Raccoons and Armadillos (1 Viewer)

[Amalgam]

Hello,

I do not want to sound mean but I am thinking about using electricity around the trunk of the tree so the raccoons and/or armadillos (I do not wich one is the delinquent) cannot get to my bird feeders. But I do not know how to do it and what would be the things that I should be concerned about. I just started in this hobby and I al ready want to quit. Can somebody help me.

 

[DFW Urban Wildlife]

It may be raccoons, but it is definitely not armadillos! What exactly is happening to your feeders?

 

[Amalgam]

It may be raccoons, but it is definitely not armadillos! What exactly is happening to your feeders?

The food disapears completely overnight in all feeders.

 

[amkid247]

it could be anything from raccoons to rats to deer to flying squirrels. most likely raccoons though they love to eat. before doing something drastic try to look around for poop. if you see deer poop its probably deer. but if u see no poop try pulling an all nighter or if thats not possible hang the feeder a bit higher so that deer cant get it, and but you should definately buy a squirrel resistant feeder so that nothing can eat the food except for birds =]

 

[JeffMoh]

Possible culprits

It sounds like raccoons or squirrels or possums. If the food diasappears at night, squirrels are less likely to be the cause.

One possibility would be to take down your feeders at night and put them up again each morning. This would be a nuisance but you might get rid of the "pest(s)" if you do this for a few weeks, and maybe you could then start leaving the feeders up all the time again. This worked for me when I had a similar problem in California some years ago.

Whatever you do, don't give up!

Jeff

 

[DFW Urban Wildlife]

Height will defeat the deer, a squirrel proof feeder will defeat the squirrels, and hanging the feeder on the smallest, most isolated branch possible might help with the raccoons. However, raccoons are known for finding a way!

 

[amkid247]

It sounds like raccoons or squirrels or possums. If the food diasappears at night, squirrels are less likely to be the cause.

i meant flying squirrels, anyway if you get a Squirrel Be Gone feeder it would defeat any heavy animal that needs to hang in order to eat out of the feeder because theres a weight sensitive cage that falls over and blocks the feeding ports! i have the squirrel be gone feeder (original) and i love it and i am very satisfied. its the first feeder that ive been able to actually stop squirrels, the local raccoons and oppossums, and it also prevents a bunch of heavy starlings eating at one time and leaving no room for my chickadees.

 

[Gillian_M]

When I had problems with raccoons visiting, I would find my feeder on the ground in the morning, smashed open, with the seed all gone. Twice I heard it fall to the ground in the middle of the night and when I got up with the flashlight, sure enough it was the 'coons.

I had to bring in my feeder at night for a few nights, but eventually they came back several weeks later.

 

[Judybird]

I live just south of you - My guess is raccoons. I hung a wind chime and heard them one evening, about 10 pm. I looked out withe a flashlight and I saw Mama raccoon hanging over the shepherds hook with a hand/paw on each end of my feeder. She was dumping out the seed through the feeder holes down to two babies. They were so cute, I no longer minded the late night raids. I just don't fill the feeders until the morning. My daytime visitors clean out the feeder in about a day, so I wait to refill.

If you learned how to combat the Armadillo's - I'd like to know. They don't bother the feeders but they have torn up my butterfly garden and every bed around the house. I scared them off with a hose and I am considering a motion sensor sprayer when we get out of our spring drought. Until then, I'm not sure what to do. Trapping is expensive and we have so many around the area.

 

[Abbygirl]

There are safe racoon traps out their to not kill the racoon so you can set it free in the wild. Here is a link if you are interested. http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/raccoon.htm

There are option's out their, to handle the racoon. But please to not quit. If you can find out where the racoons are living. Like we use to have racoons living in our backyard and then we boarded up the area and they moved along and never came back. They use to live underneath our shed I think it is called. But because its now boarded up with wood or fencing. They are no longer their. And haven't come back since then. Good luck! But please do not give up. It will be worth it.

 

[amkid247]

you need a liscence in order to use traps on animals in most states. and before we trap a confused little animal and move it away. try baffles, electric fences, and squirrel proof feeders.