[RickFLM4]

Anyone with experience getting rid of raccoons (other than by shooting or spending money on a professional trapper)? There is no food on the patio. I’ve seen it around the neighborhood before.

[2000cs]

I’ve heard peppermint works, or plant mint along your fence. Sometimes onion as well, but you get to smell that.

I’ve used mothballs with some success on other critters - just make sure pets can’t get to them. Again it is the aroma, so they can be in small boxes with holes to let the scent out.

For something that big, and potentially carrying rabies, I’d get a trapper assuming your city doesn’t do it.

[DETRoadster]

Meh, he's just doing his raccoon thing. leave him be and without food or shelter on your property he'll likely just be on his way. Can you cover the pool? The easy access to water is probably an attractant.

[Dpc2u]

Buy cayenne pepper in bulk and spread where the raccoon walks and forages. I played hell getting rid of skunks including paying a trapper, but what finally did the trick was a good dusting of cayenne pepper. I used a flour sifter, just don't let the wind blow it on you!

[overcoil]

Do healthy raccoons normally prowl during daylight ?

so I googled, and healthy raccoons can be about during the day, but they say observe if it appears to be walking and acting healthy.

https://www.skedaddlewildlife.com/bl...uring-daytime/

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by 2000cs

I’ve heard peppermint works, or plant mint along your fence. Sometimes onion as well, but you get to smell that.

I’ve used mothballs with some success on other critters - just make sure pets can’t get to them. Again it is the aroma, so they can be in small boxes with holes to let the scent out.

For something that big, and potentially carrying rabies, I’d get a trapper assuming your city doesn’t do it.

Good ideas in the plantings. The potential for rabies is what got me thinking, as did the potential it is a she looking to nest. I heard when you see them during the day it means they are probably rabid but after researching a little think that’s BS. Minor PITA to take dog out or go outside and make sure garage door is closed. Someone was actually attacked by one the next neighborhood over not too long ago.

Originally Posted by DETRoadster

Meh, he's just doing his raccoon thing. leave him be and without food or shelter on your property he'll likely just be on his way. Can you cover the pool? The easy access to water is probably an attractant.

I probably could get a pool cover but it’s the nicest weather of the year right now. There’s plenty of water in canals nearby. Seemed to spend an unusual amount of time out there yesterday. Today was garbage day and some dumb ass probably left some garbage outside the bin so it’s off somewhere eating today.

Originally Posted by Dpc2u

Buy cayenne pepper in bulk and spread where the raccoon walks and forages. I played hell getting rid of skunks including paying a trapper, but what finally did the trick was a good dusting of cayenne pepper. I used a flour sifter, just don't let the wind blow it on you!

I checked with a couple of trappers and they are expensive. And no guarantees and they might trap a cat or small dog. I let HOA management company know but apparently they don’t care. Maybe I’ll try the town’s animal control. Otherwise just gathering alternative ideas for now.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by ScottSinger

Do healthy raccoons normally prowl during daylight ?

https://www.raccoonatticguide.com/daytime.html

[N54Yankee]

Burmese python

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by N54Yankee

Burmese python

Plenty of those around not far away in the Everglades from douche bags who released their pets.

[Rmtt]

Originally Posted by Dpc2u

Buy cayenne pepper in bulk and spread where the raccoon walks and forages. I played hell getting rid of skunks including paying a trapper, but what finally did the trick was a good dusting of cayenne pepper. I used a flour sifter, just don't let the wind blow it on you!

+1.

My in-laws did this around chicken coops on their farm to run them off.

Boil two quarts of water with a tablespoon of cayenne pepper and or several hot peppers for 20 minutes. Strain the liquid and spray it around your house, yard, plants and trash cans.

[M_Six]

We have raccoons day and night. The bit about raccoons in daylight being rabid is BS. We had one stagger through our backyard a couple of weeks ago. It was clearly on its last legs. Very sick. The next day it was a carcass in my front yard. Had to bag it up and take it to the shelter. The shelter folks said there were a lot of raccoons with distemper in the area.

Be careful spreading stuff like pepper or mothballs because you can injure other animals like a stray dog or squirrel or whatever.

Make sure you have no way for the squirrel to get into the soffit or under your house if your house is on a slab or crawlspace. Raccoons supposedly hate Irish Spring soap. You can't just toss that around outside or you'll end up with a sudsy mess, but if you have a crawlspace or porch that is dry, you can toss a bar or two there. I've used it to keep them out of my shed, although once I found a bar badly scratched up out near the woods like some raccoon had gone all postal on it.

I took this shot out my living room windows facing out back to the woods.

[N54Yankee]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

Plenty of those around not far away in the Everglades from douche bags who released their pets.

Thats what I’m talking about! Go grab one(carefully) and bring him home to meet Rocky Raccoon.

[pennsiveguy]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

Anyone with experience getting rid of raccoons (other than by shooting or spending money on a professional trapper)? There is no food on the patio. I’ve seen it around the neighborhood before.

What harm has it done? They stop by and have a snoop around, and as long as you don't have something they like to eat lying around outside, they'll be on their merry way.

[eluded]

You don't want an incident with the dog but you need to be humane about it.

Bear spray works great. Just takes one time because They learn quickly.

[vreihen16]

Subsonic .22 LR. Enough said.....

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by eluded

Bear spray works great. Just takes one time because They learn quickly.

Let me tell you a funny story about raccoons learning quickly.

I was camping out on a small island on a lake many moons ago, and hung our cooler from a tree overnight because of the little masked bandits.

The first night, I heard the raccoon climbing on the table from inside my tent and made a "PSSSSST" sound. It scared him away.

The second night, he was back on the table and the "PSSSST" didn't scare him. I shined a flashlight on him, and he scrambled off.

The third night, he wasn't scared off by the sound or the flashlight. I had the million candlepower cordless spotlight from my boat in the tent, and that scared him off.

On the fourth night, the little bugger showed up again...with a welding mask on! I had to get out of the tent and chase him all the way back into the lake to get rid of him.

On the fifth night, there was no raccoon. I left our live bait bucket at the side of the lake where he ran to the night before, and he ate that before moving on to the next island.....

[Salty Dog]

Trash Panda's.

Toronto is rotten with them, they are the best fed animals you've ever seen. They go where food and shelter is, if there is food elsewhere in the neighbourhood and not around your place they will likely just go there. I get them in my backyard occasionally. They will come for a couple of nights and then disappear. Your pool may be an attraction but I given you aren't the pool in your neighbourhood. Damn you and your South Florida weather by the way.

[BMW F22]

Those things are kind of cute.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by pennsiveguy

What harm has it done? They stop by and have a snoop around, and as long as you don't have something they like to eat lying around outside, they'll be on their merry way.

Hopefully he is already on his way and won’t return so just gathering suggestions in case he does. Preferably he is gone before any harm is done rather than reacting to any harm done to our dog or anyone else’s small dogs or small children next door.

Aero Club is the next neighborhood over. Just somewhat unusual around here.

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/2...-in-wellington

[CTinline-six]

1. Set "have-a-heart" trap

2. Place "have-a-heart" trap into a large garbage can full of water once it contains the raccoon

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by Salty Dog

Trash Panda's.

Toronto is rotten with them, they are the best fed animals you've ever seen. They go where food and shelter is, if there is food elsewhere in the neighbourhood and not around your place they will likely just go there. I get them in my backyard occasionally. They will come for a couple of nights and then disappear. Your pool may be an attraction but I given you aren't the pool in your neighbourhood. Damn you and your South Florida weather by the way.

I saw one (maybe the same one) on my morning walk a couple of months ago digging through some trash someone left outside their trash bin. I was slightly concerned he ready to charge me when we saw each other but he probably was too and we just watched each other as I passed by the other side of the street. I think there are about 200 houses in the neighborhood, so he’s probably able to find something somewhere all the time. Every house has a pool, although some screened in. Maybe he will make his way over to a canal where an gator may be waiting.

[Maynard]

They really are wiked smaht (gotta cross link these threads ). Do the have-a-heart trap bit, but just leave him in it for 24hrs. Then let him go and I bet he won't be back into YOUR yard unless you leave food out. That looks like a youngster, so probably more around - killing them isn't going to work unless you are ready to do the whole neighborhood. And if you do the cayenne pepper bit, you need a mix that is a whole lot stronger than a Tbsp/half gallon.