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Raccoons!
Herons! Cats! Snakes! Alligators! (Sea monsters???)
The threat is enough to make anyone think twice about putting in a waterscape, especially
when delivered like a supermarket tabloid
headline.
If you actually have a alligator in your pond, it is not a half-truth that your fish are
in trouble! ( And maybe you are too, depending on how big it is!) The reality is,
alligators are a risk only
in a few parts of the nation, where people know how to deal with them.
We know how to deal with predators, as those who live in alligator habitats know how to
deal with alligators. Despite this, it's hard to install a pond without every
well-intentioned advice-giver warning you that predators lurk in your neighborhood.
I honestly believe people think raccoons inhabit only their urban street! I wonder if
there is a place where raccoons don't live? (They're hardy, smart, creative little
devils.) Since so many people worry about raccoons, let's get the facts straight.
First, Raccoons eat fish! Quite true, fish are a gourmet meal to them! Does that mean
they'll eat your fish? As I said earlier, all myths are born out of a series of
half-truths.
Pre-formed tubs are raccoon smorgasbords! Raccoons stand on the edge, reach into the
shallow water and pull out peoples' pets for a
gourmet dinner. And they'll come back, looking for more!
For the next ten years, the distraught pond owner will tell everyone interested in a pond
to watch out for murderous raccoons!
Well sure, raccoons have to eat, too! As a pond builder, it's your job to make sure you
aren't building a raccoon restaurant! You have to build a pond correctly to keep your fish
alive.
Make your pond two feet deep and at least eight feet wide. Few pre-formed tubs are this
large, so raccoons easily catch the fish. Next, build up the sides with 6- to 12-inch
cobblestones. This will, among other things, create hiding places for smaller fish.
Raccoons, unlike river otters, will not swim or dive below the water in search of prey.
When you build a pond with this in mind, raccoons will not catch your fish.
Like raccoons, cats eat fish, and consider fish a gourmet delicacy. Again, I am not saying
you will never have a cat or raccoon that finds a way to catch your fish. I can say, that
when we build ponds the correct way, we don't hear complaints from our customers about
fish they have lost because of raccoons and cats.
Herons, on the other hand, are more complicated to defend against. They are the only
predator that will eat your fish, even when you build your pond properly. A heron can
literally walk into a pond and pluck out your fish. A flat flagstone placed below water
and spanning between shelves will provide a hiding spot for fish to large to fit
between the crevices of boulders. With patience and excellent stalking abilities, herons
can still eat some of your fish despite your best defenses.
The best answer to solving a winged predator problem is to incorporate a water sprinkler
with a motion detector attached. These are readily available in the marketplace and
designed to handle predators such as herons. The sprinkler is hooked up to the water
spigot on the house, and installed alongside the pond. When the predator nears the
pond the motion detector is triggered, sending a quick burst of water in a general
direction, scaring off the unwanted visitor.
Herons are far and away the biggest predator on ponds. Still less than 10 percent of our
customers lose fish to herons. To worry about an occasional heron does not justify not
installing a pond.
There are many other predators that occasionally dine on small fish. Large bullfrogs,
snakes, and even turtles may occasionally catch a meal from time to time. Just chalk it up
to nature. Be glad your pond is so natural that it benefits the native wildlife.
Happy Ponding
bullfrog-ed@worldnet.att.net
<mailto:bullfrog-ed@worldnet.att.net>
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