Varmint(s) under the house

:> :Get a humane trap from animal control. Decide what to do with the :> :animal after it is in the trap. My mom used to relocate possum and :> :racoons. You can do it :o) :>

:> OK, I may go this route. Again, I'd have to do it until at least a day :> passes with no footprints. I've never relocated a varmint before, but I :> figure I can locate a free trap here in Berkeley, where we celebrate the :> human conscience... sometimes to a fault. :>

:> Dan :>

: : :Of course, you could just ID the footprint. Maybe it's nothing to be :concerned about. : :

Out of all those, I'd have to say Racoon. However, they didn't show housecat or possum, both of which seem possible hearabouts. It's hard to tell from what I'm seeing. I did see several racoons in the neighborhood a couple of months ago early one morning before sunrise. And, of course, there's loads of cats, including ferral cats around here. I've also seen possums, including one in my kitchen some years ago. I stared it down and subsequently eliminated his/her points of entry.

Dan

Since trap and removal isn't possible here in Berkeley, I'll have to do something else.

Poison isn't an option. Even if it were, you have no guarantee that the animal(s) will/won't die under the house, maybe even in a place I can't access. That would be a REAL problem.

I just decided what will almost surely work:

I'll make a door that has something like a cat-door, but will allow only egress, not ingress. I have a lot of wire screen, stiff stuff, about

Once a couple of days go by and there are no prints, I can affix my permanent door. Or, even affix the screen tightly to the door on there, actually. Should any other access become available to an animal in the future, I can reseal the other access and then reuse the swinging door in the elimination scenario.

Dan

clipped

I looked at the little bit of the link to CA info. Some reference to trapping if there is a health or safety issue. Worth checking if the animal is a threat to residents or pets, IMO.

If it is a racoon, it will either unscrew the hinges or just grab the wire mesh and open it. I have watched them open coolers.

Raccoons are far too clever for that to work. They can grab and pull and lift just like you can. I once had a cat door that required the cat to wear a magnet on its collar to get in. The raccoons figured out how to defeat it and come into the house. The then taught other raccoons.

A raccoon will just open the door both ways, grateful that other dumber animals will be kept out.

When you called your animal control department today, what did you find out about removing the animal?

Chuckle. That's fer sure. I had to raise my bird feeder and suet feeder, because they were standing on the deck rail, holding onto skinny bird feeder pole with one hand, and unhooking doors to suet feeder with other hand. Tried to get a picture next time he came back, but I was laughing too hard, and it came out blurry. He looked just like a 2 year old kid, trying to get the cookie jar out of the high cabinet. When he heard me laughing through the cracked-open sliding door, he waddled over bold as brass, and assumed the standard puppy begging posture. Obviously totally unafraid of humans.

I can't find it in me to get too mad at the raccoons- they are what they are, and they are just so damn cute. (Unlike possums- what was mother nature thinking with that one?. And I'd cheerfully kill my moles, even though I have never actually seen them.)

aem sends...

:> :> :Get a humane trap from animal control. Decide what to do with the :> :> :animal after it is in the trap. My mom used to relocate possum and :> :> :racoons. You can do it :o) :> :>

:> :> OK, I may go this route. Again, I'd have to do it until at least a day :> :> passes with no footprints. I've never relocated a varmint before, but I :> :> figure I can locate a free trap here in Berkeley, where we celebrate :> the :> :> human conscience... sometimes to a fault. :> :>

:> :> Dan :> :>

:> : :> : :> :Of course, you could just ID the footprint. Maybe it's nothing to be :> :concerned about. :> : :> :

:> Out of all those, I'd have to say Racoon. However, they didn't show :> housecat or possum, both of which seem possible hearabouts. It's hard to :> tell from what I'm seeing. I did see several racoons in the neighborhood :> a couple of months ago early one morning before sunrise. And, of course, :> there's loads of cats, including ferral cats around here. I've also seen :> possums, including one in my kitchen some years ago. I stared it down :> and subsequently eliminated his/her points of entry. :>

:> Dan : : :When you called your animal control department today, what did you find out :about removing the animal?

I did not call them. I figure there's not much point, but I may. Anyway, I have a plan that (if executed properly) should solve the problem -- a portal that allows egress but no ingress.

Dan

:Dan_Musicant wrote: : :>Since trap and removal isn't possible here in Berkeley, I'll have to do :>something else. :>

:>Poison isn't an option. Even if it were, you have no guarantee that the :>animal(s) will/won't die under the house, maybe even in a place I can't :>access. That would be a REAL problem. :>

:>I just decided what will almost surely work: :>

:>I'll make a door that has something like a cat-door, but will allow only :>egress, not ingress. I have a lot of wire screen, stiff stuff, about :>3/8" mesh. I'll make a swinging door, mounted from the top so that it :>will swing out easily when pushed. The animal can easily see the light :>of day through the wire mesh one-way door. The animal will surely push :>on it when it gets desperate to go out, which it surely will. Once out, :>any such animal won't be able to get back in because the door can only :>be pushed open by the animal from the inside, not lifted open from the :>outside, such as I can do. :>

:>Once a couple of days go by and there are no prints, I can affix my :>permanent door. Or, even affix the screen tightly to the door on there, :>actually. Should any other access become available to an animal in the :>future, I can reseal the other access and then reuse the swinging door :>in the elimination scenario. :>

:>Dan :> :>

:If it is a racoon, it will either unscrew the hinges or just grab the :wire mesh and open it. I have watched them open coolers.

Ah, well, thanks everyone for educating me on the nature of racoons. I had no idea they are so clever. Obviously, I'll have to do something more if it is racoon(s), and I figure there's a darn good chance it is. I could use the plan and see if it works, and if it doesn't go to plan B or C.

I hear that racoons can be nasty when confronted, so that makes me nervous about entering the space (from an alternate, my favorite entrance) with a flashlight with the intention of shooing the animal(s) out. I don't relish the idea of fending off an attacking racoon!!

Don't know what to do, in that event. Thinking cap back on... suggestions? Thanks.

Dan

Not much point? Why? Hopefully, you're not basing that decision on anything anyone here has said about Berkeley. The animal control department exists for a reason.

Tell them the raccoon has been wandering around in the middle of the day and acting strange. They'll dispatch someone very quickly.

I have chased one around the house with a broom. They aren't aggressive, but I wouldn't corner one. If you always leave them a direction to escape in, you can shoo them. One of my raccoons was only a third grown and cute as a kitten. Leaving it napping in the laundry room, I looked up raccoons on Google, and learned that they domesticate well, but tend to bite random visitors and then you can be sued for keeping a wild animal in your house, so I chased it outside.

:> :> :> :Get a humane trap from animal control. Decide what to do with the :> :> :> :animal after it is in the trap. My mom used to relocate possum and :> :> :> :racoons. You can do it :o) :> :> :>

:> :> :> OK, I may go this route. Again, I'd have to do it until at least a :> day :> :> :> passes with no footprints. I've never relocated a varmint before, :> but I :> :> :> figure I can locate a free trap here in Berkeley, where we celebrate :> :> the :> :> :> human conscience... sometimes to a fault. :> :> :>

:> :> :> Dan :> :> :>

:> :> : :> :> : :> :> :Of course, you could just ID the footprint. Maybe it's nothing to be :> :> :concerned about. :> :> : :> :> :

:> :> Out of all those, I'd have to say Racoon. However, they didn't show :> :> housecat or possum, both of which seem possible hearabouts. It's hard :> to :> :> tell from what I'm seeing. I did see several racoons in the :> neighborhood :> :> a couple of months ago early one morning before sunrise. And, of :> course, :> :> there's loads of cats, including ferral cats around here. I've also :> seen :> :> possums, including one in my kitchen some years ago. I stared it down :> :> and subsequently eliminated his/her points of entry. :> :>

:> :> Dan :> : :> : :> :When you called your animal control department today, what did you find :> out :> :about removing the animal? :>

:> I did not call them. I figure there's not much point, but I may. Anyway, :> I have a plan that (if executed properly) should solve the problem -- a :> portal that allows egress but no ingress. :>

:> Dan :>

: : :Not much point? Why? Hopefully, you're not basing that decision on anything :anyone here has said about Berkeley. The animal control department exists :for a reason. : :Tell them the raccoon has been wandering around in the middle of the day and :acting strange. They'll dispatch someone very quickly.

You're right. I'm going to call them tomorrow (Monday). They may be helpful and I have nothing to lose. Besides, my plan looks tougher than I figured. People say that racoons (chances are fair to good it IS a racoon) are clever enough to get back in with my hinged door plan.

:> I hear that racoons can be nasty when confronted, so that makes me :> nervous about entering the space (from an alternate, my favorite :> entrance) with a flashlight with the intention of shooing the :> animal(s) out. I don't relish the idea of fending off an attacking :> racoon!! : :I have chased one around the house with a broom. They aren't :aggressive, but I wouldn't corner one. If you always leave them a :direction to escape in, you can shoo them. : One of my raccoons was only a third grown and cute as a kitten. :Leaving it napping in the laundry room, I looked up raccoons on Google, :and learned that they domesticate well, but tend to bite random :visitors and then you can be sued for keeping a wild animal in your :house, so I chased it outside.

OK, so I guess I can try entering the crawl space from my alternative entrance (which I keep latched shut, normally), with a flashlight and try to find the animal(s) and shoo it/them out.

That would be a lot easier than the plan I thought of this morning, which is definitely plan C but seems likely to work:

Plan C:

Lay down slick, waterproof paper of some kind with some substance on it that will cause the animal(s) to leave tracks. Have white paper just beyond this tracking substance, so that I can see the tracks and determine what direction the animal(s) goes. With this I can figure out whether it's a racoon, or whatever, presumably. I can also know whether the animal has just entered or exited. If just exited, close the door. This works if it's just one animal. If there's more than one, it seems problematical.

Dan

I didn't read the door plan, but maybe you should design it to keep people out. That'll take care of raccoons.

Give an avenue of escape and the animal will likely take it as an exit. Have pistol ready. The same principle is used a in police and prison work during riots. Never pin a racoon in a corner!

Plan C might include a fluorescent powder or such that shows under a black light. This has been used to identify culprits; shine a "black light" and the powder will light up. Follow the tracks.

Racoons are very smart. My FIL has an ongoing battle with them. He uses a baited small animal live trap, and keeps needing to re-engineer the trap because the racoons figure out how to release the catch and escape from it.

Una

You've already spent wayyyyy too much time worrying about it. Get a pellet gun, flashlight, and a six pack, and skip your favorite TV shows one night. Then, wall off your ingress/egress point, and be done with it.

If, of course, they were really, really smart perhaps they wouldn't get themselves _in_ the trap to begin with... :)

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