Raccoons

GaryStPaul · June 18, 2012

Hi, folks. So I'm out on my early morning tour of the garden and see a couple young raccoons scoping out the place. Later on I hear my schmoozy pitbull, Miss Jenny, barking furiously at a raccoon sitting up on a high fence, the raccoon hissing and spitting in reply. I remember having had raccoons years ago, especially one morning coming out onto a screened porch that had a cat port: I was staggered to see the destruction and all for the sake of the contents of a cat litter box. My question: Should I be concerned about impending danger to my 90 tomato plants, some of which are starting to set fruit? (I know I need to be careful about the dog). TIA, Gary.

Crandrew · June 18, 2012

ok so im in the same boat. I caught too raccoons making sexy time in my backyard last week. Im afraid they are going to come back and take my tomato booty. Anybody know what happened to the other thread? It just disappeared.

I know in my area animal control said I needed to lease the traps, trap the critters and then animal control would come pick them up.

duderubble · June 18, 2012

I'm thinking .22 caliber air rifle.

barkeater · June 18, 2012

I've never heard of racoons eating tomatoes. However, if you are growing sweet corn, nothing short of a 3 strand electric fence will keep them out. In some areas they will rip pumpkins apart to get the seeds, and also tear down sunflowers for the seeds.

delltraveller · June 18, 2012

Most years a raccoon mama raises a litter in the neighborhood. I've had her send the youngsters in the cat door to dine on bowls of cat food and wash their hands in the water dishes. The kids have come onto the front porch and looked in the open storm door to inquire about why there isn't any cat food in the outside dishes or food in the bird feeder yet. The cats and the raccoons, adults included, have sat two feet away from each other and ignored the other. The youngsters and the cats have sniffed each other, wondering what kind of ugly cat/raccoon is this. I've never had the raccoons show any interest in the tomatoes or beans or cole crops or peppers or greens....Like many humans, their taste runs to fast food---dog food, cat food, bird food, cereal, french fries, donuts, hot dogs....and acorns. Acorns seem to be the only naturally available food they seem to prefer to junk food. Now, squirrels, the little buggers, dig in my pots, dig in the beds, bury stashes, look for stashes, and did out or damage plants in the process....

fortyonenorth · June 18, 2012

I've had lots of problems with destructive raccoons. They've wreaked havoc with tomatoes, peppers and winter squash. They seem to like the squash as they will consume the entire fruit. The peppers and tomatoes are more often picked and gnawed and discarded. A family of three raccoons destroyed probably 30-40 tomatoes (not counting cherries) and easily that many peppers last year. They've already started on my immature squash this year. Time to get to work on a plan. I don't like the idea of killing them, so I may live trap them and re-locate. If you're not as thin-skinned as I am, you may try this trap - baited with donuts: https://sites.google.com/site/kellys...n/raccoon-trap

livinonfaith · June 18, 2012

They do like figs! I've caught them many a time in my parents fig tree.

I suspect they'll eat almost anything that we will.

JamesL · June 18, 2012

fortyone,

That is one evil trap!

delltraveler is spot on as is evidenced by your experience as well. They don't necessarily like tomatoes, but they are also curious, and tear up your plants "testing" them out.

They don't eat them but, damage done....

barkeater · June 18, 2012

41N,

I used that trap 20 years ago on woodchucks and it was illegal even then in NJ. I doubt you could buy one in most states nowadays.

GaryStPaul · June 18, 2012

Do you think a couple of those Havahart traps would work? I have a couple of fairly large ones, back from the days when I thought I could "reduce" the squirrel presence at my place (<-- joke, haha).

fortyonenorth · June 19, 2012

Oh, they work alright. Bait them with a cob of sweet corn and you'll have a raccoon. Problem is, where to re-locate? It's illegal in many areas.

Solanum315 · July 1, 2012

Legality, ethics and morality don't always line up.

Mojave · July 1, 2012

This entire thread could go for opossums as well. I had to deal with them in a grey area as far as legality, ethics and morality are concerned.

peppero · July 1, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by GaryStPaul

Do you think a couple of those Havahart traps would work? I have a couple of fairly large ones, back from the days when I thought I could "reduce" the squirrel presence at my place (<-- joke, haha).

those traps work very well. vanilla wafers and crackers will work as bait and i have even used sardine cans AFTER i ate the sardines. jon

Elliot · July 1, 2012

We have had racoons on our property every year and have had tomato plants every year. The racoons come to eat our cats food and they come at night. They are attracted to "prepared" foods and meat items. We have never had a problem with them attacking our tomatoes. What I might try tonight, to be sure, is to place a tomato next to the remaining cats food and see if the racoons even sniff at it. I doubt it.

June 18, 2012	#1
GaryStPaul Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: St Paul, MN Posts: 158	Raccoons Hi, folks. So I'm out on my early morning tour of the garden and see a couple young raccoons scoping out the place. Later on I hear my schmoozy pitbull, Miss Jenny, barking furiously at a raccoon sitting up on a high fence, the raccoon hissing and spitting in reply. I remember having had raccoons years ago, especially one morning coming out onto a screened porch that had a cat port: I was staggered to see the destruction and all for the sake of the contents of a cat litter box. My question: Should I be concerned about impending danger to my 90 tomato plants, some of which are starting to set fruit? (I know I need to be careful about the dog). TIA, Gary.

June 18, 2012	#3
duderubble Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Southwest Missouri Posts: 71	I'm thinking .22 caliber air rifle. __________________ Dude Rubble

June 18, 2012	#4
barkeater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NE Kingdom, VT - Zone 3b Posts: 1,439	I've never heard of racoons eating tomatoes. However, if you are growing sweet corn, nothing short of a 3 strand electric fence will keep them out. In some areas they will rip pumpkins apart to get the seeds, and also tear down sunflowers for the seeds. __________________ barkeater

June 18, 2012	#9
barkeater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NE Kingdom, VT - Zone 3b Posts: 1,439	41N, I used that trap 20 years ago on woodchucks and it was illegal even then in NJ. I doubt you could buy one in most states nowadays. __________________ barkeater

July 1, 2012	#12
Solanum315 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: New York Posts: 244	Legality, ethics and morality don't always line up. __________________ Scott http://worldtomatoes.blogspot.com/

June 18, 2012	#2
Crandrew Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: asdf Posts: 1,202	ok so im in the same boat. I caught too raccoons making sexy time in my backyard last week. Im afraid they are going to come back and take my tomato booty. Anybody know what happened to the other thread? It just disappeared. I know in my area animal control said I needed to lease the traps, trap the critters and then animal control would come pick them up.

June 18, 2012	#5
delltraveller Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Iowa Posts: 481	Most years a raccoon mama raises a litter in the neighborhood. I've had her send the youngsters in the cat door to dine on bowls of cat food and wash their hands in the water dishes. The kids have come onto the front porch and looked in the open storm door to inquire about why there isn't any cat food in the outside dishes or food in the bird feeder yet. The cats and the raccoons, adults included, have sat two feet away from each other and ignored the other. The youngsters and the cats have sniffed each other, wondering what kind of ugly cat/raccoon is this. I've never had the raccoons show any interest in the tomatoes or beans or cole crops or peppers or greens....Like many humans, their taste runs to fast food---dog food, cat food, bird food, cereal, french fries, donuts, hot dogs....and acorns. Acorns seem to be the only naturally available food they seem to prefer to junk food. Now, squirrels, the little buggers, dig in my pots, dig in the beds, bury stashes, look for stashes, and did out or damage plants in the process....

June 18, 2012	#6
fortyonenorth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: NW Indiana Posts: 1,150	I've had lots of problems with destructive raccoons. They've wreaked havoc with tomatoes, peppers and winter squash. They seem to like the squash as they will consume the entire fruit. The peppers and tomatoes are more often picked and gnawed and discarded. A family of three raccoons destroyed probably 30-40 tomatoes (not counting cherries) and easily that many peppers last year. They've already started on my immature squash this year. Time to get to work on a plan. I don't like the idea of killing them, so I may live trap them and re-locate. If you're not as thin-skinned as I am, you may try this trap - baited with donuts: https://sites.google.com/site/kellys...n/raccoon-trap

June 18, 2012	#7
livinonfaith Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina Posts: 1,332	They do like figs! I've caught them many a time in my parents fig tree. I suspect they'll eat almost anything that we will.

June 18, 2012	#8
JamesL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 1,992	fortyone, That is one evil trap! delltraveler is spot on as is evidenced by your experience as well. They don't necessarily like tomatoes, but they are also curious, and tear up your plants "testing" them out. They don't eat them but, damage done....

June 19, 2012	#11
fortyonenorth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: NW Indiana Posts: 1,150	Oh, they work alright. Bait them with a cob of sweet corn and you'll have a raccoon. Problem is, where to re-locate? It's illegal in many areas.

July 1, 2012	#13
Mojave Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: SF Bay area Z9a Posts: 821	This entire thread could go for opossums as well. I had to deal with them in a grey area as far as legality, ethics and morality are concerned. __________________ Bill _______________________________________________ When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe. -John Muir Believe those who seek the Truth: Doubt those who find it. -André Gide

July 1, 2012	#15
Elliot Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Hicksville, New York Posts: 503	We have had racoons on our property every year and have had tomato plants every year. The racoons come to eat our cats food and they come at night. They are attracted to "prepared" foods and meat items. We have never had a problem with them attacking our tomatoes. What I might try tonight, to be sure, is to place a tomato next to the remaining cats food and see if the racoons even sniff at it. I doubt it.