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Hmmm... My last batch of raccoon tenants were better than many human tenants

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  • May 5th, 2015 6:35 pm
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May 4th, 2015 10:52 am
EugW [OP]
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May 4th, 2015 10:52 am

Hmmm... My last batch of raccoon tenants were better than many human tenants

Found a litter of raccoons with their mother in my shed on Saturday. I poked mom lightly with a broom handle a couple of times, but not surprisingly, she wouldn't leave, as it would have been impossible for her to take her 5 little ones with her. So I just left her be, and called a wildlife removal company. Unfortunately, they couldn't come until mid-week.

Well, the next day, my neighbour saw the mom taking her babies to the nearby ravine one by one in the morning. There were 5 of them, and she ended up taking 3, leaving the other two behind. I guess because there was a lot of activity in our backyards during the day, she didn't come back for them during the day. So, I got a cardboard box and stuck a towel as a blanket in there, and put the remaining two babies in there and placed it next to the shed. She came back for those two that evening.

I guess this mom can take a hint. I'm sure the fact that my coming to taking a look several times, and my wife checking it out as did my neighbours didn't make her feel too comfortable there either I suppose.

I wish getting rid of visitors was always this easy.
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May 4th, 2015 11:05 am
Empyrium
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May 4th, 2015 11:05 am

EugW wrote: ↑Found a litter of raccoons with their mother in my shed on Saturday. I poked mom lightly with a broom handle a couple of times, but not surprisingly, she wouldn't leave, as it would have been impossible for her to take her 5 little ones with her. So I just left her be, and called a wildlife removal company. Unfortunately, they couldn't come until mid-week.

Well, the next day, my neighbour saw the mom taking her babies to the nearby ravine one by one in the morning. There were 5 of them, and she ended up taking 3, leaving the other two behind. I guess because there was a lot of activity in our backyards during the day, she didn't come back for them during the day. So, I got a cardboard box and stuck a towel as a blanket in there, and put the remaining two babies in there and placed it next to the shed. She came back for those two that evening.

I guess this mom can take a hint. I'm sure the fact that my coming to taking a look several times, and my wife checking it out as did my neighbours didn't make her feel too comfortable there either I suppose.

I wish getting rid of visitors was always this easy.
Posting some pictures would be nice. :P
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May 4th, 2015 11:05 am
Little Tim
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May 4th, 2015 11:05 am

Kudos for doing the human thing.

Now we wait for the RFD horde to enter with various stories on how they would have maimed and killed the creature...
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May 4th, 2015 11:27 am
EugW [OP]
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May 4th, 2015 11:27 am

Empyrium wrote: ↑Posting some pictures would be nice. :P
Image

Image

Image

Image
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May 4th, 2015 11:32 am
koffey
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May 4th, 2015 11:32 am

adorable.
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May 4th, 2015 11:38 am
EugW [OP]
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May 4th, 2015 11:38 am

Yes, cute babies, but honestly I hate having raccoons around. But yeah,I'm not going to maim them or kill them. I just hope they don't come back and destroy my roof. There is a spot on my roof which is partially sheltered. No access to inside the house, but there is a ledge that protects them from rain. I'm going to have to figure out how to close that part off without damaging my roof, as the raccoons like chillin' there and ripping off my shingles for amusement in their spare time.

BTW, in the past when I've found raccoons around my house, they were often huge males that would growl and hiss at me, and seemed prepared to fight. This mom seemed more like she wanted to be left alone.
May 4th, 2015 11:46 am
Quentin5
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May 4th, 2015 11:46 am

EugW wrote: ↑BTW, in the past when I've found raccoons around my house, they were often huge males that would growl and hiss at me, and seemed prepared to fight. This mom seemed more like she wanted to be left alone.
I was just about to say i am surprised she didn't respond aggressively, you lucked out
I don't like them in or near the house either since they are so destructive, but i can't condone killing them
In fact in Rand McNally they wear hats on their feet and hamburgers eat people
May 4th, 2015 11:48 am
EugW [OP]
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May 4th, 2015 11:48 am

Quentin5 wrote: ↑I was just about to say i am surprised she didn't respond aggressively, you lucked out
I don't like them in or near the house either since they are so destructive, but i can't condone killing them
Well, after I poked her a couple of times with the broomstick, she did hiss a bit, but if I were her I would have done the same. ;) She wasn't aggressive when I first opened the shed door, or when I came back to check later that day. I was only about 5 feet away too.

And then she moved out with her kids the next day. A reasonable raccoon?

BTW, the wildlife removal company said it would be $395. Ouch! Luckily I didn't have to spend that.
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May 4th, 2015 11:54 am
Quentin5
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May 4th, 2015 11:54 am

EugW wrote: ↑Well, after I poked her a couple of times with the broomstick, she did hiss a bit, but if I were her I would have done the same. ;) She wasn't aggressive when I first opened the shed door, or when I came back to check later that day. I was only about 5 feet away too.

And then she moved out with her kids the next day. A reasonable raccoon?
Yup, no retribution damage, no LTB and hearings and delays and stall tactics, no sheriff, no threats, she may not have paid you rent but she left very cordially. :cool:
You can sue the government using this as a model, humans should be superior to racoons so this should be the precedent in future (human) tenant evictions :cheesygri
In fact in Rand McNally they wear hats on their feet and hamburgers eat people
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May 4th, 2015 12:03 pm
EugW [OP]
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May 4th, 2015 12:03 pm

Hah. :D

BTW, my wife hates raccoons with a passion. She gets all riled up when there's one nearby. But when she saw this family, it just melted her heart. Those little guys were completely helpless. It was also heartbreaking hearing them call for mom during the day, all day long. By 6 pm the lid on the box was off, and one had been taken, and the other had been placed beside the box. I put that last one back on the box and lightly put the lid back on as the temp was dropping a few degrees overnight. A few hours later, mom took the last one too.

I didn't put the box with the little ones near the ravine, because online it says to put the box next to the nesting area to make it easiest for the mom to find them, and also because the ravine has a few predators that visit. They almost never visit near the house. Coyotes are uncommon but are around from time to time, although never approach the house. Foxes are much more common, but usually also keep to themselves, although rarely I have seen them go past the house.
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May 4th, 2015 12:43 pm
CensoredByRFD
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May 4th, 2015 12:43 pm

Cute little things. Glad to see that the babies were old enough to be moved safely as well. If you had found them several weeks earlier, mom may not have left, as the babies may have been too young and fragile to move so far.
May 4th, 2015 12:50 pm
Quentin5
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May 4th, 2015 12:50 pm

I read somewhere raccoons usually have two or three houses on standby, not sure if it applies to the moms but i'm sure she is pretty resourceful.
In fact in Rand McNally they wear hats on their feet and hamburgers eat people
May 4th, 2015 4:53 pm
serbianbelle
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May 4th, 2015 4:53 pm

I posted a story about baby raccoons on pets forum. Some people had helpful suggestions and then some ridiculed me. I feel better knowing that others share my view. Humane treatment is not only for humans.
May 4th, 2015 5:09 pm
tranquility922
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May 4th, 2015 5:09 pm

Very thoughtful, EugW. Nice to hear that it worked out. How did you carry the babies? Any danger of getting bitten?
May 4th, 2015 5:56 pm
t3359
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May 4th, 2015 5:56 pm

Cute...!

I had trapped two that were living under my deck last year - took them to the front yard and released them - not sure what my neighbours thought...! I had originally planned to get rid of them but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

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May 5th, 2015 9:34 am
EugW [OP]
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May 5th, 2015 9:34 am

tranquility922 wrote: ↑Very thoughtful, EugW. Nice to hear that it worked out. How did you carry the babies? Any danger of getting bitten?
I just put on gloves and picked them up at the torso. They were pretty much helpless, and didn't try to bite at all. I'm told they will nip at you if they're older though. After I put them in the box, I just carried them in the box. They couldn't get out easily, and I think the box walls were only 8" high. (I read online that you need a box at least 8" in height, but not too high so mom can still get at them.)
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