A couple of months ago, we managed to evict a racoon from the attic.
It was an o.k. plan that involved replacing all the screening under the eaves but leaving the entrance/exit open, going out for margaritas, then blocking the exit. The neighbor just happened to see it exit (cuz we were out having enchilada and 'ritas).
That particular critter moved into the neighbors house. They caught it in a live-trap and moved it out into the country.
I’m not so sure we can depend on the neighbor this time.
This time I think it is an opposum because I saw one in the garage this week. The screening is torn (in the same place) and there is white fur in the entrance/exit. We blocked the ingress/egress with hardware cloth and left the attic access door open and ladder down. I then placed powder all around the area. I’m hoping to hear a noisy racket and/or see footprints leading away from the access door in a few hours. It’s 6pm and dark now.
I would suggest a trap. Some friends of mine had to leave their home for a couple of months last year when a possum infestation (they caught six) got bad. They wound up doing some renovation to get over the damage from the possum nesting, but what drove them out was the accompanying phenomenal flea infestation.
A neighbor of my in-laws works a great deal out of state and at the time had all his bills sent to his ex-wife’s house to be taken care of ( very agreeable divorce, eh?), well, when he returned from a trip, he discovered that family of racoons invaded his entire house and essentially had the edquivalent of a raccoon frat party for the better part of three months.
Everything had to be replaced. Floors, walls, furniture, carpet, appliances.
To this day he still wishes he had a camera on the little bastards just to see how much fun they had every day at his house.
Good luck with your removal.
(Personally, we like getting a couple of bug bombs to gas out the mice It’s the German in my husband. in the attic every once in awhile. Works like a charm and now I have a third arm grown out of my back to scratch my ass with, but we have no freakin’ mice. bastards.)[/size]
We had critters in the attic, too. Turned out it was mice, and getting a cat took care of it (The mice population in the house is decimated, though a small number of rebels fighting against the evil fat cat still exist). I don’t suppose cats work so good against coons and oppossums?
My cat was watching the possum eat his cat food. That’s how I came to see the possum a couple of days ago. I thought the animal was just grabbing a free snack while passing through until I saw the hole.
I am NOT advising you to do this (and not that I did) but sometimes it is necessary to kill the invaders.
As far as trappring and releasing an animal several miles from your home? You are unintentionally killing the animal because:
The animal might attempt returning and the odds are very high that it will get hit by a car.
Bringing an animal into a new environment is not good because it may have trouble finding food or the other animals may fight or kill it because of territoriality and/or food.
Bringing the animal into the new environment might spread disease.
Those are not just my opinions by the way. By all means ask around.
For those who have raccoon problems be very careful. I beleive of all mammals, rabies is most prevalent among raccoons (at least at this point in time).
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by wolf_meister *
**I am NOT advising you to do this (and not that I did) but sometimes it is necessary to kill the invaders.
As far as trappring and releasing an animal several miles from your home? You are unintentionally killing the animal because:
The animal might attempt returning and the odds are very high that it will get hit by a car.
Bringing an animal into a new environment is not good because it may have trouble finding food or the other animals may fight or kill it because of territoriality and/or food.
Bringing the animal into the new environment might spread disease
I’ll add a 4th. In Connecticut it’s against the law to relocate a fur bearing animal - to prevent the spread of rabies et al. We got that news from the State when we asked about controlling a population explosion of squirrels on our property.
Their advice: Trap them and kill them. Drown them, for all we care, but don’t take them somewhere else. The woman’s tone was truly heartless.
I used a pellet (pump) gun, instead. Killed at the very least 20 squirrels (all of whom were eating the seed I put out for my back yeard birds). That was maybe 5 years ago. Things are still ok, although I do pop a couple now and then.
Also killed a few racoons the same way, but made the mistake of tossing the corpses in the vacant lot across the street. This was in August a few years ago. The stench from their rotting bodies was almost overwhelming.
A couple of hawks and other scavengers feasted on the dead squirrels, but they wouldn’t touch the damned racoons.
Antiochus
I thought someone might agree with me. I believe where I live (not saying where) a squirrel is considered a “game animal” and it is ILLEGAL to kill it. So, that leaves a resident of my state with zero options doesn’t it? I suppose someone could kill the squirrel - just don’t have anyone see you do it and dispose of the varmint inconspicuously.
But then again, I grew up out in the country, and this was just how you dealt with varmints…
Here in Texas, it’s legal to kill squirrels all year 'round, but you have to have a hunting license to do it. Of course, city laws preventing the discharge of a firearm tend to dampen the squirrel sport in my area…
…ah, to live in the country again, where I don’t have to call “animal control” to come take care of the 'possum that’s molesting my dog…
In my state, the laws about guns (even a pellet rifle) and game apply. But to me, it is much more inhumane to kill an animal with a pellet than by drowning the poor bastards in a trap. So, I violate the law, despite the fact that an Honorary Police Chief lives right next door. He doesn’t seem to care.
I also have a .22 calibre rifle on loan from my son in law. He said the pop of the bullet is quieter than that of the pellet gun. I didn’t really believe him until he shot it from my den window, just as I do the pellet gun. It is noticeably quieter. But I have yet to summon the courage to use the rifle.
All in all, wolf-meister, if I were you, I might gamble on a pellet gun. It isn’t that loud, and your neighbors might appreciate the culling.
Come to think of it, my neighbor (mentioned above)was mystified when his dog started bringing home dead squirrels. Another neighbor told him, “No, Dave, your dog isn’t that good. It’s Antiochus. He’s shooting them with his BB gun.” He never complained about it.
We have a family of 'coons living under our deck. Shirley Ujest, does your hubby think a couple of bug bombs will drive them away? I’m serious.
I’m in Houston, but in a preserve area, so offing squirrles is not allowed here. Besides, I kind like the tree rats, even if they eat the bird food.
Still no animal has exited the attic. Perhaps it has already moved on. I’m going to give it another day or so. I don’t want to kill whatever it is, I just want it to move along.
Antiochus
Speaking hypothetically (just as you were), I might have had a squirrel problem in the past and their rodent activites certainly made quite a hypothetical mess. (chewing up wood, destroying my house, etc)
Continuing this purely theoretical discussion, I realize that once they get in your house, they think of it as their permanent residence. If you board up one place, they’ll eat through it. Put metal flashing over a hole and they’ll chew a new hole someplace else. There’s NO getting rid of them.
So, I’ll agree with you that a pellet rifle is the solution. (Yes more humane than drowning). I tend to think that a .22 would be overkill so to speak. (More of a mess would be created than just using a pellet rifle).
As for firing a .22 rifle inside your house? Well my cousin’s brother-in-law’s stepfather’s former roommate once knew someone who did fire a .22 rifle in his house. If done in the basement, it produces very little outside noise. An important precaution - use hearing protection !!! Or at least that’s what I’ve been told.
