racoons

[handmaiden97]

any one ever owned a racoon? I played with a baby racoon last night and really like edit, he was so cute and fun....I kinda want one....but my friends all tell me they are a real nusiance and a mistake to try and tame
any one have any experience

handmaiden97

 

[greenonion]

Where did you find this racoon you played with last night? I hope you were very careful, raccoons can carry rabies.

I don't know much about coons, cause there aren't any here in the desert. But I do know that baby racoons may be cute, but what happens when he gets big? He is a wild animal and could seriously hurt you. How do you housetrain a coon? WOuld you keep him in a cage? Is that fair to the animal? There are concerns of ethics. Is it right to take a racoon from his natural habitat for your enjoyment?

Please be careful!

 

[handmaiden97]

the baby coon was part of a litter that had lost its mom, the guy who had them had been finding homes for each of them, over the last 20 years he has raised and released many back into the wild......he had two still and wanted to find a home for one of them since they are a handful and get into everything. And he didnt want two rambunctious coons running around his house and property. he said you cant hardly keep them after3-6 months of age as they get really aggressive.....but the baby was so cute and it would have been fun to keep it, least till it was time to release it again....but as we raise chickens I didnt think it would be the best idea.....but boy it would be fun, they make the coolest purring /ratteling noise....an dit is not too late I can always call him and say I will take the one coon......desicions, decisons

 

[Dagna]

The babies are very cute, I've raised a couple orphans myself, but they were always returned back to the wild. People simply don't have the ability to give them the proper environment. They get aggressive, they are constantly into everything, they can't really be housetrained to use a litterbox or anything like that and you have to keep them in a very large space. When doing wildlife rehab, you have to keep human contact to a minimum, otherwise the raccoons become a nuisance to people when released which can spell trouble for the coon. I have a large 10x10 area of my yard fenced off strictly for wildlife that I rehab so they are in as natural an environment as possible while still being safe until I can release them.

You also need to be very careful about state regulations. In many states, you can't take wild animals and rehab them without a license, so you'll need to check on that before you take the baby. Also, you'll need to know how old the babies are so you can take care of them properly. It may still need formula, if so, formula is pricey, running about $10-$20+ a can and it has to be fed every 2-4 hours.

Basically, in my opinion, unless you are a trained wild life rehabber and know what your doing, I would not take one of those little guys in. They are not and should never be considered "pets" They are wild animals and rehabbing them takes a lot of time and work. Unless you are fully prepared, call a local rehabber to take them in.

 

[WCPirate06]

As much as I would like to own one, I can't, no one should. They are extremely hard to train and house break. They turn aggresive very easily and are all ways getting into things like trash and basements. And they are a known species that can carry rabies. So you would be held responsible for anything your racoon did to others and it's a lot worse then what a dog or cat would do. Pretty much racoons are wild animals, not domestic so they should be left that way and treated with respect that way.

 

[country woman]

No matter how tame they are now when they get bigger they will be wild and can't be trusted. These animals when cornered can inflict serious wounds on you and other animals.Like Dagna said they also can carry rabies . So while they are small you can care for them but soon they can look after themselves you should let them go into the wild where they belong. Just like you should never let a pet turn wild now thatseven more cruel.

 

[Dagna]

Check out this link if you're interested in wildlife rehab. it will give you a pretty good idea of what you'll be dealing with and where to get started.


http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/

 

[country woman]

Dagna is right most wild animal pets when bigger end up in rehab centers or worse. they can't be turned out to the wild. You also hear of tragic stories where the animals attack their owners and then end up dead themselves.Wild animals though beautiful and cute do not make good pets

 

[handmaiden97]

thanks for the advice.....I this wont take hte coon just cause Iave a good place where I live and the risk of him getting into our chickens is to great!

I know what you mean about the dangers of domestication wild critters, when I lived in the midwest I met several people with wolf hybreds, it walways bewildered me, cause in my state they are almost illieagal due to the fact so many have turned on kids

so thanks again for your advice!!!

 

[VegetarianKitty]

Their was a racoon on my porch earlier it was adorable, but I think that they should stay wild......It also tried to eat my cat's brush, so we gave it some food....It was really quite mellow but unless your rescuing it, it should remain wild. Domesticated(sp) from birth is what I recommend if you really want one.

 

[greenonion]

I have a domesticated racoon story- a little, OT, but I thought I would share.

I have always lived in the Arizona desert (subburbs). Around fourth of July, when I was 10, my family started hearing strange noises on our roof. It sounded like a person up there- too big to be a cat. So we called the police and they investigated. AZ houses dont have "attics", and there is no way something so large could be up there anyways. We were a little scared, but tried to ignore it- the cops said there was nothing up there.

One night we were swimming in our pool, when my mom saw the mysterious creature. It was a raccoon! This was strange, because no raccoons could live out here in the desert- this is not their native habitat. So we called Animal Control asking for their opinion. Word spread around the neighborhood fast, and neighbors wanted to see the coon. Within an hour after discovering the coon, some neighbors knocked on the door and said it was their pet, who had escaped! Animal control found this out and the neighbors were contacted and I think the coon confiscated.It was a weird day.

 

[Billnew]

Wow, talk about timing.

We had two racoon babies in our yard, last night.
One trying to hide. the other laying next to our back door.
My wife gave one canned cat food, we had to chain our terrier, to protect the babies.

The babies were gone in the morning, so mom must have come and got them.
Even took the plate that had the cat food on it.

 

[fieldlily]

I have never owned a racoon, but they live out here in the woods with us. Often at night they come up to our open deck especially when I leave a little cat or dog food out for them. They have never caused us any trouble, but I hear they can be a nuisance. I always name them something and try to recognize the ones who return. Sometimes a mother who I named Rosie the Racoon will bring her baby racoons. I have never approached them although if you go out on the porch they will back off but not run away. Sometimes they look in the window at you. Our cats (who are indoor cats) look out the windows at them and just ignore them as they do the cats. Cats would rather watch birds.

 

[Billnew]

I have never owned a racoon, but they live out here in the woods with us. Often at night they come up to our open deck especially when I leave a little cat or dog food out for them. They have never caused us any trouble, but I hear they can be a nuisance. I always name them something and try to recognize the ones who return. Sometimes a mother who I named Rosie the Racoon will bring her baby racoons. I have never approached them although if you go out on the porch they will back off but not run away. Sometimes they look in the window at you. Our cats (who are indoor cats) look out the windows at them and just ignore them as they do the cats. Cats would rather watch birds.

Always remember any animal can have rabies, so it's best not to approach stray or wild animals.

As a television show said: "When you see wild animals, leeave themmmm alonnne"(Quote: Arizona Sonoran Desert museum tv show )

 

[fieldlily]

Always remember any animal can have rabies, so it's best not to approach stray or wild animals.

As a television show said: "When you see wild animals, leeave themmmm alonnne"(Quote: Arizona Sonoran Desert museum tv show )

:o As I said in my post. Quote: "I have never approached them"