Anyone have any experience with an orphaned racoon that you've raised as a pet?
Answers:
If you are in the US, it is illegal to keep a wild raccoon as a pet. If you have found an injured or orphaned raccoon, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator immediately. You can find one here: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.
These people have the specialized training to care for sick, injured and orphaned wild animals. They also have the state and federal licenses required to keep wild animals until they are healthy enough for release.
In the US, and many other countries, you need a license to keep a wild animal, even for a short time, even for the purpose of saving the animal's life. That is why wildlife rehabilitators get specialized training and are licensed to do this job.
Raccoons are so cute and cuddly as babies, but they are not good as pets, even if it was legal. They get very nasty when they get older, and they can carry rabies. If you have a pet raccoon and it bites someone, it is a death sentence for the raccoon, as the county health department will take it from you and kill it to test it for rabies.
Also, if you keep a raccoon as a pet, it never gets the opportunity to find a mate and have a family. Do you really want to deny the raccoon the chance to live a normal life?
Please take the raccoon to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator right away!
OH YEAH! He was GREAT! I named him George. What a fun pet. Until he hit puberty. Then he HAD TO GO! It was very sad. He went from a cute pet to a wild-*** animal up in my house. It was all VERY bad. Broke my heart.
I did...when I was a kid...my sister lugged home a 4 week old baby coon.we fed it bottles till he was old enough to eat regular food. He followed all around like dog...he was housebroke..used the litter pan and all. He was a terrific pet...until he reached maturity. He never turned on us..but one day down at the beach, this guy was fishing...he had a bait can sitting there with bait in it..Jo Jo just walked right up to it and started to help himself.When the man reached down to stop him, Jo Jo bit him. It wasn't a bad bite...and to tell you the truth...I don't believe it was intentional either...JoJo sure was enjoying that bait! Anyway...that was the first time we had ever seen any kind of aggression from him, and my parents decided that maybe it was time for him to be set free. We took him to a very nice spot in the Fla "boondocks" where a friend of ours lived close by. They kept an eye on him for us.and in less then 2 weeks..he was like all the other coons there. This story had a happy ending...but most don't.They are absolutely adorable when they are young...but they always grow up, and become wild...and aggressive.
Contact wildlife officers or the local zoo
to give it too - they are wild animals %26 shouldn't be raised by the average person - plus it's illegal in alot of places !
As cute as the animal is leave it alone till your
100 % sure its orphaned %26 then do whats right %26 give it to someone who knows what to do with it and the best chance at life
I do...his name was Chatters. I'm affiated with a local wildlife rehab organization. You should contact one in your area. They are never fully tamed, and if raised in your home, will eventually feel the need to be outside. This is a death sentence since the baby will have been raised with you and will not know how to fend for itself, search for food, or anything which is instrumental for it's survival.
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