I'm a bit Freaked Out (a little off topic)

[DRabbit]

I took this shot with my EPM1 + husband's 100-300 panasonic lens.



She's living in my attic.
She's cute and all, but the idea of this bugger living up there, pooping up there, likely having babies up there, making a nest out of insulation up there... well frankly, it's freaking me right-the-F out. And I'm not usually a baby when it comes to this kind of stuff.

Yes, we've hired a "professional" to help us get rid of it. Some kind of humane trap is now on my roof over it's "front door" hole. 48 hours have passed and she still hasn't been caught. Tonight we heard her trying to burrow out another spot in the roof.

I AM NOT HAPPY!

Just needed to vent... please keep your fingers crossed she goes in the cage tonight... and please don't tell me any scary stories about raccoons falling through ceilings or gnawing their way into my kitchen... I really need positive stories! LOL

[paulfish4570]

not to cause you undue gloom, but raccoons are major rabies carriers. stay away if one does drop through your roof. forget humane. get some rat poison up there ...

[dogberryjr]

Take your Christmas lights down!!

[Todd.Hanz]

Originally Posted by dogberryjr

Take your Christmas lights down!!

thats freakin' funny!

my inlaws had one in their attic...then it disappeared...then an oily spot showed up on the wall...then the sheetrock began to bulge...then the sheetrock began to smell, in the bulgy spot...then something exploded, mildly, and a lot of hair and gooey stuff was dripping out of the sheetrock where something had crawled in the wall and died...a raccoon! Good Luck.

Todd

[zauhar]

It probably won't make you feel better, but we have them here too - in West Philadelphia. ;-(

At the moment they don't seem to have found a way into my attic - the squirrels beat them to it!

I amplify the suggestions above, to stow your humane feeling and do what needs to be done. Best of luck.

Randy

[DRabbit]

We are trimming trees tomorrow. I also have a general contractor coming to talk to me about what preventative measures we can take. The Raccoon-Guy is also going to put sheet metal under the shingles above the gutters (most common place they chew). Then, I have to file an insurance claim and get a restoration company over here to clean up and fix all the damage left behind. You see that hole? They chewed right through my roof to get in. It was NOT there before.

Of course, we are TRYING to get rid of it! Pretty sure poisoning a raccoon is against the law here. Plus I don't want it dying up there.

We took the xmas light down today. Yes... I know, I know. What can I say. LOL

[Greyscale]

At least it is not a skunk.

[paulfish4570]

d-con rat poison dessicates the corpse(s): no odor. just put on rubber gloves to collect the carcasses. no has to know you poisoned raccoons. hey, you were just looking to get rid of rats ...

[DRabbit]

Originally Posted by paulfish4570

d-con rat poison dessicates the corpse(s): no odor. just put on rubber gloves to collect the carcasses. no has to know you poisoned raccoons. hey, you were just looking to get rid of rats ...

Yeah, I can't do that. And it would be my luck to get caught. LOL
Plus, I have to have a restoration company go up there, so someone would know there's a dead/poisoned raccoon.

Roadkill: Funny!

"At least it is not a skunk." -- Yes, that is a plus!

[colyn]

Be sure to make a coonskin cap once you catch him/her..

[Greyscale]

Just throw it on the road with the rest of the dead raccoons and nobody will be wiser.

[paulfish4570]

now, THAT's funny; i don't care who you are ... ^

[paulfish4570]

i sure don't see why a raccoon is any less a vermin on long island than it is in alabama. but hey, you have already got a process in place. just make sure the pest collector gets ALL of the raccoons. i'd just about bet she's dropped a litter ...

[robklurfield]

About two weeks ago, two people one town over from where I live were set upon and bitten by a fox that has been tested positive for rabies. The fox attacked on a screened porch in broad daylight. The local police shot the critter.

Preventive measures? How about fixing the opening in your roof above the gutter? If I were a raccoon, that would look like swell place to play house.

Many years ago, when my kids were babies, we hired a "trapper" to catch a seemingly rapid ... oops! ... make that -- rabid -- raccoon (surprised I didn't type "rabbi" ... way past my bedtime). He put a humane trap out with some peanut butter. A few hours later ... viola! Trapped raccoon. The problem was that it was a hot day and the raccoon was completely deranged and angry as hell (who wouldn't be?). He demolished the cage-trap and busted out.

Amy, if you kill it AND put it out on the road, I WILL take its portrait. Just ask Paul.

[DRabbit]

Preventive measures? How about fixing the opening in your roof above the gutter? If I were a raccoon, that would look like swell place to play house.

The hole wasn't there before Mrs. Raccoon decided to move in. She chewed right through the roof!

It appears she is caught!

It's been very quiet upstairs the last hour or so. Just now my husband wanted to go outside and check the soffit where we heard her... but she is now in the cage. I guess she gave up on the idea of the soffit and tried the hole.

Tomorrow morning the Trapper will come and pick her up and we'll talk about what happens next.

OH MY GOD, I'm happy she's caught, but now I feel bad for her... (I can't win LOL)

[paulfish4570]

if there are any coon hunters on long island, they'd love to have that momma and her kits to train dogs (no, they don't throw the coons to the dogs) ...

[paulfish4570]

yes, rob WOULD shoot a photo of it ...

[bob338]

When we bought our house, there was a mother raccoon and 8 babies in our crawlspace. I tried to get the Humane Society to come out before I started scattering poison around, but they would not have anything to do with it. They did give me a great tip, though...

Very Loud Music, and lots of light.

I put a boom box with a Metallica cd(Master of Puppets, if I remember correctly) in the crawl and turned it up loud enough to annoy my neighbors. I also put some big halogen construction lights in there. I left the cd on repeat for about 4 hours and the mother slowly carried each baby off to another place in my neighbors yard. I found the entrance the next day and sealed it up, that was 6 years ago. Only in the last month has another little **cker found a way in, and it's a skunk!
I haven't tried it, but I was told by a neighbor that a strobe light will also drive them out.

You can read up on raccoons on the net, but I can tell you that they are vicious and strong little fighters, and they breed like rats! Do whatever you can to get rid of it as soon as you can.

[robklurfield]

Amy, I forgot to mention that you your picture is not only (as usual) a great image, but it make that coon look awfully cute.

Your avatar picture has never looked more appropriate than during this crisis.

[DRabbit]

Originally Posted by robklurfield

Amy, I forgot to mention that you your picture is not only (as usual) a great image, but it make that coon look awfully cute.

Your avatar picture has never looked more appropriate than during this crisis.

I know it does. I'm not sure I'm even going to save it because it will just make me feel bad. We can hear her now up there in the cage trying to figure a way out

And thanks for the chuckle about my avatar picture... so right!

[DRabbit]

Oh don't worry PKR... I will NOT be cleaning up poop myself... I won't even go INTO the attic until it's well cleaned up (not like I went up there a lot anyway). I've already got a restoration guy on standby and home insurance will cover the damage (thank god for that at least!)

Their feces can be really toxic and dangerous to humans!!

[Keith]

I had a possum living up under the soffit of the house I live in ... it would arrive at dawn and crash around a few metres above my head until it settled down for a good days sleep before heading of again in the evening!

After trying everything to discourage it I hosed the area down one afternoon and made sure the gap up under the soffit got well and truly saturated. It never came back after that because one thing animals value is a dry place where they can sleep ... fish excepted!

Possums are also very cute!

[DRabbit]

Nice shot Keith! These critters can really wreak havoc on a house and homeowner's peace, can't they!? I wish the hose trick could have worked in my attic... LOL

We'll be doing a LOT tomorrow to try to prevent this in the future. Geez, if I could afford it I'd cover the whole roof in metal!

[Leigh Youdale]

Give me snakes, spiders and possums any day over Raccoons and Skunk.

[bob338]

Originally Posted by Leigh Youdale

Give me snakes, spiders and possums any day over Raccoons and Skunk.

I've got spiders, too. I've been bitten by black widows twice! Not fun.