greybeard
Well-known member
I suppose I've been fortunate. Have only seen a single porcupine in the wild once in my life and that was out near Big Spring Tx.
Need some opinions/ideas
- Thread starter Lannie
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Lannie
Well-known member
Hey, look! Dogs with no beards!
It's been over a week now. Either they finally figured out porcupines are painful, or the porcupine finally ran out of quills.
Now they're back to Keeping America Beautiful. My own personal road-kill cleanup crew... who needs vultures?
That thing had a full set of ribs on it when they brought it home. Couple hours in Conan's jaws took care of that.
These guys are a major pain in my ass, but I love 'em to pieces.
It's been over a week now. Either they finally figured out porcupines are painful, or the porcupine finally ran out of quills.
Now they're back to Keeping America Beautiful. My own personal road-kill cleanup crew... who needs vultures?
That thing had a full set of ribs on it when they brought it home. Couple hours in Conan's jaws took care of that.
These guys are a major pain in my ass, but I love 'em to pieces.
Lannie
Well-known member
And now for The Rest of the Story:
I found this yesterday:
That is a HUGE porcupine 20 feet up in the big elm tree out front. I never heard any dogs barking, so I don't know why he's up that tree, but whatever. Hubby went out and dispatched him, and he's currently in a box in the shop (out of reach of the dogs) waiting for the trip to his final resting place.
Here's a close up, but it's blurry. I was taking these pictures through the living room window and the close up one is on full zoom. My camera sucks. But you get the idea.
Do porcupines normally climb trees? Maybe that's why we hadn't found him until now. I was looking on the ground. Huh, I just looked it up, and learned that porcupines frequently climb trees, especially in the winter. Seems they like to eat bark when there's no greenage around to eat. Well, anyway, one less porcupine to worry about and maybe (fingers crossed) less vet bills. Unless his wife is still around...
I tell you what, I'd rather deal with dogs being skunked than being quilled.
I found this yesterday:
That is a HUGE porcupine 20 feet up in the big elm tree out front. I never heard any dogs barking, so I don't know why he's up that tree, but whatever. Hubby went out and dispatched him, and he's currently in a box in the shop (out of reach of the dogs) waiting for the trip to his final resting place.
Here's a close up, but it's blurry. I was taking these pictures through the living room window and the close up one is on full zoom. My camera sucks. But you get the idea.
Do porcupines normally climb trees? Maybe that's why we hadn't found him until now. I was looking on the ground. Huh, I just looked it up, and learned that porcupines frequently climb trees, especially in the winter. Seems they like to eat bark when there's no greenage around to eat. Well, anyway, one less porcupine to worry about and maybe (fingers crossed) less vet bills. Unless his wife is still around...
I tell you what, I'd rather deal with dogs being skunked than being quilled.
CowboyRam
Well-known member
A buddy and I used to shoot them out of the Scrub Oak all the time in northwest Colorado.
Lannie
Well-known member
It was certainly a surprise to me. The only times I've ever seen a porcupine, it was waddling slowly across the ground. I had no idea they're agile enough to climb trees.
Maybe "agile" is the wrong word. According to the one site I read, their quills have an antibiotic in the tip because they fall OUT of trees quite often, and end up stabbing their own silly selves with their quills. That must be a (literal) pain in the butt, eh?
Maybe "agile" is the wrong word. According to the one site I read, their quills have an antibiotic in the tip because they fall OUT of trees quite often, and end up stabbing their own silly selves with their quills. That must be a (literal) pain in the butt, eh?
Ebenezer
Well-known member
We got the scoop on eating raccoons. Anybody eat a porcupine?
Porcupines eat bark it's a big part of their diet, usually the more desirable trees. This time of years in the evenings you will often find them in trees. Keeping my dogs penned at night has helped with the problem but that isn't why they're penned.
wbvs58
Well-known member
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
I would have some live traps set for them. Find out what they like to eat (salt? - bark). Just make sure the traps are too small for your dogs. Dispose of them easily that way.
Lannie
Well-known member
I'd prolly just catch our cats then. Or a curious guinea or chicken. I'm hoping this guy was a loner.
uplandnut
Well-known member
I use to have issues with porcupines all the time with one of my german shorthairs. The male I had got quilled 5 times while out hunting, every time worse than the last. The last time they had to pull over 200 out of his mouth just to tube him. He had well over a thousand that time. There is no reason to cut them off, they do not deflate. They are like scales on a fish, run your hand down one way they are smooth, run it the other way the "scales" start to stand up offering resistance making it harder to pull out. Sometimes it is easier to push/pull them through if you can feel them on the other side already. Although it is very hard to find all of them it can be deadly to the dog if you leave any in. They will migrate under the skin finding there way to any number of areas. Was told by one vet of a dog having a quill make its way to its heart, hence killing the dog.
