To feed or not to feed
December 24, 2011 6:37 PM Subscribe
We recently moved into a new house out in the "country". After setting up some bird and squirrel feeders, we realized that we had raccoons coming out to feed in our backyard at night. We had a few discussions about discouraging said raccoons. So should we or should we not be putting out food for them? What are the upsides and downsides of doing this?
Right now, we are setting out special food for them after dark. We started doing this so that I could watch them through our beautiful picture window. I have been leaving out fresh corn, pears or sliced bananas that have started to brown. The corn and the pears, I tie to some string hanging several inches off the ground so that I can watch them eat. The bananas I place in a large heavy ceramic dish on the deck. I have noticed that when I do offer them food (we don't do this every night) they leave the bird feeders alone. If I don't offer food, they empty the bird feeders onto the ground.
Concerns for why not to do it-
Disease- We have three dogs, who very infrequently go out into the backyard (we have a side yard where they do their "business" ).
Diet- feeding the raccoons an unhealthy diet.
Ummm, honestly anything else that you can think of that would negatively effect either them or us?
Ok, and any reasons why we should do it?
Right now, we are setting out special food for them after dark. We started doing this so that I could watch them through our beautiful picture window. I have been leaving out fresh corn, pears or sliced bananas that have started to brown. The corn and the pears, I tie to some string hanging several inches off the ground so that I can watch them eat. The bananas I place in a large heavy ceramic dish on the deck. I have noticed that when I do offer them food (we don't do this every night) they leave the bird feeders alone. If I don't offer food, they empty the bird feeders onto the ground.
Concerns for why not to do it-
Disease- We have three dogs, who very infrequently go out into the backyard (we have a side yard where they do their "business" ).
Diet- feeding the raccoons an unhealthy diet.
Ummm, honestly anything else that you can think of that would negatively effect either them or us?
Ok, and any reasons why we should do it?
The only upside to feeding racoons is more racoons. Don't do this; racoons are vermin.
Hang your birdfeeders somewhere they can't get to them.
posted by mhoye at 6:42 PM on December 24, 2011 [4 favorites]
Hang your birdfeeders somewhere they can't get to them.
posted by mhoye at 6:42 PM on December 24, 2011 [4 favorites]
(I should also mention that training raccoons that it's OK to go near homes may well get them shot. I keep a loaded paintball gun, .22, and a shotgun next to my front door for this very reason, to guard our poultry from raccoons, possums, foxes, and bears.)
posted by waldo at 6:48 PM on December 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by waldo at 6:48 PM on December 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
Are you in the eastern US? Rabies is a significant concern. Less so out west.
posted by Lou Stuells at 6:49 PM on December 24, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by Lou Stuells at 6:49 PM on December 24, 2011 [3 favorites]
If you wouldn't feed rats and mice in the city, don't feed raccoons in the country.
posted by sageleaf at 6:53 PM on December 24, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by sageleaf at 6:53 PM on December 24, 2011 [3 favorites]
We stopped with the birdfeeders when we started getting rats. Racoons are also visitors. They crap all over the place and tip over garbage cans and make a mess of composters. Don't encourage them or they'll nest in your rafters or under or porch.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 6:53 PM on December 24, 2011
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 6:53 PM on December 24, 2011
Racoons are vermin and are nasty. They have killed our neighbor's dogs. They will bring disease into your house and will, with little provocation attack you. While they may look cute through the picture window, they are wild animals that should not be encouraged to interact with humans and/or your pets.
posted by Old Geezer at 6:55 PM on December 24, 2011 [5 favorites]
posted by Old Geezer at 6:55 PM on December 24, 2011 [5 favorites]
Nthing the "don't feed raccoons". They will tear up everything they think might contain food once you get them started. Trash cans, getting into sheds/storage buildings, attics,....everything.
Not to mention the issues with your dogs. I don't care how badass your dog is. A raccoon WILL kick his butt. With rabies and other diseases, you just don't want to deal with that.
posted by chrisfromthelc at 7:01 PM on December 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
Not to mention the issues with your dogs. I don't care how badass your dog is. A raccoon WILL kick his butt. With rabies and other diseases, you just don't want to deal with that.
posted by chrisfromthelc at 7:01 PM on December 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Raccoons are sweet, beautiful, intelligent animals who have the bad habits of contracting rabies as well as leaving roundworm-infected poop in your yard. There isn't really a great way of having them around that won't subject you and your dogs to health risks. I totally understand wanting them around--we had a small family of them who would troop through our yard, stopping at the compost heap to see if we'd left any eggs, then moving on, and they were SO SWEET.
But you really, really don't want their worms, their rabies, or their leptospirosis.
(A few nights of banging pots and pans at them--as well as removing their food--should get them to move on, if our experience is any guide.)
posted by mittens at 7:12 PM on December 24, 2011 [3 favorites]
But you really, really don't want their worms, their rabies, or their leptospirosis.
(A few nights of banging pots and pans at them--as well as removing their food--should get them to move on, if our experience is any guide.)
posted by mittens at 7:12 PM on December 24, 2011 [3 favorites]
Raccoons are cute and funny little fluffy munchkins until the morning you wake up with a hangover and go down to your kitchen for coffee and find that they've ripped out your screen door and spread the contents of your pantry all over your house and there are three of them still there, staring at you like, "This one's big, but injured. We can take him, boys!"
Plus, they'll kill a cat in a heartbeat and they'll maul a dog given half a chance.
They're evil vermin who should not be encouraged to be anywhere near your house.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 7:17 PM on December 24, 2011 [5 favorites]
Plus, they'll kill a cat in a heartbeat and they'll maul a dog given half a chance.
They're evil vermin who should not be encouraged to be anywhere near your house.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 7:17 PM on December 24, 2011 [5 favorites]
Raccoons will take apart your house--up to and including ripping the sheathing off your roof--in order to get inside. Then they'll have adorable kits and rummage around inside the walls chewing the wiring. They're great to watch but I can't recommend encouraging them to hang around.
posted by magicbus at 7:26 PM on December 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by magicbus at 7:26 PM on December 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
Honestly? Birds don't need to be fed. This according to a local animal control officer.
In our area, bird feeders turn into bear feeders, so we don't bother.
If you're set on it, put the feeder up on a metal pole with a raccoon baffle.
posted by plinth at 7:38 PM on December 24, 2011
In our area, bird feeders turn into bear feeders, so we don't bother.
If you're set on it, put the feeder up on a metal pole with a raccoon baffle.
posted by plinth at 7:38 PM on December 24, 2011
Best answer: Raccoons are smart and strong and stubborn. Habituating wild(ish) animals to human contact - especially training them to associate humans directly with food - is pretty much always a terrible idea. How will you feel when someday one of your trained raccoons - make no mistake, that's what you're doing - bites you, or someone in your family, or the kid down the road?
Friends who have lived in housing in areas with raccoons have had to start keeping their pantry items like pasta and rice in the dryer because raccoons were breaking into the house and raiding the pantry - flour and popcorn and whatnot everywhere. And poop, of course.
Just don't. Really. Stop. If you don't personally end up regretting it, you're setting things up so someone else will.
posted by rtha at 7:48 PM on December 24, 2011 [2 favorites]
Friends who have lived in housing in areas with raccoons have had to start keeping their pantry items like pasta and rice in the dryer because raccoons were breaking into the house and raiding the pantry - flour and popcorn and whatnot everywhere. And poop, of course.
Just don't. Really. Stop. If you don't personally end up regretting it, you're setting things up so someone else will.
posted by rtha at 7:48 PM on December 24, 2011 [2 favorites]
If you have pets, you don't need racoons. We had a mama raccoon come flying out of a tree because my dog got too close to the tree. Luckily, my dog is very smart and shook the raccoon off and ran into the house. The same raccoon almost killed my neighbor's (much smaller) dog for getting to close to where she was keeping her babies. Have you seen this commercial? It's not exaggerating.
posted by dogmom at 7:54 PM on December 24, 2011
posted by dogmom at 7:54 PM on December 24, 2011
Years from now after they've torn through your garbage a few dozen times you'll probably look back and find it adorable that you were actually leaving food out for the raccoons.
posted by PercussivePaul at 7:55 PM on December 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by PercussivePaul at 7:55 PM on December 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
Raccoons are a special kind of devious and cranky; you really really really don't want to encourage them.
Also: squirrel feeders? I can't imagine intentionally feeding the neighborhood rodents; squirrels are cute, sure, but you'll feel differently about them the first time you can hear one crawling around behind your drywall in the middle of the night.
Birds, eh, you can safely feed them except that birdfeeders mostly end up serving as rodent (and raccoon, and bear) attractants.
posted by ook at 9:04 PM on December 24, 2011
Also: squirrel feeders? I can't imagine intentionally feeding the neighborhood rodents; squirrels are cute, sure, but you'll feel differently about them the first time you can hear one crawling around behind your drywall in the middle of the night.
Birds, eh, you can safely feed them except that birdfeeders mostly end up serving as rodent (and raccoon, and bear) attractants.
posted by ook at 9:04 PM on December 24, 2011
Nthing don't habituate them to people. Adults get up to 45-50 lbs, which is dangerous to humans size. they can be very aggressive, in addition to the disease and destruction problems. They are very clever and dextrous, and can get into just about anything locked up. The babies are just adorable, but unfortunately that does not last.
posted by annsunny at 9:17 PM on December 24, 2011
posted by annsunny at 9:17 PM on December 24, 2011
Best answer: Living with raccoons is like living with little tiny gangsters. Eventually, they will shiv you. Don't feed them.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:36 PM on December 24, 2011 [5 favorites]
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:36 PM on December 24, 2011 [5 favorites]
As adorable as they are, they are not meant to share habitat so closely with us. While it's too late to do anything about the continuously blurred lines between the two living environments (city raccoons are common and no joking matter at this point), it's definitely not too late to call a sad halt to the gravy train.
Everyone above put it well - disease (rabies being a fairly big one), destruction, threat to the safety of domesticated animals and livestock, capable of attacking humans, and even putting them in more danger than they'd be exposed to otherwise are all good reasons to let them forage where they will and not become accustomed to food from a particular home.
Be warned that they may not gracefully accept the end of the soup line and could be extra demanding/fighty to try and correct matters. Particularly do not let the dogs out into the yard by themselves from dusk on.
posted by batmonkey at 9:49 PM on December 24, 2011
Everyone above put it well - disease (rabies being a fairly big one), destruction, threat to the safety of domesticated animals and livestock, capable of attacking humans, and even putting them in more danger than they'd be exposed to otherwise are all good reasons to let them forage where they will and not become accustomed to food from a particular home.
Be warned that they may not gracefully accept the end of the soup line and could be extra demanding/fighty to try and correct matters. Particularly do not let the dogs out into the yard by themselves from dusk on.
posted by batmonkey at 9:49 PM on December 24, 2011
Best answer: Raccoons are mean and nasty, and become more so as well as bolder as they get used to a guaranteed food source. You are not leaving treats for the neighborhood cats here. Raccoons are vermin, no matter how cute they may look. Please don't do this. You won't be able to go out onto your property at night for fear being bitten. Plus you are hobbling them by subverting their natural food gathering instincts. They, and especially their not-yet-born young, need to know how to find food in a natural setting.
posted by vignettist at 10:15 PM on December 24, 2011
posted by vignettist at 10:15 PM on December 24, 2011
Best answer: A quick double-check of National Geographic's website suggests they only usually grow to ~20-23 lbs and not 40-50 as was previously mentioned, but beyond that I would agree with everyone saying you probably don't want to feed them. We fed them for a while at our house when I was a kid, and they were extremely cute, and nothing bad ever came of it (that we know of, I guess), but in retrospect it wasn't doing the raccoons any favors to accustom them to getting food from humans when so many people see them as vermin ... Not really safe or fair for the raccoons or people in the long run.
posted by DingoMutt at 10:26 PM on December 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by DingoMutt at 10:26 PM on December 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I should probably add that it was my dad who both decided to start feeding them, AND to stop ... And this was a man who would feed whatever wild creatures he could - we used to have huge bags of sunflower seeds for the birds and squirrels when we lived up north, and were always buying stuff to throw into the water for the fish when we lived in FL, and even he came relatively quickly to the decision that we probably shouldn't be feeding the raccoons. The only other creature I remember him refusing to feed were the alligators in FL, which I suppose says something.
posted by DingoMutt at 10:34 PM on December 24, 2011
posted by DingoMutt at 10:34 PM on December 24, 2011
Best answer: NO! If you live in an unassailable fortress with a twelve foot high electric fence in the middle of 1000 isolated acres, you might be able to get away from feeding the evil little marauders. If you have a normal home with neighbors within a half mile, give it up.
They're great to watch--funny, mooching little clowns, until they turn on you. And they will! They'lleat your brains get into everything, and they carry worms and diseases.]
Seriously, give them a pass. Once you get them habituated to being fed, you will be held hostage, and heaven forbid you are late or can't feed them--they don't take no for an answer.
I love the little devils, but I don't encourage them.
posted by BlueHorse at 11:03 PM on December 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
They're great to watch--funny, mooching little clowns, until they turn on you. And they will! They'll
Seriously, give them a pass. Once you get them habituated to being fed, you will be held hostage, and heaven forbid you are late or can't feed them--they don't take no for an answer.
I love the little devils, but I don't encourage them.
posted by BlueHorse at 11:03 PM on December 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
For your birdfeeders, I recommend hanging feeders that you can bring in at night.
We have all kind of nightly visitors here, and it had been the only way to manage it. Yeah it's kind of a pain in the ass to put them in and out every day, but those raccoons don't give a shit about you, and it's a small price to pay for sanity.
We have hangars that live all the time on higher limbs and we bring the seed feeders in at night.
They are similar to this: 30” S Hook.
Feel free to memail me if you want more details or whatnot. I can send you photos of our setup if you like.
posted by ApathyGirl at 12:05 AM on December 25, 2011
We have all kind of nightly visitors here, and it had been the only way to manage it. Yeah it's kind of a pain in the ass to put them in and out every day, but those raccoons don't give a shit about you, and it's a small price to pay for sanity.
We have hangars that live all the time on higher limbs and we bring the seed feeders in at night.
They are similar to this: 30” S Hook.
Feel free to memail me if you want more details or whatnot. I can send you photos of our setup if you like.
posted by ApathyGirl at 12:05 AM on December 25, 2011
Response by poster: Clearly we need to stop feeding the raccoons. Thanks all.
Hopefully they won't take long to stop coming around, as it is now they are very timid. Hopefully they don't become more bold.
Also, we have been taking the bird feeders in at night, as the raccoons don't eat the bird seed as much as spill it all over the ground.
posted by citizngkar at 2:03 AM on December 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
Hopefully they won't take long to stop coming around, as it is now they are very timid. Hopefully they don't become more bold.
Also, we have been taking the bird feeders in at night, as the raccoons don't eat the bird seed as much as spill it all over the ground.
posted by citizngkar at 2:03 AM on December 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
Just to join the chorus - these raccoons aren't going to starve. In most places they are well adapted, so don't feel bad about forcing them to find their own food. The birds on the other hand will starve - so please keep feeding them.
posted by zenon at 5:48 AM on December 25, 2011
posted by zenon at 5:48 AM on December 25, 2011
Best answer: If you live in the country, a good way to feed the birds is to grow plants, shrubs and trees that will provide shelter and food. Birds that winter over need fresh unfrozen water. Talk to the Audubon Society in your state, or the Natural Resources office in your state government, and ask about ways to support fragile bird populations. Animals that thrive near humans don't need extra help, but many bird populations do.
posted by theora55 at 6:58 AM on December 25, 2011 [6 favorites]
posted by theora55 at 6:58 AM on December 25, 2011 [6 favorites]
Best answer: Theora's right. I volunteer at our local nature center, rehabbing wild animals. I'm not going to hate on the raccoons: they have a real and important place in the ecosystem. Having said that, you're NOT doing them favors by acclimating them to humans. This goes for squirrels, rabbits, deer, gators, bears... whatever. When animals lose their innate caution around humans, they're walking around with big targets on them. They also tend to behave in more aggressive ways in order to get the food from its perceived source (those big things on two legs!) which also sets them up as targets. Most wild animals do better if they're not being fed by humans in any way that they can trace to the humans.
I love raccoons, and all wild animals. Their job is to SURVIVE, however, and they'll do what they need to in order to do so. This does not coincide with what happens to pass for acceptable behavior to humans. (I've known of raccoons eating caged animals through the cage bars, through cracks in henhouses, etc.)
Animals receiving food beyond what's available naturally for them will reproduce in unsustainable ways... what happens if you're gone for a week, or move? Can your area really support a higher population of said animals?
Feeding prey animals such as birds also sets them up as living buffets for their predators. If you're into feeding hawks, keep feeding the other birds: the raptors will show up eventually, as will feral cats etc.
Theora55 and others are right: best way to feed the birds in your area is planting a wildlife friendly habitat for them. It's late in the year to do this (unless you're here in South Florida) so you may want to continue feeding if the birds in your area have come to rely on you, but do bring the food in at night. Consider your food placement as well: can the birds get to safety easily in the event of a predator's arrival (unless hawk feeding is your intention, of course)? Think about water, too... a liquid water source will sometimes draw more birds than a feeding station. Audobon Society's your friend. Check them out!
Last note: thanks for putting your thought and attention into this. You rock! I LOVE seeing people being responsible and caring in their interactions with wildlife.
posted by theplotchickens at 10:32 AM on December 25, 2011 [3 favorites]
I love raccoons, and all wild animals. Their job is to SURVIVE, however, and they'll do what they need to in order to do so. This does not coincide with what happens to pass for acceptable behavior to humans. (I've known of raccoons eating caged animals through the cage bars, through cracks in henhouses, etc.)
Animals receiving food beyond what's available naturally for them will reproduce in unsustainable ways... what happens if you're gone for a week, or move? Can your area really support a higher population of said animals?
Feeding prey animals such as birds also sets them up as living buffets for their predators. If you're into feeding hawks, keep feeding the other birds: the raptors will show up eventually, as will feral cats etc.
Theora55 and others are right: best way to feed the birds in your area is planting a wildlife friendly habitat for them. It's late in the year to do this (unless you're here in South Florida) so you may want to continue feeding if the birds in your area have come to rely on you, but do bring the food in at night. Consider your food placement as well: can the birds get to safety easily in the event of a predator's arrival (unless hawk feeding is your intention, of course)? Think about water, too... a liquid water source will sometimes draw more birds than a feeding station. Audobon Society's your friend. Check them out!
Last note: thanks for putting your thought and attention into this. You rock! I LOVE seeing people being responsible and caring in their interactions with wildlife.
posted by theplotchickens at 10:32 AM on December 25, 2011 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: We have huge amount of birds coming by everyday to feed. The feeders are situated in such a way as to make it difficult for larger birds (hawks, etc) to get close to them without giving the other birds plenty of warning and there is a lot of foliage around to hide in if they were to make it in.
I think we will continue to feed the birds through the winter and then plant some wildlife friendly habitat for them once spring comes along. Gives me a nice winter research project, so that is always nice.
posted by citizngkar at 5:59 PM on December 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
I think we will continue to feed the birds through the winter and then plant some wildlife friendly habitat for them once spring comes along. Gives me a nice winter research project, so that is always nice.
posted by citizngkar at 5:59 PM on December 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
Pest and Wild-life technician here. Most that can be said has been said. One thing I would add is that in order to protect your home from un-wanted visitors, get a chimney cap and clean your gutters. When your gutters are dirty the water sits in there and rots the wood which makes it much easier for them to tear a hole right through your roof and get into your attic. If your roof has a lot of peaks and valleys it wouldn't hurt to sweep off any leaves that might be collecting up there and preventing the roof from drying. Oh and I've definitely seen some 50 pounders.
posted by ambulocetus at 1:47 PM on December 29, 2011
posted by ambulocetus at 1:47 PM on December 29, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by waldo at 6:42 PM on December 24, 2011 [3 favorites]