How do I raccoon proof my pond?

[Fishnut]

So I have a pond on my patio.  Right now there are w 3 goldfish in there as I make sure everything is perfect before the koi go in.  Since I know we get visited by raccoons (the raided our compost bin last year) I bought a mesh to put over the pond and secured it with bungee cords so that it is snug around the pond.

Last night the little f***ers managed to lift up the mesh enough to reach in and rip all of my newly acquired floating plants and rip them to bits.   Thankfully the fish are ok, but maybe next time they won't be.  What suggestions does anyone have for keeping them out?  We're building a new pond with stacking stones this year.  I can't exactly cover it as easily as this little pond.

[KLKelly]

At the wildlife centre we keep racoons in enclosures made of 1" welded wire.  You could find a way to secure this stuff.

We use Jclips - metal pieces that we use plyers to join two pieces of welded wire if you need wider than the rolls come in.  Its in the fencing department.

I'm sure you'll get a ton of ideas though - especially from people that keep ponds.  I just figure if it keeps racoons in - it could keep them out if you found a way to secure it.

[bergenm]

I have heard of people using motion activated sprinklers, Lee Valley carries them.

http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=1&p=44958&cat=2,51555&ap=2

[beowulf]

I have been doing some reading on ponds and what I often read is if possible make the center of the pond deep enoug that the predator cannot stand up and the fish should be safe.

[The Pond Boy]

Hi,

A racoon don't like to become wet, so he/she is sitting on the side and waiting for a fish coming close to him/her. Then he/she graped it out with one of the front legs and eat ofthen only the head. The other part of the fish is leaving behind.
Thanks,

Greg Veldhuizen
The Pond Boy
www.thepondboy.com

[blizzack1]

I have heard of people using motion activated sprinklers, Lee Valley carries them.

http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=1&p=44958&cat=2,51555&ap=2

I bought my dad one of these to keep kids from trespassing on his lawn.

Unfortunately, he returned it.

Probably for the best, as I'm sure the first victim would probably just smash it

[Fishnut]

UGH!!!  That's disgusting! 

I have been reading about making the centre of the pond deep as well.  The koi aren't friendly at night, so they should be safe.  I found out that they can climb a chain link fence, which is around the back of our yard and gates leading to the front.  That explains how they got in the back yard. 

I'm presently researching electric fences.  The pond is going to be above ground so if I can build it in a way that the vermin get a nice shock if they try to get close to it, my fish will be even more safe.  It would resemble a tight version of those rope barriers at museums when they don't want people to get too close to displays...only it will be a few inches off the ground so they get a zap if they decide to step over it and a zap if they go under it.  MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA 

I hate raccoons!!!!

[Nerine]

I'm so with you on the electric fence!!! GO FOR IT it'd be awesome hahaha
should just make your whole fence electric, it's chain link right? or stick a "cat" barrier on top...they have these sections that sit on top of chain link to keep cats IN, but if you reverse I'm sure you can keep critters OUT.

raccoons are evil evil EVIL creatures.
best of luck in deterring them!!
you can always borrow Ready for a day or two, I'm sure she'd like some fresh meat

[limmer]

Saw one one those motion sprinklers at Pets Mart on Innes marked down to $30.
On the floor near the koi tank.  Maybe if you give them a call they will hold it for you.

[Fishnut]

Wow!  That's a good price.  I'll have to see about that.  I was talking to the hubby-to-be and he's dead set against the electric fence.  Something about it being too extreme and it's for farm animals, not ponds and what if we get sued because some idiot child wanders into our back yard...etc, etc 

That's when I told him that we need to get a big dog  .  So the discussion is on hold until I find some less extreme measures

I found this though...http://www.pondsonlinecanada.com/misc7.htm

[KLKelly]

I like the electric border for the pond as well.  Racoons are only going by instinct. I'm sure the fence will keep them away.

Do the motion sprinklers work at night when the racoons are out?  I think that would work on cats not racoons - they are very intelligent.

[Fishnut]

Yes, I'm not convinced the sprinklers will work on raccoons.

I'm still longing for my fence.......

[jimskoi]

IMO.If you have to put a fence around your pond.Whats the point?It will look terribleand you wont be pleased with the outcome.
What about putting a sensor hoked up to a radio?
They do not like noise.After awhile they might just stop coming around.

Most racoons will only leave when the food is gone.
I have also heard about putting clumps of dog hair around the pond hidden in plants.

[Nerine]

ha dog hair!
it doesn't work wives tale!! birds love dog hair though
dog poop on the other hand works dandy, but who wants that!?

and an electric fence...just a wire it's pretty much invisible. and if a child hits it, it's really not that painful, well it is, but no where near as painful as a cattle fence!!!!

a radio isn't going to scare a raccoon...trust me lol I have grown up with these nasty buggers. if they want something, nothing will keep them from it unless you go to the extreme. I've woken up to the darn buggers INSIDE the house as they came through the dog door!!

[beowulf]

Get a dog!!! 

[Fishnut]

yeah...a dog would be nice...something that loves to rip up raccoons   German Shepherd mix perhaps?  HA!  Like I'm going to get his blessing on that one!

I just have to find out more about these small scale electric fences before I re-address the issue  

[Sue]

We had huskies up until this spring, and we never lost any fish. Maybe this year will be different ...we saw a raccoon on our deck just last night.

I saw at motion activated sprayer at the Canadian Wildlife Federation on the pond tour last year, and they said it works well for them. 

One of our neighbours has a single strand of electrified wire running around his pond about a foot off the ground. Its a trip hazard so I think the sprayer sounds like a safer thing to try first.

It also helps to have a rocks the fish can hide under.

[presto]

One late night sitting inside by your door, slightly open, Bait by the pond, and a pellet gun.

It's safe to use around neighbors and it's quite. Shoot from inside the house (open door) to avoid scaring the coon.

[Fishnut]

Hahahaha!  Yes, that's a great idea!

So what I decided to do is go with something taller.  Yesterday we bought a 150 gallon Rubermaid stock tank, which is 25" high.  I also kept the mesh net covering it, tightened by the bungie cords.  They can still get at it, but it's so deep that they wouldn't be able to reach mu fish unless they went for a swim...and they have the mesh to give them the idea that there's a barrier.  Last night there was no activity, so I'll see what happens over the next week or so.

[renadia]

I have also been loking into this since my Koi's are now pretty big (largest around 12 to 14") and I am in the process of changing the rocks around my pond. I read to remove flat stones because they are confortable for the racoons and I am putting boulders instead. It makes it harder for them to get a confortable position (get uneven more pointed boulders) and it makes the water access harder if your boulders are big enough.

My sister saw on TV a pond building show and they were using flat stones but instead of putting them to the edge of the pond, they were using long ones that were going in by the insdide of the pond by around 12". That way it makes a shelter for the fish under the stones for the racoons and the sun.

I still like the boulder indea better. I will let you know how it works out.

Diane