Varmint using my pool to clean prey

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kevreh

kevreh

Bronze Supporter
Jun 2, 2007
530
Annandale, VA
Its kind of nasty, but somethings bringing dead birds and a mouse or two around to clean and eat them at my pool steps. Guessing its a cat or raccoon. Getting sick of cleaning this up. Any ideas for keeping them away? Apparently they have no problem getting through my fence.

Oh yeah, the bonus is that they're chewing on my $100 foam mattress just bought.


Kevin
 
Ruger makes a great Varmit rifle...the Ruger 10/22 It is very accurate especially when fitted with a scope...Seriously...it is probably a raccoon and you want to be especially careful with them...they are usually very rabid...You can go out and buy a live trap, and then when he is caught your animal control would come out and get him and move him to the forest where he belongs...either that or get a big dog that pee's a lot...Raccoons will stay away from dog urine.
 
kevreh said:
Its kind of nasty, but somethings bringing dead birds and a mouse or two around to clean and eat them at my pool steps. Guessing its a cat or raccoon. Getting sick of cleaning this up. Any ideas for keeping them away? Apparently they have no problem getting through my fence.
Oh yeah, the bonus is that they're chewing on my $100 foam mattress just bought.
Kevin
Click to expand...

Be thankful they are dead. Here in Arizona we have to heard the rattlesnakes out each morning before we jump in for a swim.
Not much more in our pool. :lol:

I have a few great rattlesnake recipes if you are interested. :goodjob:
 
Ohhhh All Right Here is my Secret recipe. :mrgreen: :goodjob:

Fried Rattlesnake
1 rattlesnake, cornmeal, flour, salt and pepper to taste, milk, egg, oil, salsa for dipping, if desired

1. Skin and clean snake, cutting through the skin and peeling the skin back until you have completely skinned the snake.
2. Cut the snake meat into 3- to 4-inch pieces.
3. Roll the snake cuts into a mixture of cornmeal and flour seasoned with salt and pepper.
4. Dip in a mixture of milk and beaten egg.
5. Dredge in cornmeal mixture again.
6. Sauté in hot oil until browned on all sides.
7. Serve with salsa.
 

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iggy said:
Ohhhh All Right Here is my Secret recipe. :mrgreen: :goodjob:

Fried Rattlesnake
1 rattlesnake, cornmeal, flour, salt and pepper to taste, milk, egg, oil, salsa for dipping, if desired

1. Skin and clean snake, cutting through the skin and peeling the skin back until you have completely skinned the snake.
2. Cut the snake meat into 3- to 4-inch pieces.
3. Roll the snake cuts into a mixture of cornmeal and flour seasoned with salt and pepper.
4. Dip in a mixture of milk and beaten egg.
5. Dredge in cornmeal mixture again.
6. Sauté in hot oil until browned on all sides.
7. Serve with salsa.
Click to expand...

Yummy! I have Got to try that!
 
Raccoon: climb well (fence is no deterrent). Hang out in trees or burrows or even your attic during the day, then come out and destroy things at night -trap and apply shotgun.
If you livetrap and release into the country, then it will show up at my house and I will use the shotgun.
 
I am also having a horrible problem with raccons in my pool. I live in long island NY off the woods. I get raccoons in my pool evyernight. There are usually 4 or more at a time. I tried ammonia but they go around it. My steps are loaded with mud every morning. I am willing to try anything to keep them out. Anyone have success with doing so!! They carry a very deadly ringworm that has sickened 2 kids badly in NY. There are mixed reviews on the motion sensor sprinkler and motion sensored lights but if I do not do something soon they will take over. any help is appreciated.
Thanks
 
TOMNGIAMOM said:
There are mixed reviews on the motion sensor sprinkler and motion sensored lights but if I do not do something soon they will take over. any help is appreciated.
Thanks
Click to expand...

This may be of help.... We are located in deep woods, surrounded on three sides by Protected Habitat, i.e. State Park, Town Park, and Audubon Society lands. Off the back of my house is a 30' X 30' Trex deck that is surrounded on two sides by our wild area. The "yard" drops off abruptly at house so that end of deck is at mid tree level. IG Pool is very near and is also pier and beam on deep end where the decline starts at about mid pool lengthwise. "Wild Area" starts just a few feet beyond end of pool. We feed hundreds of birds with feeders hanging off two sides of deck. We also, intentionally, feed critters as a necessity. Otherwise they wreak havoc with feeders, even the heaviest, most squirrel proof feeder, hanging several feet out from deck on very heavy metal brackets.

I've never seen any signs of critters using pool except for squirrels drinking out of it during day.

We feed the squirrels by day with Squirrelogs (compressed ground corn) and critter food spread on corner of deck. Otherwise they continuously mess with the feeders. Until this spring I brought the Squirrelogs in at night to keep the 'coons and 'possums from totally devouring them at night. This, obviously, encouraged them to mess with the feeders at night..see on down, sometimes emptying several during the night. One morning, this spring, I discovered two of my very heavy metal hangers (3' long hanging out at 45 degrees from metal rail) bent all the way down with expensive metal feeders down the hill and major bent up. These metal hangers are really, really heavy and sturdy. About that time I observed the largest coon I have ever seen hanging around the trees by deck. My closest neighbor confirmed that this coon could be considered a GIANT as he had seen him several times and had never seen one nearly this big. He was probably the culprit for the hanger/feeder damage.

We decided to start leaving one Squirrelog out at night. This eased the bird feeder "stress" somewhat. Then we added a bit of critter food (corn, sunflower, peanuts in shell), on deck, at night, and now about a cup of dog food on deck at night.

Result is that they seem to be leaving the feeders alone now. And we really enjoy watching them. They have become so "tame" that they do not even startle and scamper when hubby and/or I go out on deck, as long as the dogs don't come with us.

So, earlier in summer I was adding more low voltage lighting in and around deck (You don't walk outside here without a flashlight, at night, because of the "domesticated" :twisted: copperheads, rattlesnakes, and corals that "love" us. Feeding birds and critters main disadvantage is drawing in rats and that draw in snakes. :rant: ). (Oh, the joys of maintaining our love of birding. :hammer: ) I set up bright floodlights, while working, pointed right at the Squirrelog location. Lights didn't even phase the raccoons who continued to eat even when I was working just a few feet right below them. This was pretty early in our night time feeding but the critters were used to us sitting in spa located near them. I have pretty bright LED motion lights attached all around the spa shell and had been earlier (before leaving food out for them) observing them (LED lights popping on) walking around the deck scavenging while I was in the spa at wee hours of a.m.

We've gone several months now with no damage to feeders or other marauding behaviors from critters.

:blah: :blah: :blah: Points I'm attempting to make.

*If you live close to or in woods/forest you probably won't be able to keep others from coming if you remove some. Also, I've read that relocating wild animals can be a death sentence for them.

*If you can't keep them away giving them another source of food/water may stop their using your pool. We also have a heavy concrete bird bath on deck that is always filled with fresh water.

*Bright lights don't seem to bother the raccoons. Before I got the two LED floods setup and aimed at the 'coon tree hubby frequently stepped out on deck and flashed one of his brightest super lights at them. This didn't seem to bother them. The 'possums are a little more skittish but not much.

*Large dogs peeing all over the place doesn't seem to discourage 'coons and 'possums. Until just past few years we have always kept 6-10 Large and GIANT house-dogs that had 24/7 access to that yard/deck. That never seemed to discourage the critters from coming in. In past year we lost our last geriatric Mastiff and two geriatric Rotties. So we now have two Labradoodles and one Mastiff puppy. Their activity (lots) doesn't deter the critters but these guys don't have 24/7 access to the yard yet but they do have 24/7 access to the front fenced yard. Fence between two yards is about 4' from main critter tree. Our dedicated, Super Ratter, Rottie girl, who kept vigilant watch over the deck for 12 years, occasionally bringing in dead or critically injured rats, 'coons, 'possums, an occasional dove, and sometimes bunnies, didn't seem to discourage critter activity.

We have plenty of Bobcats all around. Occasionally, some neighbor will report females having litters under their houses or porches. And we have plenty of large, healthy, well fed coyotes that are pretty used to human presence. I see them often and hear them every night. Also, plenty, large of healthy foxes. :punkrock: Everything is bigger in Texas, ya know. :wink:

Best advice is to find ways to "work with them".
geekgranny
 
Coyote urine is supposed to repel raccoons and armadillos and possums, but not skunks. "Shake-Away" has 3 products, mixes of urine from coyote, fox, or both to repel deer, rabbits, I forget what else. The coyote urine not blended is what I got, don't know yet if it will be successful in repellling the armadillo that seems to break through the fence on every side of the yard. I live in fear that by driving off the armadillo who is wrecking the flowerbeds that I may also get the raccoon and possum to leave from under the deck. that is OK but I fear that a skunk may move in before I get it sealed up. I don't mind the raccoon or the possum, though I wish I could be sure they were only under the wood porch and not under the foundation.

The very day I used this the first time, the yard had a definite skunkiness, and I do not want that in my yard. That reminds me, I need to turn on the radio on that porch to make whoever is under there want to go away.
 
Lershac said:
Sounds like someone needs to import a couple of rednecks and give em plenty of beer and ammunition. YEEE-HAW!
Click to expand...
:cheers:

I'm not so much redneck but have plenty of beer, wine, and ammo. But ya know, ya have to stay up all night waiting for them and that's hard to do when you have so much time to drink, sitting still for so long. More than one person and party keeps the critters scared off. :party:

We have 6 ft chain link around front yard. Armadillos dig under it. When I had a bunch of Mastiffs they kept the population down by killing them. I'm not sure if dogs with less size and power can kill them as the smallest dog we've ever had, until now, two Labradoodles, was female Rottie. Last year with only three geriatric dogs who didn't do as much patrolling as they did in their prime we had an armadillo that constantly dug up several new beds I put in. Tried fencing around beds, and live trap with recommended bait and procedures (like making a chute that lead to opening of trap) and never could catch the varmint. He was spotted only once by a yard crew, who showed up at 0630, going into a big tree with den opening at bottom. After I messed with trap and chute there he stopped using that tree.

This year, with three very active and alert puppies, with access to front yard 24/7, we haven't seen any signs of armadillo. The activity does seem to keep the armadillos away but has only minimal affect on critters who climb especially with plenty of trees. I do occasionally startle myself and armadillo in back yard, at dusk, though, by getting close enough to almost step on 'dillo. They can eat all the grubs they want back there. :goodjob:
geekgranny
 
anonapersona said:
Coyote urine is supposed to repel raccoons and armadillos and possums, but not skunks. "Shake-Away" has 3 products, mixes of urine from coyote, fox, or both to repel deer, rabbits, I forget what else. The coyote urine not blended is what I got, don't know yet if it will be successful in repellling the armadillo that seems to break through the fence on every side of the yard. I live in fear that by driving off the armadillo who is wrecking the flowerbeds that I may also get the raccoon and possum to leave from under the deck. that is OK but I fear that a skunk may move in before I get it sealed up. I don't mind the raccoon or the possum, though I wish I could be sure they were only under the wood porch and not under the foundation.

The very day I used this the first time, the yard had a definite skunkiness, and I do not want that in my yard. That reminds me, I need to turn on the radio on that porch to make whoever is under there want to go away.
Click to expand...

:blah: :blah: Geekgranny's Book For the Day :blah: :blah:

Noise from radio, TV, etc., doesn't seem to keep any critter away from here. They get used to it; and apparently conditioned to it. Ours don't budge as long as we don't go flailing our arms around or approach them to quickly.

I've tried just about everything for various critters (mostly rats and snakes) including urines (and blends of), shakes, etc. I can't vouch for any of them AND I am not saying they don't work though.

I'm really sorry for you that you might have to deal with skunk taking residence. I have very little experience with skunks out here although my closest neighbor's dog, who wanders loose (and comes over here to play and swim with my puppies - she climbs the fence) has been sprayed a couple of times over the past few years. But there don't seem to be too many out here. Maybe there aren't enough roads for them to commit suicide. :twisted: My only other experience was when I ran a dog wash, in mid '80 (like a car wash, sort of, where owner does the washing), when people would occasionally ask for advice for products to remove the smell. There was one that actually worked well. I'll have to look that up. I did have them get most of the smell off, though, before letting them in to the wash. My neighbor reports that it took her several days and several products to get the smell off her dog. Dog ran in to house before she realized she had been sprayed and it took her several days to air out the house. I would say skunk taking residence would probably be the worst, in my opinion. Besides the smell they are major carriers of rabies, much more so than opossums from what I have read. In fact it is pretty rare for opossums to carry rabies; not sure where raccoons rank.

Three winters ago, when we were parking our vehicles near the house, and had been doing so for 20 yrs, we had $10K damage to wiring (all three vehicles) from huge Tree Rats, in a two month period (very different from Norway Rats, much bigger, really cute; sort of like big Hamsters with tails, and quite the major pack-rats). We started parking the vehicles further from house, near the front yard fence, where dogs are much of the time, hoods raised, 409 sprayed on engines and wiring that we could get to, several bags of moth balls, Naphthalene, in pillow cases, under each vehicle and several bags of used cat litter under them too. I don't know which of our measures are working but we haven't had any more major damage. The first winter using new tactics (winter is when most of the damage is done) we also used all kinds of urines and other products. We kept sprinkles under and around vehicles. It got really, really expensive. I can't vouch for any of them whether they worked or not but no damage. Second winter didn't use urines or sprinkles; no damage. This past winter, hubby placed, several rat kill traps, around vehicles at night, re-baiting and resetting them each evening. We caught maybe three rats out there all winter but did, to our dismay, catch a couple of Carolina Wrens. :cry: After a couple of months he stopped setting them as we went for some time not catching any rats. This spring I had one small rubber tubing, easily seen, chomped on but no other apparent damage.

Some of the sprinkle products have "moth ball" crystals in them. They are not pleasant nor healthy to be breathing in and certainly not good for the environment (bad for runoff too). Others are more environmentally friendly and don't smell as bad. BTW... the moth balls don't break down very fast so they might have less environmental impact than other forms.

This spring I read that rodents don't like the smell of pure essential oil peppermint. In past, before we replaced the wood decking (wide spaces between planks) with Trex (very small spaces) we had Tree Rats building nest inside the wood spa enclosure. They, also, chewed on spa tubing and wiring which had to be repaired several times. When we replaced the wood decking with Trex it was about time to get a new spa. We've gone 7 years without any rat nests or damage because they couldn't come through the small spaces. This year I took off the two doors on spa enclosure, one to replace, the other to repair. It's been three months now and I still haven't repaired the back side one. :oops: Our resident, deck Tree Rat started dragging stuff into the spa enclosure. We see her during afternoons, unlike Norway rats that forage at night. She drives the puppies crazy and has little fear of us. AND, yes, we have used live traps out there but usually catch and traumatize juvenile squirrels. Hubby picked up some essential oil peppermint which I soaked into cotton balls and threw inside the spa enclosure. Although the door is still off she has not dragged anything in to the enclosure, now, for two months. AND when we turn on the bubbler the peppermint smell is really nice. I'm going to rig of something for the vehicles, this winter, using the essential oil peppermint. That or some other oil could possibly have repellent action for bigger varmints. Instructions I read were insistent to use "essential oil" as it is not the same (article said) as regular kitchen peppermint flavoring.

:blah: Well, I've written my book for the day. Good luck with your project. :wink: My sympathies are with you.
 
Peppermint oil? One of the few things I have not tried, and something I have on hand. Worth a try. We keep rat poison pellets under the hood of the outdoor cars to prevent expensive wiring damage.
I wonder what skunks would think of peppermint oil?
From a skunk researcher on dealing with sprayed dogs:
Mix outside in a bucket
1 qt hydrogen peroxide 3% concentration (get from grocery store)
1/4 baking soda
1tsp dish detergent
Mix it fresh, sponge onto affected pet (or person) avoiding the eyes, leave on 5 minutes, rinse well.
Repeat as needed.
Have not tried it ourselves yet, but it is supposed to counteract the active chemicals in the skunk smell.
Since these are inexpensive ingredients that we have around the house anyways, worth a try.
 

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