We’ve had critters in the yard in Redondo Beach for the past seventeen-plus years that we’ve owned the house. The ones that we’ve seen (besides squirrels and birds) were mostly possums (including a juvie that wandered into the house one day that was a chore to catch, and one that died out in the yard by the spa and smelled to high heaven). Back when I had a backyard artificial stream running, we heard a growl out the bedroom window one night, back in the nineties, and we shot a flashlight out to see a couple masked faces looking back at us.
When we moved in a couple weeks ago, the new next-door neighbors told us that they thought we had a raccoon nest somewhere, and we heard animals running around on the roof at night.
I called animal control, who told me that I could borrow a trap, with a deposit, but they didn’t have any available, because there was a waiting list. They also said we could call a private trapper. So I did. The first night, he left four traps, and we got a possum. The second night we caught two neighborhood cats. He came by yesterday to release the cats, and take the possum to release it in the wild (somewhere up in the Santa Monicas). The traps were reset and baited (with cat food), and this morning, we had the coon above, and another possum.
Where there’s one coon, I’m guessing there is at least one more, judging from the sounds on the roof. Unfortunately, we’re starting to run up a tab, because he charges fifty bucks per visit, and a hundred per animal taken away. I’m thinking that I should just buy my own traps at this point.
[Evening update]
Between the coons, possums and cats, maybe I should just get some more traps, and set up a neighborhood menagerie. I could charge admission to the kids. I imagine there’s some RB zoning law against it, though.
[Update a few minutes later]
I just checked prices on line, and traps are less than a hundred bucks each, including shipping. I think that’s the way to go before I pay him any more, assuming that Animal Control will come get my catch.
[Monday morning update]
Got another coon last night. I think I’m going to call it quits for now, and if the problems continue, I’ll do it with my own traps. This wasn’t in our budget.
Your own trap, a .22 caliber pistol, and a carton of low-powder .22 cartridges (very quiet).
Problem solved.
Of course, you’re in California so the pistol is probably out of the question. Do they allow high power air guns there?
It’s funny, really. I’ve an aunt who lives in the DFW metro-plex who FEEDS the raccoons that come into her backyard (because she feeds them). One man’s nuisance another man’s (woman’s) “oh they’re so cute”.
Cute varmits visiting your backyard is one thing, the same cute varmits ripping into your attic or cellar and doing damage is quite another. You have my full sympathy Rand. I just did some substantial repair work on my roof from neighborhood squirrels taking the waterproofing paper out from under the tiles to line their nests. Fortunately, squirrels are a bit easier than raccoons to keep from undesired areas with simple wire mesh.
We live in Florida and are besieged by critters, feral cats, armadillos, possums, raccoons, squirrels. all kinds of snakes including baby rattlers and coral. Raccoon tore a hole in the pool cover. Cost a couple of thou to replace it. Had the critter people in. They trapped 14 raccoons at $40/per! Didn’t get them all because we still have more. What can you do. At least they haven’t gotten into the house.
I don’t enjoy shooting animals, and I’m willing to take some effort to just relocate them, but I can’t afford to keep doing this. As for a cellar or basement, I wish I had one of either for them to mess up (we could use the extra square footage and storage), but this is southern California.
The only varmints I have to be concerned with (other than my wife’s cats) are squirrels eating my deck, or armadillos digging up my lawn. Even the bats I discovered in my attic weeks ago seem to have flown the coop immediately thereafter and not returned.
I think if we were going to have trouble with anything else our dog and the foxes that roam outside her run must do a decent job of keeping them at bay.
You do not need a gun to kill a small caged animal like this. A wooden pole is enough. Anyway, if Rand is willing to relocate the critters, it only takes some time and a small car trip.
Can’t you purchase your own traps and write them off? Then give a teenager ten bucks dop off the varments in the neighborhood of mullholland or kehuenege?
Look at the face on that raccoon! You have to take him somewhere and let him roam free!
A good dog would take care of most of your problems.
So, this feller’s huntin’ on your land, and yer payin’ him for the privilege? That don’t sound right. At the very least, you should be gettin’ half the meat.
Some helpful sites on the Internet:
Baked Stuffed Raccoon with Apples
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1926,147185-227201,00.html
Corn-Fried Raccoon
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1952,145176-247206,00.html
Raccoon in Sour Cream Sauce
http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1852,150165-250202,00.html
Raccoon Pie
http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1852,151164-250202,00.html
Sweet-Sour Raccoon
http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1852,150174-244197,00.html
Southern Baked Possum with Sweet Taters
http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1652,150172-240200,00.html
A good dog would take care of most of your problems.
Except then I’d have a new problem — having to take care of the dog.
No thanks.
Check out the Havahart website — Havahart makes the best-known live animal traps, but they also make animal repellent chemicals.
When my wife and I lived in San Diego, our house was across the street from an extensive open-space preserve. We had raccoons, possums, skunks, squirrels (several species) and rats visiting our yard. The traps worked very well for the critters we didn’t want in our house; fortunately we never caught any skunks. We had two BIG raccoons living under our spa deck; we solved that problem by getting rid of the deck.
At least in Redondo Beach you (probably) don’t have coyotes. Our next-door neighbor lost 1.05 cats to them — one vanished completely, the other lost a portion of her rear haunch.
(Now we have deer, turkeys, bobcats, and even the occasional cougar to contend with.)
You might consider releasing your captured critters at the west end of the open space at LAX. Or maybe you could drive up the coast to Malibu.
…give a teenager ten bucks dop off the varments in the neighborhood of mullholland or kehuenege?
I assume you mean Cahuenga. I have thought about dropping them at Goerge Clooney’s house, or perhaps PETA’s LA HQ.
Looks right.
ain’t been there in about 15 years, and then only twice. They were good nights, but being attacked by wild varmints is something several square miles in that neighborhood have coming.
“well known rocket builder arrested for dumping wild animals in protected sanctuary of entitled stars and wannabe starlets.”
(I know you don’t build rockets, I just like the joke)
I don’t have any stock in them, but Tractor Supply has the right size box traps for less than $50 each . . .
I am also told that Possum makes good stew, and that Coons aren’t worth eating.
You could have fun eating the stew in front of PETA’s offices as a protest in Existentialism. Have a sign saying “I am the top of the food chain, and I am proud of it!” : )
Or you could stop by a number of restaurants in the LA Basin that serve cat and all other forms of four-legged creatures. . . ; )
Plus, since you moved from FL back to CA, you don’t have to worry about a ‘Gator being in any body of water near the house.
Mmmmmmm ….. Gator – Fried, Baked or Grilled!
Gator McNuggets are one of my favorites, they taste like Chicken! : )
I live on the edge of the Armand Bayou nature center. In my backyard, I once was entertained by various birds, racoons, squirrels, skunks, possums, rabbits and snakes. Then, we got three Bassett hounds which spend their days in the backyard. We have no more wild animals; the hounds ran them all off. My suggestion would be to put a dog in your backyard. People with dogs rarely have varmint problems.
Where I live in Ohio our two biggest critter problems are deer and chipmunks. The deer are just way too large to deal with in any way at all other than fencing the yard, which I don’t want to do. Instead we hang all sorts of deer-repellant products near our favorite bushes and wring our hands when they don’t work. At the moment our top priority when buying any plants for the yard is that deer don’t like them. We hate the deer because of how destructive they are but they really only bother our plants.
The chipmunks are a whole different problem. Despite their tiny size, they’re actually worse in that they tunnel and seem to love to undermine our old, cracking concrete patios and even the foundation in some places. A few years ago we bought a small live trap that I can submerse in a storage container or sideways in a medium garbage can. So we catch them and then I drown them. Disposal isn’t a problem because they are so small. I just throw them into the ground cover at the back of the yard, which is a bit wild.
As for the killing, I must admit I was quite hesitant at first, but after the first one I found to my surprise that it didn’t really bother me all that much. It seems mercifully quick. I guess because of their high metabolism they go still within seconds. Air bubbles soon follow and within half a minute there’s a brownish discharge that seems like some kind of death spasm. I don’t like doing it and I do feel sorry for them but it appears to be no big deal as far as my conscience is concerned. (I have no idea what the legality of it is.)
Drowning a racoon or possum would be something else because of their size, but it might be worth a try if they continue to be a problem. Taking them for a drive is really just making them someone (or something) else’s problem: either they find their way to another yard or some wild baby racoons get another adult competitor for food. It ain’t pretty no matter how you slice it.
My suggestion would be to put a dog in your backyard. People with dogs rarely have varmint problems.
Yes, but as already noted, then I’d have a dog problem (i.e., I would have one on a daily basis, with all it entails). I’m allergic to them, and find them too much trouble to take care of.
I have a dog, but what seemed to really work was putting a bungee cord on my trash can lid. Once the critters realized dinner in my trash was hard, and my neighbor’s were easy; they moved on.
Neighbors cowboy’d up though and got a pellet gun. Haven’t seen a raccoon in some time now.
Yes, but as already noted, then I’d have a dog problem (i.e., I would have one on a daily basis, with all it entails). I’m allergic to them, and find them too much trouble to take care of.
There are poodles, which are hypoallergenic — but still require taking care of. Then there are wolves, which are pretty self-sufficient — but you still might have the allergy problem.
The optimum solution might be an alligator — if you had planned ahead before leaving Florida — or a mountain lion.
For a more high-tech solution, perhaps a higher powered version of this system:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123680870885500701.html
Notanexpert,
Here in Colorado we call them “pocket Gophers” and they really are a pain in the arse. I was about to experiment with a propane powered “gophenator” but your success with traps has inspired me to take a more, um.., “safer” route. As for drowning them, being raised on a farm, I actually have no qualms about applying a 10.5 size boot at the proper velocity and trajectory to dispatch the little critters. Where’d you find your traps?
By the way, another problem with dogs (I have two) is that they tend to make small critter holes into large critter holes, and rarely actually catch the dang things.
You know, it could be worse – my in-laws regularly have bears in their backyard in North Vancouver. When they decide to roll in your flowerbed, there’s not much you can do about it. When I lived in Edmonton, you’d hear about moose in the city from time to time as well.
Well, knowing you are in La La land and you can’t get Class Three Items like a suppressor for a .22 pistol, you could hook a hose up to your exhaust and route it in a box with the trap inside.
“Your own trap, a .22 caliber pistol, and a carton of low-powder .22 cartridges (very quiet).”
Procyon Lotor (raccoon) has a tough constitution and I have my doubts that even a high powered pellet gun will suffice. My concern with shooting anything at close range is getting a ricochet in the face — are those low power cartridges safe to the shooter when, ahem, “sanctioning” a raccoon?
The Wisconsin DNR tells you not to relocate captured animals — they will be “out of their territory” and it is considered more humane to “relocate them with extreme prejudice” when you consider what will happen to them otherwise.
I have had minimal luck trapping the raccoon in the live trap, no success trapping the squirrel (the red squirrel is incredibly destructive and will tunnel into your attic). Is their a trick to those things? It seems a squirrel has such lightening reflexes that it can trigger the live trap and dash out before it closes.
Last question. What happens when Mr. Skunk gets in the trap?
Steve A:
My wife thinks she bought it at Home Depot, but it could have been another store like that. We also have Lowe’s in our area. The brand name is Havahart, and they have a web site showing their various models.
It turns out we have another “customer” this morning, as my wife says, so I’ve got something to do when I get home. I’m not sure how I’d hold the little thing still while applying “the boot” with appropriate force, much less avoiding damage to my own fingers. (You farm boys must be extermination ninjas or something.) So I think I’ll stick to my dunkin’ Dale method for now.
Might I suggest a scaled up Squirrel Catapult? (see youtube)
Low cost, low maintenance, non contact, and humane relocation comes built in.
A visual recognition system (you may want a webcam on it anyway), could make it animal tunable.
Thanks, notanexpert. And I agree that the dunkin’ Dale method is probably less “chaotic.” I was a little more limber 35 years ago!
And definitely keep your fingers away…(visions of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, “Look at the the teeth, man!’)
Rand, before you start trapping them, look for a food supply. Do any of your neighbors leave bowls of pet food or poorly secured trash cans outside? If so, it may be difficult to stop visits from nuisance animals even if you relocate the ones currently living near you.
I agree with Jonathan to an extent. Food, shelter, water, etc either at your place or nearby are probably why they’re visiting. Get rid of that and you’re most of the way to varmit-free living. You’d still get the occasional nomad wandering through, but there’d be nothing to encourage them to stay.