They are such cool little guys, but I hate to tell you that as soon as they reach ';puberty'; (about one year old) no matter how tame they are, nature will kick in and you won't want them near you, they get all vicious, even with tame ones you raise from birth.Is there a way you can keep a wild raccoon as a house pet?
Actually as surprising as it is you CAN keep a raccoon as a pet and it can stay friendly. There are even raccoon breeders out there. I know because my crazy neighor has one about 3 years old that he rescued from his rain gutters. And i must say she is an absolute dear. There are many ways to keep it tame but a vital part of that deal is that you MUST have it neutered or spayed.
The reason that they become 'wild' as so many people keep alluding to is because of hormones and the need to be territorial. If they never have the testosterone or estrogen levels causing them to be like that they would never become territorial or 'wild'. But to ensure success I HIGHLY recommend that you bottle feed them from a young age. You don't have to get them the second they are born (they will die without mothers care for the first few weeks of their lives). If you are buying them from a reputable hobby breeder then the breeder will know when you should be able to get them, if i remember correctly it's somewhere between a month and a month and a half when they are jsut being weened.
This is the best time because they will still be receiving milk from you and associate you to being 'mom' and when they start on solid foods they will trust whatever it is that you are feeding them. If you bond to them well and they trust you then there will be few complications when they grow older. They as they hit puberty, the second they start showing a milligram of 'attitude' or aggression you must have they neutered or spayed. Because this is not one of those fixable changes. When they are neutered or spayed they should return to being your sweet pet once again. You can feed them dog food, they wil virtually eat anything but it is your job as owner to provide a balaned diet, not just food.
Actually they are some of he nicest pets, when treated right they have the same temperment of some dogs and cats. Hell my neighbor walks his on a leash like a dog because Rainy is so well behaved! The neighborhood kids walk right up to her and pet her, she is a bit of an attention hog but still! If you decide to buy one as a pet be sure to ask a lot of questions, that's the job of your breeder. Don't be shy, ask away! When i got my Brazilian Short Tailed Opossum i made sure that i had all the information available and the best source is the breeder. Don't be afraid to call abck and ask questions. If at any point they give you a vague answer their probaby not the person your wnat to buy your pet from.
I hope that was helpful. It was very abbreviated information but that's basically all there is to it. So good luck I hope this helps.
You can't even tame them raising them from birth- They never get completely tame. Your house would be torn apart and they need to be out and free- or get extremely viscious. Most, when reaching adulthood, become completely wild again anyways.
Believe me, if you do not have the experience, 6 hrs a day to play with them, and a huge outdoor enclosure, it is not worth it.
hey, your talking to someone here who does it. I have taken in many abandoned and orphaned wildlife in my past and raised them, wolves, gators, coons, possums, birds, snakes, you name it. Taking in a coon is a big responsibility. First t here is the law to contend with and it is hard to get certified and costly to raise wild animals. I get around this because I live remotely and cage NO ANIMALS. I dont believe in cages. Next, you have to worry about diseases, especially rabies. You can get shots to help make you immune if you handle wildlife, but it is not a guarantee, and not just anyone can get these shots. Roundworms is another problem. The worst problem is humans. You have to constantly worry about some hunter wanting to turn his coon dogs loose on your baby just for the sport of it, or worse, killing it for its tail. And then you must remember, they are a wild animal. Any animal can attack if they are threatened or dont understand a situation out of fear. My coons leave during the nite and go prowling, then crawl through an open window to come home. I have woken to four coons, two cats and my dog in my bed many times. I could not live like this if I had close neighbors. I lived in my teepee for a year and it stayed filled with my mountain critters. I have never been attacked, but then again, I'm not stupid, I watch what I do, give them their respect and have been lucky too. My father even had a bear cub as a pet in his younger days. People who tell you that you cant tame a wild animal are correct somewhat, but you can learn to live with them. It is a different path of life than most people are willing to live. I prefer critters to humans and am more a recluse or hermit by choice. email me and I will send you some pics of what coons will do to your house, lol, you mite change your mind. The best answer i can give you is to put yourself in the coons place. what would their choice be? to live as nature intended? or be kept in captivity? One other point, if your coon scratches or bites someone, they cut his head off to test him for rabies..........
';katie d'; the guardian of animals everywhere
NO!! they are very mean when they get older.Besides,did you know it is not legal to own one? A pet raccoon comes with a nice hefty fine$$$$$.
metallic: do you live in the same house w/ your neighbor and her raccoon???
You made raccoons sound like the perfect pet for anyone... trust me they are not! I have a 4 year old raccoon who lives in the house w/ me.. ( or should I say.... He allows me to live in whats left of his house)
Kakylale:
Yes in some states they are legal. you must purchase from a licensed breeder. ( just as I did)
The breeders forget to tell you just how destructive they can be... i had no idea! yeah i knew he would break some things.. I read about them making a den in the mattress ( which he wasted no time doing.. he is on his third mattress!)
they didnt mention he would break all the child proof lock to the cabinets and pull the pipes apart.. or.. tearing the seal out of the fridge so it no longer works.. or better yet... getting into the fridge and spilling everything.. eating what he wanted to of course.. have u ever tried to get a 45lb pissed off raccoon out of the fridge ... oh.. while he is eating his raw eggs of course??? Trust me.. you let him be and eat his eggs.. and he will get out when he is done. lol
they also didnt mention unlocking and getting in the dishwasher... coons dont care if its running or not.. its funner when its running and seeing all that water go everywhere!
or.. getting in the stove and leaving a big pile of crap!
( and they shed horribly!)
If I do use the oven ( which is rare!!!) it smells like i am cooking a raccoon!!!
they didnt mention he would shred my new linoleum by the time he was 3 months old either!!!!
I could go on and on and on!!!!! thats only a tiny part of the destruction..
yes they can become tame.. I bought him when he was 6 weeks old... so sweet and cute... slept w/ me and all that good stuff..lol
but they are NOTHING like a cat or a dog... not even close!!!
you can yell at a dog... smack a dog on the butt.. the dog feels bad right? right...
have u ever yelled at a coon??
how about spanked one?? I bet you wont do it more than once!!!! coons feel no remorse!!! they could care less if your pissed off b/c they just shredded your new bedspead and took all the drawers out of the dresser... they do not care.
you hit your raccoon or yell at your coon.. he wont like you!
and he will be very mad at you.. and trust me.. you will be sorry...
I do get mad at Meeko.. alot!!! my temper has become very short w/ him... I yell at him.. I have never hit or spanked him though... when I do yell.. oh, jeez.. I regret it.. b/c the next time he get down from up in the kitchen cabinets ( where he sleeps) its catch and bite mom time!!!
Im not kidding either.. I ran and scream like a little sissy!!!!
but you've never been bit by one either.. I have!
they grab ahold.. shake the head.. and do not let go until skin comes off.. ( ive had several stitches)
and beleive it or not... I still love him!
he bites and chases me... uh.. b/c he is a RACCOON!!!
part is rebelling b/c I yell at him... but mostly it is play.. and they all play so rough.
I will never have another one! they live for 20 years in captivity...
and i sure hope ur not buying one.. and when he gets to be 4 months old.. you put him in a cage... please do not do that...
raccoons are not happy in a cage... i dont care how big..
If your willing to make him/her a part of your family... thats great! I just dont know many people out there that would put up w/ what I have. and its so sad to have a coon live 20 years in a cage..
my coon is happier than hell...
but what coon wouldnt be!
sry so long..
I hope i got the point across. :)
oh one more thing... yes you have spay/neuter them also.. BUT this does not change their attitude at all.. It does not keep them from getting aggressive.. coons are agressive!
It only keeps them from tearing the doors completely down when they reach maturity.. and they can tear the door down if they want to.
You will have to get them from a very young age. I understand that when they become sexually mature, they can get very mean. As far as keeping them as a pet, I would say probably not. They are a wild animal. Maybe contact your local Department of Natural Resources and ask them if they can be kept as pets or if its even legal in your state.
keeping a wild animal as a pet is noever a good idea, as cute as they are as babies there are not ment for a home
No it is illegal to keep a wild animal hostage as a pet. They will never be tame and you are taking an animal from it's natural habitat.
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