I was on my back porch this evening, enjoying the rain, when I noticed some new neighbors sitting in a tree in the next yard. It appears that I have a full grown male raccoon and his mate moving into the neighborhood.
I think I've seen this raccoon on occassion before, so I'm not terribly worried that he or his mate will cause too much damage. Just wondering, though, other than not leaving any garbage, pet food, or scraps easily accessible is there anything else I can do to discourage these two from entering my yard. I think they're very beautiful creatures, but I'd rather not have them poaching from my garden.
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StorageSmart2
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Ozark Lady
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One of those motion sensors that turns on your sprinkler might work, although raccoons can be very brazen. I'm not sure a sprinkler would necessarily scare them off.
Be sure your compost pile is not accessible, and clean up any fallen fruit from the ground. If possible, remove all outdoor sources of water, too, at least after sundown.
I don't know where you're located, but be aware that in some parts of the U.S., notably the southern states, raccoons are often found to be infected with rabies.
Even the healthiest raccoon can carry a number of diseases and/or parasites that are transmissible to humans. They also can spread both canine and feline distemper, and are host to a particularly nasty roundworm, Baylisascaris procyonis.
In Oregon, it's illegal to have a raccoon, even temporarily, unless you are a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
Be sure your compost pile is not accessible, and clean up any fallen fruit from the ground. If possible, remove all outdoor sources of water, too, at least after sundown.
I don't know where you're located, but be aware that in some parts of the U.S., notably the southern states, raccoons are often found to be infected with rabies.
Even the healthiest raccoon can carry a number of diseases and/or parasites that are transmissible to humans. They also can spread both canine and feline distemper, and are host to a particularly nasty roundworm, Baylisascaris procyonis.
In Oregon, it's illegal to have a raccoon, even temporarily, unless you are a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
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StorageSmart2
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I don't think the compost pile will be a problem, because I make sure to keep all of it covered with a nice layer of soil to prevent anything from smelling too badly. I also don't have to worry about fallen fruit yet, because I don't have any fruit trees in my yard and my rasberries and strawberries are both new and not sprouting yet. Might be something I'll have to watch out for later, though. I also think I'll take the birdbath down now.
Thank you for the helpful hints. I do worry about rabies and diseases (or parasites) from raccoons and other wild animals so I won't be getting too friendly with them. I do kind of enjoy talking to them from far across the yard, though. They let me take some pictures last night, which was really neat.
I don't think they'll be staying long, but you never know. I had forgotten that the couple across the alley had just gotten a rather large dog a couple of months ago. When they let him outside tonight he raised such a racket. Mind you, the raccoons might not worry about him too much, because he's locked up in another yard.
Do you think that if I put chicken wire up around my berry bushes it might discourage them when things come to fruit? I wasn't going to trellis the rasberries, because I had a rather large section I was hoping they would fill up over time. It's rather close to the porch, though, and I don't want to step onto my back porch and be threatened by a coon poaching my berries.
Thank you for the helpful hints. I do worry about rabies and diseases (or parasites) from raccoons and other wild animals so I won't be getting too friendly with them. I do kind of enjoy talking to them from far across the yard, though. They let me take some pictures last night, which was really neat.
I don't think they'll be staying long, but you never know. I had forgotten that the couple across the alley had just gotten a rather large dog a couple of months ago. When they let him outside tonight he raised such a racket. Mind you, the raccoons might not worry about him too much, because he's locked up in another yard.
Do you think that if I put chicken wire up around my berry bushes it might discourage them when things come to fruit? I wasn't going to trellis the rasberries, because I had a rather large section I was hoping they would fill up over time. It's rather close to the porch, though, and I don't want to step onto my back porch and be threatened by a coon poaching my berries.
Boar and sow raccoons don't stay together beyond the period of mating. The female will be alone through her pregnancy, and she will birth and raise her babies by herself. Gestation is about 63 days. I don't know your location, but in Oregon, raccoons bear their young during April and May. Occasionally we'll see some born in August, but they aren't the norm. The young are weaned at about 16 weeks of age, and often stay with the mother into their second year of life.
When possible, the sow selects a nest above ground level, such as in a hollow of a tree, or the attic of a building. I have seen roof damage caused when a sow tore off the shingles and dug through the sheathing to gain access to an attic as a nest site. I have known them to bear their young in chimneys, too. At about 8 weeks, the sow will move the babies to a ground level nest, such as under a shed, deck or house. The babies follow her when she goes out foraging for food at night.
Our county Animal Control officer once brought a healthy raccoon to me in the middle of the night. It had been cornered under a deck by 3 Dobermans. Knowing raccoons well, because I rehabbed a lot of them, I asked what happened to the dogs. I was told they were torn up pretty badly and had been taken to the Emergency Vet Clinic.
Besides the standard black and agouti raccoons, we sometimes see blond ones. They have tawny fur with chocolate brown markings. Very pretty!
When possible, the sow selects a nest above ground level, such as in a hollow of a tree, or the attic of a building. I have seen roof damage caused when a sow tore off the shingles and dug through the sheathing to gain access to an attic as a nest site. I have known them to bear their young in chimneys, too. At about 8 weeks, the sow will move the babies to a ground level nest, such as under a shed, deck or house. The babies follow her when she goes out foraging for food at night.
Our county Animal Control officer once brought a healthy raccoon to me in the middle of the night. It had been cornered under a deck by 3 Dobermans. Knowing raccoons well, because I rehabbed a lot of them, I asked what happened to the dogs. I was told they were torn up pretty badly and had been taken to the Emergency Vet Clinic.
Besides the standard black and agouti raccoons, we sometimes see blond ones. They have tawny fur with chocolate brown markings. Very pretty!
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Tigerlilylynn
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I think an adult raccoon would consider itself the equal of any coyote, perhaps even its better. They're also smart enough to know they can always escape up a tree. 
I have removed many a raccoon from many a coyote snare ... the wire loop snares, not leg hold traps. The snares weren't set for the raccoons, they were just hapless enough to get caught in them.
The two species prey on different animals, raccoons tending to take smaller prey ... fish, crawdads, mice, birds and eggs, etc. ... while coyotes tend to take larger prey ... rabbits, squirrels, porcupines, and even deer. Thus, there is little serious competition between them for food, allowing them to share the same territories.
I have removed many a raccoon from many a coyote snare ... the wire loop snares, not leg hold traps. The snares weren't set for the raccoons, they were just hapless enough to get caught in them.
The two species prey on different animals, raccoons tending to take smaller prey ... fish, crawdads, mice, birds and eggs, etc. ... while coyotes tend to take larger prey ... rabbits, squirrels, porcupines, and even deer. Thus, there is little serious competition between them for food, allowing them to share the same territories.
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StorageSmart2
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So far they don't seem to have intruded into my yard. I did manage to get some pictures of one of them in the neighbour's tree, though. I'm guessing it's a boy, because he's pretty big. I don't really know much about raccoons, though.
I still don't know how to put pictures on here, but I created an album in my live journal here https://pics.livejournal.com/storagesmart/gallery/0000r2qe if you want to see them.
I didn't know Raccoons were that though.... three dobermans?
Maybe I should call animal control. I'm a little worried about the dog across the alley now.... 
I still don't know how to put pictures on here, but I created an album in my live journal here https://pics.livejournal.com/storagesmart/gallery/0000r2qe if you want to see them.
I didn't know Raccoons were that though.... three dobermans?
Maybe I should call animal control. I'm a little worried about the dog across the alley now.... Raccoons will almost always run before they'll fight, unless it's a mama protecting her babies. They're nasty if they're cornered, though, which was the case with the one that sent the 3 dobermans to the vet. They can climb just about any fence or tree, so unless the raccoon is sick or injured and unable to get away, there's really very little threat. The one in your pictures looks quite healthy.
You could mention their presence in the neighborhood to the dog owner, and suggest that he/she might want to make sure the dog has current vaccinations against rabies and canine distemper. Raccoons can spread those diseases by eating or drinking from a dog's dishes.
You could mention their presence in the neighborhood to the dog owner, and suggest that he/she might want to make sure the dog has current vaccinations against rabies and canine distemper. Raccoons can spread those diseases by eating or drinking from a dog's dishes.
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StorageSmart2
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In the end, I ended up calling animal control. In the pictures you can see the tree is right next to my neighbour's roof. The two raccoons have been spending a lot of time up there on the roof and I think maybe they have built or are building a nest.
There's no one living in that house right now, because the person that bought it is still fixing it up. I would feel really bad if I didn't say anything and then something happened to him while he was reshingling the roof.
Animal control said they would come down and relocate the coon family to a safer location this weekend. I hope that wherever they end up things work out for them. I just don't think it would be a good idea for them to stay here.
There's no one living in that house right now, because the person that bought it is still fixing it up. I would feel really bad if I didn't say anything and then something happened to him while he was reshingling the roof.
Animal control said they would come down and relocate the coon family to a safer location this weekend. I hope that wherever they end up things work out for them. I just don't think it would be a good idea for them to stay here.
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