predators

[jason]

hello all i am in the process of building a large outdoor enclosure for red foot torts i have a smaller out door enclosure for the torts i presently own (also rf) and it has a cover so predators cant get in but i plan to get some larger rf's i live in south florida and i know we have a bunch of racoons around my neighborhood i was wondering if anyone could offer some advice
ever had any problems with predators?
how do u deal with the threat?
any advice would be greatly appreciated

____________________________
Jason, Michelle, Jade
red foots 0.2.0 i think is middle unknown sex?
Dr. Rodney Mckay
Dr. Samantha Carter

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Jason:

So far, knock on wood, the raccoons haven't come onto my property. At various times I've seen coyotes, foxes, raccoons and opossums in my neighborhood, but the only critters that come on the property are the opossum. The 'possum are transitory, that is, they come back for a couple days, then they move on. I have a dog in the back yard and maybe her smell keeps the critters away, I don't know.

In Sacramento, a lady I know has a barking dog and a sprinkler critter chaser. They are both electronic, battery operated and sense motion. So if the barking dog detects motion, the unit sends out great big german shephard type barks. The sprinkler one also works on motion. It looks like a crow, kinda' cute. When it detects motion it turns on the rain-bird type sprinkler. Only problem with that one is you have to dedicate a hose and faucet to it.

I go around every evening and make sure all the turtles and tortoises are in their houses and I pick up any uneaten food and toss it.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I know a guy in this town who had a Sulcata he said weighed around 150 pounds who slept out in the yard all Spring and Summer until one Spring the guy got up to find his Sulcata had been eaten, his head and neck. We have raccoons coyotes and mountain lions...take yer pick as to who did it...

I was taught and always do make sure Bob is in his shed and the door is locked (human predators). All my others are indoor animals...

 

[jackrat]

Rat terrier patrol.

 

[Hustler]

Ive seen racoons up here do some wicked damage to smaller animals.... If I had a pen outside it would be good enough to house a small ape inside just so i could sleep at night... Chicken wire over and under everything....

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

We place metal screen covers on all our hatchlings pens for safety!

 

[Jacob]

I Also Place Metal Screens Over My Litttle Guys Pen

 

[cdmay]

Hi Jacob,
I am down in south Florida and while we get possums all the time in my neighborhood raccoons are less common.
But we still get them and I can often see where they have been getting at the tortoise food during the night. They enjoy crapping in the tortoise water dishes as well.
When we get them I put out a Hav-a-Heart trap for a night or two and then remove the ones we catch to a wildlife sanctuary.
And yet I have never had a raccoon bother any of my adult tortoises and one time I even found a possum curled up and sleeping with one of my tortoises inside the tortoise house. That was pretty weird...
Like Aldabraman and others though, I too keeping anything under 6 inches in a screened enclosure that is too heavy for a 'coon to lift.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

 

[dabayliss]

Hey Jason,

Good to see you have Samantha as well now
The way -I- deal with the threat is make sure the tortoises are inside under lock-and-key by nightfall .. this is probably -over- protective - but I would feel horrible if anything happened.
If you do a google there are a number of good outdoor enclosure sites. The more robust recommend having wire mesh 6 inches underground, joining to the edges of the pen (which also go down six inches). On top more wire mesh (as the people here have shown) ...

 

[jason]

thank you all so much for your help!



__________________
Jason

 

[NEtorts]

i use an electric fence that runs along the top of my fence, anything trys to climb over gets a zap.... its worked so far, it is on a timer that comes on after dark and shuts of in the early morning so I dont zap myself or kids....

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

i use an electric fence that runs along the top of my fence, anything trys to climb over gets a zap.... its worked so far, it is on a timer that comes on after dark and shuts of in the early morning so I dont zap myself or kids....

I like that idea, however I live in residential neighborhood and it is against code. My luck I would get sued!

 

[cdmay]

i use an electric fence that runs along the top of my fence, anything trys to climb over gets a zap.... its worked so far, it is on a timer that comes on after dark and shuts of in the early morning so I dont zap myself or kids....

A good friend of mine has electric fences around his tortoise enclosures. But the raccoons, foxes and even bobcats(!) soon learned how to avoid them and they still occasionally take a smaller tortoise or two. But then again, it deters at least a few of them.

 

[EricIvins]

1 - A .22 works fairly well, and is permanent........

2 - Predator proof everything, then learn just how smart those animals are, and re-predator proof a week or two after.......

Electric fences don't work - Been there, done that........I've had Raccoons dig under the fence to avoid the wire.......

A Dog may or may not work.......Even the best Raccoon Dogs fall asleep on the job.......

Did I mention a .22?