sigh... more raccoon hijinks

[Dookus]

so this one little masked bandit has figured out my special magnetic cat door. I've been trying to trap him on my back porch now for over a week.

Last night I hear the trap go off... I run out, and we got him! Whooohoo! I got put on shoes to move him, and when I come back, my boyfriend is holding the end of the cage shut with a mop. Evidently I didn't set the "back door" of the trap properly, and he could pull it open. So in an attempt to discourage him from coming back around, I spray him with the garden hose while he's still trapped. Then I let him go. He took off, and I said, well at least he won't be coming back soon.

Tonight, he just walked into my kitchen. Sigh....

I set the trap again. Now he's smart enough not to walk INTO the trap, but he's set it off 3 times trying to grab the food from the side.

I'm defeated. Outwitted by a superior mind.

Maybe I'll just name him and call him a pet.

[sir_captain]

1. Wow

have you seen that new credit card commercial with Tiger Woods and the gopher from Caddyshack? Maybe it could give you some ideas?

But seriously, it sounds like it may be time to bring in a professional.

[Elad]

2. He's only bothering you

because he's trying to find food, have there been recent developments in your area, habitat destruction, streams drying up, that sort of thing?

If you take some of your throw-away food scraps that you'd normally just dump in the trash and toss them a good distance from the house, and cover the garbage cans/other areas to keep him out of with cayenne pepper and/or garlic, you should be ok.

He doesn't mean any harm, he just wants to eat! :)

[Dookus]

3. oh, I know!

I don't wish HIM any harm, either! I actually like the raccoons, but when they come IN my house, it's a problem.

I live in a small coastal California town, and we've always had raccoons here. Possums and skunks, too. Not a problem for me. Except when they come IN my house.

I've caught two others who got a little too comfortable in my kitchen. I trapped 'em and moved 'em about 10 miles away up to the woods and was fine for a couple years. Now this new guy has figured out the cat door.

If they just frolicked in my yard, hell I'd put food out for 'em! I love to watch 'em. But coming in my house is a no-no. They tear open bags of cat food, and once, one got spooked and ran out onto my front (enclosed) porch and nearly chewed through the wall.

[Elad]

4. Get a dog, hehe

He'll learn quickly not to enter the cat door. :)

[Dookus]

6. I *JUST* said to my bf

that I wish I knew a good dog I could borrow for a week.

[ScreamingMeemie]

20. You do! You do! But Jessie lives too far away. She'd have 'em herded

up and sent packing in under 5 seconds!

:hi:

[Ladyhawk]

11. Raccoons don't need excuses like habitat destruction to come in the house.

Raccoons are nimble, smart and curious and if they can come in your house, they will. :)

[LastKnight]

5. if hes some sort of mixed animal... we have fuel for another oscar thread!

doooo eeeeet it will be fun.

-LK

[Dookus]

7. I would never dream

of even attempting such a thing. A-Schwarzenegger's opus deserves a Pulitzer.

[LastKnight]

8. yea i was just dreamin...

was a fun thread...

anyone seen a-schwartzenegger latley? he going under another name now that the whole ahnuld thing died down?

-LK

[JaySherman]

15. LOL! That was a classic thread. Link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=624815#665041

[A-Schwarzenegger]

19. I need to get Oscar in a anime cartoon soon as possible.

Jay, are you still currently in Japan now?
Could you find out if there is any anime artists
that would like to turn Oscar into a anime cartoon?
I forsee a combination of Kafka and anime enigma.
I hate to bring up filthy lucer in relation to
a mixed family member, but real life is a knocking.
I have to try to make some money off him. He
and his homeys are not only eating me out of house
in home I have skyrocket legal bills and private
detective bills related to certain of his night
goings and experiments that are sinking me every
which way. He and his pals are off into dark
activities. I have had to of been incommonicado
because there are local entities trying to link me
to pending charges. If a comic book or anime series
came out on him and his mysterious adventures it
would be good for the world as entertaining prophesy
and might make me some refreshing cash. I would
be willing to give part of the profits to a charity
that I have started.

[brook]

23. Yes!

I wish I could help -but it's out of my ken. Oscar needs to be put out there for the world to love... sure hope it leads somewhere for you! When you had the thread going, I was relating the story to anyone who would listen - and you know yourself how many of us looked forward to every post. If we can be considered a *test* market, Oscar's a winner. Couldn't you send the threads as proof to a publisher?

[NJCher]

9. raccoons are smart

I'm curious; how did the raccoon figure out the magnetic cat door? I thought it wouldn't open unless the animal was wearing a magnet?

Raccoons are something else. Just yesterday I was looking at the exterior of our house and in particular, where my home office is. In fact, where I am at right now, reading DU. And what did I see? Raccoon paw prints, where the little masked bandit was standing on his hind legs, looking in the window at me!

Another time I was reading a thriller. It was about 3 a.m. I heard a knocking at my front door. I was scared but I looked out the window and saw nothing. Nevertheless, the knocking continued. I kept getting up and finally looked down. It was a raccoon knocking at the front door!


Cher

[minkyboodle]

10. I'm not sure if I'm right or not

but don't some cat doors have magnet or electronic collars so that only your cat can open it. I have no experience with these so its not an endorsement or anything but maybe some more knowledgeable DUers can recommend whether these work or not. Here is a random link to one I found through google. Good luck and kudos for being so humane in dealing with the raccoons.
Scott
http://hitecpet.com/autpetdoorfo1.html
they sure are expensive enough.. on second though maybe just keep trapping

[minkyboodle]

12. Doh!!!

disregard this as I now see that you've got a magnetic door already. Raccoons are crafty indeed!!!!
Scott

[Ladyhawk]

13. Can you get a different style of live-trap that he won't recognize?

Maybe a pipe trap of some kind? That way he couldn't reach the bait without actually going into the trap.

(Incidentally, I really love raccoons. They certainly have their own little minds.)

[aquart]

14. They LOVE peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

And grapes. Peanuts.

[Dookus]

16. yes...

the others I caught I did so with peanut butter. They can't resist the stuff.

For the other questioners above: the cat door IS magnetic, but the magnet is only required to come INTO the house, not out. That means the door can be PULLED open by clever critters with dextrous hands. Hence, raccoons running through my dining room and flipping me off.

UPDATE: We heard a rucus in the yard before and ran out to see if the cats were OK. It was THREE racoons fighting. It must be mating season.

[izzie]

17. These little guys are something else.

I used to go in all sorts of acts to keep them out of the waste. I ended up re-bagging all bags putting bungees on all cans and letting them play with them. They could rolls those cans up hills but never got into them after all that work.I had geese and had to put chicken wire a foot into the ground around their pen to keep them out of their food. I love the country but these guys will drive you nuts.

[RamblingRose]

18. It's those opposable thumbs! They're pretty damn smart! nt

[Flaxbee]

21. One of our local friendlies was badly injured the other day...

we live in the woods and there's a den about 25 feet from the northwest corner of the house; Mamma raccoon died about 18 months ago, sweet thing, and one of her babies (of the at least 20 we counted over the years) has taken over the den. We recognize this one, she's got a pretty dark mask and is just more distinctive than the others. One night last week she came up onto our deck with a horrible abrasion between her shoulder blades and a bad limp, we think she was probably hit by a car or possibly attacked by a big dog, but there really aren't any dogs locally big enough to do that to her so the car is more likely.

Anyway, we always put out food, and three nights in a row, starting with the first night she showed up injured, spiked the moist food with penicillin (dosage recommended by our local wildlife rehabber -- NO ONE takes adult raccoons -- or even "eyes open" babies because they can carry rabies without ever getting ill) and the third night she was walking better, but we haven't seen her for the last two nights and I'M WORRIED about my wild baby! Wah!

I keep getting up at 2,3,4am to peek out on the back deck, but no raccoon. I'm still hopeful, though.

One night about four years ago my husband and I turned on the deck light about 3am and there were probably 4 adult raccoons and 12 babies on the deck. God they were cute! They were all traipsing around the railings like the Cirque du SOleil.

I try not to get too attached to these critters, nature can be brutal, but I cannot stand to see any of them suffer.

[brook]

22. As soon as you name him...

He'll bring along his six brothers; eight sisters; twelve first cousins; four ex-wives- and his best buddy from elementary school.

They can be rabid- and they are destructive as the devil. I had a herd of 'em one year that lawn-bowled with every plant on the deck. One night I went out to chase them, and Mr. Big stood up and hissed at me, baring his rather impressive choppers. I had the county trapper come and haul them away. (BTW, they seemed to be living mostly on avocadoes).

Once thought they were very cute - but decided they act too much like Republicans.

[amazona]

25. and don't forget distemper

I don't think we've had a rabies outbreak in my area in years but we've had raccoons with distemper. People who feed raccoons are just asking for trouble, as you say, they are intelligent, and they pass on the knowledge. And so you end up with a gang of raccoons visiting your house and yard. I couldn't dissuade a friend from feeding them, she thought they were sooo cute. Now all of her chickens have been killed, and many of her ducks. I know it's raccoons, they just twist off the heads. Like vampires.

[amazona]

24. don't know why you're live trapping him

I can't imagine an area where his release would be welcomed.

I do sympathize with the war of the raccoons, they are a nuisance here too.