Since having my pond up and running for a few days Ive already found a coon print!..I guess I will be surely covering the pond or putting a fence around it.. Any suggestions on what to do?

Ouch, you should put a fence or whatnot around it and then put a shelf for the fish to swim under. I wish I had an autoturret that activates only on vermin. Don't get me started on how much I hate predators, my nieghbors dog and some coons a while back took out most of my poor chicken population

yeah i have cats but have never bothered my fish in the 4 yrs of having a small pond.. I went outside today to add my pond bacteria and yep a coon print right next to the liner...GRRR..At least I have till spring to let the pond cycle and add plants to figure out the fencing..My local wally world has this 4 ft by 20 sections of chicken wire stuff I think i get that..I used it for my 600g last yr and it work well...Can coons swim?? My shallow end is 2ft.. deepest being 3..1/2 ft

=/


Happened to me too with my duck. Unfortunately a coon got him, he was a good 15-20 lb muscovy. We got him when he was very, very little, as he had fallen into the hole of a jetski slip. His wings never really recovered correctly from it and were malformed, so he could not fly, and was really too fat to even get off the ground. He was a very aggressive duck, I assume he took on the coon and lost the battle. Either way, he was kept inside a fence, so that does not deter raccoons. I'd say building a shelf into the pond, or providing a very steep drop off with LOTS of vegetation would provide decent shelter for them as well.

I tell ya, coons are smart and they figure how to open things up and get into places you would never think they could. If I were to do a pond, I would defintely put some kind of "pen" over it so it is surrounded on all sides, including the top. Not too attractive, but then again, your babies are safe and can still enjoy the sunlight and being in the pond. Maybe a pen with a latch door that opens on it that you can lock when needed.

lol be careful, those little guys are fishercoon! lol That what happens with pond, alot of predators.

Why not string a "hot" line around the pond. You can get them from livestock stores. It's a single (or double) strand of wire, hooked into the electrical current of your house, or battery powered. That will do the job. It doesn't take long for them to learn. When you want to work in the pond, turn it off.

Good idea, Sherry!!!!

Dont seem like the best idea if there are kids around though lol

(warning...children can be dangerous predators to fish as well!)

Hmm that would be an idea.. Ill have to price it and see..My hubby was thinking about putting latis around the pond with jasmine growing on it..We can dig and set the latis into the ground..That could work?

Well it would teach them to stay away..lol when I was about 6 yrs old.. my grandma had hot-wire around her horse fence.. one time touching it taught me not to mess with it again.. But my kids are better listeners than me..lol they stay away from the edge..

I was about to say the same thing.They'll only mess up and touch that stuff once.LOL.

How about getting a goose. Those things are LOUD and nasty. Better than a watch dog. And they will whip those coons with their wings send them flying.It would be one heck of a fight. You could make a cover with chicken wire and 2x4 s. I want to make a 300 gallon pond out of one of those round troughs, but it has to be above the ground since I live in a flood zone. I was going to have my Dad make me an octagon shape cover that is 2 pieces out of the 2x4's and the chicken wire so it won't be so heavy and I can remove it.

OOOO those geese are wonderful!..lol they are soooo loud but Ill be honest they scare the heck out of me!

goose in the pond = a terrible mess!

I have ducks and geese in my pond. Their nice to look at but they poop all over everything.
In a small pond think of how fast the water would go bad with both fish and geese pooping in the water.

lol .....haha i cant imagine..what a mess it really would be....btw if the goose or duck or w/e is sick and poop into the water, would it be dangerous?