Any effective deterrent for raccoons?

[bbates123]

...and to a lesser extent squirrels?  I have 2 small mango trees and 2 small avocado trees and unless I pick the fruit green they tend to get most of my crop.  Short of trapping them, are there any effective deterrents?  I was looking at nylon fruit bags but I suspect they can chew right threw them.  I've tried solar powered ultrasonic repellers but those didn't seem to work. 

[Jaboticaba45]

I have the same problem as you. The raccoons don't eat my fruit...they eat my chickens, but the stupid squirrels eat everything. I have bought several traps but they don't seem to work.

[arc310]

i haven't witness or caught on camera raccoons climbing trees to get fruit but man...do they loooooove to dig up my mulch looking for grubs or bugs. so maybe i lucked out that whatever's in the mulch keeps them busy enough.

[savemejebus]

My use of strawberry clamshells is effective against squirrels, rats, and iguanas.

Raccoons can open them up and use them as a serving plate for their mango meal. I suppose you could wrap each one with wire to further seal it but I suspect they are smart enough to get through that too.

[achetadomestica]

It's not easy to catch a coon in a trap. It took me 3 months to
catch the one previously. I went out around 11:00pm and I heard the
trap snap closed. I happened to open the door when he was stealing the
banana. They like to eat the banana right outside the cage and leave the peal
This time I tied a string to the banana to the lever of the trap and when I came out the
trap was closed but he didn't get caught. Then he was eating the bananas through
the cage and I had to put heavy boxes around the cage so he couldn't move the cage or
eat the banana through the cage. Then I think I figured it out instead of one banana in
the back put a whole bunch of bananas in. I got him the first night. I got tortoises in my
yard and I can't have coons around. My neighbor was losing all his duck eggs too.
Then once you catch him you can't dump him on someone else.

[bbates123]

I watched a video on YouTube where a professional trapper took a can of sardines and partially opened it, then punched a hole in the bottom with a screwdriver where he opened it, then used a piece of wire and wired it to the side of the cage through the hole.  Seems effective if your raccoons eat sardines but I would imagine you'd have to change that out every morning or you'd have every fly in the neighborhood at your house.  Plus we have feral cats and I can see them going in to get the sardines.  I like the idea though, maybe put something else like peanut butter in the sardine tin.

[pineislander]

Look into a Duke #1.5 trap, attach to a very strong fence post with chain  as Coons are very strong. You may need two traps. These you can cover with a little vegetation/grass/hay/leaves. Overripe banana for cheap bait. Set late evening, check first thing in morning, lock up your pets, use in fenced yard if unable to restrict access for non-target species.

[Tommyng]

If you don’t want to use traps then you need a dog to protect the yard. I’ve always used the havahart traps. They have always worked. It’s has even caught a grey fox.

[Vernmented]

i haven't witness or caught on camera raccoons climbing trees to get fruit but man...do they loooooove to dig up my mulch looking for grubs or bugs. so maybe i lucked out that whatever's in the mulch keeps them busy enough.

You might have armadillos. Thats what I see in my yard at night. Also rats, possum, raccoons, squirrels, mice...........

[Vernmented]

This might be the worst part of growing for me. As far as I know the best thing is to catch in live traps and then shoot with 22. If you can't shoot drown. I drown the rats I catch. The snap jaw traps were working but they would still be alive and suffering or else I would find a leg of a frog or lizard or something. Relocation is a pain in the ass and also illegal and spreads disease and introduces an animal into another area that is probably overpopulated already. I think the only legal relocation is to a large private property with the owners permission. I have a tube trap for squirrels but I haven't set it up yet. I have heard good reviews from people in California.

[Orkine]

To the original question..


None.