should I worry about Racoon living near house?

aardvark · Mar 25, 2005

As I was working on the yard last night with the BX23, I decided to take a break and shut off the engine and just sit in the seat and survey my work for a couple minutes. As I was sitting there I heard a rustling sound, and saw a Racoon climb out of a huge Oak tree, into a Traveler Palm tree, and then onto the top of screened in pool area. At this point he must have seen me looking at him, because he ran back into the Traveler Palm and hid. I don't know where he is living, this was the first time I saw him.

Anyone think this is something I should look into further or is it something I shouldn't worry about? I have the Traveler Palm marked as one I'm going to cut down since it's right next to the pool, I just haven't gotten that far yet. I'd hate to start cutting it down and have a Racoon land on my head, for one reason or another. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

SkyPup · Mar 25, 2005

Whatever you do, DO NOT feed him.

Racoons in Florida carry rabies virus all the time with NO outward symptoms. Mere contact with one can transmit rabies virus to you.

They also carry a high infectious parasitic roundworm called Balliascaris canis that is transmitted to humans, especially children. The defecate onto firewood piles, B-B-Q pits, toy sandboxes, and other things that humans touch contaminating them with the parasitic egss, once accidentally ingested the larvae migrate into the brain tissue where the worms are trapped and cannot get out, turning the humans brain into swiss cheese slowly.

This is NO JOKE.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/baylisacaris/factsht_baylisascaris.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies/professional/MMWRtext/mmwr4551.htm

Bob_Skurka · Mar 25, 2005

Raccoons can do LOT$ of damage to your house but if left alone they usually leave you alone UNLESS they get into something, then they tear it up and do a really good job of tearing it up.

Overall, I would not worry too much, but as long as the palm tree is earmarked to be removed, I might put it high up on my "to do" list and get rid of it soon. The racoon obviously is using it to get onto the screened enclosure, I'd prefer that racoons stay off my house and in the trees.

My dogs used to rip 2 or 3 of them apart every year, I finally figured out that if I cut the trees branches back a few feet so they couldn't use the fence as a convenient walking path then they wouldn't end up in the dog's enclosure. It also kept them from coming up onto our porch when the dogs were not in the fenced yard. Generally I think they are cute, fun to watch, but I really don't want to invite them too close! Do what you can to make a simple buffer zone, start by taking down the offending palm.

After the dogs stopped controlling the population, we had this problem: What Animal is Pooping on my Stuff!?!

SkyPup · Mar 25, 2005

Hey Bob, please read this:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/baylisacaris/factsht_baylisascaris.htm

Problem is way way worse than what is described here, in reality many of these brain worm victims had the cause of death stated as nonspecific rabies due to lack of antigen presentation at necropsy. This is a public health zooepidemic.

Bob_Skurka · Mar 25, 2005

SkyPup, I think I may have come off sounding as if I like having them by my house. I don't. I like wildlife and generally believe that if they stay out there and I stay in here, then things are good. But if you go back and glance at my thread about animals pooping on my stuff, you'll see that I have no tolerance for animals that get too close for my comfort.

I don't want to minimize the dangers, but I also don't want to kill something that doesn't need killing. Now if it needs killing, then I have not problem with doing that. (OK well actually I do have a problem with it but I do it anyway).

SnowRidge · Mar 25, 2005

SkyPup, my Websters doesn't contain the word zooepidemic. Is a serious human disease widely spread by animal contact  an accurate definition?

RoyJackson · Mar 25, 2005

Shoot the critter...a 12 gauge shotgun will do nicely.

OkeeDon · Mar 25, 2005

Jared, I had a small section of aluminum soffitt come loose at my commercial property (which is actually a converted house). Raccoons got into the attic and chewed the insulation off electrical wiring. Huge mess, lots of repair work, lucky it didn't start a fire. I try to have a lot of tolerance for natural things, but raccoons are at the top of my hate list.

8NTX · Mar 25, 2005

Years ago, my in-laws practically made pets out of them. Mother-in-law actually fed them by hand; they were that tame. They lived on the lake, and she had a small ceramics shop in their boathouse. Somehow, a raccoon got in there and couldn't figure out how to get back out. Besides tearing up everything in the shop, he did finally manage to get his way out. By chewing through a wood floor that was 3/4"plywood on top of treated 2x6 planks.

Steve

SkyPup · Mar 25, 2005

( SkyPup, my Websters doesn't contain the word zooepidemic. Is a serious human disease widely spread by animal contact  an accurate definition? )

Yes, it is a disease that is transmissible from animals to humans, rabies is a good example.

Animals are the main reservoir and humans are the accidental hosts.

Salmonella, Foot & Mouth Disease, Mad Cow Disease, Tuluremia, Enteropathogenic E.coli, etc. are other examples.

I did not graduate from Veterinary School and go on for a graduate degree in Veterinary Virology for nothing! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Racoons, skunks, and foxes are the main reservoir of rabies virus and they all can HAVE RABIES with no prodromal symptoms whatsoever, meaning they appear perfectly normal and the virus does not kill them, they are just carrying it latently. However, NO HUMAN has ever survived an infection with rabies, NO ONE. Remember that.