otherwise forcing him to leave. It doesn't terrorize the trash, which it easily could do, and I'm confident it's never inside the house. So I'm content to let it be for the time being. Just wanted to share my pointless story. The main reason I'm posting this is to thank all of you for making my morning an entertaining one. The story about the cats and raccoons chillin' in a circle in that one guy's backyard was priceless as well. yikes: 8th Jun 2007 - 08:53 GMT Holy Crap! It's 4:30am. House is dark, sliding door open about a foot because cat is outside and storm coming. I look down from the glare of the computer, and it's a RACCOON..AAUUGGHH Talk about being scared!! My other cat saw it, hissed at it and it headed toward the door. It didn't even leave until I got up out of the chair and started towards it! OMG That was CRAZY!! Thank God I didn't get bit! fedup: 8th Jun 2007 - 18:01 GMT Hello, I'm back for another season. Re-reading my previous posts, it seems like I might have been somewhat deranged back then. I am much more calm now. In fact, only last week, I came out my home late one night and startled a mother raccoon and two kits on my front lawn. The little ones quickly scrambled up a tree, the mother took off in the opposite direction (post partum confusion?). I had the water hose ready to soak the two little ones, when I suddenly stopped. What was I thinking. THey're little. They're helpless. I don't want to be a monster. So there. I have a human side. However, I found a large pool of feces on my deck the next day. Roundworm, danger to kids.....overrides being nice to coons. I have a trap and have found trapping is really easy (I have had good success with sardines), relocating is easy (like I said, relocating to a spot 'less than 1 km away' to be 'legal'....I am not good with distances but I usually drive 20 minutes on the Gardener freeway or DVParkway (Toronto)...about 1 km I guess) It helps for about 1-2 months or so. There are many coons in TOronto, and relocating is an endless task I suppose, but I don't mind anon (cache-dtc-ad08.proxy.aol.com): 13th Jun 2007 - 18:47 GMT Is it true that a racoon seen during the day could have rabies? I have grandchildren at my house and I want to be very carefull. autumn: 15th Jun 2007 - 23:57 GMT anon - as I indicated above, I called the Department of Wildlife regarding aggressive skunks seen during the daytime. They had received alot of calls regarding this behavior. Their response was that both skunks and raccoons could been during the daytime if they were protecting their young. Must be the time of year - pretty disconcerting. anon: 16th Jun 2007 - 04:25 GMT there's 3 of them in my backyard right now, and they're freaking me out... all I wanted to do is have as smoke, but they're slow and they dont care, they kept making their way at me so I had to run back in the house and then one of them tried to get in... there's 2 small ones and one huge one, bigger than your average minature dog... I really do feel like kicking them so they can get out, they come every night and almost always make a mess, stupid annoying animals... char: 18th Jun 2007 - 20:20 GMT do raccoons like rain? how in the world do i get rid of them. we trap one and there's always more in a few days. i have 3 kids that love the outdoors but i'm afraid that they'll come across a mad momma raccoon. please help anon (bas5-kitchener06-1096639712.dsl.bell.ca): 27th Jun 2007 - 04:13 GMT Dr.mike: 18th Feb 2007 - 03:58 GMT raccoons are cute but dangores and I should know Im an animal care expert at a vet clinic. Dr Mike ummm the correct spelling to the word "dangores" is DANGEROUS Shimbo: 27th Jun 2007 - 15:17 GMT Get this, I live in Brooklyn N.Y., I got a raccoon caught in the cage right now but, i tried calling the city to relocate it, but they say they dont do that. He's a cute little sucker too. I live a few blocks from prospect park, i might let him go there but he will probably find his way into someones backyard again. The funniest thing is that the first time i saw a raccoon in my yard he was much bigger than this one. I never knew we had this problem in brooklyn. Any one ever heard of a raccoon in Brooklyn, Flatbush at that! Worried: 29th Jun 2007 - 12:36 GMT How do you clean the feces? I know they can be extremely dangerous but it seems that many people are faced with this potential health hazard each and every morning. I found some scat on my deck this morning and to be honest I'm not sure what left it there. I know raccoons tend to visit a latrine and so because I found a single piece I doubt that its raccoons, but I have 2 small kids and you know what, I'm not taking any chances with their well being!! Angela385: Raccons are in my yard what do I do? Marylizbeth: 4th Jul 2007 - 05:10 GMT Uggghh...RACCOONS. They have been haunting us and our neighbors for the last month. We each have a pool and fountains and these rotten raccoons have been using the pools and fountains as their bathroom. Every day there are feces in the water--no where else but in the water. They are using these pools as their toilets. It is so disgusting. We called wildlife control and they gave us the "we are in their habitat" line. But they also told us we could get traps and they would pick them up if we trapped them. So on July 5th we will set the trap and pray they come and get them. Personally I would rather hire a professional but neighbor has already gotten the traps. Has anyone had this problem with raccoons using pools and fountain as their toilet? Bright lights and motion detectors have helped somewhat but these nasty guys are still hanging around. We are in Southern California in a newly developed community in Orange County. I am ready to move to a high-rise condo!!! Marylizbeth: 4th Jul 2007 - 05:11 GMT I just realized this was a "city" website. And I thought I could move back to the city (native NY'er) to escape these rascals. Who knew! gioconda: 7th Jul 2007 - 03:20 GMT I live in Los Angeles. Just lost 2 cats to raccoons in 2 weeks. Faccoons come to eat grapes & oranges that grow in my backyard, and since its' summer and everything is ripe, they are here. I started notice a lot of droppings in weird places...turns our it was raccoon poop. They are mean, fearless, and only leave if sprayed with a garden house. One cat killed was a feral I fed for a year. The other was a precious pet I raised from a kitten. I ALWAYS bring my cats in before dark because of coyotes and raccoons. Sometimes, one will be stubborn and refuse to come in. I wait an hour and try again because I am afraid something will attack them after dark. DON'T LEAVE CATS OUT AFTER DARK if you want them to survive. For people who say raccoons don't kill cats THINK AGAIN. They DO KILL CATS, and brutally. They disembowel them while they are still alive. Some people say they've seen raccoons eating out of the same bowl of food as a cat, and all animals were getting along peacefully. I assume that's possible, but if you saw what they did to my pet, you would never take this chance. It was HORRIBLE. I am keeping all my cats inside for the rest of their lives. To put them in danger of such an excruciating death is cruel. autumn: 15th Jul 2007 - 14:28 GMT I think I am headed for the psych ward. I removed all outside sources of food, closed-up my home and felt safe until these little devils started opening my windows to get in, repeatedly ringing my doorbells while they worked. Then they growl and hiss at me unless I remain quiet and still in my bed while they have their way in my house. Come on, Steven King, I want some royalties when that book "Headlights in the Night" comes out. help: 17th Jul 2007 - 04:01 GMT I need help. I moved to the burbs from a city condo...we have racoon poo EVERYWHERE, all over our back yard. I have been resisting pesticides and fertilizers for our lawn and garden because of our 10 month old baby. Now, we have raccon poo all over it. How do I rid of this problem??? From what I have read here, there is no real fool proof method?? How dangerous is it for my son??? XxxshannonxxX: 26th Jul 2007 - 11:05 GMT last night, a little raccoon touched it's nose on my hand, cuz i freed it from a garbage dumpster bin. it was so cute, but i was shaking afterwards. does anyone know if there is any laws about feeding wild raccoons. i am asking, cuz i live in an appartment building, and every night i go ouside to the dumpster bins and feed the raccoons. i was told that i could get into alot of trouble doing that. is it true? autumn: 2nd Aug 2007 - 04:01 GMT XxxshannonxxX - My response would be "yes, you can get in alot of trouble" in more ways than one. A baby raccoon can be very cute. Irrestably cute. But baby raccoons will grow up very fast -they become huge. Raccoons are not only very intellegent but are also wild animals. They carry diseases like roundworm and rabies. The baby raccoon will grow up and invite all it's friends and family to your feeding station. Soon you will find 6-8 adult raccoons waiting to be fed. They will growl and hiss at you, as will your neighbors. If you are bit, you will be in trouble. I don't know where you live, but feeding wild animals is illegal where I live. Did you free it or feed it? I had a tiny skunk covered with flys trying to get a drink out of my dripping sprinkler in the middle of a very hot day. It was so weak it couldn't move when I turned on the sprinkler and brought it some cat food. Once I knew it would live, I stopped feeding it - skunks can live on grubs in my yard. Then the huge racoons came along and ran-off all other wild animals. Saveing an animals life is one thing - making it dependant on humans is another. ken: 10th Aug 2007 - 18:10 GMT I see raccoons all the time in NYC when I take late night walks between 3-4am. They usually run away, as soon as they see me, which makes me sad. Belroc: 10th Aug 2007 - 23:02 GMT Raccoons rule the dumpsters at my apartment complex. You'll know that they're in there because all the cats will congregate and wait outside of the dumpster for thier turn.. Heres a big one!! ^^And a baby.... autumn: 11th Aug 2007 - 20:56 GMT OMG - Stuff of nightmares!ppl sure waste enough food! Glad I got rid of my coons but nice pics - ewwww, even in daytime... carla: 20th Aug 2007 - 21:08 GMT i'm rally scared of raccoons they've been leaving in one of my trees and at night they kill squerrls and they make such wier noises autumn: 27th Aug 2007 - 01:59 GMT carla - I'm scared of raccoons too...They growl, hiss and charge at me. They live in my trees too, jumping from one tree to another over my house. They have chased off all my wild pheasant, rabbits, squerills, quail, skunk, EVERYTHING. Yes and they do make noises that seem weird to humans. Raccoons can be very vicious, they can bite and carry nasty roundworms. Please don't ever try to do what "Belroc" just did - picking them up for photos. That is very dangerous and not a good example of how to deal with raccoons. NEVER try to pick up a raccoon. Those photos should be removed. Jonathan: 3rd Sep 2007 - 08:01 GMT Some Raccoons just cornered me inside the house when I went for a midnight snack. I'm sleeping out in a detached office. They made a racket and kept hissing and staring at me from outside. After a while I gathered the courage to do a runner in the dark back to the office. I decided to google them for their dangerousness and ended up here. I call the big one 'bitey'. AJ: 14th Sep 2007 - 19:01 GMT Take a pellet gun and spray the raccoons or a slingshot and rocks and shoot them off ur property Frank: 26th Sep 2007 - 02:22 GMT I have 3 or 4 huge fat raccoons that visit regularly on my flat garage roof. The mess they leave behind is utterly disgusting! I have to go up there at least once a week to clean up the mess. I hate raccoons now. They don't belong in our neighbourhoods. To all you animal lovers who claim racoons are cute and cuddly and we should not interfer with them..Wake Up! its time YOU went to a library and did some research. City and surburban racoons are a serious problem that is only getting worst. They can be very dangerous and are full of diseases because they live off of our garbage. They would not be in our neighbourhoods if we took steps like NOT feeding them, not leaving your garbage accessible, not allowing your property to become a garbage dump etc. etc. I read someone here actually feeds the baby raccoons and watches them grow up in their backyard while their children watch on..shame on you if you do this. You are the root cause of this problem. After reading many comments here, I will not waste my time on any of these products that claim to scare racoons away like coyote or fox urine. Those products are designed to line the pockets of the snake oil salesman who invented them. I would agree with all who claim the only real solution is to trap and release somewhere very remote..and keep doing that for as long as it takes. autumn: 1st Oct 2007 - 02:29 GMT Frank - I couldn't have said it better! Thank you! Scott: 2nd Oct 2007 - 22:58 GMT We've had a single coon that shows up here about once a week. It's been showing up for almost a year now. Typically shows up after the cats have eaten and then it'll eat whatever is left over. Today I was outside feeding the cats. Was sitting in a lawn chair petting one of the cats when it's hair sttod up and it let out a high pitched growl. I turned my head to see behind me to figure out what the cat was looking at and there was the coon again, but this time there were 3 little ones with it. They were all about 4 feet right behind my chair. I hadn't been scared of it before, just always kept a close eye on it. This time I felt the fear factor rise a bit. Sitting there I just slowly raised my arms over my head so they would notice me, hoping I wasn't coming across as being aggressive in case the mom was feeling hair-trigger. The mom and one of the little ones scampered off, The other 2 little ones headed straight for the cat food. When I stood up they also took off. Kept an eye on the cats while they finished eating so as not to waste cat food. Interesting to watch, but I don't want them right under my feet. autumn: They will be if you don't stop feeding them. Larry, Curly & Moe raccoon removal?: 4th Oct 2007 - 05:49 GMT The bright woman that lives next to us, has allowed a tree to grow against the foundation wall to three stories high. This is a perfect stepladder for our raccoons. Now "we need trees for oxygen" I was told when I pointed out it was not good idea for the house and the future squirel and coon problems. I got rid of the squirels in the spring. I have to laugh at the many holes in the facia and sofit on her house ($$$ then brains). But now I have coon crap on my roof. I've read the dangers of this stuff, so I will now have to take precautions to clean it up. The woman 2 doors down is just as bright, she has been feeding the 2 babies (not small now) all summer from her plate when she is out on her deck at dusk. And if thats not enough, another woman 3 doors down called local humane society people on a fella trapping and releasing coons after they ripped a hole in his flatroof. $9000.00 for a new roof. I just see Larry, Curly, and Moe. Loria: 10th Oct 2007 - 23:25 GMT I woke up in the middle of the night last night to hear something gobbling up my cat's food.. I thought maybe it was the neighbor's cat who sometimes frequents our home. I dozed off to sleep, only to be awakened by a loud growling. I opened my eyes and was face to face with a large racoon in my bedroom on its hind legs. Insinctively I snapped my fingers, pointed to the door and yelled "GET OUT!". It quickly ran to the front door and out the cat's door, which will now of course have to be sealed up. How can I keep my cat's IN/OUT priveleges without racoons coming in? Live in the woods. Fattfree: 1st Nov 2007 - 13:07 GMT The house on one side of us has a pool (racoon's drinking fountain/bath). On the other side the neighbor feeds squirrels, birds, etc.(their "restaurant"). So our yard was the "bathroom". Last year, our neighbors with the pool got a German Shepard. The racoons have not been back since. jessica rillera: this is a great pictures Dee Dee: 14th Nov 2007 - 07:40 GMT Racoons are wild animals and should never be fed. They carry rabies and can give a vicious bite. They can be fearless. You should respect them and observe them but not interact with them. They are not pets. Frank: 19th Nov 2007 - 19:14 GMT DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS! Its really not a difficult concept to understand. Who knows you might even make friends with those neighbours who don't have alot of respect for you because you just don't get it! Recently I picked up some traps at Depot and plan to catch and release any raccoons that come through my yard or to use my roof as an outhouse!@#! I don't want to hurt them but just using temporary methods of keeping them out of your yard does not address the longterm problem in your neighbourhood. Trapping and releasing is the only way to reduce the number and to hopefully keep you, your children, pets safe and homes and properties clean and disease free! If Im successful getting the 4 monster racoons out of my neighbourhood I may even put out an ad to help others. lynda: 6th Dec 2007 - 16:08 GMT Hm.. all you guys seem to just be talking bad about reccoons... have any of you ever seen a life one that was someone's pet... we actually have two... my step mom works at an animal clinic so we take is a few orphaned baby animals. an dthey are some of the most adorible little things you will ever see. alot of people i know that were afraid of raccoons ended up wanting one after they seen ours... dont get me wrong... raccoons are a hassle but they are not horrible... they make messes but so does any animal. Never feed wild ones, they do carry dieseases... but i just wanted to show you gusy this isn't a one sided thing. If you have someone that can take care of them, they do make good pets, even though they scratch and bite. Also they are wonderful guard-animals Anna:12th Dec 2007: 12th Dec 2007 - 14:53 GMT Hi,I live in the city of Phila,and last night i left my dog out around 12:30 for last call and much to my surprize there was a racoon in my yard. I thought it was a cat at first and went out to help the cat from my dog,I don't think I've ever been this scared. My dog had it cornered for about 15mins'. Could a racoon kill a dog(huskey)?and will the racoon keep coming back? Cheryl: 12th Dec 2007 - 16:19 GMT I recently had squirells. I live Freeport Long Island. However someone told me you cannot have both. I know confirmed that teh racoons bit the squirells and I have racoons. I cover the area in my sons closet where they where trying to get into the house. However I am scared that they will get in. It sounds like peopkle walking over you. Will they get in my house? If you trap them cant they bite you via the cage when handling the removal? Well email me back omittpart3@aol.com becky: 21st Dec 2007 - 05:12 GMT they do not cover their eyes when you shine a light at them! I used to hunt them and have had them as pets and and tasted one cooked before. I've had alot of experience with them. they are great animals but you DO have to respect that they are not domesticated animals! Irene west: 14th Jan 2008 - 00:00 GMT I live In Back woods of Pa. My Husband and I have raised several , Baby coons. Not one stabed me in the back, more than I can say for some people. Gavin: 6th Feb 2008 - 23:43 GMT There's a Little Fat Middle Body Hanging Raccoon in Ace Ventura: When nature Calls. diane ziotas: 7th Feb 2008 - 12:48 GMT for the first time last evening, i noticed a coon decending the tree in my front yard. live in the bronx. i happen to own a blue tick coon hound. i attempted to rouse him enough to get up on the couch and notice the coon, but no luck. i have to admit, being an animal lover, i enjoy seeing them up close and personal! sage: 19th Feb 2008 - 06:14 GMT Guy McLaren says in an earlier post: "All wild animals are dangerous. Especially African ones." My response: All domesticated humans are dangerous. Especially american ones. I've lived with raccoons, coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, rattlesnakes, and opossums my whole life--and lived to tell the tale. What is dangerous is our fear of the unknown, not the animals whose home we share. Try confronting your fear and embracing the unknown with wonder and awe. Your enemies just might become your best friends. anon (adsl-074-183-055-035.sip.cha.bellsouth.net): 7th Mar 2008 - 05:22 GMT I was just sitting here at my computer when I heard a loud scary whining right outside my window. I grabbed my pistol and flashlight (my house is in the woods) and opened the door to see a full grown raccoon on another raccoon and it seemed to be trying to kill it. I fired a few shots at them and it just kept attacking so I killed them both. Raccoons are probably the most violent wild animal you will ever come across in the wild, I know this, ive been around them quite a few times here at the house. If my 8 yr old girl walked up on them in the dark by mistake they could easily kill her. cat : cool my sisster loves raccoons & so do i Montrealbunny: 13th Apr 2008 - 18:01 GMT I had them in my backyard all last summer. Or more specifcally,in my birdfeeder. They cost me a small fortune in sunflower seeds and eventually ripped the feeder to shreds. But I must admit, they were kind of cute. ??:** they are cute im doing research on them! Kathy: 11th May 2008 - 04:20 GMT I have about 4 or 5 raccoons that come from across the street and eat ( i am guessing bugs) on our f

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