Help against racoon invasion in Germany needed

[jonwr]

Black pudding and bacon sandwiches, that takes me back a bit.
Tell you what, I'll trade you a quart of slow cooked squirrel and mushroom gravy for a couple.
Jon R.

[Decius]

never seen a racoon here...

It's the masks. Did they see Zorro before he deftly tipped a basket of peppers on their heads? Glance away and they're at your breakfast.

now i'm scared. probably they already invaded this house...

[P. Clodius Secundus]

We used to trap them for fur when I was a kid. Once in a while we'd go with my uncle and his hounds for a hunt out in the western part of the state (yes, there really redenecks in Massachusetts). It was a lot of fun and made a really great game stew. They may be cute, but they can be very dangerous and they're a heck of a nuisance. They are unbelievably canny. They used to attack our chickens all the time and it was my job to dispose of them when we caught them. Up at Ft. Drum NY they used to come right into your tent at night, sit on your chest and steal your food. It was best not to try and stop them because they'd climb into your sleeping bag and kick your ass. :lol:

[Tiberius Clodius Corvinus]

... just thought about people reading our posts in thousand years and actually never saw an raccoon. What abominable creature they must expect. :lol: :lol:

[M. Demetrius]

Oh, if there are still people reading RAT in 1000 years, I'll just bet there will still be raccoons. Those darned things are pretty resourceful. Hey, they may be the ones doing the reading, and laughing at our inability to get rid of them, who knows?

[arklore70]

If you are looking at peppers, the Koreans have a red pepper, which name escapes me , that is even much stronger than cayenne peppers. At the Asian/Korean grocery store I just ask for dried Korean red peppers. They normally sell it in crushed/chopped bits by the bag.

Mike

[A_Volpe]

Much of what I was going to say has been said.

I had worked/volunteered in Wildlife care for a number of years, and boy the phone calls I'd get. If it wasn't a baby bird, baby squirrel or baby bunny, it'd be a raccoon.

"Oh, but they're so cute and darling" Oh for a nickel each time I heard that line or the myriad of versions. UGH

I'm surprised but also sad to hear raccoons are spreading in Europe. Much like [Norwegian Rats], Starlings, House Sparrows, and Rock Pigeons being introduced to the US and causing various problems.

The problem is Raccoons are VERY smart. They can study and figure out complicated situations and challenges. (and many of them *enjoy* challenges and puzzles) You have to think like you are Baby or Puppy Proofing your home. That is the best deterrent for them nesting in your home. Block any doorways, windows, basement windows, crevices. As has been mentioned, seal up any stored foods, including birdseed, and also seal trash in close-able trash cans, you may need to reinforce with bungee cords.

At any time you think to yourself "No, they couldn't possibly get in there" - that is when you have to stop yourself, and make SURE nothing can get in to that space.

if you can get your arm into a crevice or hole, up to your elbow, then you'll need to seal that hole up better. If you have 5 year old children, or ask the neighbors. If they can get into a doorway or crevice, chances are Raccoons will too. They are similar in cognitive abilities to children.

If you have pets, never leave food outdoors for them for extended periods of time, and certainly not overnite. At that point, you shouldn't leave pets out alone at nite anyway. We have Coyotes here in the US as well as Raccoons, both who could kill or maul the pet, as well as carry Rabies, Distemper, Hanta Virus, Aspergilosis...Nasty nasty diseases that Humans can get, and die from.

And, most importantly, Never ever never never feed raccoons "by hand", never leave food out for them, No Matter how "cute" they look or "desperate" they look, you must never ever give into the emotions and feel bad for them. They are scavengers and have done extraordinarily well for thousands of years, as well as living off of our trash. (we also supply them with an all-you-can-eat buffet with our gardens and plants; they don't know any better, they don't care.) They are perfectly capable of surviving on their own. The very second you hand-feed a wild animal like a Raccoon, the chances increase dramatically that the animal will lose it's "fear" of humans. Remember, they are like spoiled children, they will do *anything* to exploit humans feeding them to get away with handouts and freebies, plus, Raccoons and other animals also have claws and teeth which they have no problems using on humans instead of temper tantrums and blackmail. Again, any means necessary to get food from us once they know they can get it.

Raccoons also do not understand human Laws against Assault, Battery, Harassment. They don't care who they harm to get [food].

I'm trying not to sound preachy, I have seen it happen, I have heard it happen, and I have seen people and pets get seriously injured from this. I have heard of [people] who having "taken care of" a raccoon for years, and one day the person makes a move that confuses or upsets the animal, and then all of a sudden bites off a finger, rips a throat, et cetera.

The best Raccoon pets are the stuffed animal toy variety. Some pictures have already been posted Toy animals don't rip your face off or cover your bedroom in poop. ;D