I live in the city and have a pond with a turtle and fish. I have had a few visits from raccoons. Last nite it got my 9" turtle out of the pond and almost killed it I heard it just in time. My turtle has an injured foot but will be ok I believe. How can I keep them away? I can't trap them as I have small dogs that would also go into the trap.
Do you let your dogs out at night? If not, then you should certainly try to set up a live trap. Havahart makes a couple of good ones, but they're a little expensive. You might be able to find someone or an organization near you that would be willing to give you a loaner trap for a bit.
You might want to consider a similar set up for getting rid of cats, ie. get motion detecting lights installed, and a motion detecting sprinkler system as well. Problem is, once the raccoons learn that these nuisances aren't life threatening, they'll ignore them and go about their business.
Have you thought about calling a professional for advice?
I was "thinking" hehee..I see 2 quick options. Depending on the size of the pond of course. It's hard to make real intellegent call on these things without seeing the actual site, but hey, it never stopped us before , so here goes..
Take all the fish and turtles to another location that is secure( enclosed front porch )in a temporary pond for a week. Drain the pond..The raccoon will realize no more food and change his pattern.
Or how about a toddlers plastic pool turned upside down as a cover at night..or a sandbox cover..weighted down.
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