Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi guys, I have kept turtles for about 30 years, and have a problem that I am struggling with. I live in the middle of the city in Orange County California, and have a Racoon that has killed 3 Adult Chinese Box turtles 3 large females, a female North American Wood and a Large Hermanns Female. It killed them all in a couple of days - I now have to go out every evening and put all of the turtles away. I have 2 cages that I have put in cat food, anchovies, chicken and bananas, and I cannot seem to catch the racoon. Can anyone give me advice on how to catch it. It seems that it is just killing for the fun of it. I know its a racoon, because I have seen it twice. I actully chased it onto a neighbors house, but it got away.

Thanks,

Bill

Hey Bill, it's Ken. So sorry to hear about this. Another friend of mine just had his favorite long term female desert box turtle eaten by a raccoon. I've been talking with him about electrical fencing.

If you'd like, shoot me a email.

Hey Bill,
I am in OC myself. Not quite sure about your city, but animal control in mine is pretty proactive, and was more than happy to discuss tips for keeping them away, and offered trapping. Maybe you'd have the same luck.
-----
2.1 Corn Snakes
1.2 Leopard Geckos
1.1 Crested Geckos
1.2 Green Anoles
1.0 Russian Tortoise
3.1 House Cats
0.0.1 African Millipede

RIP
Alice, Bruno, Lars, Snakey, Elizabeth

Thanks Andrew - good idea. I will give them a call and see what they have to say.

Bill

I'm in Orange County as well, in Stanton. When I built my outdoor pen for my yearling 3-toes, I put a lid on it because we have a lot of possums around, but after 30 years living in our neighborhood, I saw my first Stanton raccoon last year. Surprised me.

I hope you don't have the same problem as I do.

I will get it - eventually.

Thanks Ken. I will give you a call.

Hi Bill,
Sorry to hear about your turtles.
We had two raccoons that found their way under our home and set up shop. We didn't really know they were there until our home became infested with fleas! The pest control guy caught both of them using marshmallows the first time.
Hope you get the critter.

Dan

Thanks everyone. I have been in this house for the last 20 years, and only have had Possums show up, which I catch, and relocate to a river a few miles away. This guy came from somewhere this spring. At first I thought the first couple of turtles accidently flipped themselves over in the water dish, and the other turtles just munched on the head and legs. I caught on after night 3 when I went out and one of my prize Chines Box turtle female was flipped over, and missing here front feet - I was able to keep her alive, and she hobbles around the inclosure. There were gulf coast and easterns flipped over as well, but they were completely closed.

I put them away in locked houses everynight now. The food for the box turtles is usually finished by the end of the day - what is really attracting the racoon is large larva from the huge green june bugs, which live in the soil.

I have two traps like the one pictures above. I have put cat food, chicken breast, bananas and recently achovies. I had two traps in the enclosure last night with 2 achovies hanging in the back, so the racoon would not have to step on the metal plate - it came buy last night, ingoring the traps/achovies, and I could see little holes in the grass where it had been digging for larva. I have even put cardboard on the trap floor, as I thought it could feel the metal, and wouldn't go in.

I will keep trying, and am going to call animal control, as I have seen this racoon, and it is big, and could hurt a small dog, child, and obvously smaller animals.

I have an electric fence, but for some reason can't get it to work. Enclosures are not practical due to the size of my area - I will just have to continue to put away the turtles.

Stay tuned, and if you have any other tips, I would appreciate it.

Thanks,

Bill

Call your nearest garden center and ask if they carry a product called "Milky Spore". See link for more info.
Link

It works on other grubs (larvae), including green June beetles. It may be a little late for it to be effective for this season, but could be worth it for the long term.

Oooh, thanks Steph! I have a huge grub problem in my yard. I don't use pesticides. I checked this product out after your post, and it is very safe. I wouldn't mind the grubs so much if it wasn't for the moles that they have attracted.

Any tips for moles?

Same product. The idea is that if you get rid of the food source, the pest will go away.

DO NOT expect instantaneous results with the product recommended: it takes time to spread and to take effect.

Alternative B: create a snake friendly brush pile to invite slithering neighbors who might enjoy mole au naturale.

Thanks Steph. Time is not a problem, but I was hoping for something to get the moles in the interim.

I have tried the snake thing. A few people in the neighborhood will call me to come catch black rat snakes in their yards. I've tried relocating them to my backyard, but they always end up headless at the hands of someone who says, "The only good snake is a dead snake." They also kill anoles and skinks...they call them "scorpions". Their theory is that the lizards are poisonous because the cats and dogs foam at the mouth when they lick them. I could go on and on...

Thanks.

Oy. Yeah, I forgot about that ignorance of neighbors factor... Most of my neighbors are not anti-snake (at least theoretically) but they tend to assume that any patterned snake is a Copperhead.

We have a Yahoo group for our neighborhood and every year I post PSA's on basic snake ID and encourage people to take a good long look at photos of Copperheads because a) that's the only venomous snake that is found in the immediate area, and b) the likelihood of actually ever encountering one is pretty slim. Any other patterned snake in this area is harmless. It has started to sink in a little.

Trapping may be an option on the moles.

According to the VA-FWIS website entry on moles:

Predators include snakes and small weasels which can follow the mole underground. Hawks and owls take some, also herons, buzzards, ravens, pine martens, and sometimes dogs and cats.

Bill, I bait my trap with jam on bread. One summer I caught 13 -so I know it is something many raccoons like. Good luck and so very sorry about your loss.

PS I always have put my turtles in night-time pens because of the raccoon problem in my area (I live on the edge of town). I never take chances. Please look at my YouTube video to see my pens. username- boxturtlefriend.

Tess

PS I remember one raccoon was very smart and hard to catch. It would reach in and somehow trigger the door shut and then it would reach in and take pieces of bread and jam. I had to enclose the trap with hardware cloth so it could not reach in. It was so big I couldn't cary the trap! Only dh could lift it.

The jam was usually grape.

Thanks - I will try that. It hasn't gone for the anchovies, yet. I am going to get it, if its the last thing I do. A couple of those turtles I have had for 15 plus years, they always ran up to the front of the enclosure, and were so very friendly.

Wow sorry to hear about the coons....guess I'm lucky..... don't have any predators messing with my critters. I did though when I lived in rural AZ. Marshmallows worked really good for catching coons and skunks.
-----
Vichris
"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane"- Marcus Aurelius

Oh YES! I forgot the marshmallows. I always put them on top of the jam!

They were that sweet? That is so sad-so I hope you get the raccoon soon. Good luck! Tess

As far as I can tell, it hasn't showed up again. I have two traps with both anchovies and bread with strawberry jelly set. I cut a tall hibiscus by the fence down, so maybe he hasn't figured out a way to get in. I am not keeping my gard down. Its the time of year when the females are laying, so I have to go out every half an hour or so at night, until they get finished.

I will try the marshmellows as well.

Bill

I had two raccoons last year, and one this year put on the "raccoon witness relocation" program. Wet cat food works fine, and I move them about 2 miles away. Live trap.

Just a quick update. First of all thank you for all of the suggestions. Well it hasn't showed up agian - I have neither seen it, or any of the sign that it has been around. I can only hope that it moved to another place, or died. I am vigilant though, and put away, and locked up in their house my Flavos, Hermanns and woods every night - at least I can sleep better.

Thanks again,

Bill