Outdoor Pest Control - coons in garbage

I live in town and me and my neighbors are having a heck of a time with coons,i guess, in our garbage. any ideas on how to get rid of them will make us extremely happy. :wall:

It could be racoons or cats. I keep lids on my garbage cans and hold them in place with bungee cords. A racoon is smart enough to list the lid off if it's not tied down.

Dust the area around the trash cans with flour and look at the footprints in the morning. Then you'll know what animal you have.

Domestic cat
http://www.bear-tracker.com/domcat.html

Racoon
http://www.bear-tracker.com/coon.html

Opossum
http://www.bear-tracker.com/opossum.html

Striped skunk
http://www.bear-tracker.com/stskunk.html

Spotted skunk
http://www.bear-tracker.com/spskunk.html

Once we know what you have it will be easier to deal with.

Newt

use trash cans with lids that are locked in place so that they can't get in. also don't leave pet food out at all times only place enough that it will all be eaten at one time. other wise they will keep comeing back.

if we're not supposed to eat animals why are they made out of meat?

"if we're not supposed to eat animals why are they made out of meat?" Depends on where you live and your circumstances. I grew up in Appalachia. Dad brought home rabbits and wild birds. We ate anything we trapped. We ate anything trapped. We also fished. We did not buy meat, but we grew all veggies and canned them. Later we got a freezer to put on the back porch. We picked wild berries and fruits from trees on abandoned properties and on rights of way. We gathered nuts, pawpaws, and anything that was edible.

From the perspective of dining, the raccoon is food. There are many raccoon recipes available.

One thing to keep in mind is that raccoons can be rabid and make up 41% or more of rabies cases in wildlife. This is what we know today. Our only concerns about rabies when I was growing up was to be aware of rabies symptoms among the hunting dogs. No one got rabies shots for dogs back then. We never had a rabid dog. Maybe they succumbed to being hit by a car or being shot for trespassing before they contracted rabies.

If a raccoon appears to be behaving abnormally or disoriented, then there is a chance of rabies. Call local wildlife authorities.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Raccoon_%28Procyon_lotor%29_2.jpg/180px-Raccoon_%28Procyon_lotor%29_2.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Raccoon_%28Procyon_lotor%29_2.jpg)
Photo Credit: wikipedia

For more info on raccoons: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raccoon