raccoon on my deck – help

[Franci]

For at least the last 2 days – there is a raccoon that has taken residence on my 2nd story deck. He gets there by climbing a tree.

I chased him off yesterday and was dismayed to see him back again this morning.

He tore the heck out of the cushion that he is sleeping on. Its under a covered portion.

I’m going to go looking for a deck box to put cushions in, will that be enough to deter him? Are there other techniques for discouraging this behavior?

I have a cat who misses getting to hang out on the deck. ;)

Share This

[Alan]

It sounds like the raccoon has found a nice safe place to sleep. The first thing I would consider is the tree that he is climbing. If he can climb onto your deck, then other critters (and maybe people) can as well. Maybe there is a branch or two that can be trimmed to prevent the access. Otherwise I would consider removing the tree altogether. If that is not an option, then maybe a spike strip or some kind of barrier to keep them from climbing.

I found a site with multiple suggestions, but most of them are going to make it unpleasant for the cat as well.
http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Raccoons

Share This

[Franci]

Thanks Alan,

I’m hoping he is mad and won’t come back. When I chased him off the deck today I bopped is paw as he was hanging from the ouside of the railing and he dropped to the ground. Yesterday I let him make it into the tree and get down at his own pace.

I’m going to remove the cushions – so there is no comfortable place to sleep.

Here’s to hoping this discourages him from coming back.

Franci

Share This

[Franci]

Oh and I’d have to remove 2 trees, one on either side, to prevent them from getting on the deck and I’d rather not if I don’t have to. ;)

Share This

[JoB]

be careful bopping racoons.. they can be very aggressive critters

Share This

[Franci]

Well it seems to have worked JoB. He was hanging on the outside of the deck rail – so no chance of attacking me and he has not returned so far. :)

I always keep a safe distance anyway.

Share This

[whalewatcher]

I resolved a similar problem by sprinkling pulverized moth balls where the critters were hanging out. They hate the scent. Don’t leave them in ball form; the critters will just roll them away. For some reason, the balls work better than moth flakes. The raccoons will decamp in short order.

Share This

[Franci]

whalewatcher – that’s not an option in this location. Its way too close to doors and windows. Even though its cold this time of year – it takes a long time for that odor to dissipate, it could still be around come spring and summer. I had a neighbor several years ago put out piles between our houses and I had to keep my doors closed the odor was soooo bad. Even after it had been cleaned up, I could still smell it when I was outside.

Share This

[Franci]

Fortunately it seems that tap on his paw causing him to drop to the ground seems to have discouraged him from coming back. ;)

Share This

[whalewatcher]

Well, in our case, it was a skunk, so mothballs were an easy call.

Share This

[J242]

Another option would be to spray them with a hose. Not a high powered one that might hurt them of course but just spraying with water to make them uncomfortable. After a couple of times they’ll figure out that it’s just not worth it.

Just my two cents!

Share This

[Author]

Posts