Post #107899 by monkeyskull on Thu, Aug 12, 2004 1:23 AM

Gigantalope says:
Just last night some vermin bit the head off my Tiki Ponds largest 10 year old gold fish. The rest of the fish, was floating in the pond, so I don't think it was a Racoon or 'Possum.

How does one keep local wildlife from smorgasbording in one's pond? (Or is it easier to just go with the blue chemicals and no fish)

I believe it probably was raccoons who did the head biting off thing -- I had the same thing happen when I moved some hapless gold fish out of the koi pond where they have a good hiding place to a defenseless half wine barrel of water. Raccoons, as every pond owner knows, are evil creatures of Satan.

What can you do? Well, I've tried:

• Sonic devices (these are just a scam)
• Motion detector sprinkers (there's one called The Scarecrow that I'm told works for some people, but not on my raccoons)
• Red Fox urine (available from some water garden shops
• Human urine (the more readily available option that is suggested to try before the more pricy fox version)
• Electric fences
• Box traps (bait with tuna fish or cat food, drive them out and let them go far, far away from your house.

If it's practical to surround entries to your pond with a wire a few inches off the ground/fence/etc., a low voltage electic fence (available at places like Home Depot) is the most likely to be effective from my experience.

Good luck!

[ Edited by: monkeyskull on 2004-08-12 01:31 ]

[ Edited by: monkeyskull on 2004-08-12 01:33 ]