How hard / expensive is to to own a pet raccoon?

I'm not planning on it any time soon but i was just wondering


are they more like cats or dogs and how common are they as pets?How hard / expensive is to to own a pet raccoon?
All of my baby pictures are of me with our pet raccoon. Up to one year of age. Raccoon and I were the same age.





After that, a raccoon becomes sexually mature. At that point he was far to dangerous to have around me (a year old baby then). My mother re-homed him outside a Ranger Station, where they still fed raccoon (way back then).





In most states it would be illegal to own a raccoon, since they are a native animal. They cannot have the same rabies vaccines that cats and dogs get, as they can actually contract the disease from the vaccine.





They are not protected under law either. Even if fully vaccinated, and licensed, they do not share the same protection under law that cats and dogs have. That means if your raccoon bites someone, it can be confiscated immediately, killed, and have it's brain tested for rabies. Vaccinated cats and dogs, just have to go into a 10 day quarantine. No such laws protect raccoons.





Raccoons are like having an amusing, but evil little troll as a pet. They are expert climbers. They will climb everything...and then push, pull, or yank it all down, simply because they are extremely curious.





Imagine coming home and finding EVERYTHING (and I do mean every single item) in your kitchen cabinets (both upper and lower) and your kitchen counter, laying in heaps, broken on your floor. Flour, soap, dishes, glasses, cans of food....everything, one massive messy pile.





Now walk into your living room. See your TV laying broken on the floor? The raccoon only wanted to know what was behind the speaker covers on your stereo, that's why he ripped the speakers apart. Your shelves are cleared of every single book and knick nak.





The raccoon has also not only shredded, but ripped your curtains 1/2 down, in ALL of your windows.





Your bathroom is awash in water and toilet paper. Most of your items on your bathroom counters (like your toothbrush) are floating in the toilet. Raccoons ADORE playing with items in water, and will carry things to the water.





Did I mention at a year old, it's quiet likely the raccoon will not only start to bite others, but will become aggressive with you? Did I mention they can make a hole right into your drywall, and rip out your insulation, and wiring?





Raccoons are fascinating creature. I really like them. They make extremely poor pets. Get a ferret if you want something unusual.





By the way, both ferrets and raccoons are nocturnal animals, so that means a lot of night-time noise.





~Garnet


Permaculture homesteading/farming over 20 years


Active wildlife study over 40 years.How hard / expensive is to to own a pet raccoon?
check your local by-laws,as raccoons are considered wildlife and you can end up in trouble(not everywhere though) if you keep wild animals as pets.


In some places they may be protected species.


they are unusual animals,please google the raccoon,its not a dog or cat:they can eat almost anything,but they can also carry many diseases that we humans can contract:rabies is just one and bird flu is another.


In some countries people eat relatives of the raccoon(civets)
Raccoons are wild animals, and not suitable for pets. They can become aggressive, are known to carry diseases harmless to them but fatal to humans, and can be downright dangerous as a full-grown adult. Not to mention they can cause some serious wreckage inside the home, and an outdoor pen is no place for any kind of pet, let alone a wild animal. Maintaining their nutritional needs would mean providing plenty of different kinds of food - raccoons are omnivores and in the wild, eat anything from berries and grains to crawfish and eggs. Human foods and commercial cat or dog foods can cause digestive and health problems, and even death. Keeping a raccoon for a pet is also illegal in many states.





All that being said, some people do keep them, but unless they're trained in handling wild animals or working as a wildlife rehabilitator, they're probably not providing an ideal environment for the animal.