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Doug Kanter 10-05-2004 07:21 PM

How to keep raccoons away
 
"Sunflower" wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Ignoramus15189" wrote in message
...
forgot to say, trapping and releasing raccoons would be educational
for my 3 year old son.


Is it an ego thing, or is there some other reason you don't want to

enlist
your local animal control people? The process you're describing might be
more educational than you think, but not for the right reasons. Your son
might learn how boring it is to sit around holding your dick in an

emergency
room for 3 hours while they take care of victims of car crashes &

gunshots.

You didn't say how large your garden is, but if the 'coons are attacking
just a few things, you could try sprinkling cayenne powder on the leaves

and
the soil around those plants. Works great for keeping cats out of the
garden, or from scratching furniture.



Animal Control here WILL NOT deal with anything but dogs and cats and the
occasional potbelly pig. Raccoons are *wildlife* and therefore

non-domestic
and not their problem.


Hmm. They were more than happy to come over to my house to remove a raccoon
that was wandering around the yard in broad daylight. Is it possible that
animal control departments are different from one place to another? Would it
hurt to call and ask?



Adam Russell 10-05-2004 07:23 PM

How to keep raccoons away
 

"Sunflower" wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Ignoramus15189" wrote in message
...
forgot to say, trapping and releasing raccoons would be educational
for my 3 year old son.


Is it an ego thing, or is there some other reason you don't want to

enlist
your local animal control people? The process you're describing might be
more educational than you think, but not for the right reasons. Your son
might learn how boring it is to sit around holding your dick in an

emergency
room for 3 hours while they take care of victims of car crashes &

gunshots.

You didn't say how large your garden is, but if the 'coons are attacking
just a few things, you could try sprinkling cayenne powder on the leaves

and
the soil around those plants. Works great for keeping cats out of the
garden, or from scratching furniture.



Animal Control here WILL NOT deal with anything but dogs and cats and the
occasional potbelly pig. Raccoons are *wildlife* and therefore

non-domestic
and not their problem. If you have an injured one, the state wildlife guys
will direct you to a vet and foster parent, but they don't deal with them
either unless they're possibly rabid, and since that's not happened since
sometime in the 70's, you just get told to call a pest control firm who'll
charge you big bucks and still not solve your problem.

If the original poster and his child are too stupid to install an electric
wire like was recommended, then let him deal with no fish in the fish

ponds
and no veggies in the garden and several ER bites from trying to trap

them.
Evolution in action. He'll either learn what futility is, or he'll

actually
educate himself on electric fences and not subscribe to ignorant hysteria.
I'll bet he's even touched his tongue to a battery as a child, but somehow
he thinks that should have electrocuted him.


I'm pretty sure it takes more than 9v to scare off a racoon. So how much
voltage would you use that would do the job but not hurt the child? I know
you can die from as little as 50v. Even less if you got imaginative.



Ignoramus15189 10-05-2004 08:03 PM

How to keep raccoons away
 
In article , Doug Kanter wrote:
"Ignoramus15189" wrote in message
...
In article , Doug Kanter wrote:
"Ignoramus15189" wrote in message
...
forgot to say, trapping and releasing raccoons would be educational
for my 3 year old son.

Is it an ego thing, or is there some other reason you don't want to

enlist
your local animal control people?


I hate spending money on various contractors. Hiring contractors is an
unbelievable waste of time and money.


Are we on the same planet? I'm referring to your TOWN'S animal control
department. I've never heard of those people charging a citizen for removing
an animal.


Oh, I see. I became confused. I called animal control department of our
village a couple of weeks ago, and they said that they would not help
with raccoons.

just a few things, you could try sprinkling cayenne powder on the leaves

and
the soil around those plants. Works great for keeping cats out of the
garden, or from scratching furniture.


does it actually work? I kind of like the idea.


Try it yourself. Sprinkle some on the counter and press your paws into it.
Now, rub your eyes, pick your nose, and if you're really brave, go take a
leak. If there's enough sweat on your hands to cause the essence of the
powder to be released, your pecker will be in a world of hurt for a few
hours. If you like the results, head over to a supermarket that sells spices
in the bulk department. Lock & load!


Okay, I like this idea actually, as it seems practical.

My thinking is, buy this cayenne pepper powder, get some food
leftovers, sprinkle with CPP, and leave for raccoons to try. That
could probably dissuade them from visiting my property. I could use
CPP on my garbage bins, as well.

I would rather not sprinkle CPPon the garden, as my son plays with it
(he "owns" some of the plants and likes to sprinkle water on the
garden). But, if raccoons are smart enough to avoid a whole yard if
they have enough trouble on it, I will be fine!

--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
@ @ @ Please forgive my typos as my right hand is injured. @ @ @
char*p="char*p=%c%s%c;main(){printf(p,34,p,34);}"; main(){printf(p,34,p,34);}
"It's never too late to have a happy childhood."

Doug Kanter 10-05-2004 08:04 PM

How to keep raccoons away
 
"Ignoramus15189" wrote in message
...


Are we on the same planet? I'm referring to your TOWN'S animal control
department. I've never heard of those people charging a citizen for

removing
an animal.


Oh, I see. I became confused. I called animal control department of our
village a couple of weeks ago, and they said that they would not help
with raccoons.


Perhaps they'll only help with raccoons if they're spotted during the day,
which usually means they're rabid.



Joseph Meehan 10-05-2004 08:05 PM

How to keep raccoons away
 
Doug Kanter wrote:

My brother had a group that use to stop by his house and let his cat out
so they could all play together. They never bothered anything, but the cat
had fun playing follow the leader with them.

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math




Dave Hinz 10-05-2004 08:08 PM

How to keep raccoons away
 
On 10 May 2004 18:18:55 GMT, Ignoramus15189 wrote:
In article , Doug Kanter wrote:


Are we on the same planet? I'm referring to your TOWN'S animal control
department. I've never heard of those people charging a citizen for removing
an animal.


Oh, I see. I became confused. I called animal control department of our
village a couple of weeks ago, and they said that they would not help
with raccoons.


They won't let you shoot 'em, but they also won't take care of them
for you? That's inconvenient.

My thinking is, buy this cayenne pepper powder, get some food
leftovers, sprinkle with CPP, and leave for raccoons to try. That
could probably dissuade them from visiting my property. I could use
CPP on my garbage bins, as well.


That or you'll find that they like it ;)

I would rather not sprinkle CPPon the garden, as my son plays with it
(he "owns" some of the plants and likes to sprinkle water on the
garden). But, if raccoons are smart enough to avoid a whole yard if
they have enough trouble on it, I will be fine!


Let us know how it turns out. Might end up with a bunch of chilihead
racoons.


Russell 10-05-2004 09:02 PM

How to keep raccoons away
 
Ignoramus15189 wrote:


Shooting them is not an option due to our city code.


Flippin' governments. Take the fun out of everything. ;-)

Charles H. Buchholtz 10-05-2004 09:02 PM

How to keep raccoons away
 
Ignoramus15189 ) wrote:
: I have a fenced backyard where I have a vegetable garden that is
: somewhat ransacked by raccoons. (or some other animals).

Here's the advice I hear frequently on "You Bet Your Garden" with Mike
McGrath:

Dig a trench two feet deep around your garden, and put 6 foot tall
wire fence into it. No burrowing animal burrows deeper than two feet.
Use stakes to support the fence, and fill in the trench. You now have
four feet of fence above ground and two feet of fence below.

Don't secure the top foot of the fence to the stakes. Instead, bend
it outwards at least 45 degrees.

Now you have a fence that burrowing creatures can't burrow under, and
climbing creatures can't climb over. When they try to climb, they
have to hang upside down from the unsecured part of the fence, which
bends under their weight and drops them on the ground.

The only way a critter can get through such a fence is by jumping over
it, knocking it down, or going through it.

I've never tried this myself, but it sounds reasonable.

--- Chip


Snooze 10-05-2004 10:02 PM

How to keep raccoons away
 

"Adam Russell" wrote in message
...
Evolution in action. He'll either learn what futility is, or he'll

actually
educate himself on electric fences and not subscribe to ignorant

hysteria.
I'll bet he's even touched his tongue to a battery as a child, but

somehow
he thinks that should have electrocuted him.


I'm pretty sure it takes more than 9v to scare off a racoon. So how much
voltage would you use that would do the job but not hurt the child? I

know
you can die from as little as 50v. Even less if you got imaginative.



Don't let your kids wear wool socks on a low humidity day...imagine what
would happen if they discovered they can shuffle around the house and zap
each other with a few thousand volts. A typical static electricity shock is
about 2000 - 4000 volts.

Of course a amperage involved is so low, that aside from the surprise, no
damage is done. Ever taken a weak 9v battery and tapped it against your
tongue? A fresh battery hurts a little, but a weak one gives a little
tingling sensation.

A consumer grade electric fence is harmless, it will give a mild shock, but
nothing dangerous. I couldn't find the specifications online, so
guestimating, if an electric fence transformer draws 120v A/C @ 1 amp, the
output would be 4000 v A/C at .03 amp.

That's just a mild shocker, pretty safe..if it was D/C on the otherhand is a
different story.


Sameer



bill 10-05-2004 10:03 PM

How to keep raccoons away
 
In article ,
says...


snip
I'm pretty sure it takes more than 9v to scare off a racoon. So how much
voltage would you use that would do the job but not hurt the child? I know
you can die from as little as 50v. Even less if you got imaginative.




Voltage doen't kill you, current does. You get hit a lot of
voltage when zapped with static electricity, but very little
current.

Bill

bill 10-05-2004 11:02 PM

How to keep raccoons away
 
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In article ,
says...

snip
A consumer grade electric fence is harmless, it will give a mild shock, but
nothing dangerous. I couldn't find the specifications online, so
guestimating, if an electric fence transformer draws 120v A/C @ 1 amp, the
output would be 4000 v A/C at .03 amp.

That's just a mild shocker, pretty safe..if it was D/C on the otherhand is a
different story.


Sameer



Doesn't matter whether it's A/C or D/C.

Here's a reference:

http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/cons...eccurrent.html

Bill

Nick Hull 10-05-2004 11:03 PM

How to keep raccoons away
 
In article ,
"Doug Kanter" wrote:

A Havahart trap is a good idea, too, but you might want to have your local
animal control people assist. Raccoons can get weird....


EZ way to get rid of the coon is to take it (in the trap!) to your local
coon dog hunter. It'll help train his dogs to coons.

--
free men own guns - slaves don't
www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5357/

Adam Russell 10-05-2004 11:04 PM

How to keep raccoons away
 
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"Snooze" wrote in message
. com...

"Adam Russell" wrote in message
...
Evolution in action. He'll either learn what futility is, or he'll

actually
educate himself on electric fences and not subscribe to ignorant

hysteria.
I'll bet he's even touched his tongue to a battery as a child, but

somehow
he thinks that should have electrocuted him.


I'm pretty sure it takes more than 9v to scare off a racoon. So how

much
voltage would you use that would do the job but not hurt the child? I

know
you can die from as little as 50v. Even less if you got imaginative.



Don't let your kids wear wool socks on a low humidity day...imagine what
would happen if they discovered they can shuffle around the house and zap
each other with a few thousand volts. A typical static electricity shock

is
about 2000 - 4000 volts.

Of course a amperage involved is so low, that aside from the surprise, no
damage is done. Ever taken a weak 9v battery and tapped it against your
tongue? A fresh battery hurts a little, but a weak one gives a little
tingling sensation.

A consumer grade electric fence is harmless, it will give a mild shock,

but
nothing dangerous. I couldn't find the specifications online, so
guestimating, if an electric fence transformer draws 120v A/C @ 1 amp, the
output would be 4000 v A/C at .03 amp.

That's just a mild shocker, pretty safe..if it was D/C on the otherhand is

a
different story.


You dont know much about electricity it appears. Static electricity is
completely different from transformer electricity. When you get a shock
from static electricity it is 2-4k for only an extreme fraction of a second.
I dont remember how short exactly (1ms comes to mind), but it is the brevity
that saves you. As it swiftly runs out of electrons the voltage falls to
zero. Power out of your wall does not fall off. At all. That 120v will
deliver 1mA or 15A depending on the resistance of what you are powering and
only limited by your circuit breaker or fuse. If you were to put a penny in
the fusebox it could deliver 1000's of amps with no problem except that the
wires would get hot. So putting it through a transformer will not reduce
the amperage available to any safe amount. 4000v will kill you, and it
matters not whether it is DC or AC.

Now as to the matter of electric fences, when I was a child my grandpa told
me to stay away from the electric fence surrounding the cow field. He said
it would kick me like a sledgehammer. He could have been pulling my leg,
but I imagine that anything meant to coerce a cow would hurt a human. OTOH,
a raccoon is not a cow. The question is open whether you could make a fence
with enough jolt to keep out racoons but not enough to hurt 3 year olds. I
personally doubt it.



Adam Russell 10-05-2004 11:04 PM

How to keep raccoons away
 

"bill" wrote in message
news:MPG.1b09865a96075c6c98970b@localhost...
In article ,
says...


snip
I'm pretty sure it takes more than 9v to scare off a racoon. So how much
voltage would you use that would do the job but not hurt the child? I

know
you can die from as little as 50v. Even less if you got imaginative.




Voltage doen't kill you, current does. You get hit a lot of
voltage when zapped with static electricity, but very little
current.


Yes but they dont use static electricity in electric fences, do they?



Ann 11-05-2004 12:02 AM

How to keep raccoons away
 
On Mon, 10 May 2004 16:56:07 +0000, Doug Kanter wrote:

"Ann" wrote in message
...

What about keeping a dog in the
fenced area at night?


No! Bad idea! The dog will dig in the garden or crap all over it. Bad,
bad, bad.


Not if the dog is trained. When I lived in the city, where most houses
had postage-stamp back yards, the majority had at least a couple tomato
plants AND a dog.


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