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lilydude

Raccoons are really smart

lilydude
13 years ago

The raccoons were opening the top of my bird feeder and cleaning it out every night. So I rigged up something that would fire a blank slug when the top was opened. This is the same kind of slug that is used in a nail gun. It's loud and makes a bright flash. That night, they set the thing off, and I could hear them falling all over themselves to get away. I figured they would never come back. But the next night, they cleaned out the feeder again. And they didn't set off the blank. They pushed the plastic sidewalls of the feeder up high enough to get to the seeds, without moving the top. They have come back every night since, and have never set it off. They're little furry Einsteins.

Comments (5)

  • buyorsell888
    13 years ago

    Yes, they are. My father had a small preform pond with a pump and fountain. One night they must have accidentally knocked the return off the pump so that the pond was pumped dry and the fish were easy pickings.

    They came back and did it again over and over until he gave up and took out the pond. There were no fish after the first time but they kept draining it. He buried it, covered it with rocks, tried to foil them but they won.

    A similar situation happened at my in laws.

    At my house they must test my electric fence around my pond nightly. IF we forget to plug it back in after working on it they are in there every time destroying my plants.

  • Embothrium
    13 years ago

    A raven has been seen pulling up fishing lines dropped into holes in ice to get the fish way out on the ends - after observing the fishermen doing it from some distance away. Even an octopus can figure out how to get a crab out of a jar with a screw top. Some comparatively small brains have large abilities when such aptitude is of particular use to their survival niches.

    European house spiders remember where they've been. I've been house-sitting and had the same spider join me each evening, as it patrolled a route it had on the living room carpet.

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    13 years ago

    I finally figured out why the suet blocks I was hanging lasted only a day or two at the most. I let my dog out early this morning to find a young raccoon hanging off the caged block on my deck delicately inserting paw between the wire to scoop out the goodies inside. Not only are they smart, they are extremely acrobatic! And not the slightest bit concerned that I had caught him in the act and not too worried about the dog fussing underneath him either, bold little bugger!! He agilely swung himself onto the arbor the block was hanging from, leapt off and casually loped away. Now I have no idea where to hang the block that would be raccoon-proof.

    bboy - just curious - how did you know it was the same spider?? They all look pretty similar to me but I tend not to get close enough to be on a first name basis :-)

  • Embothrium
    13 years ago

    Really? It kept asking for you.

  • jordan_californicus
    13 years ago

    My raccoon's must've been on the slow side.

    I heard something in the vinca one night, and something at the same time moving the 4x4 field fence. Look outside to see a very desperate raccoon trying to pull a giant sunflower head, that she bit off. I was going to save those seeds, but the weather had taken a sharp drop, and I figured she needed them more, so I went out there, she ran to a tree, and I threw the head over the fence for her to chow down on.