A mama raccoon seemed to think underneath our shed was a good place to den up and have some babies. It was fine with us for awhile because they really only came out at night- we'd hear them playing in the tree outside or climbing the fence in the middle of the dark morning hours, but never saw them, never had an issue with them really!
Until, a couple weeks ago when one of our neighbor's chickens was killed by a raccoon (probably mom up there at the top!) and then they started leaving piles of poop in my garden (oh no they di'int!) And THEN on Saturday during a nice afternoon playing fetch with our dog Otis, mama raccoon came out in full defense mode, puffed up and snarling at Otis, ready to attack! Good thing he's bigger and scarier and snarled right back. We got him away and scared her back into the den before he got bit or scratched, but that was too close of a call and we realized our little hippie harmony existed no longer.
Maybe they overheard us leaving a desperate message for a humane trapper guy to come help, because on Sunday, mama raccoon and all four of her babies high-tailed it out of their den in the middle of the afternoon and I found them up in our neighbors tree! We took the opportunity to block the entrance to their den so they couldn't get back in- we read that's a good way to get rid of them as raccoon families know of 4-5 dens in every neighborhood and will just move on to the next when one is "compromised", so to speak.
Mama raccoon watched from the tree the whole time and seemed to know what was going on (this casa no es su casa, no more). And later I saw them all head off over another fence and beyond. Hopefully they've moved onto a new den already because I really don't want to have someone come trap them :( I'd rather they find a new safe home on their own!
First bees, then raccoons. Can we just have the backyard to ourselves for awhile, please? Do you have any raccoon stories? Do share!
A few years ago I saw a strange creature crossing a busy street in the middle of the day and my first instinct was to call the local news and report a baboon sighting (this is in the middle of New Hampshire)
As i got closer I realized it was a raccoon, but was walking in a way that made me thing it had rage, I mean rabies.
Posted by: Laura | Jun 13, 2011 at 10:03 AM
What an adventure!
Posted by: Willo | Jun 13, 2011 at 10:15 AM
I've only seen raccoons in pictures (I live in Spain, no raccoons here. Actually when I saw the first picture I thought what a strange cat you have :-)
I'd love to see them in reality, they are so cute! I hope they are now installed in a new den.
Posted by: Laura | Jun 13, 2011 at 10:16 AM
My grandparents used to have a farm in Kentucky and my sister and I would go spend a few weeks each summer with them there. We climbed trees, pulled weeds in grandma's veggie patch and road on the tractor with grandpa.
One summer grandpa found a tiny raccoon baby.Its eyes were still closed and its momma was nowhere in sight. Grandpa, the ol' softie, brought the raccoon baby back to the house. We called him bandit and bottle feed him until he was big enough to handle things on his own.
He would ride around in the front pocket of my overalls. It was the best summer ever!
Posted by: Jessica | Jun 13, 2011 at 10:28 AM
We live in a bit of a country setting so we see all kinds of critters. No personal raccoon stories though at this house.
However, I did used to have a crazy neighbor lady who LOVED raccoons. She fed them bags of cat food and they would come up on her porch and eat. It was very cute and all, but it did make them quite brazen and a little scary. If you stood on her back porch, you could see paths cut all through her grass where they would walk b/c I guess it's their nature to travel single file. She also adopted an orphan baby raccoon one summer and released him with the "troop" when he was big enough. I got to pet him! They're neat. But still scare me a bit b/c they really have personal boundary issues, if you ask me.
Posted by: Cassandra | Jun 13, 2011 at 10:29 AM
No raccoons, but we've got three baby skunks living under our front porch right now! We're hoping to block up their home and let them find a new hone - but we live in the country so I'm sure they'd just find a new home not too far away. We've got three kitties who like to cat around out there and a dog who would love to chase the baby skunks so we know we've got to do something soon. But, unfortunately skunks just aren't a good situation (adorable as they are)!
Posted by: Amy | Jun 13, 2011 at 10:31 AM
No racoons here in the UK...the closest I can get is the pigeon outside my mum and dad's house this morning that looked like it was casing the joint!
Posted by: Clare Pirie | Jun 13, 2011 at 10:38 AM
Man, your place is a regular Planet Earth episode Jena! What's next...crocodiles? snakes? (God forbid!)
Glad Otis didn't get into a rumble and that the cats stay indoors!
Posted by: AcanthusNichole | Jun 13, 2011 at 11:08 AM
awesome!! wonderful little find in your garden!!
Posted by: Claire | Jun 13, 2011 at 11:40 AM
My oldest brother had a pet raccoon when he was a kid. He raised it from a little kit, and it was always really friendly and cute. Then one day it just turned into a snarling, wild creature, and bit him for no reason. After that it was adios, raccoon.
Posted by: Kelly | Jun 13, 2011 at 11:46 AM
So funny. I live in NE over by Irving Park. We have both raccoon and possum visitors. The weird thing is they come out during the day which I assumed they didn't do. A few weeks ago we were grilling in our backyard and a raccoon peeked its head out from behind a bush near us, looked at us for awhile, and then skipped through our backyard. I am a little worried about getting chickens for this reason...
Posted by: jenny | Jun 13, 2011 at 01:18 PM
I totally love all animals and so when we had a visit from 2 young raccoons I was excited. The problem was we also have 8 rabbits outside in a huge hutch/house. I'm sure that's why they came. It's a fort and made just so these guys can't get in. It would be a real shame to be rescued only to be eaten alive. Anyway, I rescued the bunnies from a local Wildlife Center so I figured I'd ask them how to deal with this little issue. They got in a few fights and the sound was intense and also scared the bunnies. We also found them fishing in our pond and knocking over rocks and things at night. The Center told me to have my husband pee all around the property and guess what! It's been a week and no little fuzzy bandits running around our place. Seems that a large, male, testosterone filled mammal on site is enough to send them packing. It was free too!
Posted by: Stephanie | Jun 13, 2011 at 03:05 PM
Raccoons are mean--which is too bad, b/c they're so cute. It's like they have little costumes on! Masks and gloves to boot!
We ran in to a particularly mean one as we descended down a long flight of stairs. He saw us, we saw him; then, the staring contest began. I tried to scare him. But he got totally pissed off and charged at us! So we booked it back up the stairs and walked about 6 blocks out of our way (just so we wouldn't run in to him again).
Raccoons always win.
Posted by: Karl T. | Jun 13, 2011 at 03:16 PM
Oh my gosh they're so CUTE! (Aussie here, never seen one 'in the flesh'). But we had similar problems with possums when we lived in the city... cute but annoying!
Posted by: Jess | Jun 13, 2011 at 04:06 PM
They are so cute but so mean. And skunks are so cute but so smelly. It's a shame. But I guess it keeps them wild. Glad to hear you avoided having them trapped thus far.
Posted by: C | Jun 13, 2011 at 04:21 PM
oh my goodness, you got some great shots of them. i know they're pesky but they sure are adorable!
Posted by: Down and Out Chic | Jun 13, 2011 at 05:07 PM
Oh no, those little guys can be ruthless! Cute but ruthless.
Posted by: Shirley | Jun 13, 2011 at 07:26 PM
oh my goodness. I'm a city girl, and this would scare the hell out of me! Great shots, though!
Posted by: Emily | Jun 13, 2011 at 08:22 PM
two stories!
the last time i went camping, after dusk we were eating with a HUGE fire going and three raccoons came up, walked right by the fire up to where i was eating. the only way i scared them away was getting on the picnic table and banging pots and pans together. so then i go to bed and my boyfriend who was the "camping expert" (meaning he went camping all the time growing up whereas to me camping is being in the woods in a cabin with a hot tub) thought it was okay to bring a cup of roobios tea in. i woke up to the sound of something ripping. put my hand up and felt a claw - i'm SURE it was one of the raccoons. i woke my bf up and we started rocking to make the tent shake. so earlier that night, right as the sun went down we heard coyotes howling (which was a first for me). ten minutes after i had touched a little claw, we hear little feet pattering around our tent and sounds like a dog panting! so now i really don't like raccons (although your pictures ARE really cute) but i like coyotes cos i think they scared the raccons away finally that night.
second story didn't happen to me but one of my regulars at an old coffee shop i worked at came in one morning. we were chatting and he was like "yeah so this raccoon came into my apartment last night" and i'm like WHAAAAT. apparently he and his girlfriend were making dinner with the window to their fire escape open when a raccoon came through the window and started eating their cat's food!! they lived on the third floor in the middle of san francisco (but i guess there was a park right next to their building that they knew raccoons lived in).
raccoons are crazy.
Posted by: danielle | Jun 13, 2011 at 09:16 PM
raccoons invaded our campsite once while my sweetie was cooking bacon. i jumped onto the table and screamed as the family of raccoons invaded our campsite and made brian promise never to make bacon again in the dark while camping. i thought it was just the smell of bacon, but i guess it's any kinda cooking.
i'm happy that no one got hurt! they are cute but meanies.
i hope that the summer brings no one animal invasions into your backyard! ha
Posted by: julz | Jun 13, 2011 at 09:37 PM
You can get skunks "de-skunked" and legally keep them as pets in some states, my friend had one. They're kind of like a cross between cats and dogs.
Posted by: Haley | Jun 13, 2011 at 10:12 PM
A raccoon killed our dear sweet chicken, Dawn Henlay last October :( Still so bummed out over it!
Posted by: Nicole | Jun 14, 2011 at 08:47 AM
We have a Momma and some babies living in our garage right now. First they were under our deck up against the basement window which gave us some great raccoon baby viewing. They really are cute and we've made a pact. We won't bother them if they don't bother us, and when they are ready we will say goodbye and they will move on. So far it's working out. Fingers crossed.
Posted by: Crafting A Home | Jun 14, 2011 at 10:14 AM
oh my gosh that is great! who knew! I am totally going to get my boyfriend to pee in my yard. The raccoons love my yard, and they seem to be hanging out during the day now, which I am not so fond of. Thanks for the tip!
Posted by: Leah | Jun 14, 2011 at 12:58 PM
I live in NE PDX and we have lots of raccoon and possum. My huge outdoor cat is about the size of a raccoon, but fortunately he does not pick fights with them. I have seen him sit back calmly as a raccoon washes his hands in his water bowl and feasts on the cat's food. Ridiculous. Makes me worry. But clearly the cat knows how to pick and choose his battles.
It seems like the raccoons have been coming out during the day a lot this year. What is up with that?! I don't get it.
We have one neighborhood raccoon that has only 3 legs and no tail. I wonder how he survived whatever mauled him! All the neighbors have seen him, hes something of a neighborhood legend :)
One morning I woke up and thought I saw a tumbleweed in my backyard (which makes no sense at all, I have a very small fenced in yard with trees and grass, not "tumbleweed" material) It was very early and I was a bit confused. But then I realized there was a momma raccoon eating the cat food and her babies were playing with each other while she ate. When she was done the tumbleweed of raccoon fluff separated and they all waddled off single file behind their mom. SO CUTE!!!
Posted by: Leah | Jun 14, 2011 at 01:09 PM
I'm totally going to be the voice of doom here.. Be careful/hygienic when cleaning up raccoon poop. Portland raccoons have a high incidence of Baylisascaris procyonis (google at own risk), which is a creepy roundworm parasite that is transmittable to humans--and it's not a good parasite, let's just say. We had a problem with mystery poop in our yard, then we did far too much research and totally freaked ourselves out. I'm sorry to share, but I sort of felt like I had to!
Posted by: cheyenne | Jun 14, 2011 at 11:13 PM
I'm not too fond of raccoons after they've lived in the attic space of two homes we've owned (in Eugene and Portland). We tried to entrap them humanely but ended up catching every other living creature around. We sought help from a "professional" raccoon catcher (who was missing some teeth and referred to raccoons as s.o.b.s.). He wasn't too successful. We finally were able to get the raccoons to leave, but then the flea infestation followed! It was a nightmare!
Posted by: Cathy McMurray | Jun 14, 2011 at 11:33 PM
My raccoon story is on my blog. With pictures too!
http://forbiddenfalls.blogspot.com/2011/03/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner.html
Posted by: Raccoon Keith | Jun 21, 2011 at 05:14 PM