Three raccoons tonight.

[Guest guest]

Three raccoons showed up tonight.

This afternoon I bought a rally good panini but the crust was really tough from the toasting, so I saved that for Spot the raccoon. She turned up tonight and I dumped it out the door for her. At the time, I noticed another raccoon just at the edge of the spotlights and it ran away.

Moments later, another raccoon showed up. This was "Little One" who I think was Spot's baby. It hung around and got chased off by Spot, though it did try to come up the steps a different way.one time. It also checked the squirrel feeders but had no luck. Eventually Spot left and then the little one came up to eat the leftovers. It ate the crumbs but spit out the pepper in an amusing fashion.

About that time another raccoon came up. This one was larger, about the size of Spot. I'm pretty sure it was the same one that ran off earlier. Little One seemed to be on friendlier terms this one that Spot because they looked at each other with no sign of fear and even passed very closely on the steps perhaps even touching. The new one came up and sniffed around and ate the pepper.

That's when I opened the inner door again to try to run it off. It did go down the steps about half way, turned to look at me to see what I was doing, then went the rest of the way down. However, Little One was by the fence and it came up the steps to the door. At that point, the other raccoon was by the fence and it stopped to see what happened.

Little One climbed up the railing and was looking in the door just like Spot does and the other one came under the fence and waited there. I tapped on the door glass a time or two and Little One climbed off the railing and went down the steps. As soon as Little One came off the stoop, the other raccoon went under the fence and down by the roses. Little One also went in that direction.

What I was doing there was letting them know that just because someone is in the door that doesn't mean food is forthcoming. Spot gets fed now and then because she was kind of the Omega of her litter, getting pushed around by the others and got little food. I think no 3 or 4 years later she's the only one left of her litter. I've also learned that raccoons don't necessarily run away when you come after them. Often then just get out of reach and then watch you and might even approach, especially if there is food around. So, rather than try to chase them and go back inside, which might get them used to the idea of running off humans, I just let them see me at the door but not get any food from me. I'm sure they'll be back and there's nothing I can do about that, but I don't mind because I like watching them, I just don't want them to get too used to people or thinking people mean handouts.