When traps aren't the answer...

[Lunar Ice]

Well, after catching a terrified kitten (which I DID *try* to get...but the poor terrified little guy scampered RIGHT through my waiting hands) I baited some marshmellows and honey.......and definitely attracted something.

Unfortunately, that "something" (which I think only raccoons like marshmellows), knocked over the cage, sprung the door trap..and just yanked the marshmellows out of the bottom (there are little powdered sugar hand prints all over the wire). Good news is that it hasn't killed any of my birds in two nights.

Going to try again tonight....failing that, I'm camping out on the back porch till 4am.



And I don't intend on releasing/relocating the raccoons/opossums. There is only one way to get RID of them.

 

[86121]

Quote:
Hope you get the evil thing!

 

[ctbagley]

Definitely keep trying to trap the coon. Be sure you have weighted down the trap with a cinder block or other heavy object since they do tend to turn them over and get the bait. Some of my deterrents which seem to be working so far (18 months with no losses) are running several strands of hot wire around the bottom of the outside of the pen about 6 inches/12 inches/18 inches above ground. Buy hardware cloth to put around the outside of the pen because coons can eat right through poultry wire. And the best detriment of all is the cheapest. Buy rolls of "bird-netting" (lowes has it about $15 per roll, 100 ft). Wrap it around the bottom outside the hardware cloth, but inside the electric wires. We stretched it out all the way, then used zip ties every 4-5 feet to bunch it together (like a roll of sausages). Then take it and wrap around the pen. Also wrap around the top area of the pen to deter hawks, snakes and coons. We just caught yet another rat snake in ours this week-end who was trying to get to the broody's eggs. They try to go through and get stuck, can't go in or out of it. Raccoons get their "hands" trapped in the netting and flail around getting more caught up as they go. Then the electric wire really gets them excited. Either you will hear the commotion (so you can dispatch them) or they get out and run away and will never try that again! Here in NC, the population of coons is soaring...so we have to try to be smarter than they are...I know it seems extreme what we have done, but I raise seramas and they are also too expensive to use as wildlife snacks! Good luck. Hope you get them soon!