Keeping Raccoons Away From Your Yard

A family member of mine owns a lovely home in a suburban community a few hours away from Chicago. Some time ago I decided to pay her a faithful visit since we had not seen each other in so long.

After arriving and surveying the front of her home thoroughly, I greeted her with a displeased look accompanied by subtle sympathy. My obnoxious reaction had been targeted towards the repulsive jumble of rattled vegetation that she called a yard. It was an absolute mess. The trash can had been tipped, her yard grass had been deliberately ripped from the earth, feces were spread awkwardly on the ground, and the sides of her home were scratched up pretty badly.

I asked her about the mess and she confessed to me that she was at constant war with the pests that chose to designate her property as their personal residence. She was tired of constantly cleaning up after their nightly escapades. The most annoying of them all was the raccoon pack that discreetly established themselves as the rulers of her yard. Their lack of concern for her aggressive shooing tactics led her to give up on them. She once considered installing an electric fence but eventually came to her senses after thinking about the potential harm that the fence could bring to her young children.

She modestly asked for my help and I was more than happy to give her advice about getting rid of those pesky ‘coons.

I told her about the general problems that were affiliated with raccoons:

• Raccoons adapt very well to almost any environment with ample food and water sources.
• You will rarely witness raccoons in the act because they are nocturnal. The only sign of their presence is a tattered lawn with occasional feces lying round.
• Raccoons will eat virtually any food that they can put their grubby little paws on.
• Raccoons are wild animals, so handle them with caution! They are infamously known for their susceptibility to viral diseases, such as rabies, canine distemper, and raccoon parvoviral enteritis. Also, their feces may contain raccoon roundworm spores, which can seriously sicken humans if inhaled.
• Raccoons are not easily intimidated and can be ferocious animals; test them and they may perhaps sink their sharp teeth into your precious skin.

Tips for Getting Rid of Raccoons:

You must make sure that your home is not a desirable location for raccoons to inhabit.

• Secure the lid of your trash can (e.g. attach a bungee cord to both handles and let its elastic rope naturally fasten the top of the can).
• Station your trash can so that raccoons will not be able to knock it down easily (e.g. put a heavy brick inside).
• Apply raccoon repellent granules onto the lawn. Granules last longer than liquids and have a stronger scent. (Consider using Shake-Away Repellent Granules. These granules are 100% organic and are made up of predator urine, which signal danger to the raccoon.)
• Install a scarecrow sprinkler on your lawn. (Bird-X’s HydroBlast ScareCrow sprinkler is motion activated and shoots an extraordinarily potent water spray that scares animals away.)
• Most importantly, consider investing in an electronic, sonic pest repeller. (The Bird-X YardGard will surely do the job but if you have a more serious pest problem, check out CritterBlaster PRO.)

I wished her the best and assured that if she followed these precautions and guidelines, she should definitely see results in no time.

For more information about how to get rid of raccoons and other backyard pests, visit Bird-X.com.

Pigeons on the pill

They’ve used it in San Diego, St. Paul, Minn., and had heated discussions about it in Staten Island, NY. All of these came and went without much notice. Then, Ovocontrol-P, a now-popular form a birdie birth control, went Hollywood on us. Literally. The Argyle Civic Association (ACA) – a neighborhood association in Hollywood – decided to give the pill a try. The pigeon population had soared in recent years to the apparent evil doings of someone referred to as the “Bird Lady”; she recently dumped a 25-pound bag of bird feed in 29 Hollywood places.
Hollywood’s response? OMG!
Residents were less than pleased when more pigeons, and more pigeon droppings, got in the way of their high-stress lives of beaches, Beamers and Botox. Panic ensued. The ACA then went the way of twenty-something women everywhere in an effort to fix the problem. During the summer of 2007, they implemented the first dose and expected to see some kind of results in a year. My incessant Googling produced no updates on their current plight, but by 2012, the pigeon population is expected to shrink by half.
After Hollywood, the domino effect was instant. Almost immediately, the Linda Vista neighborhood in San Diego tried Ovocontrol-P for the pigeons roosting on the roof of a popular skate park. Then, a councilman representing Staten Island, NY suggested that birth control could slow the pigeon population at the ferry terminals. Recently, St. Paul, Minnesota employed the tactic just in time for the Republican National Convention.
Why is ‘pilling’ the pigeons becoming so popular? It is a non-lethal and completely humane way to get rid of them. Basically, the pill interferes with the egg development; pigeons will still lay the eggs, they will just never hatch. And since People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) gave Ovocontrol-P the thumbs up, it is all systems go. Even the Brits are considering borrowing (read: stealing) our brilliance to handle their pigeon problem.
I’m not sure how I feel about this. Sure, it will (eventually) rid my life of pesky pigeon poop on my freshly washed and waxed automobile. And I will (eventually) not have to deal with their low-flying, loud and disease-infested presence ruining my ambiance. No more feathers clogging my drains. No more threat of bird mites attacking my bloodstream, making my life miserable. No more lice (courtesy of nests) lurking a few feet above my head.
But…
This seems a bit extreme – even for someone who doesn’t care too much for the little critters. Pigeons, with all their pervasiveness, should be given a shot to procreate as well. No, we don’t want them roosting on our roofs or defecating on our property. But do we really want to stop another living species from, well, living? What happens when we get tired of squirrels; put them on the pill too? How about stray cats? Animals in shelters? One (extremist?) poster on sciforums.com suggested that this is the beginning of the end for humans as well. Overpopulation? No worries! The good ol’ government will just design a gene that makes people infertile. Problem solved.
Though I feel this is somewhat radically overstated, maybe they’ve got a point. The fact remains that these people are treating the symptom and not the problem. There are too many proven effective ways to controlling birds to resort to encouraging their extinction. And besides, putting the current crop on the pill will not stop future fliers from resting where the old ones perished. The roof, ledge, tree, or wherever is still appealing to birds; that won’t change. And the people over at Tree Hugger made an excellent point about human birth control and its dire effect of fish. What, then, will the effect be on Raptors that pray on pigeons?
Hmmm…check out this site to see some of the humane ways (and by humane, I mean will not render barren) to control pigeons and other birds. Pigeons on the pill? What is the world coming to…

How to keep your neighbor’s dog from pooping in your yard

I live in a gated community. Not a hoity-toity community or anything, but a nice place to live. Especially with the well manicured landscapes and park-like atmosphere. And it is quite serene. My wife and I like to take walks around our little community and my son loves tossing rocks in the ponds and running across “his” bridge.

We just added a new member to our family – a black Labrador puppy. He’s great! We take him for extended walks, but clean up after him wherever we go. Not so is the case with our neighbors who take their dog out early in the morning and late at night. And each morning and each night I find that I have to clean up an extra helping of poop because my neighbor lets his dog defecate in my yard and does not clean up after it.

There are several dog owners in our community and several “curb” or clean up after their pets. Yet there are a few who don’t. And there’s nothing worse than having to clean up after someone else’s pet.

I have talked to my neighbor, called my association so they could fine him, and even called the non-emergency police to let them know so they could fine him too, but nothing worked. I was at my wit’s end with my neighbor. I actually sat in the bushes early one morning and sprayed him and his dog with my garden hose. This is not something I want to do every morning and he is obviously doing this on purpose now (as opposed to letting his dog crap in my yard on purpose before I started asking him to politely curb his dog).

Yard Gard Electronic Pest Repellent Device

And that’s when I figured that the Yard Gard I had from Bird-X, Inc. was going to be my new dog defense system. I had purchased a Yard Gard unit to keep squirrels and rabbits out of my wife’s garden – and it sure did the trick! (I work at this company and was so happy to see firsthand that the humane solution is really the best solution). So I took the Yard Gard and placed it in my front yard (hidden, of course) and turned it on its motion sensor mode and left it to annoy my neighbor’s dog.

I know, you’re wondering how it affects my own dog. Well, here’s the thing: since it is an ultrasonic unit (meaning that its sounds are above human hearing), it cannot penetrate walls. So I leave my dog inside my house and let me neighbor bring his dog over to poop in my yard. You know what? That dog avoids my yard like the plague. And now the dog poops in his “master’s” yard. Now he’s forced to pick up the poop. And I have a poop free yard. And I turn the unit off when I walk my own dog.

If you have any questions on how to keep dogs from pooping in your yard, just check out the Yard Gard at and see how you can keep your lawn dog poop free. If you need a BIG solution to your dog or pest prob lem, look into the Critter Blaster electronic, sonic pest repeller.

What is the best way to keep pigeons off my ledge?

Bird Repellent Gel - Bird Proof

How to get pigeons off ledges

Pigeons, like most birds, are attracted to places that provide roosting and nesting opportunities, food, and shelter. Backyard decks, patios, roofs, and gutters are seen as perfect situations for pigeons to set up shop. We all know that they carry many diseases. And they can be a bit of a pain, disrupting your peaceful day in the backyard flying around and dropping bombs everywhere.

Cheapest way to keep pigeons off your stuff: Bird Proof Gel

So, what can you do to effectively and inexpensively get rid of them? Bird-X actually carries a product, Bird Proof Gel, that works instantaneously. Place some on any surface where pigeons roost, like ledges and gutters, and the surface immediately becomes uncomfortable, making the area sticky and unappealing. Don’t worry; the gel is completely harmless to the birds and non-toxic. It is also discreet and low profile as to not make your property less appealing visually.