Forgive these images being somewhat blurred. They were taken at dusk just as we were settling in for the evening.
Now I know who is eating the birdseed like there's no tomorrow, and who stole the suet feeder from the dogwood tree during the previous night after I'd filled it with nice fresh nutty seed cake.......for my woodpeckers!
This is no baby raccoon, just a huge fat, furry guy/gal who has found a supply of tasty food to its liking.
The raccoon was not at all concerned at our presence when we walked out onto the deck and talked to it.
"Bad raccoon eating our birdseed, you should be ashamed of yourself".
Then we decided to chase it away and it ran to the side of the potting shed, crouched down and proceeded to pop under the shed. Can that be where it's living? The same shed where we've had more than our share of feral kittens and fox kits deposited by wayward mamas over the past several years.
Speaking of foxes, just a half hour later one showed up. It proceeded to start munching on the load of birdseed the raccoon had spilt from the feeder. It was too dark to get a pic.
Hey, hope it doesn't decide to curl up on my vintage wicker with the Ralph Lauren cushions!
So my dilemma is, do we call animal control and ask them to set a humane trap in hopes they catch the raccoon and then remove it? These guys can cause havoc to property and plants, carry rabies and many other diseases, and are infested with fleas and ticks. Our neighbors have a young child, and a teeny chihuahua, who spend time outside. They are already nervous about the foxes on our adjoining properties. DH and I are nervous too, not feeling comfortable walking outside at night. I will not be filling the bird feeders for a while to discourage all this wildlife. NC Wildlife does not allow trapping foxes unless they become dangerous, and then one needs a permit, so we are stuck with them it seems.
All these animals are beautiful to see and I would never want to harm them, however they are not safe to have around the house. We may live in what I lovingly call 'the cottage' but we definitely don't live in the country. We are in a busy subdivision adjacent to a heavily traveled thoroughfare.......and just these past couple of years we seem to be attracting a lot of wildlife.
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Mary, what a little devil that raccoon is, or I guess I should say what a big devil he/she is!! We had a similar problem with a huge raccoon ripping the top off of our bird feeder and emptying the whole thing! So we moved it away from the fence. Now the raccoon is trying to open a large garbage can, one night he/she actually got caught in the garbage can and John had to let him out in the morning!
ReplyDeleteI hear raccoons LOVE Ralph Lauren. She will probably drag it under your shed and decorate her living room with the fabric from your cushion. No, really.. they LOVE Ralph Lauren. *winks*
ReplyDeleteThat is a dilemma. In England there are problems in the cities with urban foxes, who have no apparent fear, and of course bring disease with them.
ReplyDeleteGood morning Mary!
ReplyDeleteGreat photos, of that not-so-little stinker! Especially the one with "Halloween" eyes. :) We have raccoons, skunks and foxes, even wildcats around, but there is plenty of room for them and they aren't so bothersome. They definitely need to be removed for the reasons you mentioned.
He's cute regardless of what a nuisance he is. And, yes, I'd be nervous having all that wildlife around too. Perhaps someone built in their habitat so they decided to move over to your neighbor.
ReplyDeleteCute shots, Mary. We have a few of these critters too. They can be a nuisance.
ReplyDeleteHugs to you ~ Sarah
On my gosh! I am so jealous! I wish I had a raccoon coming to visit me! I just love them. My girlfriend in WA has two that have been visiting her nightly for years now. She has two outdoor cats, and the coons and the cats share the cats food. It is hilarious to see the cats eating the food as is, and the raccoons having to wash their food first before they eat it.
ReplyDeleteOnce you stop filling the bird feeders for a week or two, the coon should move on. But if it was me... I'd be filling the feeders, and putting a bowl out for the coons! lol
I'm afraid my heart melts when I see photos or programs with racoons Mary, and even though I know the dangers that go with them I do so love them. If it can be caught and re-homed I'd have it removed, but if it would be destroyed I'm afraid I'd leave well alone.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have foxes, but we do get the occasional raccoons. They do create havoc and though they are cute, I don't want them around. My husband turned the hose on them this summer and then they would leave. We had a mama and 5 babies in our tree and they didn't like the water much.
ReplyDeleteI do love Raccoons, but yes they do have a big tummy and like to fill it. The babies come around June, they are all young adults by now. I am guilty of feeding them. Last year I had a little line up of babies at my sliding door every night, on our second floor porch. They would shimmy up the support post. My husband was not so happy. So this year I tried really hard not to purposely feed them... Lorraine
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to add that although my husband was not happy about the line-up of hungry mouths, he would never do anything to harm any animal. Not putting food out for a while is the best way to get them to leave. We have to remember we are sharing nature with animals and they are just trying to bring up their babies.
ReplyDeleteLorraine
They can be quite a character!
ReplyDelete