Tips on live trapping raccoons?

[JewelBirds]

One tip for the live trap:
Sometimes raccoons will purposely avoid the trip plate in the center of the trap. Whether they don't like the look of it or they suspect it's not good footing, I don't know. But if you just run a stick or an iron bar or something similar through the bars of the live trap right in front of the trip plate, it makes it so he doesn't really have a choice and has to step on the trip plate.

Okay thanks, good to know

Bait can be hung by a wire in the trap, so it's unavailable without going in and hitting the trip plate. Also, a large raccoon needs the larger trap; consider getting two traps. our local hardware rental place would rent a bigger one out, so ask.
Remember that raccoon poo is very dangerous to humans, dispose of it in bags in the trash. And raccoons can carry rabies and canine distemper, and Leptospirosos, at least. Wear gloves, be safe.
Have a secure night time coop!!!
Mary

Okay. I got a 32 x 10 x 12 in trap, it said racoon on it. Is that big enough? Good to know, I will be careful, thank you

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Please read my post today about traps - https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/warning-about-live-traps.1535905/
I thought it was important enough to put in a separate thread, but I wanted you to see it, too. Please monitor your trap.

 

[DarJones]

Thought I would add another item to this thread since many are having problems and looking for solutions. Look for youtube videos on raccoon cuff traps. The raccoon sticks his paw into the cuff which trips a small lever trapping his paw. The traps are highly effective.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Thought I would add another item to this thread since many are having problems and looking for solutions. Look for youtube videos on raccoon cuff traps. The raccoon sticks his paw into the cuff which trips a small lever trapping his paw. The traps are highly effective.

The Duke dog-proof coon traps are what ultimately worked to end my raccoon problem. After my dogs barked frantically several nights in a row, I finally went out, shined a flashlight up in the trees, & saw several pairs of glowing eyes. This was in November 2020. I had never had a raccoon problem before, & haven't seen one since. But this group of raccoons had succeeded in killing all my neighbor's 30 hens, & then moved in for mine. I don't know if they would have eventually given up due to protective dogs, but I wasn't willing to take a chance.

I purchased and set two traps, and the next morn two raccoons had stuck their hands in the traps. Relocated both of them 3 feet under and reset the traps. The second night caught one coon and one possum. Caught 6 coons and two possums in all. As smart as raccoons are, they didn't avoid the traps even after seeing their buddies caught.

The Duke dog-proof traps are very inexpensive compared to cage traps, so if necessary you can put out several traps at the same time. It's important to stake the traps to something sturdy and strong, or they will run away with your traps. In photo below, the traps were chained to the fence at ground level. Both coons climbed the fence as far as the chain length would allow. I used wet dog food below the lever at bottom of trap, filled the cylinder with dry kibble, then smeared more wet food along the rim. Since you are concerned about cats, marshmallows or corn should work just fine.

 

[JewelBirds]

Thought I would add another item to this thread since many are having problems and looking for solutions. Look for youtube videos on raccoon cuff traps. The raccoon sticks his paw into the cuff which trips a small lever trapping his paw. The traps are highly effective.

The Duke dog-proof coon traps are what ultimately worked to end my raccoon problem. After my dogs barked frantically several nights in a row, I finally went out, shined a flashlight up in the trees, & saw several pairs of glowing eyes. This was in November 2020. I had never had a raccoon problem before, & haven't seen one since. But this group of raccoons had succeeded in killing all my neighbor's 30 hens, & then moved in for mine. I don't know if they would have eventually given up due to protective dogs, but I wasn't willing to take a chance.

I purchased and set two traps, and the next morn two raccoons had stuck their hands in the traps. Relocated both of them 3 feet under and reset the traps. The second night caught one coon and one possum. Caught 6 coons and two possums in all. As smart as raccoons are, they didn't avoid the traps even after seeing their buddies caught.

The Duke dog-proof traps are very inexpensive compared to cage traps, so if necessary you can put out several traps at the same time. It's important to stake the traps to something sturdy and strong, or they will run away with your traps. In photo below, the traps were chained to the fence at ground level. Both coons climbed the fence as far as the chain length would allow. I used wet dog food below the lever at bottom of trap, filled the cylinder with dry kibble, then smeared more wet food along the rim. Since you are concerned about cats, marshmallows or corn should work just fine.
View attachment 3169974

Thank you for the suggestion, I will have to look around for them online/in stores

 

[drummondfarm]

Unless your raccoon is living in your attic, they will visit every third day. This means the raccoon you photographed isn't the one who killed the chicken the day before.

I would also argue this fact because we have security cameras pointing at our coop and back garden area and the coons have a routine almost precisely every single night. This is how we managed to finally start trapping them by knowing route they take and exactly what time.

 

[Folly's place]

Raccoons are relentless, if they can get to your birds. Hawks often visit every third day, not daily. At least that's what seems to happen here. At least the hawks only take one bird at a time...
Mary

 

[808inVA]

Raccoons are pretty easy to trap, the first time. They learn quickly, if it defeats the trap once that method is no longer useful. Box traps work great but Ive come home from work to find a chicken inside, dead from heat exhaustion. I prefer the Duke dog proof traps for raccoons, you can use marshmellows or anything shiny. Just make sure it is securely anchored, otherwise the raccoon will run off with the trap and eventually chew its paw off to get free.

 

[Folly's place]

Only set traps at night, when raccoons are most active. I too had a dead chicken in a trap one day, decades ago. A tough lesson to learn!
Mary