All Comments: Pet Racoon

I've just recently gotten a baby raccoon that I have hand raised from a bottle. I want to have him neutered and was curious about the procedure, is it done like a cat or dog neuter. He is the sweetest like guy.

I had 2 families come up to the house. First group came around dusk, mom and 3 little one, and the other family, mom,dad and four little ones. I kept dog food out for them every night and to watch them interact with each other was great. They would push each other out of the food tray and would run around the deck. It got to be a nightly thrill just to see them come across the yard and upon the deck. If the food wasn't out yet they would come to the door and look in (we had a glass back door). They would almost beg for food. If I didn't come right out they would lay at the door just like a dog would do. We have a wooded area behind our house that a creek runs through. This past summer we had a heavy rain and the area was flooded and since then they have disappeared. I have kept food out but only a couple of old ones come up and they fight for the food so I've stopped. I'll wait for spring and start again to see if I get another family. My grandkid's got such a thrill out of them, I'm hoping for more next spring. They're almost better than a dog since you do have to worry about them, they take care of themselves. No vet bills and you don't have to get them tags. I sure miss them

My friend had a pet raccoon which she kept in an outdoor cage. This raccoon lived to be 22 years of age. Many times younger orphaned raccoons were put into the cage with her and she never bothered any of them. She was wormed on a yearly basis with strongid T and was healthy throughout her life.

We raised a pet racoon over 6 years ago. She was raised in the house until she was five months old, then transfered to a large cage complete with climbing limbs etc. then we began to let her out daily for longer and longer periods of time. She was always very tame even as she made her a home in the woods. Today, we can still go outside and call her and she'll come home within 15-20 minutes. She lives closeby and has raised several litters of beautiful babies. When she is pregnant or has a new litter, she comes around more often for food. Her favorite treat was always Hot Dogs, so we try to keep a package on hand for her visits. We no longer try to pick her up, although I believe she would allow it, but she loves scratches behind the ears and eating from our hands. She has never attempted to bite. She and my 14 year old cat coexist without conflicts. Friends and family come hoping she'll make an appearance--she shows out for a laugh and cautiously accepts strangers. A raccoon is an extremely smart and resourceful animal with a friendly disposition but please do not forget that a wild or scared raccoon can be very dangerous. Just ask someone that hunts them. They can rip a dog to pieces in a fight and as I understand, are one of the largest carriers of Rabies in the wild. It terrifies me to think of a child being rough with a Coon that is not used to children. Would I raise another? Yes! Abby never forgot us and knows where to come when food is scarce for her. But everyone please be careful when taking one that you rescue. Better safe than sorry. Rabies shots are very painful--I received my series of shots over 30 years ago after picking up a stray cat and would hate to undergo another set. Back then, it was one shot a day for 14 days in the stomache--don't know what is done now. I love all animals and don't wish to offend anyone but when we think with our hearts, sometimes, we forget to use basic common sense.

I have an 11 year old raccoon named suzy. She seems to be losing a lot of weight, should I take her to the vet, or draw blood and have them check it. I am really concerned

Joyce to your response, you cannot be "immune" to rabies. You get a shot that lasts ONLY 7 years. Kids don't just get rabies as a typical shot so your son was NOT immune to it... get a REAL P.H.D, not one printed off off the internet... get your facts straight before comming up with some story you thought was cute and would help people.

Yeah, I used to hate raccons, always costing me tons of money because they break in my house and eat my food. But I recently saved a 3 month old baby one from starvation, and I have to say they make great pets.

About distemper, what about worming the little guy, also they can get west nile too. Just a thought, mary

My son rescued a baby racoon from a cat three weeks ago. I can't judge his age becuase he had his eyes open, but was severely dehydrated. He has an abcess on his side, but we are keeping it clean and medicated. We started him on kitten forumla but he has progressed to fruit salad -- watermelon, bananas and grapes. Not sure what to do about the abcess becuas the vets around here won't take him. He's really grown and a sweet kit. We want to release him back in the wild. Any suggestions?

Use cat wormer by size, one cc for every pound. Put it on ice cream or something he likes. To the people who found the raccoon tin the garage, u save him, he will hang around for life and thats O.K. They're kind creatures when u r kind to them. And auntie listen to katherine, she knows too well about your delema, she will help u. Is wisco close to u if it is number is 1 608 474 o236,mary wille is my name,have 2 now,let me know is i am close enough to help,oh convince your vet its for your cat, the wormer people, mary k

I have found a raccoon thats family has been killed and is afraid of me and tries to bite me... what should I do to get him to be like a pet?

Hi! My Dad had a half grown raccoon come into his garage and lie down on a towel and go to sleep. Having heard all the scare tactics of the conservationists, he assumed it was ill, most likely with rabies. I live next door and have an animal sanctuary. So, when Dad said he was going to have my son put the coon down, I went to see if I thought it was sick. It didn't look sick. No mucous, no runny eyes, just very very thin. I called the rehabbers closest, which is 400 miles away here and they said it probably had distemper. And distemper is ALWAYS fatal. I know better. As a kid the neighbors had a dog that had lived through it. I had a baby squirrel that had it, became totally paralyzed, diagnosed by the vet, that lived and became as healthy as any squirrel you will ever see. Twice as onery probably. So, I made my youngest son get the coon and put it in the carrier and take it to our barn. He and I are both immune to rabies. I had shots before he was born and he had shots after a dog bite before anyone informed us he was already immune. Anyway, the coon goes into the barn. Gets goats milk, eggs, antibiotics, etc. He did have a couple of pretty good seizures that I saw and some partial paralysis in his hind quarters. He has been here about 8 days and is now exploring the loft and looking out at the horses. He nuzzles the kittens, much to their annoyance. I truly feel this raccoon was someones pet who either got away or was released. He may have been showing signs of illness before he was released. The game warden could have been breathing down their neck, who knows? Anyway, my caution is, animals can recover from distemper with the proper care if caught soon enough and be very careful releasing wildlife as I am feeling this little guy suffered some consequences. It is possible that it is just young, sick and smart enough to know I am taking care of it during its illness. I am not very threatening. And fortunately for this poor baby, I don't believe everything I hear. I am sure he will leave on his own at some point, but he is welcome to stay as long as he likes. He has taken up residence in the feed box right now and definately begins looking when he hears me come into the barn. I noticed also that it appears as though the tip of his tail is gone. We have petted him a little but try not to touch him too much. He really doesn't seem to mind being touched lightly, but he has been ill so maybe being touched by stinky humans was just something else to endure. I cannot believe that anyone would hurt these totally cute little creatures.

Hypothetical, why do people want to kill the cutest creatures? I'm finding that after rescuing an orphan who fell from a ceiling 14 ft, and getting it passed the rough part, I honestly didn't think it would make it but it did. It has a limp in his back leg. His mother was still where he fell, but after leaving him in a box for a day and a half Mom didn't go back for him and there is a huge coyote around. I had no idea it was illegal in my area to help them and I truly feel bad for that. But if the lil guy goes to a rehabber they may put him down. This is so unfair.

Hello I am a horse and dog rescuer and found myself with a 2 month old raccoon that now lives in the house with my 2 children, 2 dogs my husband and myself. He is very curious and it took some getting use to the sounds. I have him in a large dog kennel at night since he goes into our cupboards and takes things out to play with. I had him on homo milk which seemed to satisfy him plus started him on vitamins. He is now just starting to test out new foods. They are a handful and he comes everywhere with me since he needs to be fed every 5 hours or whenever he makes enough noise. He didn't like the dogs much at first, but small 2 min. introductions every couple hours and having the smell on us helped, he now runs around and plays with our collie. He follows us but like I said he is very curious and is somewhat a lot of trouble for a horse rescuer like myself. But we hope that we can release him once he is old enough or when he decides he is ready...

As a wildlife rehabilitator who has raised and released baby raccoons I must advise you on a few things. I don't know what state you are in but what you are doing is well intentioned but probably illegal as you need a license. I reccommend you contact a wildlife rehabiltator in your state immediately as nutrition is extremely important as well as raising them WILD! They stay with their mothers for up to a year sometimes so they are not a quick raise and release animal. Raising them incorrectly could mean them not being wild and not knowing how to survive on their own!!! The other concern is that raccoons carry many worms and zoonotic diseases (transmittable to people). Please please I sincerely urge you to leave it to the pros and love them enough to give them to a rehaber that knows what they are doing! Thank you on their behalf for caring!

Hello out there a couple of days ago my father in law was moving some hay for his horses and in the big bales of hay were 3, 5-10 day old raccoons. We left them alone for a day or so and still no mom. We (my husband and I)decided to bring them home to our house and take care of them. As of 3 days now they are doing GREAT!!! They are eating kitten replacement milk with a touch of syrup. They seem to eat this with syrup better than just milk. Some extra info on how to raise them would be great. We plan on releasing them back into the wild ASAP. We live on 4 wooded acres, and have adult raccoons eat on our back porch everynight.

Hello out there, it's been a while. As spring is here, yepeeeeee, I am hearing of more and more baby raccoons being discovered. I learn something new every day, there is this stuff that will stop dehydration in its tracks. They give it to kitten, pups, horses, dogs, deer, practically anything with four legs. It is cheap and it works. I even think you can buy it on line. It's an oral nutritional supplement, it's called lixotinic. Very little goes a long way and it works wonderfully for dehydration. It will shock you how quick it works. Good luck to all who are willing to help save an orphan baby coon, or adult one too. Like sunchaser says, you may not save the world for all the animals, but you will make a world of difference to the ones you choose to help, or something like that. I think u all know what I am trying to say. Oh and one other thing, if you r thinking of moving to the terrible state of colorado and your a raccoon or any other animal lover for that matter, don't. They r terrible over there for helping save animals from death. As a matter of fact they prefer death to animals, or nicely put euthanasha[sp],to anyone who chooses to help a creature. And if that creature can not be returned safely to the wild, no matter how well u take care of them or how big u make there encloser they will get a search warrant and take your beloved friend and have them killed. Perfectly healthy or not, they will not allow you to ask professionally if you get the proper permits so you can keep them, cause there r none. Proper permits, they don't exsist in CO. They r using the archiac fear tactic of the big R word, even though there has never, I repeat never, been a truthful case of one raccoon ever biting a human and contracting the big r, let alone a raccoon biting a human who wasn't trying to kill them or her babies/ See colorado is owned and operated by big game farms and sportsmen. That is who owns theirewildlife department. If u look at their names the owner of coors is in this bunch. Well one very strong women tried to change the certian death sentence basically to allow someone to obtain permits under all kind of valid restriction. She did it very professionally and had a lot of data, a lot of research, and a lot of hard work, and these big wigs gave her 3 minutes. Never intending to even consider changing the unreasonable death laws for raccoons. They will take the money and the tax write off for their game farms and their hunting licenses over there, but god forbid if someone simply wants to love and help an orphaned critter. That they will kill, sooooo stay out of colorado if u love animals/, they will kill them. mary

~ Hello, I've recently come across a Baby Raccoon; I have assisted* in raising one before (many yrs ago) & am very Happy to be doing it again. She was about a wk. or so old? when I got her. Her Eyes were not opened yet. I have been feeding her Kitten Baby formula with an eye dropper. She's doing well with this & sleeping in a small box with towels for warmth until she gets a bit older. I hold her close to me for feedings & to let her feel my heartbeat & scent. SHe sems to like playing & nesting in my hair, crawling all over me esp. around my neck. She also likes to suck on my fingers.(LOL) The one we raised before loved to suck my thumb. She would tap your leg/chking for pants & climb up to my shouder then tap my shoulder chattering~ letting me know she wanted my thumb, then would go to sleep with my thumb in her mouth. I just hope that my new Baby will be as Healthy & friendly as that one was. I love animals & do what I can do help them & keep them safe & Healthy. I also have a Cockatiel. My hubby has A Parrot & we have 2 Chiauhau mixes,(one of them belongs to my eldoest son). My daughter has a Blk velvet Dwarf bunny, one son had a King Snake (Recently deceased). So we have a literal Zoo in our home & 4 children. We stay pretty busy & are very loving with our *Extended Family of Pets*.

Mark here - Thought I would share my loss with everyone as I am still devastated over it. Destiny would have been a year old today. She was an orphan at around three or four days I guess. She still had a dried umbilical cord. The mom died trying to get back to her den under the house of apparent animal wounds. She was the only one I was able to save, hence her name, Destiny. Her first month on earth was touch and go as she soon developed a urinary tract infection. She responded almost miraculously to the series of three penicylin shots a day apart and grew like a weed after that. I've never been loved as much as she loved me. I remember a feeding just after her eyes had opened. Following a warm bath and a dryer, I placed her back in her warmed little box, where I had given her a wind up tick tock clock and a little red and white snoopy dog. As I placed her in her box, she immediately went over to her clock and gave it a touching hug, and then to her snoopy doll for a lot more of the same, and then off to bed and just as quickly to sleep. It was almost eerie it was so touching. I was mommy ok in every sense, complete with that extra sense of concern and alarm that only a mother can share when her baby is in danger. Like the time she followed my unaware son into the tool shed. I was in the kitchen when I sensed something was wrong. When I found her she had crawled up a bench to a window with a broken pane and was stranded straddled between two jagged pieces. Had she moved another inch she would have cut herself to ribbons. She had made NO noise of any kind but was definitely afraid and waited patiently until I found her and extricated her. And she would often know just what I was thinking as well. She learned everything I taught her and excelled in social skills ........ and then learned on her own .......... how to defeat the child proof mechanism on a bic lighter ....... and then light it. She woke me every morning with a kiss. Came to give me a hug and a kiss every night before bedtime. And was apt to attack at any other time for a little - "just thought I'd tell you how much I really love you sugars". She was playful and loving to the nth degree but never destructive in the least. To this day we can't remember her ever destroying a thing. She had her toys and most were not bought. She watched cartoons with me every night as we shared a mutually favorite snack cashews. We showered together, cooked (taste tested) and cleaned (pun) house together (not the vacuum!!). She was very concerned about my back pain and would fret, and often bring me one or two of her favorite bright red soda bottle caps. Of course who wouldn't feel better after such touching concern. When she came in season she was no trouble for me in the least. The same was not true , however, for my roommate ....... her betrothed. When he wouldn't cooperate with "mother nature" she became upset and moved back in with "her mother", me. She was so upset with him she would not allow him to so much as raise his voice in anger or dis-pleasure at me, and would stand between us to make sure!! Of course she loved us both ....... but you "do NOT mess with my mamma" specially when I'm on the rag!! When either one of us would leave for work she worried the whole time. Upon returning, it was time for celebration !! The biggest celebration was the trip home from the grocery store "with ALL those goodies and presents ALL just for her !! And she got to go thru the sacks to find the best goodies. (usually bought just for her to find) In Texas it is against the law to posess a raccoon. And against the law for a vet to treat them. They have to report you to the authorities or it's their license. Of course the State of Texas will assist you in killing as many as you like. Destiny died recently from a very bad flu she caught from me. I couldn't get her to a vet, and my skills were inadeguate to save her. Something is dreadfully wrong with this picture. I lost a son to a drunk driver 21 years ago and this loss is just about as emotional. These animals are among the top 5 intelligent animals on earth, in which humans are at the top of the group. Losing her was much more like losing a daughter than some pet. I've had every kind of animal there is. I was raised on a farm. But nothing prepared me for this. And to think, I was a criminal for saving her life to begin with. Destiny had one brief year on this planet. It was, however, a year full of love and happiness, security and comfort. I can only hope I see her again, as I believe I will if I'm lucky enough to make it to the same gate.

Raccoons eat everything, they even ate my trash: a blue plastic cup, a nacho plater, and a chicken leg bone!

"The greatness of a nation can be seen, by how the treat their animals"... "GANDHI"

I just wanted to take the time to post about a wonderful family of humans I met this weekend. They had found a family of babies, mother gone, abandoned babies for whatever reason. Well the whole family tried to save these little guys, one son bottle feeding, all taking turns. Now all us raccoon companions know what a handful these guys can be, thats a lot. Well 2 babies died, and the 3rd lived for 1 and 1/2 years. This family went driving to basically the end of there state to try and help this little girl with getting the medicine that might help. And had to call and drive to the ends of the earth to get some. No one told these people they had to do this, they wanted to. No one told these people to keep trying to save this little girl, no matter the cost. They just did it with little regard for themselves. I wish there were more people out there like carmela's family. Everytime I see a trapper, a skinner, a fur trader or someone putting poison out for this kind creature, I will think of this family. And hope more people will open there homes, there lives, and there hearts to help an orphan "critter" because as we all have learned, I think they teach us more about kindness, compassion and love, more then we have taught them. Thank you to all the carmela's of the world and families like her's, we need more of them. mary

As spring is coming I received some info I had forgotten, and some I did not know, which when comes to helping these little guys I always try to share. Dehydration in little ones and adults is a problem if they are not eating. Some signs of this can be seen by pinching the skin by the neck, does it snap back right away or not. If not, it should. Sugar water can and will help with this problem along with pedialight[sp]. Now my guys love ensure, despite this lactose thing that's out there, and have loved it for seven years total. But when I learn something I want to share. I have done the sugar water, watch this my guy acted like he drank 50 cups of coffee, so maybe he wasn't as dehydrated as I thought. But whatever works and won't harm them is ok. mary

hi alex,just read your email,my name is mary,i already have a female named nakoosa and another male on the way in the spring,but this little girl needs someone very special who can help her get over her loss of you,its gonna hurt her since she is so bonded to you,i have emailed a very good person who definetlly understands what xena will go thru from her loss of you,perhaps she will be able to help xena out,i will let u know as soon as i hear from her,she definetlly ,i have no doubt,if she chooses can be that special person to help xena,i think that was her name i apologize if i am wrong on her name,mary

hey selena if u r going to do something please dont make it cruel,i am just curious why dont u want them around your house?you live in a wooded area,well thats kinda part of there home also,but just f.y.i.depending where u live late march, april,may is when they have there babies and they r more nutureing[sp] then most parents i see today so moving them during that time would result in certian death for her family,so whatever u decide please take that into conscideration,nakoosa wille

I am so in love with racoons. Don't get me wrong, I just don't like them by my house. I live in a small woody area and I just don't know how to get them anywhere away from me. Well, I've tried evry thing that pest control told me to do.

Hi, nakoosa here, I am looking for zorra, r.i.p.,, Man I am willing to do battle with u, but have not heard from u. I am hoping it is really just a battle of knowledge, I think most of the rehabor's heart and soul is in the rite place, so maybe we can just give the knowledge we have learned on how content these creatures can be with the proper care in "un" captivity so they think it is. But it can be done properly. Our state allows only 2 per farm. They have to be from a registered breeder. But I hope, and from talking to rehabores in there area who work for d.n.r., that's r state agency, there not as much as a-hole as the state u used to live in. Believe or not I wrote the president of the u.s.a on this issue and others concerning are companion the animal. I call them family and friends. I know they are probably at the bottom of his list, but at least I am trying. mary

hello again mary and nakoosa here again and rocky r.i.p. i just discovered u tube in the last couple of weeks,anyone interested in how to care for these beautiful creatures check out utube raccoon molly from germany ,the one that is mostly in german text,he shows a beautiful incloser and the blueprints you can see how content molly is it wonderful to see it done rite,and in my opinion and mollys dameanor[sp] its done rite,also thank u for the websites for petitions with raccoon dogs,i also found a organization based out of the u.k.;;, n.a.p.a,k. it stand for national association of private animal keepers,it my understanding there about our rite to have animals privately,has anyone else ever heard of them or know anything else about them,also i recently got a offer to under tutalidge[sp] for 1 year to be a animal rehab person,liscenced,i told the womem i would get back to her because of exactly what happened to zorro,sunchasers companion,i felt it was nothing less the WRONG what happened to them,and i would have a serious problem letting babies or others go back to living on there own,release back to the'"wild"not prepared to survive or unable to because they were never taught to and she replied exactly what zorros companion said they do,well i release them,but there is always a bowl of food in the backyard and encloser is always open if they choose to come back,now her heart and soul has been to help all creatures ,i beleive that,you just dont do this line of work for the money,you have to have a soul for critter,now being put on the spot like that it really makes me think,what happen to zorro is and was wrong,just cruel,how do u do it as a rehaber,i think maybe some sort of re-enry program or something to guarentee these babies know who to survive without a ma before a release is even conscidered,and for those who cant be release there has got to be something for them also,theres gotta be a way to do this proper,think about,meanwhile take a look at molly from germany these people have done it rite and deserve to here it,molly was a orphan until they found him,also i have not heard from zorros ma,i am willing to help anyway i can,my email is cmwmkw@gmail.com,hope to hear from u,mary

to zorro companion sunchaser,what is the name of your book?nakoosa

Zorro's companion,what kind of cruel state do u live in and who the hel- is that women and who the hel- do they think they r playing god with a loving soul. God I am sooooooooooooooo pist off I cant image having to do that. I cant, love is love whether u look like another raccoon or not. God how can they do that, but they did didnt they. God i am sooooo sorry for your loss, it was so wrong, i mean where is the logic in that,they took a perfectlly happy critter put him/her someplace completely foreign to them. Probably scared the heck out of the little guy, and destroyed him. What cruelty, I hope there is a hell for people like that. To zorro's companion, my name is nakoosa, 16083397824, i would love to know what u learned from this and who to fight, but give me a few days, my rocky died, heart attack, the vet put him way passed 12 years old, wow,he would of been a perfect advocate for this he hated going outside really, the cold was like criptonite to him, i am very sad rite now, and ownly hearing something like what happen to zorro i am greatful he died at home with me holding him, i want to share with you all the card my husband brought home from work that day, i feel its perfect for all who love all creatures and treat them with the same respect we treat ourself, and dont treat them like we are superior somehow,some humans r sooooo cruel. Why? That is what we ask. The truth is, we may never know for sure why. But we do know that there is no single "should have done" or "could have done" or "did or didnt do" that would of changed that why. All that love could do was done. With deepest sympathy me, rocky was very special to us, I think that said it all to all of us who has lost a great companion, mary

My beloved 5 ½ yr old Raccoon, Zorra, was seized by the state wildlife agency with a search warrant this past September. It was a result of an evil person; of pure spite. Zorra was not born in this state and this fact slowed them down from killing her immediately. I fought HARD. The only way they would give her back was if I up and moved out of state (along with several other demands). So I did. In only a few weeks – but it was too late, an hour when I was leaving to go pick her up, she passed away from the stress of how they had held her (and would never let me go see her). I sold my home, quit my job, gave away 80% of my belongings – in only a few weeks. In my mid-forties, this was not easy, but I would have given all my limbs to save Zorra. And I mean that. I have learned a lot from all this, and my heart is shattered beyond words. I have written a book, to be published in a few months. I will fight as I can to eliminate the “prohibition” some states are putting on raccoons, and I will need help. As a rehabilitator, I also want to stop this wild or pet (black or white) debate. Go on all you like about the reasons someone should not keep a raccoon as a pet – I AM RIGHT BEHIND YOU! It is a life of sacrifice to do properly. But face the facts, there are people who LOVE them and do it properly. My fight will NOT be about making it easy for any Joe Blow to have one, no way! But “prohibited” is hell on earth and results in a death sentence for non-releasable babies. And I know too many rehabilitators who don’t kill them and break the law to save them – so let’s cut the hypocritical crap and fight to protect the rights of babies who might live a life such as many like Zorra did – and the humans who love them, who also have rights. Until the “wild is the ONLY way” contingency and hypocrisy realizes the reality behind that, it will be a battle. This is contributing to a killing program for most wildlife agencies. Just because you are 'legally' saving them in your backyard does not make it ok to ignore this. One last note – Calvin Coolidge had a pet raccoon, Rebecca. She lived at the white house. Our parents and grandparents survived having pet raccoons – and many more of us are too! Can it be fought without making it easy to obtain one as a pet – YES!! But first the “prohibition” must end! Second, regulations that make it very discouraging. And if I hear you have a “pet” that is stuck in a cage, I will bring wrath down myself. I will write more later. Having computer issues.

Hi everyone, if you are looking for a baby raccoon, you can wait until spring when they are being born. In the wild there are always orphans out there due to cars hitting ma or stupid humans doing cruel things. Or try a breeder, I know of keystone exotics out of pennsylvania, he is licensed and will only sell to people who have one. If your state allows them as pets, look into a captive wildlife license. It was 50 bucks in my state, Wisconsin, and is good for 1 year, 2 critters from a licenced breeder. Hope this helps, hey find out who has that poor raccoon willie on u tube. He's so mean to him, all he wanted was to live inside, that guy should give him up if he did not want willie to live with him. nakoosa

Temperament issues, girls verses boys in raccoons, you hit the nail on the head. This is one person's opinion, I have had boys and girls, girls are moodier especially around breeding time. Boys seem a little more able to adjust to new things and calmer. nakoosa

Ok, I have read just about enough about this release crap with raccoons. I have said it before and I am gonna say it again. You do not have to be another raccoon to show and feel love to each other, and you do not have to be another raccoon to feed a baby a bottle. I mean if your raccoon family member feels safe and loved and maturnally bonded to you and you have the facilities to handle them and the patience, but if you did not have those things your raccoon would not already feel safe. Let them stay, keep them, we humans are so stupid some times, we as humans know there are people out there who want to kill raccoons, there are hunters out there, trappers, people who still use poisons etc,. I believe the raccoons do not know this. It's our responsibility to help them, by keeping them safe from that if possible. Anyone that has cared for these creatures know how loving a creature they are, and the women who said they are a handful is right. You will get bit, they will go in every cabinet, but they will also follow you everywhere. They will give you hugs, they will hang out on the couch with you and they will even sleep with you. My point is clear, if they love you as much as you love them and they are content with you, then let them stay with you. There are things out there that will hurt them that they know nothing about and why risk that for someone you love. No-one ever said it is law that raccoons belong in the wild. It is my opinion they belong where they are loved, content and safe. nakoosa

Hello out there, Nakoosa's companion here. To Merlin's companion, I am so sorry for your loss. It never, never gets any easier. If it did we wouldn't be kind humans. First of all I love that name, Merlin, perfect for a racoon. Anyone that has one for a companion knows they do things that are pretty tricky. But most of all, ever since Meeka and I met, racoons have tough me how kind and loving they are. I have said it before, most humans are not as kind as racoons. I found Meeka as a baby, had her for 3 years, and lost her in our house fire, awful. Two weeks later a sick older male showed up, that was 3 years ago. Merlin will find another one that is in need of you help and love, because you are right, they have a huge soul that will live forever. NAKOOSA

I am thinking of getting a raccoon, I raised skunks for years and have always wanted a raccoon. Does anyone know if there is a difference in the tempermant of the male and female racoons? Is one calmer than the other and more friendly?

Does any one know if it is illegal to have raccoons as pets in the state of new york? I love raccoons, they are cuddly, loving, and they could keep some one on their feet.

My precious, precious pet raccoon Merlin passed away in my arms on Dec. 4. He would have been 6 years old this year. I bottle fed him along with his twin brother, Arthur. My heart is broken over his death. Raccoons are the most loving souls and I miss him dearly. Thank goodness we were given a female raccoon (Gwinavere) 2 summers ago and she is a wonderful companion for Arthur now. They both miss Merlin, I can tell. Raccoons are the loves of my life. A big chunk of my heart is missing now.

Hello Everyone I am scooter I am Approximately 7 months old and looking for a play mate.. if anyone out there knows of a sweet gentle playmate will you let my master (Cough) slave know ... you can contact him at Semmes Feed and Farm Supply at 251-645-3694 thank you PS. his name is Greg and I would like my playmate young like me so we can spend a longtime together

Updated: left out info about my health in last post Hello Everyone I am scooter I am Approximately 7 months old and looking for a play mate.. if anyone out there knows of a sweet gentle playmate will you let my master (Cough) slave know ... you can contact him at Semmes Feed and Farm Supply at 251-645-3694 or e-mail him @ dixie_trailers@yahoo.com thank you PS. I would like my playmate young like me so we can spend a longtime together and they can grow to exept im missing half my rear leg and i have been fixed so females are ok

This is in response to "Stacey" who asked "Does anyone know a website through which to purchase a raccoon?" on November 18, 2008. Stacey, if you (or anyone else) are truthfully (and sincerely) interested in giving a raccoon a beautiful home, or can possibly properly reintroduce one into a safe natural habitat I would love to be contacted. This is not about making money from the sale of a coon; however, it is about finding an awesome home in a state where it is not illegal to have them as a pet.

Does anyone know a website through which to purchase a racoon???

Hello, I am nakoosa's and rockies companion. To the women whom has coonie have you tried natural stuff, like garlic in the capsules. My raccoon nakoosa loves putting them in water then eating them. Or something that gets rid of toxins in are own bodies is milkthistle. That you would have to watch, nakoosa will take about 4 sometimes 5, depending on the amount of grams. The native americans had cures for everything and these were 2 of them that I could think of to help you. I hope coonie is around for sometime to come and it sounds like he's well on his way to teaching us humans a few things. mary

Hi quickly, nakoosa companion and rockies again. I forgot something, if he is in a cage is he litter boxed. My rockie, for reason of no teeth and in nature, would think the litter as the bottom of a creek and eat it, causing seizures because of the toxins in it. Natural litter solved the problem. He also did not use the litter for potty, he lets us know when he has to go and he goes outside. If you choose natural products to help coonie like garlic and milkthislte, kooey eats garlic and she just loves it, but the milkthistle I watch. I read somewhere if a horse eats to much of it out in pastures, he can get sick so I find the lowest dosage. She eats about 4 or five of both garlic and milkthistle, she doesn't eat the capsule, she sucks out the stuff. Clever little girl. Again best hopes for you and coonie. We all know what you're going thru, just trying to help. mary

I have a real sweetheart. Coonie has been with us since a bottle fed baby two and a half years ago. I feel so blessed to have found a vet that gives him rabies/distemper shots, (& most importantly I think) nuetered him before he was six months old. He lives in a ferret nation cage (2 stories high), and comes out for regular playtimes. He is a real people person coon, so to speak. His cage is in the foyer, and he loves lady to open the cage and let friends pet him and shake paws. I can only humanize it that he figures if you're cool with mom and dad, you're cool with him. He has won the hearts of many. When he is let out for playtime he doesn't usually come over to snuggle. He has a different personality for playing with each of the different animals. One he is very chatty with, and they often have to be told to quiet down and calm down. Another dog he climbs on top of, they tossle about, and usually end up grooming each other for hours on end. Now that cat he just wishes he could get close to. His favorite "toys" would be ice cubes, the dogs water bowl and anything he can dunk in and out of the water. Like a 2 year old, you put it in, then you take it out, in and out, in and out. And now as his owner and mom, I'm a little beside myself. I found out today that he has cancer. The vet says that we can put him on prednisone to try and slow it down, but I am concerned about side affects,and possibly a change in his attitude. Right now it only seems to be in his glands on his neck. it started in one gland and within a month it was in the next. The good news is it hasn't gone to any other glands, AND his temperment has not changed, it doesn't seem to be causing any pain. I have noticed he has more frequent coughing fits though. I know this has been wordy, but thank you for letting me share. I have always felt that Coonie has a mission in life - to change peoples fears and melt their hearts. I hope he can continue to do so.

Hi gang, Mary here. Quickly, did anyone else see cnn news when they were giong thru pets in the white house, some first lady way back when it was in black and white had a pet raccoon in the white house. Gees I would loved to know her. Mary. p.s. cooooool!

Congradulation mr./mrs.colemen. Your little guy will love you forever. You saved him and that will make a big impact on your relationship with him. My name is Mary and I have posted here before, so I am sure you can tell how I feel about release. Everyone has an opinion, but what I wanted to say is your gonna see just how loveable these creatures are. Shoot, half the humans I've met are not as loving as theses guys. He will grab your finger and cry for you, it's awesome. I have a raccoon named rocky. Well I said someday I would tell the story on how we came upon each other. Well it was late january in wisco. Our home had just burned to the ground, lost my orphan raccoon in the fire. I don't want go into details because I will cry, it was an electrical fire in a 1813 farm house. The lights went out and I couldnt find him in the dark, the smoke, anyways. It was aweful, meeka was his name. Well, we had to stay at ma's until we had a roof over our head again. About 2 weeks after it happen I was sipping a cup of coffee looking out my ma's patio window and I saw a blop in the middle of the driveway. My ma lived on a 42 acre farm road a mile back in the woods. So it was cold but I went to go see what it was. It was a raccoon, no ears, no tail and I did not think it was possible to see ribs on a coon. It had more gray from age then brown or black. I put a blanket over him, then a sleeping bag, then a down blanket, then a cage and hay, then a heater. Well this went on for 2 days. I put food out but he wasn't eating. Finally I wrapped him up in some of this stuff and picked him up, he was so light, and brought him in. I think my ma was gonna kill me. My husband understood, tough guy cried as hard as I do when we think of meeka. Well I gave rocky some penicillin in the butt and wormed him with a syringe in the mouth. Not even a snarl, he knew we were trying to help. Gave him some ensure (vitamin drink), he guzzled it. He had no teeth, he couldn't eat anything hard, that was 3 years ago. Rocky is still here with us. He lets us know when he's gotta go potty, goes out and comes right back in, he hates the outside. Why, I can only image why, he has no tail or ears and all that he has seen in the wild. He is so old, gees I don't know an age. My point is they know when you save them. Meeka was an orphan, he was with us for 3 years before tha fire. He stuck by us like glue. Rocky is so sweet, kittens lie on his back, he sleeps next to the dog and half the time he's upside down with all four limbs in the air snoring. He's a "wild" raccoon, not bought. Now Nakoosa is a purchased raccoon. We built her an outside kennel plus the house. She just came home after running the countryside for 1 month, she's gonna learn the hard way. Rocky and meeka already knew the hard way and wanted nothing more to do with it. Each of them have their own personalities, and I hope if you have the patience, mr/mrs colemen, you are about to enjoy the best companion you will ever have. Mary

Hey everyone, I appreciate all of the positive comments on raising raccoons. I was recently at work and found an orphaned coon less than a week old. His two siblings were already dead, but this one has survived the loss of his mother, hypothermia, dehydration, and two days' worth of uninformed mishandling, but is now getting much stronger and doing quite well. While looking up how to properly care for this animal I found many articles saying that I needed to take any baby coon to a professional wildlife rehabilitator, but I've gotten pretty attached to the little guy and now look forward to raising him-maybe to have as a companion and maybe to release when he is capable of surviving on his own, we'll have to see.

Hi raccoon companions. I think I posted on the wrong page before so here are some things I have learned throughout the years of caring for these creatures. Never never hit a raccoon. We would shake our finger at nakoosa when she was a baby and she would cover her eyes with her paws, gees how cute is that. We have a much older guy raccoon, some day I will tell you guys the story on how we acquired him, it is awesome. But he started to have seizures. He came from the wild so the worst was going through my mind, rabies. Took him to a vet, no rabies, But there was some sort of toxin in his blood. Turned out it was the kitty litter, it has all kinds of crap in it. Raccoons in the wild will sit in shallow creek beds and eat the silt, it contains shells, shrimp, and all kinds of stuff. Now we got natural stuff no more siezures. Litter boxing is great, but get all natural stuff. Babies are a blast but their fingers can and will open everything. If you have to bottle feed, I watched nakoosa's previous owner do it. You need to gently hold their heads until they get use to grabbing that fake nipple. Once they get it they will do it on there own. My guys loved pudding, ensure the nutrition drink, ice cream, and glazed pecans. One mistake I made, one time nakoosa got into potatoe chips as a baby. She started choking seriously. I was showering and she was next to the tub, I literally got water down her throat and shook her upside down. Why she almost choked I am not clear on, but she did. Oh and another thing, get a tub or old baby wash bin, they love shallow water. We went to the local bait shop got some minnows, boy she had a blast. If you choose to walk your raccoon using a leash, never put it around the neck. Put it around the back of their front legs. Choose trees with little branches, and don't let them go to high that they can get hung up on your leash and you can't get them. And one other thing I can remember for now, never give any animal advil or tylenol, it is poison literally to any other creature but us. Hope this helps some people. Oh if you have a sick raccoon, the pink stuff from the vet for cats, penicillin,will not hurt your little guy. Use it the same way you would your cat, it goes by there weight. Oh and natural garlic is good if they will eat it. Mary

Hi again. I think it is just wonderful to see all the people who take the time out of their lives to be a companion to a raccoon. Now if we could just convince our local d.n.r people and vets, that in the right place theses guys make "great pets". I would like to take the time to thank the women from this animal-world web site, for her info about my companion, and to help clear up what's going on at brighton farms. Hopefully she got all her creatures back in their proper homes. I have been down there, the sugar creek floods very quickly. Melody was always so kind to me, so I knew something like that had to be the issue. Gees, she has been in business for at least 8 years, a good person. Getting back to our critters, that man with the beautiful home for his little friend, send some pictures. Love to see it. And just to explain my point a little clearer, if your critter is hanging around just outside, with no encloser bad things tend to happen to them. Thats when I believe we need to step in. Cars will hit them, predatores will kill them, and they don't know this. Thats why I said about living in the backyard, I truly believe if a raccoon has identified you as their parent or soul mate, it doesn't matter what you look like. All they know is they feel safe and comfortable with you. You don't have to look like a raccoon for that. So I dont believe they're better off "un" setting them free after establishing a strong bond with you. they're better off with you. You're not going to run over them or break their back to kill them for your food, but coyotes will and dogs will. Yes in many states their hide is still sold for money, so setting them free is not always the best route. Easier on you, yes. Easier on your raccoon, no. Mary

I found a baby racoon covered in cooking oil at my job last nite and I don't wanna see him die. What can I do for him? I have him in a box with a blanket trying to get some of the oil off him, but I don't know if it's gonna work. I think he needs a bath but he is wild and I don't wanna get bit. So what do I do? Please help.

I love my raccoon (Bandit). He has his very own 160 sq foot home with vaulted ceilings, with a concrete floor and drain, stairs going up to his master bed room. He has his own soft rocking chair that he loves, and a sliding class door 4 big pella windows. He has 3 14ft and 1 16 foot trees in his house to climb and a big slide. He is a very good pet. I, my wife, and kids just love him so very much. He is 7 mounths old and we hope to have him for a very long time to come.

My wfe was walking this morning and came across a baby racoon. She brought it home. I am not sure of its age or what to do with it as far as caring for it goes. Its eyes are not opened, it is completely covered with fur, from its nose to its eyes are black, and you can just make out the rings on its tail. What do we do to care for it?

Hey everyone! We have been getting a lot of comments from people who want to help with home placement, or provide other racoon help. Those comments are all listed in the Community Forum. So check for those post in the forums under: Small animal topics > Small Animal Types, Thanks!

Hi, I notice the women in Missouri looking for a home for a boy raccoon, I could help her with her situation. Sorry, not very computer literate. Anyways if your willing give me a call 16084740236, my email address is wrong and we don't know how to fix it. The women with the little boy raccoon, if not me there are hundreds of caring people out there who would love to have him as a friend anyone who has had raccoons knows what i am talking about. Oh the women thinking of getting rid of another one, don't let her live around outside if you can. I have noticed females will get more moody during breeding time also they are more moody in general. But that's because they have the seroius job of having kids and defending them from preditors. Boys, well you know, that's why they're less moody.

Hi, my name is mary. I have had the honor of having such a loyal friend as a pet raccoon. All you people that have one and take care of it the way it needs to be, you are wonderful. They are as much work as a child, they really are. So those of you that say iI need to set them free, how free would your child be if you left them in the woods all by themselves. Or for all you folks that will say they're animals, ok if not your child your dog. Would that be humane to take your dog out and leave him in the woods, it's illegal. So when people wake up and see that and have the honor of enjoying one of the creatures and see that all of them have a soul, they cry when they're hungry or scared, they wrap their little fingers around yours and they all look at you for comfort when there in danger. Anyone who thinks its ok to "un" set them free, are you really or just getting rid of something to you that takes a lot of time to care for. If you truly know these creatures, you know in the right envirement they will be happier with you! By the way, the women looking for a good home for her little one: 16084740236. I have noticed girls are a little more moody around breeding time, just moodier in general, and do take a little more patience. I believe it's because they have more to handle in the wild then the boys do. Oh, anyone who tries to respond, my email is wrong right now, a general response would be interesting.

I need someone around Springfield MO who wants a raccoon. Someone dumped him on us and he's so loveable it breaks my heart to just throw him out in the woods. He's small and loves my son, but I'm just not equipped to care for one. So someone please help. Thanks, Marie

I will take any unwanted racoons. I have 1 now and she needs a playmate in her life. So if any body out there has 1 in need of a good home, just call me 405-248-4444.

Show her some love. If she is dying it will help her cross over to the other side. If she is stuck it will free her. Put on some gloves if it will make you feel better. I have a you tube account of raccoons. go to potty trained raccoon and look for DrRich 1960

I have been so thrilled since my little girl came into my life. She was found hanging in a tree abandoned by the mother. My friend nursed her and I babysat her. We became very close. Go to you tube and search potty trained raccoon. It is real. She taught herself to poo and pee in the toilet. She would live in the woods behind my buddies house. When I went to see her she always came. Watch the video when she was 50 foot in a tree and came down when I called her. This little girl was my life for about 4 months. I haven't seen her since Hurricane Fay came through. I have been calling her for a couple of weeks. I guess she is deeper in the woods or has fallen ill. I can say the time we spent together was incredible. I never caged her and she ruled the roost. My Westie and her would play hide and seek all day. It was one of her favorite games. I thought the timing was good for her to go out on her own as she was getting very independent. My greatest fear was that she would approach a child and playfully bite and the state would kill her. This is a good compromise. She is among her own again. I would do it again in a NY minute if the opportunity arises.

My son has found an apparently sick racoon in our back easement. It is in tall weeds on the neighbor's side of the fence but its tail and feet are exposed on our side. It purrs (?) when we touch its feet (or hand) softly with a stick so is alive. It moves, occasionally even gripping the stick lightly. We are going to put apple slices under the fence to it and a dish of water. We know it is probably sick or injured and so I do not want my son to touch it. Besides, unless it is dying, it could likely remove a finger. Does anyone have a suggestion on further care or resources? We are assisting only in the case that it has been injured by a preditor and may recover if given food and water. Thanks, Marcia

We have a 3 month old racoon. I found her at work at the log cabin inn. When I found her she was about 4 weeks old and let me tell you she is a monster. We named her stitch, you know, as in Lelo and stitch, lol. As time went on she got meaner and meaner but we just love her so much, and no matter what she does we just can't stop loving her. She even killed our hamster. We cried for 2 days and we tried to not love her. but we are to much in love with her. We feel like she is a part of use and we will never let her leave no matter what. What is this thing that racoon's have to make us love them so much.

WANT A RACCOON? I have a raccoon that has been bottle fed and is now around 3-4 mo old. I cannot keep her, if anyone is interested i am in AL. Please email me sarah512@bellsouth.net

I have a racoon, Scooter, that was orphaned. I obtained him around Halloween time, he is now going on almost a yr old. He was a challange at best. Full of energy and on occassion, tempermental. He is so attached to me that he cries for me if he can not see me. He now knows how to climb trees, not the problem, getting down was. So, things are a littler easier on me now that I can let him out for his play time where I don't have to be right with him. I have a completely 6' fenced-in yard so threats of other dogs are not a problem. He is the one that instigates my dog. She find it best to just get out of his way. It saddens me to think of my life without him in it, however, by this time he is simply put, my pet. As the story goes, he will get mean, but as of yet I have not seen that behaviour. However, when the time comes, I am at a loss as to where or how to place him, which in itself will be very difficult for me to do. I would like to see him with his own kind and to be free without danger or harm. Everything to him is play time, so if given the chance to be near humans, they would not know that he is just playing and probably even think he is rabid. He loves to wrestle and is very gentle in his play as well. He does not scratch or hold too tightly, as he did when he was younger before he mastered his very sharp claws. Any suggestions would be welcomed. I am in no hurry but know the day will come to set him free. Anyone needing advise on their behaviours can let me in on that as well. He is not the first that I have raised.

I found a baby racoon about 3 weeks ago. I live in nh and we are not able to keep her. This state does not allow. I am looking to find someone that can. She is very cute and loves to be held, her name is Raychal-Elizabeth. I love her very much. Thank you

I have 2 baby racoons that I have raised since they were 2 weeks old. They are just about 3 months old now. I live in a small apt. and they are quite a handful. They have their own room, I don't keep them caged in, and they are wonderful pets, Oops, by the way my name is Brenda.

The Wildlife Center of Venice (Sarasota County) takes raccoons even if they've been "handled". I turned mine over to them this past week. She was a great raccoon. I had had her for 2 months and I believed I was doing the humane thing by giving them to her. They have good success with rehabilitating the raccoons. They normally keep them until they are about 8 months and then "relocate" them to specific areas, trying not to over-populate, but giving them a good chance to survive. If it helps anyone and helps any raccoons. They currently have about 45. They've had up to 60 at a time. They need volunteers. Their number is listed.

I am looking for a baby racoon to raise. I will drive to pick it up. If anyone has one, I'll be more than happy to help you out. Thank you, MINNIE (Editors Note: This will be posted in the Community forum if anyone wants to respond, and then you and Minnie can exchange personal information from there)

I live in Tampa Florida and just got my permit for a pet raccoon. Now I am looking for a rehab in my area that I can volunteer at. I want to volunteer to find out what it takes to care for a forever pet raccoon. I have read and did lots of research, however reading isn't all I need... I need hands on. I feel I have what it takes to bring a baby raccoon in as a new family member, but think I can and really doing it are 2 seperate things. So if you know of anyone that rehabs raccoons or are a rehabber, please contact me @ andrena3@aol.com subject it "Raccoon Rehab" please. Thanks Rena

Late Monday afternoon, I found a baby raccoon in my front lawn. My mom said it was fine if I keep him, but I think he is sick or something. On Tuesday morning, I went to check on him and he was trying to sleep on a rock, but kept waking up. I have no exeperience with taking care of raccoons, but your story did help a little. I still don't know if he's sick or if it's natural. Please help!

I found a baby raccoon Sunday morning alone in a road. He is very small, and when I approached him, he was not scared. He only has his "fang" teeth, and tamed up within hours. He loves to cuddle, and I assume he misses cuddling his mother. I have offered him tuna, sardines, fruit, etc... he loves apple sauce. I also give him animal powdered milk, (mixed with water, of course). I am wondering know how I can tell how old he is, and if he is eating enough to survive. It does not seem like he eats much at all. He's got diareah pretty bad so I took the applesauce away, but now I am afraid he won't eat at all. I spoke to a rehabilitation place but they said if he had been handled they would not ever be able to turn him back into the wild and they would put him to sleep. I can not stand the thought of that, it is the sweetest little thing. If anyone has any advice, I really would appreciate it.

We currently have a baby coon that is 8 weeks old. Our basset hound brought it home, unharmed, when it was approximately one week old. We are enjoying every minute of having it but I want to find a vet that will give it shots and possibly fix it. If anyone knows where this can be done we live in the Ottawa area.

We have a pet raccoon who is 2 years old. He has always been free in our home. We have a doggy door so he has always been able to go outside. He has decided he loves it better outside and does not come in anymore. He comes to our back deck to get his favorite food every night. Our small community knows all about "Coonie" so he is fed at a lot of homes!!! We miss him sleeping with us and sharing breakfast every morning. We are just happy he is doing fine on his own. It was a wonderful experience for the whole family. We would do it again if a rescued baby turns up.

I am currently raising 3 babies and they have become quite a handful! Unfortunately, their mother was shot when they were just a couple weeks old. I started them on baby formula and with an eye-dropper, now they are on bottles and baby cereal and I put them in the bath-tub, with cat food mixed with warm milk and they just about eat anything, yet they still want mama all the time! It's gonna break my heart when it comes time to let go, I wonder how I go about doing this.

We are raising a 3 week old orphan right now, and are curious as to why when you scratch the back of her neck she goes crazy making a sucking/ nursing motion and her cute little purring noise. We thought it might be how a Mom gets them to nurse, but there doesn't seem to be any correlation. Is it like scratching that certain spot on a dogs stomach tat makes them kick their leg. Also, we would like to litter train her, but need to know at what age we stop stimulating her to pee and poop, so then she might be litter trainable.

I had a racoon as a child that was abandoned by his mother. We immediately named him Bandit. I bottle fed him until he ate real food and then was cooked for like a king. The last time he was weighed, he was 40lbs!! He was the best "pet" ever and acted more "human" than some of the people I know. We got him in April when he was around 8 weeks old. We lived on a river so as he grew, he learned to climb trees and forage the river and its banks for food and did a great job. He was caged outside at night and had his own insulated penthouse (insulated house with hay on the top of a tree trunk) that he slept in. I would go sit in his cage and he would grab my hair and try to pull me up with him. He loved me to death. In late February, he tried to chew his way out of his cage so my parents let him out. He left and never came back. The ice went out on the river the very next day so we figure he went across and then had no way to get back. Nonetheless, he was ready and healthy. I missed him terribly. That was 22 years ago and I always wished I could give that experience to my children. I just voiced that to my mother on Sunday and low and behold, Monday afternoon, my father found a 4 week old baby on the river bank laying there seeming dead. We brought her in and she was very weak. I went and bought puppy replacent formula and bottles and a cage. She has really perked up and I am glad to see it! I plan on doing the same things with her as I did with my Bandit to help her learn her skills as a racoon and not a person because she is just that, a wild animal. When she grows up, we will do a "soft release" and reintroduce her to being "wild" slowly. It is not fair to keep them as pets and illegal. I could send her to a rehab person but resources in my county are limited. The one lady that I know of that does rehab for babies has a disgusting house and sometimes 18-20 coons stacked in cages in her bedroom. With the help of my family, I plan, as we did before, to get her healthy, grown and vaccinated and release her. Maybe this one will come back to us and maybe not, but I know it is selfish and dangerous to keep a wild animal as a pet. I am just greatful to have the experience again.

When I was younger (a few years ago) my family was driving down a country road and it was raining heavily, ahead of us was another car, suddenly an animal leapt out of the woods and got ran over by the other car. It made it to the otherside, but collapsed. We stopped our car and waited to see if it would get up. It did not, so we got out in the driving rain and went to look. It was a large raccoon, it was dead. Suddenly out of the bushes nearby fell a baby raccoon, it waddled blindly over to the dead body of the raccoon and clung to it desperately. Heart broken, we picked it up (it hissed and growled, but was too cold and wet to do much else). We raised it on kitten milk and then other foods, named him Bandit and when he was old enough, we released him into an outdoor inclosure at my great uncle's farm. Bandit is a wild animal now, not in a cage, but he does hang out around my great uncles house and they feed him still every now and then.

I'm a roofing contracter in the state of Massachusetts. I found three baby racoons in a chimney. We gave all the love and care in the world. We started with 5cc syringes and worked our way up with baby bottles. Their food was mostly K.M.R. As they grew up they were a lot of fun. At about one years old they started to find their independence. You really need to give them their space. They had their own room in my house with a cat style paradise. But when I had my son, my wife and I realized they needed to go outside. So I did what any good parent does, I built them a racoon paradise. A 16ft by 16ft shed with windows and playground inside. They have a doggie door with an outside playground with an eletric fence. They have two pools with waterfalls and trees to climb. My wife thought I was nuts when I built this thing, but it was worth it and lots of fun. I have had my pets who are named angel, pebbels, and my favorite Pumba. They are great pets but they are wild. So be careful.

My story is much the same as everyone else's here. When I was a child my father found a baby raccoon whose family had been killed during land clearing for construction. Rocky became a part of our family. He wasn't caged, but was allowed the run of our house. He loved to slide around the inside of our bathtub on his back during playtime. When he was younger he was bottle fed, but as he got older he loved Honey Smacks as a treat. When he started getting older he wanted to be outside more and more so we put in a pet door so he could go in and out as he pleased. As he started reaching sexual maturity he got very moody and you could only handle him when HE wanted to be handled. One day he came in the house and my 6-year-old sister's ankle was the first thing he saw and he attacked her and injured her VERY badly. At this point he was only coming in the house every few days, so my parents closed up the entrance and he was no longer allowed in the house. He was a wonderful pet and we loved him, but he was a wild animal. You can tame them and give them rabies shots, and everything else, but they aren't meant to be kept in captivity.

When I was around 6 years old my family had found a baby raccoon drowning in a nearby bay were my dads friend fished. We decide to keep it for a while and let it live with us. I got so attached to it. At the time it was my best friend and the only one that could understand. He would lie in my bed with me and sleep by my side. When he was about 7 months old he began to actually go to the bathroom in the toilet and it was amazing (even though he couldn't flush it.) He was the best pet ever. We kept him for about a year. Once we let him out while we went out to eat and when we came back my dad would call his name (Bandit) and he could come running down this big oak tree right down to me. He was so sweet. But once we had to let him go for good. But he still came back to eat and to visit me. Then once he came back with a girlfriend and three babies, it was adorable.

Hi, I am a 12 yr old boy, I live way out in the country, and I'm a redneck. I live in TN and this is the state animal, so i lately have wanted a coon. I know all baby animals you find are adorable, but if you happen to find one leave it be, because animals usually don't desert there young. When you find a baby coon it's mom might have gone out for food or something, and i advise you not to take it unless you are 100% sure. Because when you waltz up to a wild animal it is dangerous, very. And they have sharp teeth and claws, so be advised.

I've been feeding raccoons, opossum, fox, and ferral cats for many years and by far, the raccoons are the friendliest and most trusting. One night when I was out in the dark changing the patio light I felt a light stroking on my bare leg and it was one of several raccoons waiting for their dinner. Some come by themselves, however, I have been treated to the observation of "families" of up to 6 at a time and they act like kids who fight over a favorite toy. They do a lot of butt blocking and growling even though I put the food into separate piles...they just like to quibble it seems.

I also have a pet raccoon. His name is buckwheat and he is so cool. I found him as a baby on the side of a busy road, the rest of his family was there and he was the only survivor. So i took him home and now he is bigger and fun to have. He is very much loved and spoiled. He has an awesome house he lives in and also comes in the house as often as he needs to see his mom (me). So far so good on his new life style. However he does get to go climb trees in our woods and he follows me every where. I love the boy with all my heart.

I have a small family of wild racoons that just happened to approach me a couple months ago when I was out in the backyard smoking a cigarette, watching the starts. The little one, (Rocky Jr.), scared the heck out of me when he almost walked right up to me. So, I ran in the house and got some raisins. Rocky Jr. loved that so I went in and got some of my cat's cat food, (not cheap stuff I might add), and went on from night to night now feeding them. There is RockyGrandPa, Rocky, Rockyetta, Rockyetta Jr, and Rocky Jr. Rocky Jr. almost eats grapes right out of my hand. I'm sure he would if let him. He put his paw on my leg tonight when I was feeding him the usuall nightly treat of red grapes. They don't eat the outside of a grape! I did go to Walmart and buy them a their own 50 pound bag of dog food but I think the cat food was easier for them to eat. They really make my night when I'm frustrated from studying for college. They ease my mind and I study better after taking a break to feed Rockyella and Rocky Jr. I can't wait to see them bring a baby here hopefully next spring. I thank God every night for the opportunity to be close to his wonderful creatures.

I can remember always wanting a racoon as a pet. One day my husband and i were driving down an old country road and came upon a baby racoon all alone. My husband got out of the truck, jerked off his t-shirt, scooped the little critter up, and to home we went. We have kept "scrappy" in a large bird cage, feeding her cat food and playing with her every chance we get. Our other pets love to play with scrappy unless it is dinner time, when no one wants to get to close to all the snorting and growling scrappy does when she is eating. scrappy has been a joyful pet, unless you ask grandma, who is still not so hip on the idea of a racoon as a house pet.

I too was the "mother" to a raccoon baby this summer. "Coonie" lived in the house with us until he was about 3 months old then was moved outside. He was in a long run cage but was allowed out of the cage while we were outside. At 5 months I started letting him outside for the day by himself. I would go back in the woods and call him every night to go into his cage. Eventually I would call him back just to feed him and let him stay out all night. However for the last week he hasn't been back to eat. I set up my night camera to check and I seem to have 3 other raccoons coming to eat but no sign of Coonie. I will continue to feed until I'm sure he has totally left. I have enjoyed every minute of raising him but am left broken hearted and worried that something might have happened to him. I'm not sure if the other raccoons would chase him away or not. I'll keep calling and taking pictures as long as I can. They break your heart when they grow up!

I've had my two sons for almost 5 months now. I've been keeping records of weight, when their teeth started to appear and when they came in, and how much they eat at each setting. They got the rabies and the 7way shot which I administered myself. For anyone who's keeping a raccoon I hightly suggest keeping a personal record book. Have your vet write down what's been done as well and sign and date it. They've taken over my bedroom and have found most of my hidden stashes of jewlery and chocolate. They are the most wonderful animals. They don't like to be separated from each other and are begining to show signs of sexual maturity. Soon they'll be getting snipped! *Throws back head and emits evil laughter*

I have four ferral cats i take care of and they don't let me near them. But i have a female ringtail thats just as gentle as one of my pet cats. This is the second spring she came back to me with a bellyful of babies. Last year two, this year three, and these babies took to me as if they were my pets. I feed them everyday and also play with them. I can actually touch them. They all really like Kit And Kabodal cat food. I know they will be leaving soon for winter, but Im really going to miss these two girls and my little DENISE THE MENACE! Sandy,from Whitemarsh

About four months ago I saved an orphaned male racoon while on a fishing trip. I brought the racoon home, and I fed him a mixture of eggs and milk and he fattened up quite nicely. I also cleaned out his ears which had over forty ticks inside. The racoon was probably only four months old at the time, but is now quite large. Raccoons seem to respond best to eggs and will switch to any food after they grow a bit larger. I have chosen not to keep the racoon inside my home. I have a child and a pregnant wife, both of whom I do not want to receive scratches or bites. I am close to the city but still in a rural area. My racoon lives in a tree in my back yard and every night he slips down for something to eat. I also chose to give him a rabies shot since he visits my back door quite often. Hopefully he will (as he becomes sexually mature) start looking for a female and revert back to the wild. I believe raccoons are wonderful animals but they should be allowed to exist in their own element (which is nature). There is nothing wrong with helping an orphaned animal, but if you don't think that you can deal with an animal like this please do seek out a rehabber to turn the animal over to. These are very instinctive animals as well as curious. They will do a lot of damage to your home and poop everywhere. My hat's off to you if you have one in your home.

As a child, my family had a pet racoon. He was found in the woods along with a sister. We think the mom was killed while the nest they lived in was being logged. We kept the male and the female went to my cousin's house. Our coon was very clean, playful, and very attached to the family. We bottle fed him with a premie nipple for about 5 weeks. During this time, he quit eating for several days. Getting weaker and weaker we were all crying because we knew he couldn't live much longer. To cheer us, my dad bought us all milkshakes. My sister was holding "coonie" while she was drinking her milkshake and spilled some. He lapped it up. We put milkshake in his bottle and bam! he was drinking again. We kept him about 2 years but he loved the outdoors. But after he decided to rearrange all the wires in my grandfathers car, we knew it was time that he really went to the wild. We took him to an area we owned that had about 360 acres of trees with a old house in the center of it. To acclimate him to the wild we took food to him everyday. We'd honk the horn and he'd come running. After about a month, it would take him longer to reply to the horn and he would be bringing friends along. Soon he wouldn't respond to the horn. We knew he was finally acclimated with other racoons. One day, we saw him in a tree, he wouldn't come to us because he had learned his friends fear of humans but we knew it was him because he was the only one with a flea collar! He was by far, my most loved pet, and we knew he loved us. He loved sleeping at our feet, eating crackers, and never missed going to work with my father. But we realized there was a time that he needed more freedom but even though there was plenty of trees and space around our house, he needed more. The thing is, he would never leave because of his attachment he needed us to set him free.

I found a baby racoon years ago when I was a boy. I kept her for four years, and she was raised with a male pup I got at the same time. The dog and the racoon really liked each other and played alot together. When the racoon grew up she escaped often and would sleep in our chimney or on one of our neighbors garage. When ever I went to bring her home I would always take my dog with me as she could become quite aggressive, and I needed the dog to chew on her and keep her busy. She became very agressive to everyone and even bit me. At the age of four I took her to the river and let her go after a woman I knew told me what happened to her. She too had raised a racoon and it would watch TV with her. She turned her garage into a home for it and kept it for a few years. One day as she entered the garage to feed it, it attacked her. Clinging to her it bit her and she required several stitches, as she couldn't get it off. She had to call the police and they shot it. Wild animals are just that,and they can changed moods very quickly. A racoon is not a domestic animal, and great care should be used when handling them, especially once they have matured. Except for a mother and her young, or when breeding they are not social animals.

Hello, I've got two baby racoons, both were so to speak dropped at my back door. Their mother, I don't know what happened to her, but they didnt have teeth and were helpless, so I took them in. Now I'm attached to them. I don't want them in a cage and I would like to return them to the wild. Right now they can't fend for themselves and I have to feed them by dropper. My teenage sons love them. But, really unsure what to do. My father-in-law had coons as pets so my husband is familiar with some of it. But, we really hope we can return them back to the wild where they belong.

I have several ferral cats that I feed, they were here when I moved in. I had them spayed and neutered. Recently, my husband and I heard a loud banging noise, we opened the door and discovered 2 raccoons. It appears that one is female (smaller) and one is male (much larger). We do not have a problem with feeding the wild animals and want everyone to be healthy. We have put wormer in the cat food, and sometimes add an antibiotic if we have an animal that appears sick. We live next to a large creek and feel the animals will come no matter what species they are... even skunks. I've read all the comments and appreciate hearing the opinions of both, those who are willing to dedicate so much of their lives to the raccoons, and also the insightfulness of those who know their behavior well enough to know that they are not pets for just anyone. God bless you all for being the care takers of our earth. I'm here to say thanks for sharing your comments. I do not plan to attempt to tame, but in those rare occurances, when someone needs to step in, please use all precaution and judgement for the betterment of the animal, and you and your families safety. Thank you for your honest and open information; it greatly appreciated.

I have had Raccoons as "pets". I use the word pet loosely, because there were more like members of the family. I agree that 99% of people who want a pet raccoon will probably not be able to properly take care of them. They are so very precious when they are babies, but like everything else, they grow up. I kept my coonies inside and they had full run of the house. They were never caged and were allowed to go in and out at will. They chose to stay inside most of the time and I have never had one that went out and did not come back. They used a litter box that was filled with water instead of litter. I simply dumped out the dirty water once or twice a day and as long as the water was kept relatively clean, they never used the potty anywhere else except the box. They are extremely curious and those little "hands" are constantly feeling of everything around them. I get the biggest kick in the world out of them and would take in another in a NY second, but I know what to expect and know that I can handle it. They are as destructive and mischieveious as they are cute. They can get into anything, anywhere. I had childproof locks on EVERY SINGLE CABINET IN MY HOUSE! They can open medicine bottles, the refrigerator (nothing like coming downstairs in the middle of the night to see what the noise is only to find a raccoon sitting in the fridge, eating what looked good and tossing the rest onto the kitchen floor), they will unplug your clocks, tv's ect., break your trinkets and whatnots, hide your keys, chew the buttons off your cell phone, and yes...they DO and WILL BITE. They have very sharp claws and teeth and can inflict damage even when not meaning to. They (at least mine did) become very territorial towards their house and their family. You must put them behind closed doors before letting company inside. Mine would not tolerate the presence of anyone that did not live in the house. If a thief had ever broken into the house, he/she would have been easy to find later. If they managed to get out of the house, you could just check the local ER for a shredded person! So...if you are super patient, don't mind replacing material possessions, can take pain from bites and scratches, have adequate space, never go on vacation, have excellent homeowners insurance, rarely have company and if you have the proper paperwork/licenses to keep one, go ahead. But please please! Be sure you can take care of it FOREVER or provide for it in case you are unable to.

I have a 5 month old female pet raccoon named Willow. Late at night, when she finally decides it's time to sleep, she cuddles so sweetly, sleeping with my husband and me in our bed every night. She snuggles right up next to me and uses my arm as a pacifier. Usually when we wake up she is at the foot of the bed under the covers and will stay there, not wanting to be disturbed 'til noon. I then put her out on a leash and runner. She can travel a good distance, climb, and has her own swimming pool (a barrel cut long ways in half). I put pebbles, and pretty glass stones in it for her to play with. She loves catching, and chasing ice cubes. We have a Rottweiler, Pit Bull, and Boxer. She plays with all of them. They love her and play carefully with her. In fact, she is much rougher than they are. She could never be returned to the wild. I'm sure she would go running right up to anyone she saw in their yard and scare them. People relate "coons" to "rabies". She also would not fear dogs and could be injured or killed by a dog not fond of raccoons. Though she is sweet most of the time, she can be a bugger. I have cuts and bites on my arms, though they are mostly done in fun and wrestling. She can get very nasty though if you make her angry, like trying to take something away from her. And, you don't put your hand near her when she is eating. That is just something you must learn about coon temperment. I'm sure it is just instinct to protect and guard their food. I've learned the hard way that they simply are not like cats and dogs and that's a fact you have to face if you want to have a pet raccoon. The biggest problem I have is her climbing, and getting into cubbards and cabinets. I am wondering if there is a shock collar mild enough to give her a slight annoying buzz when she does things like climb up onto the counters and open cabinet doors. She is a sneaking thief and knows she is doing a no-no. When she hears me coming she jumps down and runs for cover, taking car keys, homework papers, remote controls, and shoes with her. She especially loves removing all inserts from shoes and tearing them to shreds. When I say shock collar, I am not speaking of a harsh training collar, just enough to get her attention and serve as negative reinforcement. I love her to pieces and want to keep her for her forever. I would also like to have her spayed. I need to find a vet that will perform surgery on a non-domestic critter. My vet will give the initial baby shots (distemper) and first rabies, but won't treat them after that.

Don't forget to check out our new web site: pollyandfriends.4t.com. Polly and Friends believes all wildlife including raccoons should be returned to the wild if they can be self sufficient.

I enjoyed reading about racoons. I have two, in fact, as I write this Rocky and Rosie are outside having dinner, LOL! I am in Nova Scotia and do live in a rural area. I do not want to tame them per say... I had them as pets when I was a kid growing up in New Brunswick. I do know, once tamed, they can keep you up all night running around on the roof...LOL! I just enjoy them being around. Both racoons are adults and very healthy. I believe they are the pups that were here last year. There were 3 but the 3rd one is not around anymore. I do know they live in the big barn up the road as I have seen them in the rafters a few times. As I said, it has been a long while since I have been in close contact with them and appreciate the info I got. Thanks. Love those bandits, Lorraine B., Nova Scotia

I do not encourage having a pet Racoon, I have seen many Racoons SUFFER in cages! (And have let many back yard caged Racoons lose to their road to freedom) These are wild animals and 99% of the people who get them wish they never have. Wild animals belong in the wild. To anyone thinking of getting a baby Racoon..think again and get a Bunny. Leave the Racoons that are injured or orphaned to the licenced wildlife Rehabilitators. It is cruel and inhumane keeping a Racoon in a cage Period!

You should remove the information you have posted on keeping a pet raccoon. RACCOONS are wild animals and NOT easily kept as pets. They can be very distructive and their bites can be vicious and painful. Please leave the wild animals to the rehabbers and people that have expertise. Your info is extremely misleading.

I have had pet raccoons for over 16 years now. They are by far the greatest animal that lives!!! They have stolen my heart! In my experiences if you are going to keep them as pets you really need to spay or nueter them in order to keep them nice. It really makes a difference! I am lucky enough to share my life with 15 of them. All different colors also. They are such beautiful and graceful creatures. I wish I could have a hundred of them. All of mine are altered to prevent breeding. They are very loving and amazing animals. Some day I would love to have my own rescue group just for them. I am truly in love with this animal! I wish they were better understood and they were all over the place. You never get tired of watching them. They are very creative and smarter than most people I know! They can have mood swings like any other pet, but they always know who raised them and stay loyal! They are a lot of work, but they make great companions, and friends! They love the smell of money. I have had so many of my friends wallets and pocket books broken into for money and lighters. They absolutely can live in groups and none of mine would even think about killing another animal, unless it's a chicken. I have pictures of them with my rabbits, rats, dogs, cats, and horses. Yes they ride the horses with me. I guess it all depends on how they grow up. From what I see, they are a pack animal, with me as top leader, thank goodness! But they all have a certain place among the group. When one protects you, they all do! Mine would never eat my pet parrots. They do break them out and hang with them though. It's quite funny! There's never a dull moment when you share your life with them. On my worst days I come home to them and they make all my problems and trouble seem so trivial! I thank god for them being in my life every day! I feel honored I am a big part of them as well as they are to me. They are very loyal friends. In my world they can do no wrong! I put up with their bi-polar temperment, because most of the time they are so very sweet. They even groom my cuts for me. They have never-ending love to give to you as long as you give it back, and when they trust you, you have their hearts. Mine let me do what ever needs to be done. Sometimes they complain about it and put up a fight, but in the end I always win.

I also have a baby raccoon and I love her. I feel lucky to have her. My husband found her a day before mother's day, she has been the best mother's day present. She is eating just fine and she just open her eyes. I don't think she will ever know she is a racoon, she will be my baby. i just hope things will be O.k when she grows up. I really think that with love she will make it. I'm so glad there are people like you that love animals as much as I do. God Bless You.

If you are looking for a pet raccoon, or looking to find a new home for one... Read this: Polly and Friends is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping raccoons world wide. We are based in Florida (United States). Polly and Friends are centered around both raccoons living in the wild as well in captivity. We educate people of all ages about raccoons and our environment in general. Peaches is our one year old disabled non-release-able raccoon with brain damage. Peaches does education at schools and events along side her adoptive mother our director Aletheia Robinson-Wilson. All healthy raccoons that are capable of surviving in the wild return to their natural habitat. This is best for them as well as us. Raccoons are not designed to live in captivity. They are all wild animals. One project that's important to all of us with Polly and Friends is us reaching out to network with others who also love raccoons. We specialize in getting captive raccoons that need long term placement with people and organizations willing to make a commitment to them. We meet all legal requirement and have all necessary permits. If you would like to adopt a raccoon or if you have a raccoon that needs long term placement we would like to help you. If you have found a raccoon, would be interested in volunteering, making a donation, just have a question or would like to contact us for any reason at all we look forward to hearing for you. please call us at (850) 385-7971 anytime day or night and e-mail us at pollyandfriends@gmail.com and send a Carbon Copy to pollyandfriendsdirectorraccoons@yahoo.com. If this is an urgent issue and we do not return your call within a couple hours please also call Florida Wildlife Care's 24 hour hot line at (352)371-4400.

The wife and I are on our 3rd adventure with these amazing creatures. We have shared countless memories that can not compare to any other pet that we have had. Our current one has been with us for over a year. Her name is Brat. And oh does she live up to her name. She will get into thing she knows are not allowed just to get our attention. She like a lot of others loves to scavenge just about anything in our house. Her favorites though are change and lighters. I never knew a lighter had that many pieces or could be taken apart that much. (chuckle) She is very loving to our son (6) and wants to be with him more than either of us. She adores kids in general. They can do way more with her than we can. One thing that I have found is even though they love to play a lot, do not play rough with them. Its nice and fine while they are young but once they get older they try to play the same way but they are stronger and their bites are not as weak. I have countless scars to prove this, but I still would not trade her for the world. They also have mood swings just like we do, and they can tell when you are depressed or happy like most animals. All in all the ones that I have had are the best pets I have ever had. They all have taken a piece of my heart for their own and will always be cherished.

I found this Dr. Jungle site and see all the posts of raccoon lovers. I found a baby racoon at the park where I go for bike riding. When I saw her she counld't walk ,so I brought her home and looked at the webpages about raccoons. I tryed the bottle feeding and then a spoon fed diet. She was so lovable and I am very sad. I worried to much and brought her back to the park, I went back to the place I put her the following day and she was dead. I am heartbroken for my poor efforts in care now that I remember her and think what this meant for her. Thanks to all the post from the raccoon lovers and the encouragement, I know from here on.

Raccoons are the most glorious animals on earth! As you can tell, I absolutely love them. I have rehabbed babies for release and have kept one as part of our family. She has been the grandest blessing since our children. Yes, she does occasionally bite and she does scratch, but we knew what to expect and besides, a little spilled blood is nothing compared to the joy she has brought into our lives. BUT, it takes a special kind of person or family to truely care for a raccoon as a pet. She was raised as one would raise a house cat. She goes to the bathroom in her "water" box, which is just a litter box filled with a couple inches of water. We tried litter first, then sand and dirt, but a couple inches of water did the trick. It is also easy to clean, just flush down the toilet and rinse out the box and refill with water. She can and does reach anywhere she so desires, so our entire house is "raccoon" proofed. Still, broken trinkets and some minor destruction are all just part of the game. She is not spayed, but shows no interest in being outside. When she does go out, she will sniff around and play awhile, but she wants to go back inside before very long. Her heat cycles can be "interesting" at times, but she has yet to become mean or restless when in heat. We do have to be careful of friends or family while visiting. We must contain her in one room while company is about, as she does not take kindly to visitors in HER house. I have seen more than one rather large manly man, who(on their first visit)insisted that there was no need to secure the raccoon, scream like a little girl and hop on top of my furniture trying to get away from my snarling snorting furball. Second visit, they stay outside until they are sure the coon is safetly locked away. All in all, I would not trade my raccoon for any other pet in the world.

I too have recently become a raccoon mommy and so far so good! I love him.. he is only 5/6 weeks old (exact age undetermined) but he is so wonderful! I have been bottle feeding him for about 3 weeks now. I have heard many urban legend horror stories about raccoons killing cats ( i have three) and dogs. I may be proved wrong in the future but right now everybody seems to be getting along fine. I enjoy this website because it allows me to hear the positive side of being a raccoon owner. I contacted the Dept of wildlife resources to apply for his permit and of course they want to seize him and rehabilitate him into the wild... wrong! I can't imagine the thought of him not being part of my life and I look forward to many years of raccoon/kittycat playtime!!!

Well, I certainly don't know if this is typical play behavior but I have a story to share. Perhaps someone with more 'coon experience can kinda explain it. We live out in a very rural area. I feed all manner of animals that come up looking for a meal - I have a small band of raccoons who have come to me for quite some time. They eat the kibble I put out and that's fine by me. One night I heard this awful commotion and I stepped outside to see what was the cause. It was the "youth gang." They had obviously sated their appetites and they were throwing uneaten kibble at each other, running up and down the deck and railings. I thought it was a fight so I promptly went back into the house. The next night, the same thing. Food fight. After nearly a week of this insanity I figured that if I just stood there where they could see me, the fighting would stop. Uh, no. They all started throwing kibble at me. So I, being an idiot, threw it back instinctively. This "Animal House" scene in the cafeteria only the students have four furry legs, not two. We do this a couple times a week. There is absolutely no aggression being displayed, it's like it's a game and I'm a player. Let me say this, I have haven a caregiver of feral animals for almost all of my 50 years. We moved here to this house 9 years ago and 'coons were always a part of my "family." I know what trust is and I feel they trust me. So, are these little furballs doing illicit critter drugs? Or am I just "one of the gang?"

from my experience i have realized they are hard to get socialized, so dont force them to.

I have a racoon named Missy. She is 16 years old. I believe she is the oldest living racoon. She is a little arthritic,but still gets around good. She is very friendly, and gets along with all other animals. It is a full time job taking care of a racoon. Please do not consider raising one unless you are devoted to the animal.

i have placed at least 75 racoons back in the wild, i can only describe it as what it must feel like to give up a child, it is heart wrenching. i recently was able to acquire 40acres of thick woods, before i was taking them to a state park where traffic is slow and there are no hunters. i would go back and call them out and even with the last visits being 6 months they always come to me. when someone brought me a baby i always started them out on baby ceral and 2% milk, they were alot bigger than the pictures you are posting here at that age. i have built a huge den for the three i released here in july and they still come every night to the buffet i leave for them. they have brought in 14 wild coons. only my lucy will let me pick her now, my husband said she closes her eyes when she lays her head on my shoulder. It is perhaps sinful that i love them so much, but they are truly a blessing from God. luvracoons

I have 2 beautiful raccoons. One I have raised since she was 3 weeks old, she is now 16 months. The other was 3 months and was too friendly to be released and made a great playmate for the other one. They are the sweetest girls I have ever had. I was never expecting to keep them but I don't think they would be afraid of things, they like my dogs and love people. I do feed the others that are released. They come in and eat in my back yard feeder when their food supply is low. I never would suggest anyone keeping them as they really belong in the outdoors free, but I will never turn my back to help any animal in distress. I hope more would help these sweet intelligent animals. Over-development is taking away their food supply as well as other wild animals. They are hungry and are destructive since their land is disappearing. Help them out.

We are just so fascinated by our nightly racoons. They are so fun to watch, they are histerical. We have had and at times still do have anywhere from 8 to 10 racoons visit us at a time, but for the most part 5 to 6. 3 of them are babies just a few months old or so: Snikers, Ollie and Coony. We have one we call Bobber, he has no tail, but one heck of a large tail end. He is a big racoon. We also have one we call Rocky. He is another big boy and Daisy the one we believe is the mama to the wee ones. We feed them dog food, they love it. We also give them healthy treats. Rocky has been coming around for a year now. He was the first of the coon brigade. We have a relationship, but not the kind that I can touch. Bobber and Daisy are the same. They started coming around 6 months ago. We get close to each other but they keep there distance somewhat. The babes have been hanging aroung since Oct. Now the babies are completely different. They walk all over me! They come around about the same time every night so we pretty much know when to except them. When we see them we open the back door and in they come. It's like the kids "mom! where's our dinner!" Did I mention we live in a rural area that kinda sorta backs up to a wooded area. They are so much like dogs. They just dominate the backyard for hours every night. There really is so much I can say about them, but I have stop sometime. I write like I talk. On and on and on. One thing we really are enjoying is watching the babies grow and change. We also have 2 possums that come and we have 3 cats. They are all one big happy family. They eat together, drink together and share their love, affection, and infatuation just as we do with them.

We have had the opportunity to be parents to three raccoons thus far. The first two were twin boys, Rick and Rock...Rick went off on his own, and Rock, well he stayed with us until he was about one and half years old. He ended up being tailess, as he came home one night with his tail injured. We have discovered, that since Rock went out on his own, he is currently living about 2 miles from our home, and is now a proud papa. He continues to have human friends, and behaves well while in their company. Our last addition, Polly Wolly Doodle, our only female, has unfortunately passed away 2 months ago. It is assumed that she contracted feline distemper. However, our 'Hoodle Doodle' brought us extreme happiness, and will always be in our hearts. God Bless You, my baby girl! Having a raccoon is like having 10 3-year olds in your house and each going in their own direction. Madness yet entertaining..let em make the mess, it is only what is expected. But if you get stressed at your stuff being shredded, trampled etc, a raccoon may not be the pet you want!

I am a licensed rehabber in Calif. Raccoons are by far my favorites. They are cute, affectionate & very endearing. I would love to keep them all but I know that isn't the best for them. I have been trying to get permission for an educational raccoon for our group so have done a great deal of homework & have decided I will be chosing another mammal. Raccoons are social, they bond quickly to the caregiver (they miss "mom"). They are insecure as babies, but as they age, they become more independent. With that, the adorable playfulness & curiosity becomes more aggressive & destructive (this is their nature & what they need for surviving in the wild). Their teeth are sharp & so are those claws! I wear shabby Levis just for them climbimg my legs - which is "painfully cute" when they are little. I watch in fascination & photograph them for hours. At around two they become unpredictable in their behavior. They do like things on their terms afterall, & have displayed aggressive behavior when least expected so most rehab facilities will not use raccoons due to liability. If one bites, it is destroyed to check that it is free of rabies. This has happened to people who just had them as pets & family or friends have been bitten. To have a pet euthanized due to old age or infirmity is heartwrenching enough - it would be unbearable to have an animal I took out of its elements destroyed in its prime when it wasn't necessary. Neutering does not stop all aggression, males are normally less agressive than the females in captivity. Things I am personally aware of have been: 1) pet raccoons will kill other small pets up to small bunnies, including birds, 2) help themselves to fish in tanks & koi ponds, 3) jump on the back of a dog & ride it when really angry, act out against their caregivers, etc. & 4) can demolish & destroy the inside of a home in no time. There are exceptions, of course. Caging or tethering them would break their spirit - they are nature's clowns who never stop exploring...besides, they only get meaner. I am grateful to ALL who try & save them. They do need special formula & diets that aid in their development. People food is not what they get in the wild as babies. Like any species, they need the proper nutrients just for them. If you are going to keep one, at least contact a rehabber who will help you out & get you the right information. Rehab centers are full of adult raccoons that people have tried to raise & don't want anymore & they can't be placed. When weaned, my raccoons go to another rehabber with a state regulated cage to grow bigger & "wild up" before being released. I cry while driving them there, I cry when I leave & when it comes time to release them I will be crying again. I know it's best but they really get into your heart - any hand raised orphan will be imprinted & it is very important that if they are going to be released they go to a rehabber that can try & get them back to the wild in a way that they will have a chance to survive & live their lives out as they were put on this earth to do.

We received a baby coon from a friend who did not have the time to care for her as she needed. now i have had pet squirrels, a pet possum i have bottle raised, and field mice...so i guess a raccoon was the next in line. "boo" is now 5 mths old and she is a mess. she thinks she is one of my cats. I would have never thought she would be such a joy. she loves to give kisses, and really enjoys "defleaing" us. Im a sucker for different pets anyways, as we also have a timber wolf hybrid. I hope to enjoy many years with my pretty little boo baby

I have had my baby coon for 5 months now he is 10 lbs of pure fun and mischieviousness. he goes out in the back yard where we have built a waterfall and have gold fish in the pond. he loves it out there. needless to say may garden flowers are taking the brunt of his playfulness but we will miss him when he goes. if i had the chance to do it again, save a baby coon and see him grow, i would do it in a heart beat. he is my pride and joy his name is rocky. Robbie of kansas

About March of this last year, I started getting a visitor. I was amazed, a racoon eating my roomates cat's catfood, and me hating the cat....I allowed her to eat. I named her Mob Squad. I put out all sorts of food; chicken, hot dogs, marshmellows, grapes, carrots, pork chop bones, and even pasta. Mob kept coming by, and I was using her. I thought it was a male, as a circus act I made her climb railing to get food etc. I liked her, but nothing I had to bother with. I saw a few weeks later that Mob was a female, so she became Molly. Nothing changed except it was evident she was going to have babies! My roommate and I were thrilled, we kept talking about us being the food source, and Maybe, JUST maybe Molly would let us look at them. Molly did not come around for a few days. I worried a little, my roommate, she comes home freaked out... dead coon on side of the road. I appeased her, and went about 1/4 mile from our house to take a look. I knew it was Molly, but didn't know if she had given birth yet. About 2 weeks later, we hear this crying under our deck. NON-STOP... CRYING! I think the babies were looking for Molly. I look under deck, and 2 little racoons. Very small, but we put food out and hoped. At least Molly had given birth, and they are alive we thought. They didn't come close at first, but as of today, Adrian and Rocky are thriving. I spoil them. Rocky is female and smaller and less dominant. she is cautious. she is not a big meat eater, she likes her cat food and grapes. Adrian scratches at the door, and as a male, he takes a peak in the fridge. LOL! He opens and looks. I let him come into living room and I hand feed him. He is a hoot. I have orphan Racoons and they are very smart. Perhaps smarter than me, as I pet Adrian and such. Anyways, thanks for letting me share... Walk in peace, Barak Shirley,Mass.

I've had Ranger for about 2 month's. He only had his eye's opened for a day when I got him. There was a tree that was cut down on a construction site and him and 2 other came out, but no mother. He was bottled feed for about 1 1/2 months. Know he like's to suck on my finger to go to sleep at night. He's so spoiled. He climb's on every thing and is a little theft. He hasn't sleeped in a cage for a long time and sleep's with his mommy, right by my chest or above my head. Ranger has his own little collar I found at the pet store, for ferret's, and He wear's a bandana. The bandana was on a bog toy I bought for my other baby, but it fit's him perfect. I love my Little Ranger so much. He's so playful. I'm the next best thing since he couldn't be raised by his own mother. Actually the way I see it it's better for him this way because of coon hunter's, I think that's so mean. Know he'll never have to deal with that trama.

About 1 month ago racoons started showing up at the stray cats food bowl. After that the the racoons took over, 13 of them showed up in one night! Last night a special coon came, a mom. At first i saw only one baby then 2,&3! They were so cute! Now this is the 2nd night & the mom is already letting me touch her adorable kits! I asume she has been around humans before! My dad said we MIGHT get 1 of her babys, but i'd kinda feel like....well i was turnin my back on her! I'd love to have a kit though!

My Little brother brings home alot of animals and then expects me to watch them. Well yesterday he brought me home a baby raccoon. Im not sure how old he is and he has bonded to me and screams everytime i leave him. I feed him puppy formula and he likes corn but im not sure what else i can do with him. He's a wonderful and amzing little creature but i dont think he or any racoon should be considered a pet. I plan on bringing him to a wildlife center next week where hopefully he can be eventually returned to the wild.

A month ago, a large raccoon began appearing during the daylight to eat birdfood spilled from the feeder. At first I thought she must be rabid since she was out in the daylight, but then discovered that she was hanging to the ground full of milk. She was STARVING nursing her babies. So I began to feed her dry catfood and about a week later she brought her five babies with her. So I've been feeding a family of 6. I've been researching rabies and raccoons and don't have a sense that it's a problem, but I have been cautioned none the less. The mother allows me to play with the babies contrary to all I have read. The five babies remind me of the 7 dwarfs: there's a shy one, a grumpy one, the most curious one (who has bonded the most and lets me pet her), the most playful one... When I was growing up, some neighbors of ours had a raccoon shed and kept pet raccoons. I started buying grapes; they love those. Grapes and catfood. One evening the mother nursed all 5 in my presence. I've read that overly friendly behavior can be a sign of rabies. But I've only found one reference that mentioned rabies in association with raccoons...... Well it's entertaining and I'm alone...Oh, one last thing - since there are no adult males, no issue with cats. Raccoons have come to eat off and on for years here and I've never had an issue with them and the cats.

Recently i bought a raccon from a breeder. His name is Rusty. He is cinnamon color. Very beautiful. We love him very much. He is 10 weeks old. Full of fun. And he's part of our family. It was very hard to find a vet. But we finally found one, very close to us. We been bottle feeding for 6 weeks now and find it hard for him to eat on his own. I just think he likes to be bottle fed. The way he looks at me when i feed him, i know he loves me.

RACCOONS ARE GREAT PETS, BUT I WOULD'NT GET ONE UNLESS I COULD SPEND A LOT OF TIME WITH IT. I LOVE MY BOY BUT HE SURE DOES HAVE HIS WORD WHEN WE WANT TO GO ON VACATION. HE PUTS A STOP TO IT! AND NOW WE HAVE TWO MORE LITTLE ONES, GUESS WE NEVER WANT TO GO ANYWHERE AGAIN. WE LOVE THEM, THEY ARE SPECIAL.

I am babysitting two baby raccoons we want to keep them and we are temped but we dont know very much about them.

my hubby found a baby raccoon (George Cooney) on our back yard he was having a hard time walking, i guess the fall from the tree shook it up. I truly love to keep him I have plenty of room but everyone is telling me otherwise. my husband tells me to make up my mind soon because he is getting attached to George

I recently found a baby raccon that had fallen from our palm tree out front. It was raining at the time and I don't know how long he was there before I found him but I immediately took the little guy in and feed him 1/2 & 1/2 (Cream) from an eye dropper and named him Bandit. He was starving and stole my heart from that very moment. My girlfriend has rescued just about every type of animal you can imagine so I called her & she came over and she fed him goat's milk thru a baby bottle. We took great care of him & despite my girlfriend asserting that we would have to release him when he gets older, I had already planned on keeping him needless to say! His eyes weren't even open yet but he was so responsive and I enjoyed bottle feeding him and spending time with him when he wasn't napping. Unfortunately, 4 days after we found him, he started to refuse to eat and became listless which was so unlike his frisky behaviour. I tried feeding him and he just didn't want to eat and as I held him in my hands, he took his last breath and died! I can't tell you how heartborken I was and I sobbed hoping maybe he was just ill and I could revive him but it was too late. I'm a grown man and an ex-Navy Seal and have always prided myself on being a tough guy who could handle anything but how unprepared I was for my little Bandit! I'm still heartbroken and miss him terribly but hope to adopt one when I move out to the country (Central Florida) next year. I know 4 days wasn't long but I'm convinced racoons can make great pets given the time & care they need. I've had dogs & cats all my life but Bandit for some reason was the one I was most attached to and still don't know why.

I raised a neonate raccoon two years ago, and was able to release her back to the wild successfully! I sometimes wish my family and I kept her. I even got to the point of checking into purchasing one. Today I answered an ad from the newspaper for a free raccoon baby! I want to keep him,and know that he has to have a lot of shots, veterinarian care, etc,, but I'm also having the problem of finding veterinarians that care for raccoons. More than likely I will have to go to anouther state to do so. Guess what I'm saying is do your research on veterinarians too, because not all states have those who care for raccoons. Wish me luck! jen

I was out on a job site yesterday when one of the guys running an excavator discovered that we had 3 racoon kits in a tree that was getting ready to go in the grinder (one fell out as the tree was being lifted up). He placed the tree back on the ground and we proceeded to cut the tree in half and remove the kits. They are aproximately 4 weeks old (just opened their eyes) and are not weened yet. I've raised and bred ferrets before (had 3 breeding pairs) so this should prove to be interesting if what I understand about them is true.

I RECENTLY FOUND 5 RACOONS IN OUR FARM DUMPSTER. THEY WERE BORN THE EVENING BEFORE AND IT WAS THE COLDEST DAY IN A LONG TIME. THEY WERE SO COLD WE THOUGHT THEY WERE DEAD. AS SOON AS THEY FELT THE WARMTH OF OUR HANDS THEY STARTED YELLING. WE TOOK THEM HOME AND HAVE BEEN BOTTLE FEEDING SINCE. THE 2 LITTLE ONES HAVE DIED BUT THE OTHER 3 ARE STRONG. THEY ARE NOW 16 DAYS OLD BUT THEIR EYES ARE NOT YET OPEN. SO FAR THEY ARE THE SWEETEST BABIES. THERE IS 1 MALE AND 2 FEMALES. I PLAN ON PUTTING THEM IN A 6FT BY 8 FT CAGE AT THE BARN WHEN THEY ARE TO ORNERY TO KEEP THEM IN THE HOUSE. THIS IS MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH COONS BUT HAVE MET SO MANY PEOPLE THAT HAVE RAISED THEM WITH GREAT EXPERIENCES.

i am currently waiting for a baby racoon that i am going to purchase. i have wanted one as far back as i can remember and im truly hoping it will be everything i expect and more. thank you to all those who have written your comments it has truly helped me in making my decision. i will keep you all posted on my pet when i get him.

hi my name is judy and I have two female raccoons who are going to be spayed. it was a rough road for them. when we were out to a lake we were told that they were illegal in mn, that they carry rabies and other things. they have their shots. we were told to turn them in the wild or be taken to a rehabilation center, but they have not been in the wild. we have had them since they were 11 days old. they are gods creatures too and they have the right to live too. So the best thing we could have done was to leave them with a dead mother and let them starve. Putting them in the wild is like taking a baby that is a year old and say here now your on your own. They are like our kids. I wanted to get a permitt to keep them, but no luck. Just complaints. I really can't belive that some people can be so cruel. adopted mother of Rikkie and LOvebug

For those of you who raise them with dogs, if you choose to set them free, make sure it is in an area they will not ecounter dogs. They won't see them as a threat but they are. I rehab racoons and it can be a sad ending. it will usually be a neighbors dog, so choose wisely.

Hi, I don't have a pet raccoon but i'm looking in to it, because who doesn't just love them. Also they are my favorite animal and i've had a close encounter with one. Once by a ferrydock i came a foot away from a grown female raccoon(across a fence) who had recently been swimming. We looked at each other for a couple of seconds, and then when we started walking down the fence and she followed us until the fence stopped then sat down. when we came back an hour later she wasn't there and it made me sad. Anyways, hope you guys have had a good raccoon experience too.

I have a 7 to 8 month old raccoon. He chashes cats and growls at dogs because he wants all the attention. He's very playfull and likes to bite hair. One of these days I know I have to let him free but it makes me so sad that I will probably cry my eyes out. I wouldn't pick any other raccoon in the whole world.

wow, those too racoons remind me so much of my pet, rascal. We found him when he couldnt have been more than a week old. We bottle fed him on a kitten formula, then switched to cat food. the problem we had was that he gained too much weight, so we would bring him to the creek behind our house 2 times a day and started letting him hunt on his own. then we would feed him grapes and slightly cooked deer meat. he did very well and was the best pet we had ever had until about 2 years old, then he decided he didnt want to live with us anymore, and he ran away... we still see his foot prints outside our house in the dirt.

This is my third year to rehab raccoons and can't wait to get more. They are the best pets as such there is. I had Ruby and she was member of the family and would go to the woods and when you called her she would come to the house. She would walk to the mailbox with me and just loved to play inside or out. I found a site that I can get raccoon articles. To have one is to know what love is with a animal. I have pictures of her around here. I let someone give her medical care and she passed. I hope that I get two this year so wish me luck.

Hi, I have had two raccoons before and i am on my third one. I'm 14 now and when i had my first raccoon a was around 10 years old. The first raccoon was named Rascal and we found him as a 5 day old baby right beside a river. When we picked him up he turned out to be extremely friendly to everyone and he had a special relationship with me and my big black lab. When we let him wander out in the wilderness he left. About half a year later we picked up Merlin whom fell out of a tree and broke his nose. Merlin was a week old when we found him and he turned out to be very territorial and he onl liked me because, out of my 2 brothers, my mom and dad and I, I spent a lot of time with him and fed him by hand. One night he went outside and returned with over 30 raccoons that were messing around in our garage. When I went out there all the raccoon just stared and ran away exept for Merlin and another that was less than 2 feet away from me. Me and this curoisly familar raccoon had a stare-down and then he scurried away. Later a thought that that was Rascal. Now a have a raccoon named Gabriel who is extremely friendly but gets into everything and just loves to play. Right now he is about 8 months old but isn't very big and just wants to hang around with me and my dog (but my dog is old and doesn't want to be bothered):). I love my raccoons and would never let them go, they're the best friends ever.

I have a 3-year old racoon, and I named her Ringa! When I got her I thought she was a male. Ringa is a very curious animal, and sometimes a real pain in the butt. She gets into everything and loves to climb on anything. I also have 2 dogs and she loves them! Ringa will even sleep, eat and play with both of the dogs. Shes even so smart she can open doors the washer and even windows! She is my best friend!

My husband and I rescued 4 baby racoons approx. 5 weeks old. With the help of Brenda and John Baughman of Odessa, FL who have been rehabing for about 20 years we kept all 4(2 boys and 2 girls) until they were 10 months old. Due to health problems Moe, (one of the boys)will not be able to be released so we are keeping him. What a joy he is. The other three are with Wildlife Haven becoming wild again so they can be released in the wild someday. I miss them very much, but they deserve to live out their life in freedom. Now that Moe is a year old, plan to have him "fixed" hoping he will stay as sweet as he is now.

i have young male and he is the best pet ever

I clean house for a lady who has a Racoon. She also has 3 little dogs. I went to her house 1 morning and she had him out of the cage and when I entered the house he ran under her bed. I was standing there petting the dogs and out from under the bed the racoon came and he attacked me! The next time I went she left him out of his cage and she stayed in front of him until he saw me and then he wrapped himself around my leg and started sniffing me and the owner grabbed him and at first he wouldn't let go and she left her grip off of him a little and then he let go. The thing that I really worry about is she leaves him outside all day and then he comes in at night. I'm afraid he will come in contact with rabies while he is outside and then he can attack me again and then I will really be in trouble. I think Racoons are best left to live in the wild. I'm scared to death of this animal!

My husband works in clearing land. While knocking down a tree a 3wk old baby flew out of it. Before touching it he searched the entire area to see if the mother was around. No luck! Well it's been 6 weeks and she is thriving. She is a joy to both of us and our 5 dogs who are fascinated with her. I am hoping to give her a long and happy life in our family. Besides the dogs we have 5 cats a rabbit, fish and birds. She should not lack alot of excitement and play. As well as our undivided attention. Her name is Sniffles.

We have 4 boys and 1 female that we took in back in April 27 2004. They were just a few weeks old, when there mother was killed. I heard them up in the den tree crying after 1 day of no food. We went to the rescue. And have been a part of the family ever since. They are so precious to us. They have there own room with a wading pool and all the play things that they want, they are very spoiled. They have exceptional toilet habits, and are very clean. They have all been neutured and spayed. They love to play and cuddle with my husband and myself and watch tv.

The real reason raccoons "wash" their food isn't to actually wash it, but the coolness of the water makes their paws more sensitive so as to feel the individual parts of their food, like if they were eating some smaller animal it would allow them to pick out the parts of the meat they want more.

Hi my name is Jordan and one of our neighbors down the road had found an apparently pet racoon which came right up on her porch. She didn't know what to do with a racoon, so she gave me a call to come check it out. when I got there I was suprised to see this coon sprawled out across this chair like he owned it. I wasn't so sure about him at first until the elderly lady said, I'll pick him up, I've done it a few times already, and she did. So I took him in and he was such an entertainer we all loved him. He played all the time even inside, he appeared to have been house trained. I named him Bandit and he was a rascal. He also adapted very well living with my 12 year old dog. he was always so sweet to her, he would go up to her and hug right around the neck. But one day tragedy happened for Bandit when I wasn't home. I had found out that a guy down the road had seen him and tried to scare him with a pole. Bandit thought the guy was wanting to play. the guy came back outside with a pistol and shot twice only one bullet hit Bandit. I was in such pain over Bandit, and I serched for him for a few days and then gave up. Then one morning I was outside just enjoying the cool air when I was stunned to see bandit with this weak walk as he was busted up. I paniced and broke the door, I ran in so fast and yelled Bandit is alive. Heartbroken by the way he looked I floored the car to the grocery store to get a box to put him in. My mom and I rushed Bandit to the vet where he looked at him and said, "He'll probably make a good recovery because it must not be too bad since it had been five days since being shot." He told us that he would call after he cleans him up. Later that evening we were asked to meet with our vetenarian. what he had to say was very hard for me to take in. He told me that I had two options, and they were we put him to sleep, or we could try amputating his front leg which was severely damaged. but he said he really didn't think he would make it through the surgery. I turned around and there he was in a cage just sleeping. I broke down and started crying as I knew what I had to do for him. I like to think that the reason he held on so long for his life was he had to tell me goodbye.

Love and nurture the baby you have found, and after giving life, give the greatest gift of all - the freedom to enjoy that life. The first time you watch your baby scamper up a tree you will feel the rightness of it, you will see its unbounded joy. You will profit from one additional aspect of freeing your baby and that is a feeling of participation in the natural world by giving back to Mother Earth one of her own. Squirrel Tales. "You become responsible forever, for what you have tamed"-Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. A raccoon can't just be released when you are done with it! I love raccoons but I release them. The look recieved when you let them go is unforgetable! It brings me to tears now! Those who care for a wild animal and keep, love it, those who care for a wild animal and release, love it more>

Racoons are great too watch for hours each night. I had a mother, father and 4 children that would wait by a tree in my backyard on the VA intercoastal waterway every night. They would eat peanuts, (what a blast to watch them open these) marshmellows, grapes and I would go to the local bakery and but a small cart of bread for only $3.00. I had been living with these animals and entertaining the neighbors and children for a year and a half now. But be careful. One ignorant neighbor decided it would be more fun to trap and shoot the racoons full of arrows while his children helped. Unfortenly, the VA dept. of game and Inland Fisheries can find no problem with this behavior. So, please be careful making friends with these animals it can cause great heartbreak. Racoon friend for life, Keith Carter

i have had my racoon for about two weeks now most of my info came off the internet. his gender is unKnown at the present time so we just call him rac. we are going to build him a backyard house with a wading pool and water fall. we are also going to add trees and much more fun stuff that he can play and have fun in. i hope that he dosn't get mean, like the stories that i have been told over the last past two weeks from my friends and family. i just think that they are so cute, but coming from the wild you never now when the are going to turn out.

My Coon Bandit is just a few weeks old. He followed me home one day without me even realizing it until I had got inside and he jump up in my lap. He is an awesome pet and likes everybody who seems to like him.

My backyard leads right into a forest, so racoons are very common to see at dusk. I leave fruit scraps out for them by the porch, and found that they've made quite a habit of coming. Several trusting ones are already up in the roof, or the porch railing waiting for when I come out. Couple years back, I found a dead mother lying under a bush by the road. Probably hit by a car. There were three babies by her side. One was dead and the others emaciated. Well I raised the two and let them go. It's hard to tell, but those trusting racoons might be either of them. They are wonderful animals but do make horrible pets. I wouldn't recommend them as a pet to anyone.

I have three Dachshunds, two are five months old and I also have there mother. In late May 2005 I found a very small Raccoon in are driveway outside of our home. I took him in and have raised him with my dachshunds. He now thinks he is a dachshund. he sleeps, eats, and goes outside with the dogs to potty. he is the first one to car when you ask if they want to go bye bye. We do not keep him caged and I really think by letting him have his freedom to come and go as he wants has really made him very loving. his Name is Bandit and he got his name rightfully. he will take anything that is not tied down and hide it in his bed. He also loves the water, he will swim in the river with are Dogs. A week age he took on a much larger Raccoon and ran it off then went every place that the other Raccoon had been and urinated to mark his territory.

On July 1, I placed 2 male raccoons with a licensed rehabber. They were 3 months old and ready to live outside, but not on their own. I felt responsible for their care due to a series of unfortunate circumstances six weeks earlier. They hated taking KMR from a nipple, so weaning was accomplished over the first few days. My guys thrived on a mixture of KMR (Kitten Milk Replacement) baby rice cereal, applesauce, plain yogurt and finely ground puppy chow. After I had moved them into their own room, all I had to do is call out "chow time" to get them to come running and climb up into their cage. That cage was never closed after the first week we had it. Instead, it served as their personal dining room and napping place. I used old t-shirts to provide them with a hammock for naps. A small construction mixing tub from Home Depot was their wading pool where they could fish for raisins. Raccoons make no distinction between drinking and bathing water and both were disgusting by the end of every day. Climbing practice was provided for in a number of ways, some provided by me. Once they had practiced climbing trees outside, I gave them a long 3-4 inch wide branch to get up and down from their cage. By the week before they left, one had started climbing up brick walls on the outside of my house. Both had made it 8-10 feet high in some overgrown shrubs out back and were very good at staying hidden. They had also demonstrated some very fierce defensive behavior. They were usually very affectionate and did, when inside, understand and obey the word "no". They also came when called, most of the time. I still miss them. But as long as I have to work for a living, raccoon care is way too much to handle.

I have a male racoon "Baby Jerry". My neighbor found him while mowing, and as the baby needed bottle feeding he brought him to me. My goal was to keep him alive and let him go! I can't imagine life without him, racoon's are so fascinating and very lovable. He is aproximatly 4 months old and he is starting to show a little aggression when he doesn't get his way. He loves our cats, and we even have 2 coon dogs on the property that we rent! They bark at him, but it doesn't phase him as he roams our yard. He lives inside the house and he sleeps with me every night! Having Baby Jerry is one the most wonderfull experiences I have had.

I have a beautiful female raccoon named BABY. We had to keep telling our house dog ( a rat terrier named Mickey) that she was a BABY dog and he needed to help us take care of her. When we got her she was badly injured and it was touch and go for a while. The name stayed and BABY and Mickey are still best buddies. Our BABY is a special member of our family...thought not really a pet. She interacts with each member of our family differently and often with different sounds when she communicates. We often describe living with a raccoon as being like living with a three year old who can climb "anything". I can not imagine life without her, or showers without her, or washing clothes with out her...and the list goes on. I think the most adorable thing she has ever done was not something that others would not consider adorable at all. I walked in the kitchen one night and found her sitting in front of the refrigerator with the door open and a carton of eggs on the floor. She had opened and carton and was having an egg feast...with egg everywhere. What a picture! She will be five years old in August.

A man noticed I was good with animals, one day and he asked me if I wanted to see if I could get this tiny baby racoon to eat something, he was working in a housing development where he found it after he had cut down some trees, the mom racoon was killed and he felt bad. I never had a racoon before so i wasnt sure what to feed it but it was so hungry it took right to baby fomula with a little more water than usual, to make a long story short, racoons make great pets as long as you dont mind your dog going nutts and a life long companion. The males will mark there place like a dog, the females can get a little jealous.

I have 2 racoons. My male(andy) is 9yrs old and my female(capri) is 6 weeks old. They are the greatest pets. If you have the time and patience racoons cant be beaten. Wished more people loved these animals as i do.

This site declares that raccoons are solitary animals. I have been helping a rehabilitator care for young raccons. She has been doing this for thirty years. According to her these animals actually form communities and although they do not rely on each other for survival they can exist communally. The rehabilitaors in our area have kept several in one compound with no problem. Siblings like to hang together and look out for one another. They usually stay with the Mother for about a year. When these animals are released it is usually in groups in proper protected habitats.

and i thought i was crazy to let these 2 babies and a mother indent their pawprints on my heart! It is nice to know that people out there appreciate their clownlike antics. mine come down from the trees for ice cream sandwichs!

hi! My name is Tucker, i'm 11. my mom and i found some raccoons in a barn. They were both boys. When we got them they were a week old. Now they are 9 months old. They make great pets. I have 6 cats, 2 dogs, 1 hamster, 3 cows, 1 pony, 1 ferret, 2 goats, and 6 chickens and they all get along really well. I love my raccoons.

My husband and I have three raccoons at present. The oldest is Bandit who was a rescue from Tampa, FL. He is almost three years old and is absolutedly spoiled rotten. He has his own house and loft bedroom. We just lost a female raccoon named Tootie Bug that was epileptic. My husband found her one night coming home. Even though she was only with us for a brief time, she still remains alive in our hearts and was one of the best blessings ever. Recently we acquired a male and female that are approximately four weeks old (their mother was killed) and are currently being bottle fed. They are too precious. We encourage anyone who thinks of having a raccoon for a pet, to conduct lots of research, prepare to be committed, patient and dedicated as they require lots of attention. And above all else, have your raccoon vaccinated and neutered/spayed as this adds a quality of life that is unexplainable and removes a lot of the aggression that can otherwise be displayed. Thanks for letting us share - Carrie and Ross Jantti - Florida

HELLO MY NAME IS CONNIE. I HAVE A 8WK OLD BABY RACOON. HER NAME IS NEKO, SHE IS SO CUTE. NEKO WAS FOUND BY THE SIDE OF A BUSY HIGHWAY WITH HER BROTHER AND NO MOMMY.,I HAVE BEEN BOTTLE FEEDING HER AND SHE IS SO LOVEABLE. MY 20yr.old TOM CAT LIKES HER. THEY BOTH LOOK JUST ABOUT THE SAME, BOTH HAVE RINGED TAILS. NEKO LOVES MANDERIAN ORANGE SLICES, GRANOLA, AND CEREAL. WE LOVE HER DEARLY. RACOONS MAKE A GREAT PET. SHE KEEPS ME ON MY TOES. HAVE FUN, CONNIE FROM CHARLESTON WV.

we have a coon, his name is dickey, hes been with us for 2 yrs and no intention of leaving. he has free roam of the house, he comes and goes as he pleases, he likes to open our sliding door and head outside for afew hours and come back same way, just wish he would close door back up, especially in winter... he mainly eats mac and cheese.... its all he likes we tryed everything else.. also fortune cookies, hes good with our 6 month old but steals her binkys and toys. he sleeps under our stairs leading to our second floor so when you get up you always have to watch for his head sticking out. hes very nosey. he just got up now and is laying on the computer desk playing, its a matter of time till he starts with me and ill have to stop writing, well its started have to go

I love Raccoons (all other animals as well), and I recently bought an albino raccoon. My raccoons name is Rudy, and I'm currently bottle feeding him. It's just like having a new born baby around the house. He chatters when he's hungry, and settles down after he eats his food. I've had many different or unusual pets...but this one is by far the coolest pet I have ever owned. Oh... did I mention how cute he is??? I laugh, grin, or smile every time I look at him. Raccoons make awesome great pets.

The other day, my boyfriend and I went for a walk in the woods. Now, it is not completely uncommon for us to randomly bring home a pet whether from the pet store or from a camping trip, but this time, it was NOT intended. A mother and her babies were near us in the woods and we were just watching them when the babies came up to meet us. After a while we decided to leave, but I had a follower. One of the babies followed me home that night. Three days into it, s/he still hasn't left me, looks for me if I leave him alone: he seems to have adopted me and my boyfriend as his family now, even though we've tried to return him to his family. Oh well. He's so cute, we are just hoping we can handle a racoon along with our two dogs, a cat, rabbit, two birds, and a bunch of fish...

My husband works for a critter control company, and he is always bringing home new friends. The best thing he ever brought home was Einstien. Our little racoon and his 4 brothers and sisters were found in a chimney, and the mother could not be found or trapped. We found homes for the all of the tiny little babies, except for Einstein. He has crazy gray hair that sticks straight-up like Albert Einstein. Our 2 year old Bullmastiff thinks that he is her baby and tries to nurse and clean him. It is so funny to see such a huge dog coddlng a tiny little coon! He has been a very good baby, and he is so much fun to watch! He is like a tiny little monkey. He likes to climb in our pockets and take a nap. Having a racoon is not an easy job. You should only adopt one if you can spend a lot of time with them. Einstein has been by far the most interesting part of our family!

i just got a baby coon, his name is rosco. he is so adorable. his mom was shot because she made her home in a cottage chimey. my grandma took the other 4.

I have a male pet raccoon named Bandit (of course!) Me and my boyfriend bought him from a raccoon breeder when he was two weeks old. His eyes werent even opened yet! He is litter box trained and very tame. We even got him neutered, microchipped, and rabies vaccinated. He is the best pet I own (I have 8 other pets: 3 sugar gliders, one dog, two conure birds, and two mice) I live in Illinois and all we need to own him is a permit from the Department of Natural Resources. He is very sweet and loving and playful. He has him own room with a queen sized bed and he is very spoiled! I love him so much and cant imagine my life without him.

Raccons r cool. u guys rock with all the animals that I love.

Growing up in the suburbs of Brooklyn New York, I never knew that wild racoons roamed the area at night. My first time I met a coon, came when I stumbled home a bit intoxicated from my neighborhood bar. To my surprise, going through my garbage was "Bandit," as he affectionately became known to me. What surpirsed me most, was Bandit seemed more curious than frightful of me. As a reward for this curiousity I went into my house and fed him some nachos and cheetos, which he really seemed to enjoy. Bandit would come visit me on a very regular basis, usually waiting at my doorstep a few days a week. His intelligence and natural curiousity were remarkable, as was his calm and tame ways. Bandit and me would sit on the porch often and we would talk for hours. He seemed to have a deep understanding of me, and my inner-most thoughts. Bandit would perform the most humanlike behaviors and would copy me when I performed tricks such as spinning on my head and line dancing. After a number of meetings, Bandit did move in with me and we had a wonderful relationship for a number of years. I was very dismayed, when I did come home one evening and found out that he had left. I would highly recommend owning a coon to all. Bandits natural warmth and beauty are what faity tales are made of. I never did get over losing that coon.

we have a pet coon. after his mother was hit by a car by my barn, it took him three days to come out of his nest and find me. he was only two weeks old. i fed him from a baby bottle with 1 1/2 cups whole milk mixed with 1 raw egg and 2Tb sugar. i have had him for ten months and he is 22lbs.

I have pet Raccoons, they are the best little friends you could ever have. I found them on the side of the road after a large rain. They still were brown when I found them.

I also have a pet raccoon now. He is 14 months old. Yes he is much more than i ever imagined!! Not necessarily "tearing" things up, yeah he could i guess, but he just likes to make a total mess of everything, i dont care what it is, he can make a mess of it! alot of people get them and at about 5 months decide to get rid of them b/c of their coonie behavior.. either dumping them off in the wild, or hurting them! I made a committment to my coonie and to myself no matter what happened i would always keep him and be good to him. He is only playing and if anyone has ever seen a wild coon fight, they would know the difference!! A friend says I have the meanest coonie ever!!! He doesnt have a mean bone in his body!!! Just because he darts off the bed and chases me around the table then jumps as high as he can to bite whatever he can bite..LOL i just have to tell myself, hes only playing.. GRIN AND BEAR IT!!

My best friend has a pet racoon, her mom found it at her work. It was very small when they took it home and would crawl and hide under piles of blankets. it liked to eat cheerios out of your hand and was very tame. now it is about a year old and very wild because the boys in the house taught it how to fight when they would mess around with it. it only goes to certain people and if you try to pet it he will bite or scratch you. It gets into everything, and is not house trained. It likes to crack open raw eggs and eat the yolk out of it. Even still, it is a great pet when treated right and taken great care of.

Hello. my name is Mandi. I have a barn and every night i put all my cats away and the racoon that i call rocky is always in there to. he comes in and sleeps and eats cat food. I see him eat out of the same cat dish as the cats they have a friendship. In the middle of the night some times he opens the door and gets in. he is usually in there at about nine oclock . Today when i got home from work i walked in the barn and he was sleeping on the pile of boxes. He is really beautiful and i wish i could pet him but, i dare not because he is wild. but i have seen how friendly he is to the cats and i kind of want one as a pet. My friends Mom had a racoon that used to sleep in bed with her like a dog and use the litter box and every thing.

there are lots of racoons in my neighborhood and they are actually rather friendly because my friend and I will sit on the steps and they will approach us looking for food but some do show signs of aggression because my friend and I were going into the parking lot to watch the sunrise when one started growling at us. There are soo cute

I once had a pet racoon named Renovie. I got him as a pup when a friend of mine found his dead mother by the side of a tree and 3 pups up in a nest. I also had a dog at the time, a cockapoo male, but they got along OK and even slept together. He would use a litter box like a cat, and would eat all kinds of things that people eat, and also what the dog ate. He liked to eat dry dog food by taking a piece in his paws and dipping it in the water bowl, letting it soak a while, and then eating it. He did not damage anything, but he could open any cabinet and would go in there and root around, and once in a while you would find him sleeping in a large speghetti pot. I only kept him for about a year though, because as he matured he really wanted to be outside all the time... he literally climbed the curtains. I would take him for walks with the dog, both on seperate leashes. The dog would visit the bottom of the trees and Renovie would climb them. I had people actually pull their cars over and ask me what kind of "dog" that was! After a year, I saw my friend again who had given him to me and he said that he would take Renovie to a farm he knew of where the people would feed him and let him run around in their protected wooded area. That seemed like the right solution so I had to let him go. I missed him though. He was a good pet. Perhaps a female would not have been so anxious to go out and roam, but I doubt it. They are after all, wild animals and that instinct is very strong in them. In the year I had him, he went from about 2-3 pounds to a little over 25 pounds in weight so they grow very fast and are always kind of hungry. Having a pet racoon is like having an animal that is a cross between a cat and a monkey. They are very curious and intelligent animals. At least as smart as a very smart dog. They figure things out and can use their hands very effectively to solve problems and open things. They will reach into your pockets and pull stuff out to have a look. I used to keep some "snacks" in my shirt pocket so when Renovie would sit on my lap he would reach in there and get something to eat. If his little "stash" ran out he would complain about it and poke me in the nose with his nose and paw my pocket so I would put more stuff in there for him to pull out. He seemed to like the act of getting the snack out of my pocket as much as actually eating it. Like a dog, he knew his name and would come when you called him, making a little chittering sound like the cooing of a dove. Anyone who ever had one would have to say they were good pets and worthy of respect.

I have 3 wild raccoons that visit me every night. I give them bread and sometimes teddy grahams. My favorite is "Sweatheart". We have built a trust over several months of visits. I will place a piece of bread on my knee (while sitting) and she will reach up and take it with her paws. she then will sit next to me while I scratch her back and neck (She really enjoys this). When she is done she will go on top of my house for a rest. I know that they are wild and not pets, and I take several precautions when I have my visitations. However I would not change this for the world they are quite gentle and curious creatures.

Hi, i owned a raccoon, it was a male about 5 months old, i adopted, but not for very long. I love animals, but this little guy was a handfull!!!!!! Let me tell you, he destroyed his bed room that i gave him, holes in the walls, and everything. They are very loving, but like to do their own thing. i had to give him back, because he was just so curious, and got into EVERYTHING. there is a lot of care, more then you can expect. I loved the little guy, but the room was trashed.

I too have a racoon, named Robbie. He is about 1 year old now and is a fun little guy. I agree that if your not willing to spend the time, money and energy, dont adopt a racoon. I have been bitten,scratched and managed to survive. The only time he bites is when he is startled or in his "got to find a woman" mode. When he was small, he would climb up my pant leg as if I were a tree. This is alright during jean season, but the shorts, boy does that hurt! I would not suggest a racoon as a pet unless you are serious about their care. Because if they become use to people and approach them they might become frightened and report them, and then we know how it could end.

hi my name is kevin and i have notised a strang lookin raccoon in my area. it is all white and has black stripes on its tail.

thanks alot, your website helped me alot!!!one day i was at my grandmas house and she dropped me of at my house. i ran up to my room and i heard a chirping noise. i looked down and my (other)grandpa was holding a ferret looking animal. "did we get a ferret?", i asked. "no we got a racoon!" "wow! how old is he?". "five weeks". cool! "his name is mafia".

Hi, I run an animal sanctuary in England and have got 3 female racoons. They are about 4 months old now and delightful. I keep them in an enclosure of 25 by 20 feet. And feed them 3 times daily on ferret and cat food. They have had no medical problems yet fortunately but I take all my animals to the vet regularly for check ups. They are great to keep as they are not aggressive and are not threatened by my cats or dogs. One of my dogs is quite fond of them. They occasionally bite but only playfully like a cat would do.

I am new to this but i wanted to share my experience. I have a three month old raccoon that I just love..I got Coby when he was eight weeks old. I never would have thought that he could be sooo smart and cute at the same time. I have a three year old pitbull and they play as if they were born together. I had a hard time the first week because he would not eat anything the vet told me to feed him. I started to experiment and finally I came up with a recipe that he loves. (i prepare this at night so that it is ready for the next day). 2 cups of kibbles and chunks dog food, 2 cups of water and four scoops of JUST BORN kitten milk with colostrum ( made by Farnam) its hard to find but has great balance. I feed Coby four times a day, but he will let me know if he is hungry early. I finally have him trained to potty outside, I take him out when he wakes-up, he does his duty and then plays for a couple of hours. I also found a flea control product that is safe for raccoons..made also by Farnam called bio-spot, strip-on for cats and ferrets. I put it on Coby when he was 9 weeks and he had NO side effects. I hope that this will help other new raccoon parents. Nicholle

Hey Guys, I thought I would share my experience as a caregiver of two raccoons. My first was a little female. One afternoon, after getting home from work. My wife and I found our Cocker Spaniel sitting at the front door waiting for us. As we approached the house we could hear the cries of a small animal. Nestled between his legs was a baby coon, her eyes were still closed. We took her in and checked her for injuries and found her to be healthy and strong. My wife and I have raised several animals from infancy and knew that raising her would require a lot of dedication. We already had feeding bottles and syringes and most everything needed to feed her. Time has taught us that mammals do very well on a mixture of warmed evaporated milk, natural honey and water. This needs to be given every two hours until its eyes have opened, or at about the age of five or six weeks. At that time strained baby fruits can be added for extra nutrients. Once the pup is strong enough you can add mixed baby cereal. I hear from other people that they wean their pup at about eight to ten weeks of age. But I have found that you can provide a bottle as long as it will suckle it. Believe me they will let you know when its not wanted. You will find that your pet will be truly bonded to you for the rest of its life. We bath our coons on a regular basis and found that they look forward to the cleanup. Our raccoons enjoy their time with the dog and cats but really look forward to spending time with us. They are very loving and love to cuddle. But given the opportunity to wrestle, they will play just as hard as we play back. Raccoons are very intelligent and can learn basic commands and words. Do not be afraid to say NO. Even though they use their hands with great dexterity they tend to lick and nibble. This is one of those times for the NO word. Also as soon as they start eating solid foods you need to help it get over aggressive eating habits. I have found that if you hand feed them and make a game out of carefully taking the morsels back, that you will be able to retrieve anything you do not want chewed up without any problems. Our female is about eight years old and the male is about four years of age. I am not sure that either one of them have an aggressive bone in them, but when in public we have to be careful. Both have worn a harness since they were about eight weeks old and have learned to walk on a leash. When in public or the vets they wear a mussel just to be safe. They are both registered and get their shots each year. Coons are not for everybody. They require a lot of care, patience, and attention. But the time invested is rewarding in itself.

I take care of several raccoons who cross over every night from the park and have a bit of sustenence that I provide. My horrible next door neighbor sent the Wild Life Control over here tonight. I was informed that if I continue to feed the racoons "the authorities" will come and trap them, and then KILL them. That is not happening here, I am purchasing bolt cutters tommorow,no trapping here) and also sharing this travesty with all local (hey, Peta,) animal rights groups. and I will protest to the point of incarceration. Thanks for your website, DEB Adams-Garland

In (Description:) you refer to racoons as carnivores, then contradicted that statement in (Care & Feeding), refering to them as omnivores. They are in fact the later, omnivores.

Hi my name is Kallie... my neighbor recently came across 3 baby raccoons, well the animal lover I am, she called me. I have had them for about a month now. They were no bigger than my hand, now they are a hand full.. haha.. but I have raised many kinds of animals, even new born baby skunks, but these raccoons just totally took our hearts. They are so awesome!I love them. I guess they are about 3 months old now. I bottle feed them baby formula and baby cereal. They are just great and soooooooo loving. Kallie, from Louisiana

hi, me and my boyfriend recently found 3 baby raccoons in the wall of one of our rental houses. when we found them they were only about 3 wks old. now they are about 7 wks. they are absolutly adorable and so much fun. i am so glad i have had a chance to have them.

We were lucky enough to be able to raise baby raccoons and then set them free in the wild, which meant, I was there Mommy and took them off to the woods and the brook to learn to forage for themselves. One of them, named Roxane, used to come back all the time for a fun into the toilet *lol* and lots of hugs with purring. She was the greatest. The male, was a bit wilder and would bite and be very restless in captivity. I can see how as pets some raccoons would be very cool but also could be dangerous. They are cute of course.

HI MY NAME IS NIKKI AND ME AND MY FRIEND ANESSA RAISE RACOONS FROM BABIES. WE HAVE TO GET RABIES AND OTHER SHOTS OF COARSE AND WE CAN TOTTALY RELATE TO YOU! COONS R GREAT PETS BUT THEY R STRICT BOUT THEM. WE HAD TO SEND LETTERS (OR OUR MOM DID LOL) TO SOME PLACE ASKING IF WE COULD RAISE THEM. THEY SAID THAT WE COULD AFTER WE SEND 3 LETTERS!! WELL YES ME AND MY SISTERS R TWINS AND WE HAVE ALWAYS LOVED COONS. I REMEMBER ONE DAY WHEN WE WERE TAKING A WALK AND I SAW A DEAD RACOON ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. SO I WENT UP TO IT AND I PICKED IT UP. IT WAS STILL ALIVE JUST HURT AND TOO WEAK TO MOVE. I ASKED MY MOM IF WE COULD KEEP HIM AND WE RUSHED HIM TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM. WE HAVE HIM 2-DAY YET HE IS REALLY OLD. THO HE IS MISSING A LEG SO WE COULDNT LET HIM FREE THATS Y WE GOT 2 KEEP HIM. THE OTHERS WE HAD 2 ASK 4. BUT HE IS VERY VERY OLD. HE IS 14 YEARS OLD THE DOC SAID. HE WAS BOUT 2 WHEN WE FOUND HIM AND IT HAS BEEN 12 YEARS! BUT YEA COONS R THE *BEST*

I have a racoon we raised from when it was a baby. we let it go out side it climbs a tree and sleeps in our attic then comes down and we feed and play with it. it hasnt started getting mean yet and its a year and a half.

We have a pet reccoon, who is now 8 months old and 22 lbs. He is very "high maintenance" constantly needing his in-house cage (4 x 4 x 4 ) cleaned and water refreshed. Bowls of water get all soupy with what ever he can drag thru it. The lick style water bottles constantly need refilling. He pats the spout with his hands just for the fun of it. We had a large carpeted cat condo in the cage which he destroyed by peeling apart the cardboad barrel it was made of. Anything that he can reach (socks, newspapers, books, etc) will end up in his cage and destroyed just for the fun of it! We put him on a dog tie-out outside for variety, but have to check on him frequently because he tends to get tangled in bushes, trees, anything he can figure. There is a tree in the front yard I let him climb untethered for air-robic exercise, when I am willing to stay outside to wait for him to come back down. When we can, we feed him worms, minnows and crayfish in addition to dog food and table scraps. He is a lot of trouble, but is very affectionate and has stolen our hearts. I have been bitten many times and have gotten poison ivy from him twice when he has gotten away. But we have gotten so much affection and kisses from him, it all seems to be worth while. If you ever want to keep a raccoon for a pet, you must be willing to get bitten and make the effort to give him a good quality of life from his point of view. Boredom is his biggest enemy - a raccoon can never have too many toys or too much variety.

I have a pet racoon and its definatly the cutest pet I have ever had.