"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.
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"Georgia"
