The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #69043   Message #1171410
Posted By: SueB
26-Apr-04 - 01:13 PM
Thread Name: BS: Animals Wanting In
Subject: RE: BS: Animals Wanting In
My husband left a trap set on the place one time, then went away for a few days. I went down to check on it and found a frantic raccoon in the trap, and no husband to deal with it. Let me just say that before you trap the wild animal in the cage, it would be good to have a plan for what to do with it once you've got it. Thick leather gloves are a good idea, so are burlap sacks or a tarp or something to wrap around the cage so you can handle it without being bitten or scratched by the occupant. They're very frightened - they don't get that your intentions are good. Also, they can find their way back from farther than 5 miles, sometimes - my husband trapped a family of raccoons, mom and dad and two little ones, and released them eight miles away at Whiskey Creek. They were back in a couple of days. (He used chocolate covered donuts for bait.)

With animals that chew, I've had good luck using furniture polish as a deterrent. I cured a house rabbit of chewing on the electrical cords by spraying them with lemon pledge, and cured a passel of puppies of chewing on the garden hose also by spraying it with lemon pledge. They sell a product at pet stores called Bitter Apple which is supposed to be non-toxic but very bad tasting and smelling for that purpose, but it doesn't work.

Gypsy's suggestion is the best, if your county extension agent is a good one. Our county agent out here isn't worth the price of the bullet to shoot him with.