I caught a raccoon!! Now what???

[aart]

I think if you set a trap you have to be willing to dispose of the animal asap. Maybe you need to get your own gun, have your dad teach you to use it if need be.
I don't intend to sound mean either, sometimes life...and death...is rough.

 

[mountainlover]

Thanks you all. It's taken care of.

 

[Bill Matthews]

Mountain Lover...As long as we choose to live in rural areas the problems with wildlife will persist..The very best we can all do is try to co-exist with our wild neighbors--both human and other....It is important to respect wildlife while protecting ourselves.....We can protect our livestock by providing safe and secure housing.....The only real danger from disease would come from direct contact with a rabid raccoon....That possibility is very unlikely anymore......
....However, since you seem to have already decided before you made your request, good luck, and I hope it turns out ok for you and your babies.....I certainly understand your concerns for your children....Take care.

 

[bobbi-j]

Thanks you all. It's taken care of.

You did the right thing. Keep those traps set. We have a modified live and let live policy here. If they stay in the grove and away from the buildings, they are fine. If they come around the building site, however, it's all over. Depending on where you live, raccoons or skunks are MAJOR carriers of rabies. Coons in the eastern states, skunks in the western states (according to my vet, anyway). Even if you don't have rabies to deal with, there is always the threat of distemper.

 

[mountainlover]

Heres some info on disease carried in raccoon feces.
Many raccoons carry a roundworm called baylisascaris. Infected raccoons pass baylisascaris eggs in the feces. Other animals and people can get infected if they accidentally swallow the eggs in soil or water. Developmentally disabled persons or young children who play outside are at highest risk.
After the eggs are swallowed they hatch into larvae that move to different parts of the body and can cause serious illness within a week. Symptoms may include tiredness, lack of coordination, loss of muscle control, blindness, and coma.

I disagree that the only real danger from raccoons is rabies. I'd also like to point out that my "request" wasn't whether or not to kill the raccoon. It was whether I could humanely leave him in the trap in cold weather for a few hours. Also, I do not believe in "co-existing" at all. I am a human. The raccoon is an animal. He doesn't try to co-exist with me. That's ridiculous. My job is to protect my children, my animals and my home. He doesn't care about those things. He poops on my property right where my children play and that is unacceptable. I can either relocate him so he can poop on someone else's property, or I can take other measures.

 

[mountainlover]

He was caught right up against my house also. Not out in the woods. I've seen him there before, right out my window, and he's also been in the back right on my patio. Last year I had a mother and babies up the tree. When I bought the house I had them in the attic. I have all new attic insulation, attic is sealed, so that is taken care of, but I can tell you from experience, having raccoons in your attic is expensive. I do not leave food outside as we also have bears, so that is not the issue. The issue is overpopulation. I also looked up the laws in my state and it is legal to shoot them, or relocate them within 10 miles of catch site. That, IMO, is ridiculous. They would just come right back, or be on someone's else's property.

 

[mountainlover]

I think if you set a trap you have to be willing to dispose of the animal asap. Maybe you need to get your own gun, have your dad teach you to use it if need be.
I don't intend to sound mean either, sometimes life...and death...is rough.

I agree with you 100%. I should have been prepared to deal with it myself. I did not realize how bad the weather was going to turn. I should have been paying attention however, and not set the trap last night. I know my dad will come and take care of it for me but he can't always come right away. I do know how to use a gun, I am just not able to kill an animal in a trap. I've witnessed a murder by gun when I was a young woman and it has bothered me always. If myself or my child was threatened, I could do it no problem. My dad understands.

 

[mountainlover]

 I would not worry about it.You can cover the top of the cage from wind or sun if you are worried about it suffering before you humanely kill it. I get it. I would not let it go either.They are usually covered in ticks,and most are infested with roundworms.

It is not silly really.When you think about it people do get charged when they allow an animal to suffer,and yet it often is perfectly legal to kill that same animal-humanely.

Set the trap for the next one!

I wanted to let you know that I did do this, I moved the trap to a more sheltered area so he wasn't right in the blowing snow and was sheltered a bit.

 

[bobbi-j]

Ya did good, Mountainlover.

 

[C REds]

It will kill your chickens if you don't get rid of it.