We’ve lived here 3 years, 6 months and 9 days (but who’s counting?). When we built the chicken coop and run, I kept telling Vince that raccoons are critters that can get into anything. You have to build the coop like Fort Knox or the raccoons will get in! He didn’t believe me and . . furthermore, since Vince had never seen a raccoon in our yard or dead on the road in town, he didn’t think we had raccoons in our yard. Lucky for me, I whined enough that he did build the chicken coop so nothing can get to my girls because you saw what we caught in the trap on Monday night.
But, Tuesday we were sitting eat dinner, wasn’t even dusk yet. Vince looked at me and his mouth dropped open and he said “There’s a huge raccoon out in the back yard!” We moved the trap over to that side of the yard and this morning when I went out, I could see there was something in the trap.
Sure enough . . I think it’s the same raccoon we saw last night. My dad told me they like marshmallows so I threw some marshmallows in the trap, some lettuce, the apple was still in there. He had a feast . . but he doesn’t seem so happy about it all this morning.
He is bigger than the first one, he’s just all scrunched up in the picture .. probably because he’s spent a stormy night in the trap. I think he’s older than the first one . . not very playful or entertaining and his mask is all gray. I’m almost embarrassed to call Animal Control two days in a row but . . I’ll do it anyway.
You’ve got to keep on top of those racoons !! You know that’s what wiped me out of my red stars. I think a bird might have a problem getting in our house at night now. Vince is really getting an education isn’t he? You go Vince ! Glenda
keep that trap set, there will be more!!! They breed like rabbits and are VERY clever! I had a friend who had a raccoon problem and it would open her rabbit cages (a spring latch) and kill/partially eat her rabbits! Maybe get a second trap? You can buy them at farm/feed stores around here for around $40 I think….. good luck!!!
Wow, that trap has already paid for itself..3 critters in 3 days. Why be embarrassed to call animal control? It’s their job. Maybe you should make them brownies so they are happy to come on a daily basis and you won’t even have to call them.
How can something so gorgeous be such a evil little thing!
Wow I guess you can tell I’m a city girl!! I knew raccoons can and will get into anything with food, heck ever garbage. I also kinda figured they would snatch eggs from chickens or the like but I had no IDEA that would, or even could kill chickens, or rabbits like somebody mentioned above. Learn something new everyday I guess!!
I wonder what coon tastes like?
~
I had a pet raccoon when I was a child. At one point I had five or six different latches on her cage and she could manage to open every one of them. Then she’d climb an elm tree and chatter at us.
I hope the raccoons you catch don’t learn to undo the latches on the cages!
“coons are flat out bad news. They pulled the shucks back on our corn and helped themselves to every single ear we had. Granted it was a small patch, but still!!!
We had a raccoon problem one year. Chris “took care of it” but there were NINE of them before the problem was over.
My great-aunt in South Texas has a large pecan orchard and racoons have gone in and stripped the pecans from the orchard in ONE NIGHT! They are wiley critters.
I just love dropping in each day to see what you’re up to.
You make your stories so interesting.
I’m just glad the coons didn’t get any of your chickens in their Fort Knox.