Fish eating racoons?

[Patty]

If you have trouble with those wiley racoons having hors d'ouevres in your fish pond, here's a great solution! Float a milk crate upside down in the pond. The fish can get into it, but the racoons can't.

I learned this from my neighbor, but wish I had thought of it because it works! He brought me a green crate, but a black one would be less noticeable. The openings in the crate need to be big enough for your fish to get in (some of the crates have little bitty holes and some are larger.) I don't know how the fish know to go in there, but they do.

The crafty little pests still try--they've knocked over plants and shredded a few water lily leaves, but no eaten fish!

Patty

 

[lori042499]

Do you find that this time of year is especially prone to Raccoon feasts??

I have not had a problem since I put a beach and a deep end in my pond...but before that I would regularly find half eaten fish all over my deck, soms a biatches...

 

[Patty]

Hi Lori--
Thanks for spelling "raccoons" correctly--just realized I didn't!
They harass me at all seasons. No, I don't live out in the country, they just seem to find any and all sources for munchies.
Patty

 

[bloomz]

My Dad had/has a Koi pond in the yard, two connected ponds about 800 gallons - for years we gave up fish to racoonz - the little bastards would just kill them for sport - bite the eyeballs out and toss it aside. We finally found them living under the house.

Several other times, a heron got a bunch - it was a constant battle that settled down for his (Dad's) last few years.

Now here's a twilight zone deal - the very night my Dad died - my brother and I stood out by the pond and talked and cried and all that stuff. We got up in the morning to find all the fish gone, 18 of them. Not even bodies and carnage like before.

All I can figure is - he took them with him!

On a side trip to this - Mom left the pond alone for her remaining 6 years, but I resurrected the pond now I am living in his house, proudly, and at times I talk to Dad out there, asking if I'm doing a good job like I'd promised him I would. I have about 25 fish, a mixture of Koi and Shubunkins, and fought algae until last summer I discovered UV sterilizer lights. Dad and I fought green water for years. These things are phenomenal. If you have a pond - get one - ebay is way cheaper than a garden center - you can get one for about $100-150 there. In about 5 days your water will be clear as you want it. Get the highest wattage you can - I got an 18 and may add another one, just cuz I'm obsessive.

Yes the bastardass racoonz got mine once, about half of them, but my neighbor turned me onto a goodie.

To keep the coons out of his yard he put carpet tack strip, the kind you fasten to the floor with all the little nails sticking up out of it. I ringed my fence with it and haven't had a raccoon attack since.

I love my Dad's pond and we also have 2 kewlass frogs living in it that my little boy and I check every night before he goes to bed.

Anyhow - thanks for the trip down memory lane.

 

[Victoria]

I miss my pond.

V

 

[Beth]

I don't have a pond, but we did have a raccoon problem a couple years ago. We bought one of those way cool 15' x 5' blow-up swimming pools. The kids LOVED that thing, but we only had it about 6 weeks. A raccoon found it, and decided to EAT it. Every night for about a week, he (or they) arrived and bit holes in the plastic. Each day I'd go out there with a patch kit, yard all swampy, and patch the holes. Refill the pool. Next morning, another hole and another flood. Finally I gave up and they ate a huge hole in the bottom, about a foot across! What the heck?? Why do they eat plastic???