You really can't - if you succeed in getting rid of that one, another one will take its place. Deterring them from visiting your pond is actually easier than getting rid of the raccoons.
';Basically when you are building a pond, if you worried about things like raccoons or cats eating your fish, the big thing to remember is to keep the edges of your pond fairly steep. If you have a 2 foot incline on your pond and then a two foot drop into your pond, a raccoon may come and sit on the edge of your pond, but he will probably not catch any fish. It's not going to jump into the water, swim around and catch your fish. The biggest predators of goldfish and Koi in the south especially (and it may be the same case up north), are the blue herons, which are the big predator birds. They eat a lot of fish. The big issue there is water depth and giving your fish plenty of cover with water lilies or some other sort of structure in the water.';
http://homegarden.expertvillage.com/expe鈥?/a>
';Although it鈥檚 awkward looking, small ponds can be completely covered with a barrier that can be left on permanently or removed daily.
Since raccoons are most active after dark, be sure the pond is covered at night. Examples of barriers include one-inch mesh chicken wire laid over the surface and held in place with stakes鈥攔accoons will walk on the barrier and try and go under it. (While black bird-netting is less conspicuous, raccoons and other animals can easily get entangled in it.) A wooden or PVC pipe frame covered with wire mesh can also be built to cover the pond. Maneuvering over pond plants with any of the above can be difficult.
An alternative frame can be constructed from heavy plastic lattice available from home improvement centers. Carefully cut the lattice so it fits in the pond; cut out pieces to accommodate any pond plants. Cover the lattice with bird netting (with the solid backing, animals are less likely to become entangled in the netting). The netting can be glued to the lattice using Shoe Goo庐 or other waterproof glue.
For larger ponds, stake 2-foot wide strips of chicken wire flat around the inside of the pond edge where raccoons are entering. (Cut the wire as needed to match the curvature of the pond.) Raccoons will have difficulty reaching over the wire, and will tend to not stand on it because of its instability. To camouflage and extend the life of the wire, spray it with dark-colored automobile undercoat paint or other rustproof paint.
Figure 8. Install two electrified wires, 6 and 12 inches above ground around field crops and other areas needing protection. The fence can be hooked up to a switch for discretionary use; when you want to work near it, turn the system off. Where the fence presents a safety problem, install signs, short pieces of white cloth, or other material on the wire for visibility.
(Drawing by Jenifer Rees.)
Ponds with steep, 2-foot high side walls discourage raccoons from entering the water, but may be a safety hazard for small children and the elderly. These hazardous areas can be located away from paths and/or be heavily buffered with dense growths of tall marginal plants and shrubs.
Two electrified wires, 6 and 12 inches above ground and just back from the water鈥檚 edge will deter raccoons (see ';Preventing Conflicts'; in Great Blue Herons for examples). A single strand of wire may be sufficient, but two wires will provide added insurance against the animal making the climb. The wires can be hooked up to a switch for discretionary use; when you want to work near the wire, turn the system off. Where the barrier presents a safety problem, attach signs, short pieces of white cloth, or other material on the wire for visibility. (See ';Electric Fences'; in Deer for additional information.)';
http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/living/raccoons.h鈥?/a>How do I get rid of a racoon?
You might try talking to your states ';Fish and Wildlife'; department. They can usually provide live traps for you to use and once the animal is captured they will take it away.
Be careful, Racoons are cute but they can be nasty.
Another idea is to remove the fish temporarily, a week should do. If there is nothing to eat at your house, he'll go somewhere else.
Short of enclosing your yard in a concrete bunker this isn't likely to work. However, raccoons have short little arms, so if the pond is deep enough they won't be able to access your fish. Make sure that the water plants are in the deep, too, since fish are likely to congregate near plants to rest.
Either you can try to cover your pond which won'y do any good because they are very intelligent creatures and figure out a way in, or you could try borrowing a dog for a while to scare them off. After a while they will learn not to come by anymore and then you can remove the dog. Thats if you don't already have a dog. If you do make your dog sleep outside don't feel bad about the dog. They were bred to sleep outside and chase animals away.
Yes, the raccoon is going after your fish.
Like others have said - your pond design, barriers, netting or a pond cover can all be options to protect your fish. You will never be able to remove the raccoons.
Just a note about raccoons and saliva. Raccoons are known for washing their food. It's an interesting behavior, but they don't do it all of the time, only when a water source is available.
While they seem to prefer it, they don't need to moisten their food. Raccoons do have salivary glands. Anyone who's ever seen a rabid raccoon will tell you that they salivate very well.
And when they're rummaging through people's trash, they don't wash the scraps.
http://www.backyardnature.net/raccoons.h鈥?/a>
http://www.wildlifewaystation.org/wws/an鈥?/a>
I have raccoons in my yard and they are nice animals.They come for my cats water as they can not salivate their food so they have to drink or lick the water to get their own food there.As long as no food is out the;ll go' and i bet their not thinking of the fish as mostly they eat mice and greens and they go and leave,Please do not poison them as they are trying to show their young how to drink and where to sleep in the day time..
You have to put a screen over your fish pond to protect the fish from predators. As long as you are providing a free meal, wildlife will keep coming. You cannot stop nature..but you can work around it.
use a dog, dog like to hunt for racoon and cats also,
mase just spray him he will never come bacfk.
The raccoon may not have been trying to get at your fish; most people don't know this, but raccoons are unable to produce saliva so they need to wet their food before they eat it. This is why people frequently report seeings raccoons ';washing'; their food. In fact, they are lubricating it so they can swallow it. Sorry, i don't have an answer as to how to get rid of him; I just happen to think they're pretty cool and if we can learn to live with them, why not?
I had raccoons in my yard also, I called the city and was told they could come out and set traps but it would be a waste of time since the raccoons would just come back. Maybe you could put some type of netting over the pond to keep them out. Good luck.
I think that Fattapus is Right, they learned to live around us...It's about Fuc***ing time we should learn to live with them. I' mean seriously, they are the real victims here. You were merely annoyed, they were insuring their survial...Get It?
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