# Female orchid massacre



## ismart (Jun 30, 2010)

Due to my negligence.  I lost both my gravid orchid females over the weekend to raccoons. On any normal day, i take some of my mantids outside to get some fresh air this time of year. My female orchids were kept in 12'' net cages with sticks, and wet paper towel on the bottom. I only leave them outside in my yard on my patio table during the day. I have always brought them in at night due to various critters such as, raccoons, skunks, and possums that might make a meal out of them. My brothers wedding was this past weekend. I had put the orchids outside that Saturday morning. I got caught up in all the drama and various tasks i needed to do to help out for the wedding on Sunday. I completely forgot to take them in when i got home Saturday night. Sunday morning i went into my yard to find the net cages all torn up and pieces of my orchids wings smeared on my patio table. I cant believe all it took was one night for them to be killed.  It gets even better! The day before one of the orchid females laid a beautiful ooth. I left it in with her to dry before taking it out. It was destroyed as well.  Now i'm just so pissed! :angry: It's payback time! :2guns: :gun_bandana:


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## hibiscusmile (Jun 30, 2010)

I feel your pain!


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## lancaster1313 (Jun 30, 2010)

Raccoons are a pain in the neck.


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## massaman (Jun 30, 2010)

I feel for you but even raccoons need to eat even if its unintended!


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## Rick (Jun 30, 2010)

Sure it was raccoons? I really can't imagine that unless you really have a coon problem.


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## ismart (Jun 30, 2010)

massaman said:


> I feel for you but even raccoons need to eat even if its unintended!


Trust me! These raccoons are not starving. There are like at least 20 stray cats just on my block alone that are fed by various neighbors. My girl has become one of them.  I have whitness the raccoons eating the cat food on more than one occasion. They are very fat! :blink: 



Rick said:


> Sure it was raccoons? I really can't imagine that unless you really have a coon problem.


I'm positive it was raccoons. The paw prints were unmistakable. Not to mention i saw two of them fighting on my deck last night. What an erie sound! I have noticed in like last few years an increase in raccoons, skunks, and possums. I do live close to the largest park in the bronx. That probably has a lot to do with it.


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## hierodula (Jun 30, 2010)

Man that stinks, I feel sorry for you but mistakes happen.


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## ismart (Jun 30, 2010)

hierodula said:


> Man that stinks, I feel sorry for you but mistakes happen.


Thanks!  What pisses me off even more was the fact both those females were mated 5 times each by three different males. What a waste!  My girl is now scared to let my little yorkie out in the yard to go poopies after dark.


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## lancaster1313 (Jun 30, 2010)

I know how you feel, I have had raccoon issues before. I just wonder why they would be interested in mantids. I wouldn't put it past them though. They are too inquisitive and smart for thier own good. I like all animals, but I don't like having raccoons near my home and my pets, they can cause alot of damage.


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## PhilinYuma (Jun 30, 2010)

Like everyone else, I'm really sorry to hear this Paul. But at least (says Polly Anna with a smile) you know that you can breed this species.

BTW Did you say that your daughter has become a stray cat? If so, I'm sure that she would be a very cute one, but probably not. I misread things sometimes.


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## ismart (Jun 30, 2010)

Thanks Phil! I needed that! :lol:


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## Ntsees (Jun 30, 2010)

You are reminding me of what happened to my birds and my fish - except that the only difference is that it was a cat that killed them. Grr...I need to find a way to make cats stay away from my yard.


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## Mr.Mantid (Jun 30, 2010)

Heres a good racoon story that happend to my family when I was younger.

When I was about 10 or 11, my family lived out in the country and owned a few acres of land. We raised a few animals; rabbits, chickens, and goats. During one summer morning my brother and I were feeding the chickens and we thought it would be fun to spin around the chickens and throw them up in the air to see if they would get dizzy. We spun all 7 of them so hard that most of them started vomitting.

Early the next morning we found what we thought was 2 chickens dead! Instantly I thought I had killed the chickens from throwing them around too much. I was pretty sure my Dad was going to kill me. Well as I looked at the cage more closely I counted 8 chickens. Obviously something was wrong since we only had 7 chickens before. Well as I looked at the cage closer, the two dead chickens was actually one dead chicken ripped in half. Racoons had dug a tunnel underneath the cage but somehow only had enough room to rip one chicken in half. We told our dad unaware of the danger to come..

The next morning he got up early and waited for the racoons at the bottom of the small hill a small distance from the chickens, with a M-16. He said he counted about a dozen racoons. He took aim, shot and watched one of the little bandits drop dead. Well the next thing you know, he had a whole dozen of racoons chasing after him. He was running up a hill backwards shooting as much of them as he could. I remember him saying that it felt like a zombie apocalypse only with racoons chasing after him. I am unsure weather he killed all of them or enough to scare the rest off but I'm sure having a whole pack of angry wild animals run at you is not a pleasent feeling.

In conclusion I do not like racoons, but probably not as much as my father.


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## MantidLord (Jun 30, 2010)

That really sucks. And I thought ooth eating crickets were a problem. Sorry. Hope you have/get some more.


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## hibiscusmile (Jun 30, 2010)

Yea I am with u mantidlord, I thoought so to, course if I was going to air out my bugs, by the time I got them all out, it would be time to come back in





On another note, I had rats come up from the basement once and was raising baby ducks, my husband used to whistle in the morning while shaving and the baby duck would whistle back and one morning no whistle, but found its head behind the buffet! It got into the cage and drug it out. Reminds me of Mr. Magoo! in A Christmas Carol, the sound of my shoes go clickly clack, but theres no clicky clack back...,,,



I'm all alone in the world.......... oh sorry! I get carried away!


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## ismart (Jun 30, 2010)

This is not the first time raccoons have taken some pets from me. They have taken a duck, some rabbits, fish, turtles. I'm probably missing something else? I cant stand them! :angry:


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## lancaster1313 (Jul 1, 2010)

That stinks, raccoons have caused enough damage for me. I saw one the other night, in a neighborhood that I wouldn't think they can live in. Now I am frightened that there will be problems all over again. I will never forget my raccoon ridden days on the palm tree farm. They are formidable creatures. :angry:


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## hibiscusmile (Jul 1, 2010)

you should see my shed! it has opening holes on all sides, each side has two holes each, there are trails under there and more than one thing lives under it, rabbits, ground hogs, racoons and gray squirrels, dont know exactly who lives where though, they oh and rats, they ate hole thru the floor and last fall I went in to clean and what peeks behind the incubator, a racoon, head as big as my dogs, I turned an ran, but the dog was ahead of me



scared the bejeebers out of me. patched all the holes and had no visitors last winter for the first time in 22 years! The squirrels were mad, cause I patched the hole in the side where they were sneaking in thru. did not mean to indicate they all lived under it, some were inside.


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## ismart (Jul 1, 2010)

I periodically check my garage for any holes or ways for critters to get in. I did have mice living there a few years ago. The raccoons use the roof of my garage to get to my neighbors garage, and from there i'm not sure where they go? I think i'm going to have to talk with my neighbor later and take a peek in her garage. It has some damage. There is a good chance there living in her garage. And if i find them.... :2guns: :lol:


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## hibiscusmile (Jul 1, 2010)

Call me, I just purchased a 40 whatyamacallit and it will take them out!


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## Ghozt (Jul 3, 2010)

ismart said:


> Due to my negligence.  I lost both my gravid orchid females over the weekend to raccoons. On any normal day, i take some of my mantids outside to get some fresh air this time of year. My female orchids were kept in 12'' net cages with sticks, and wet paper towel on the bottom. I only leave them outside in my yard on my patio table during the day. I have always brought them in at night due to various critters such as, raccoons, skunks, and possums that might make a meal out of them. My brothers wedding was this past weekend. I had put the orchids outside that Saturday morning. I got caught up in all the drama and various tasks i needed to do to help out for the wedding on Sunday. I completely forgot to take them in when i got home Saturday night. Sunday morning i went into my yard to find the net cages all torn up and pieces of my orchids wings smeared on my patio table. I cant believe all it took was one night for them to be killed.  It gets even better! The day before one of the orchid females laid a beautiful ooth. I left it in with her to dry before taking it out. It was destroyed as well.  Now i'm just so pissed! :angry: It's payback time! :2guns: :gun_bandana:


how was the ooth destroyed ?


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## ismart (Jul 3, 2010)

Ghozt said:


> how was the ooth destroyed ?


All that was left were a few pieces of foam.


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