Raccoons

[Siren Nora]

I recently moved from Arizona to California. Excited that my lil NomNom would finally love in an environment where it's naturally humid. She seemed to be in heaven. Until the other day I noticed she was acting really shy, dipping into her shell very quickly. Then I stated to notice her storage bin type house started to move. Must be a cat I said, so I put a few bricks on top.
Again she's acting really skidish and her bricks are now being moved with the house. What is out here doing this??? We took our dogs out for a walk last night and noticed raccoons in the neighborhood.
That has to be it. Damn it!! I left snakes and mosquitos for spiders and raccoons? I'm not sure what kind of drama NomNom has been through, but now I'm a freak! Going out often checking up on her. We built her a closed enclosed home that we use when it gets cold and when it rains, but she has tantrums. She loves being outside.
My question to you is this desert rat doesn't know the first thing about keeping raccoons away from my baby. As it's getting colder she will be spending more time in her "turtle tank." I still plan in letting her enjoy being outside in the day until winter.

 

[WillTort2]

Raccoons can be very aggressive predators. I do not think you can keep them away; but you can build to keep them out.

 

[Tom]

I would use a large indoor closed chamber for cold days and nights and use the large outdoor enclosure for fair weather days.

Once your tortoise is 8-10" and you want to leave it outside all the time I would use one of these and put a latch on the door with a padlock.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/another-night-box-thread.88966/

 

[Tom]

And where are you in CA that its humid? Its dry as a bone out here. Phoenix has more humidity in summer than we have here.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

There are other posts on dealing with raccoons. Search them out. They can and will make a meal out of your tortoise.

 

[Star-of-India]

Tom's plans for padlocked night boxes is no doubt the way to go unless you can dream up a way to effectively exclude raccoons from your tort's pen/yard. In most environments where raccoons are found there is no way to effectively exclude them from yards or pens. Although electric fencing around pens will help.

I've noted a lot of people advising trapping them. Well, you might get a 'problem' raccoon out of your yard on occasion and have won one battle, but you can never win the war as the 'ranks' of raccoons are legion. One or several go and there are plenty to step in for them. I'm not against trapping or killing them, just think it's a waste of time.

I've trapped and killed skunks which were taking turkey and goose eggs when I used to raise them and it does stop the problem for a while. You just can't ever let your guard down.

 

[enchilada]

racoons just ate my 3 toed box turtle while i was on vacation.
i bought some traps and will start my revenge soon

 

[leigti]

racoons just ate my 3 toed box turtle while i was on vacation.
i bought some traps and will start my revenge soon

I am so sorry to hear that, how devastating. I would be I rate, I hope you catch that little bugger. Sorry about your turtle.

 

[kathyth]

I live in Southern Calif. With the same predators. My tortoises are in at night and out during the day. We make super secure enclosures, using wood, cememt and hardware cloth. A mouse can't get in.
I would never feel that trapping and removing will temove the problem. I don't think the predators to our torts are going anywhere. Build well.

 

[bigred]

I had a racoon bite my box turtles tail off years ago, I realize that was my fault. Bring them in at night and build a good enclosure. To me racoons are just big rats and can be trapped or killed, problem is more will be along to replace them

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

I have racoons, and my russian NEVER, EVER stays out. His enclosure is not predator proofed, and he's still small enough that a racoon/possum could easily lift him
Racoons are smart, aggressive animals, and there is isn't much you can do about them besides trapping and relocating them, but I think they'd just come back.

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

View attachment 99914
I live in Southern Calif. With the same predators. My tortoises are in at night and out during the day. We make super secure enclosures, using wood, cememt and hardware cloth. A mouse can't get in.
I would never feel that trapping and removing will temove the problem. I don't think the predators to our torts are going anywhere. Build well.

That looks awesome, kathyth! Dream enclosures for my turtles and torts right there