Hello. I am in a debate with my husband and hope I can get some insight to whether I have a problem or not.

We live out in the country and have a racoon that visits us and the neighbors now. I noticed that our garbage was getting into and our cats food was dwindling at a rapid pace. At first I figured it was other cats because there are a lot of strays. Our cat stays outside, but doesn't get into the garbage because he is well fed.
Anyway, we finally saw the racoon. I actually came face to face with him on Friday night. (scared me to death)

My mom thinks I should set a trap for him and have animal control pick him up because all of the damage they are capable of.
My husband thinks that since we live out here and my parents live in Atlanta, where there are fewer places for these animals to go, it isn't such a big problem.
He says this animal just comes to the house for "easy" food. And won't start messing up our house.

Who's right? What should I do?

I would let him go until he becomes a problem.
You can keep a lid on your garbage and put a brick on top and secure the can in an enclosure that they can not knock over. Also putting either bleach OR ammonia in the can deters them too.

In the areas I have lived in the past 12 years, the most frequent rabid animals are racoons. Maybe because they are more aggressive and fight with other animals who may have rabies. Sorry, but that is the first thing that came to my mind when reading your question.
Also, if they get comfortable they will bring their friends and relatives to visit or maybe stay.

Great! I don't want them around. I know they can get violent and we have an outside cat that can hold his own with other cats or a chipmunk :) , but a racoon? I don't think so.

We actually do keep the lids on the garbage cans, they snap on. It doesn't stop this guy. The other day, I put one bag of trash into an empty can, the next morning found not a mess outside the can, but inside - he had a party!

And the cat food! I kept trying to figure out how in the world the cat was unscrewing the top of the plastic container his food was in. (Sure he was a genius!) I don't know why it never occurred to me that it was a racoon until I saw the thing!

So far I have one for my husband and one for my mom being right.

Thank you for your input!

Then if they seem to be violent it may be best to trap him and call the animal control to take him out to the wild. I was saying as long as they are not out of control to the point they are being a serious problem

If the coon finds an easy meal at your house, it'll keep visiting. If its female, she'll eventually bring along her young to show them where the food is.

And smearcase is right about the rabies.

Animal control may not deem it a prob unless there have been a number of rabies cases in your area or unless the coon has been especially energetic about getting into food supplies (garbage, cat food etc).

If you trap it yourself, do not just take it to another area and release it. This can put both it and resident coons in danger (fighting for territory, spreading disease, etc). So if you trap it, call animal control to let them dispose of it.


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My experience with having problems with raccoons occurred a number of years ago. They got into my attic through a hole that developed in an eave - they kept returning and returning and it was awful! I tried a number of ways and means to get rid of them: traps, various chemicals composed of different kinds of mediums, smoke, different types of fencing and metal to cover or be placed in or on the hole that had developed... None of those things did any good! Adult raccoons are smart as well as strong! What finally solved the problem was that I had a new roof put on and then they were gone!

I know that the above is not your scenario. But, my point is, that if you provide an easy access to the things that they both need and want, then they will be most likely to keep coming around.

If you can, how about putting your garbage can in a garage until just before collection time? What about maybe leaving as many food type refuse out of the garbage as possible and finding another use for it? For instance, if it's the correct type of refuse, maybe giving it to someone to use in their compost pile for a garden. If you have a disposal in a sink, you could also dispose of food debris in there. If by chance your garbage can or cans are made of plastic, raccoons are quite capable of ripping them apart to get to what they want.

Around where I live, there are actually people who are licensed to kill the critters! I hate to see that happen, but sometimes it's necessary.

smearcase is absolutely correct about if they get comfortable they will bring their friends and relatives to visit or maybe stay. That's exactly what happened to me!

Nohelp, he's not violent yet. I just know they can be.

Unfortunantly, we don't have a garage. I wish we did. Trash cans aren't the only thing I would like to put in one! Especially during the winters here! :)

I do have a garbage disposal and I use it for some things. The problem there is - that I live in a house that is 104 years old. The pipes aren't original, but they are old. In the past, I have used the disposal too much (according to my husband) and stopped up the pipes. I try to be more selective. And since I hate to waste food, our dog gets most of the scraps. (Which I know is another subject all together!)

I am going to give animal control a call today and see what my options are. My mom had said that they sometimes offer the traps. I am not sure, but it doesn't hurt to check.
As for me disposing of this thing - there is no way I will go near that cage after the animal is caught, let alone releasing it!

Thanks for all of your suggestions!

Animal control or the humane society will rent you a trap at a horrendous rate per day - something like $20 a day rental for one trap! And then you have to bring the trap with the animal in it to them no less. I wanted to rent a trap for all the stray cats in my neighborhood and found this out.

Anyway, I have lived in the same place now for 6 years and have had raccoons come onto my back porch and eat almost every night. I now have 10 babies and 4 adults that come every night. I also have the skunk family over every now and then to eat and the opossum family comes by on occasion also. I find that if I actually feed them they leave my garbage alone and leave my house alone and don't burrow under it. And no, they are not rabid either. I've had as many as 15 at a time eating. I find them fascinating creatures and quite fun to watch. I've even had a coyote on my back porch as well. One thing I did notice about them is that they really don't like a bright light on at night. Try that and see if your buddy goes elsewhere. Send him over to my house. I go through many boxes of saltines (their favorite), boxes and boxes of Ramen soup, and dog chow every week. What's one more mouth to feed?

They not only brought their relatives, they keep bringing more and more babies every year. Most of them get killed off during raccoon hunting season or get run over by cars on the busy two lane road 1/2 mile away so if anything I just keep feeding them and hope they populate more. Heavens knows there are not enough animals left on earth anymore. Yes, I also feed the birds and squirrels too. Sometimes no coonies come at night during the winter as they are holed up in their burrows during hunting season. They have been known to come out in deep snow after a storm for food they know is waiting for them at my house. Yes, I'm the nutball old lady who likes animals and feeds them. Someone has to help God out once in a while.

I know this is a way late addition, but I had to tell my raccoon story as well. I discovered one day that we had this raccoon living in our garage when I went in to get my miter saw. Gave me quite a start. Anyway, this bothered me, because I didn't know if it had rabies, or whatever else, and I parked my car in there and had to get in all the time. So my first thought (and please don't think I'm a bad person for this, it was knee jerk reaction and I didn't do it anyway) but was to basically run the car for an hour or so and go on corps detail. You know, from the carbon monoxide. Anyway, I decided to get a trap from a local pest company, and they suggested I dangle marshmallows and sardines inside the cage rather than just put them in. They are crafty little bastards and they'll just use those fingers to get the food and not go in the trap. Anyway, first day success! It worked. The pest control lady said to listen for babies (they sound like birds chirping she said). I didn't hear any, so we drove the raccoon out of town, way out of town. They say at least 10 miles, but I suggest you go like 50! Anyway, we let it go, and all was well.

So the next day, I go in the garage and what do I hear? Birds chirping! I look for an actual birds nest thinking, "no its just really birds, not raccoon babies". But no, there was babies. So we phoned the humane society and they said that if you can get the babies out to the same spot within 24 hours, the mother should be able to find them. So my wife had to get them down out of the attic of our garage, because I was too big to fit up there. She didn't like that a whole lot. But we got them. 4 of them. Just little super cute babies. Eyes weren't even open yet! Thoughts of pets comes to mind, but that's probably not a good idea. And illegal in a lot of places. So we put them in a comfortable box, and let them go the same place as the mother. And we pray that mom and kids are together!

So, yes, use a trap. They work. Drive them as far as you can go and let them go. You don't have to have the pest company do it, its not that bad. And where the handles are located on the trap, a raccoon can't get you. But I suggest you use a pickup truck, because from the fright, they might go to the bathroom in your car. Just a suggestion!

Well, just an update - kind of.

The raccoon is gone. I don't know if it just found better food somewhere else or if it got hit by a car? Who knows, but we haven't seen it for at least a week.

Thank you all for your advice and suggestions.

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Originally Posted by NowWhat

Hello. I am in a debate with my husband and hope I can get some insight to whether I have a problem or not.

We live out in the country and have a racoon that visits us and the neighbors now. I noticed that our garbage was getting into and our cats food was dwindling at a rapid pace. At first I figured it was other cats because there are alot of strays. Our cat stays outside, but doesn't get into the garbage because he is well fed.
Anyways, we finally saw the racoon. I actually came face to face with him on Friday night. (scared me to death)

My mom thinks I should set a trap for him and have animal control pick him up because all of the damage they are capable of.
My husband thinks that since we live out here and my parents live in Atlanta, where there are fewer places for these animals to go, it isn't such a big problem.
He says this animal just comes to the house for "easy" food. And won't start messing up our house.

Who's right? What should I do??

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Cat traps can be rented from the SPCA. But if you get it trapped, I would be very very careful. They are bit aggressive and have rabies. As I always say, just shoot it. Bad advice maybe, but consider the potencial problems. Don't tangle with that thing. You don't want that fight. They may be cute, but don't mess with a coon.

The best solution I have found is a bottle of coyote or fox urine which can be bought at a hunting or sporting goods store. Works well on squirrels too. Pour a small amount on bits of rag and place near the opening or path they use to get into your garage.