There are always alot of images of Raccoons posted inthe Nature Forums. The discussions always turn to Raccoons as pets. As an expirenced exotic owner I thought I would post this here as an FYI for everybody. If you want a raccoon pet please get one from a reputable breeder and don't take them from the wild. My raccoon is 29th Generation captive born bottlefed Chocolate Raccoon. He really is alot of work even more so them my children. It's like trying to keep up with a two year old with claws.
This is a recent post from Sybils Den message Boards. http://www.raskbb.com/sybilsden/index.php
it is a forum for exotic pet owners and has a wealth of knowledge for exotic owners and potential exotic owners. This should shed some light on keeping a raccoon as a pet. Number one thing YOU HAVE TO DO IS GET THEM SPAYED OR NEAUTERED. If not you will have a mean little critter every mating season.
As for crazy PETA members that are going to want to yell at me don't.....I have heard it all before. A raccoons life expectancy in the wild is 2-4 years, Captive raccoons live up to 18 years!!!
Hi I am trying to research as much as possible and ask breeders and people who have pet raccoons advice.
I want to get a boy raccoon. I have 2 cats in the house and one is declawed. One person told me a raccoon would ignore a cat and another told me the raccoon could kill it and would fight it too rough. I don't want to upset my cat by getting one but I wondered if my cat would actually like it and become friends with it. He is a curious friendly cat. My other cat, she sleeps all the time so she wouldn't care.
Another thing is I have a new house with all new furniture and wondering if the raccoon would destroy everything or just get into cupboards and stuff? I don't mind if it gets into everything but someone told me it would destroy all the mattresses for sure and also dig into all my dry walls which is my whole house? Is this true?
I feed wild raccoons every night and I am so attached to them, I was thinking should I just forget getting one and keep enjoying my wild ones every night even though I want to touch and pet one and give one so much love and attention. Do raccoons like to be held as adults? babied? I love my animals and love to baby them.
Should I put it in a huge cage when I go to the store? I mean I want to let it roam the whole house all the time but when I leave for alittle bit do you leave yours to roam the house then too?
Any advice would be great. I have plenty of time to find out since Spring is awhile aways.
An¥one also know breeders within Pittsburgh PA or Cleveland OH or within those distances?
Thank you
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Jeremy
Joined: 25 Mar 2008
Posts: 54
Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 5:55 pm Post subject:
---------------
Here's a page that ought to help you get an idea of how much they get into:
http://www.mnsi.net/~remocoon/index2.htm
Another related member of the raccoon family are kinkajous, coatimundi, and ringtail cats.
I've heard ringtails are really sweet.
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pat
Site Admin
Joined: 21 Nov 2003
Posts: 5468
Location: evans city pa
Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 8:42 am Post subject:
---------------
bambigirl1234
I don't know which state you are in. but, If you are in Pa, you can buy one from someone in Pa with only a bill of sale.
not sure how ohio is. there is a breeder in pa, not many of them.
for me, raising raccons is very interesting. it is very important to have your raccoon fixed before a year old. otherwise, you will have a moody racoon at breeding time. both mine are fixed.
my oldest one Larry, is a joy to have around. he truely amazes me how good he can be. the other one is very good, but, very shy.
both are litter trained. seems the older they get, the calmer they get.
raccoons are very curious animals. they have busy little hands.
they will open cupboards and rip everything out. they can open refrigerators and will pull food out. if they want into a room that that has a closed door, they will scratch at the door, and the carpet at the door.
my coons and foxes did rip up part of the carpet in front of a closed door.
they even scratched through a door. however, my doors here are old and flimsly. we put a piece of alumun on the bottom of the closed door so they can no longer destroy them.
now, they seem to have calmed down and don't destroy anything.
but, it is very important to have things for them to keep them busy.
my coons have 5 dogs and 3 foxes they play with.
they also have a large pen with lots of hiding places. they have a doggie door that goes into their pen. when I am not home and at night, I put them in their pen. (moslty at night so I can get some sleep)
I don't recommend putting a coon in a small pen. that is asking for trouble.
my oldest larry is a like having a domestic pet. he likes to be cuddled, gives me "nose kisses" and will sit on the couch and watch tv with us.
if a raccoon grows up with cats, chances are, they won't hurt the cat.
I have a cat and the coons don't bother the her. in fact, the cat and my other coon use to sleep together.
I don't keep my cat in the same room anymore, because I don't trust my foxes with her.
one other thing, my coons have never destroyed my furnature. but, they did rip some stuffing from under the couch. to prevent this, maybe you could put a sheet of plywood underneth so the coon cannot do this.
the bathroom door will have to be closed, they love water. and will play in the toliet. also, it is best to keep your kitchen door closed.
hope this helped..............
_______________
Pat (Sybil and Benny's Mom)
http://sybilsden.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
sybil's products:
http://sybilsden.com/products/prodindex.htm
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mobayrasta
Joined: 08 Apr 2007
Posts: 158
Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 8:40 am Post subject:
---------------
As always I have to chime in here with my bad raccooon stories. Mash-Up has totally ripped the leather off of the arm of my love-seat. He has pulled drywall down in my bedroom. He loves to chew on speaker wire, and the back of my wifes recliner.
He does not scratch the carpet at the doors. He tries to open them once or twice if you close him out, but then finds something else to do. He does not scratch up doors. And he plays with both of my cats. (yes a little too rough sometimes but the cats really seem to hold their own and come back for more, over and over and over and over........) He plays with my Jack Russell constantly. He also dosn't really get into cabinets and has never opened the fridge even though he could very easily. He has learned how to turn door knobs so I can't have anything next to a door that he can stand on.
Raccoons are not an animal to be caged. They will revert back to their wild ways very quickly! Mine has a crate that he goes in if I absolutely have to, or if he is extremely bad. He know the words "GET IN YOUR HOUSE!" and will run into his crate. He never stays in the crate for more than a few minutes. I prefer to stick him in a room if I need to have the front door open for extended periods of time or visiting non animal friendly compny.. I usually will give him something he really likes if I have to put him up due to company or other circumstances. If he has something or some things to play with he usually stays out of trouble. He has never really been bad when we leave the house he usuallly just sleeps and resumes his craziness when we get home.
Mash-Up is so lovable in the mornings it is great. He loves to be scratched and cuddled. That usually last until about 11:00 am when my dog decides its time to join the rest of the world and they start playing, then he becomes a little demon who just wants to play and play and play for hours and hours. He turns back to his little (read: big fat) cute self about eight at night. Then he gets on the couch with us and wants to be lovey again. He definately has diffrent personalities. The wide open hellion and cute little sweety pie!
As you can tell me and Pat's raccoons have totally different personalities. They are all individuals that share some of the same traits, if that makes any since.
I always tell people that are thinking about getting a raccoon, there have been times I have said to myself, "what have I gotten myself into?" They are alot of work and I meen A LOT OF WORK especially the first year. Sometimes they are just too smart for their own good. I love my little buddy and knew what I was getting into long before I got him, but they take a lot of patience and time. You must be willing to devote as much time to it as you would to a newborn child/toddler. You must be willing to accept that things will get torn, ripped, sliced diced, and sometime destroyed. It is all part of being owned by this glorious animal. If you are up for the challenge take the plunge. If not you might want to consider another animal. There are plenty of cute animals that are much easier to take care of.
Remember all raccoons have different personalities so take everything I said with a grain of salt. They are all individuals that share some of the same traits. I just had to say that again.
Good luck.
Chris
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pat
Site Admin
Joined: 21 Nov 2003
Posts: 5468
Location: evans city pa
Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 6:58 am Post subject:
---------------
mobayrasta
it is true how many coons have different personalites.
I only know about my two. but, yours is different, and who is to say what the others are like.
I know both my raccoons have different personalitles.
my blonde raccoon has never open any cupboards, climbed or really got into any trouble. maybe because he is shy.
the ony thing he has ever done, is spill my drinks.
do you have an outside pen for mash-up?
_______________
Pat (Sybil and Benny's Mom)
http://sybilsden.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
sybil's products:
http://sybilsden.com/products/prodindex.htm
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mobayrasta
Joined: 08 Apr 2007
Posts: 158
Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 9:06 am Post subject:
---------------
Oh my gosh....spilled drinks! it seems as if he gets me at least once a day. It never fails....look around.......no raccoon......set drink down run to grab phone......whap...bam....booom.......spilled drink. He is so darn fast and he appears from no where!
Pat-
I have no outside pen for Mash-Up my sister lives 2 miles from me on a big Christmas tree farm. We make frequent trips over to her property and he follws me around justlike a dog. We explore the creeks , ponds and fields. He loves it! We have not been doing it too much these last couple of months because the ticks and chiggers have been so bad. The only thing I really need to watch out for is the kids. He will wonder off with them in a heartbeat. We also go to my friends house a couple of times a week. He has a LARGE fenced in area that we like to play in. He also has a big chicken coop and Mash-Up pretty much ignores the chickens. He has been around them his whole life but I still watch him like a hawk because you never know if he is going to pounce one of them.
If you take your raccoon on trips a lot when they are young they seem to really enjoy it. I can open my door to my house and he will walk straight out to the mini van and wait for me to stick him in it. HE is a good rider and loves to sit on the back of my seat with his hands on my shoulders. You must devote 100% of the time to the raccoon if you are with them outdoors. They are easily distracted by their noses! Up until the beggining of this summer he would cry and trill if I was out of site, he is much more confortable now and dosn't worry about me as much, so I have to worry about him twice as much. He has never onced climbed a tree and not come back down when I move on, but I have heard of that happening and we keep a long extendable net at my sisters house just in case!
Another habit that he has gotten into is peeing in the bathtub. Every morning I turn the tub on cold water for him and he gets in and plays. He also always pees at this time. Not so bad just washes down with the water. Now he will just climb into the tub and pee down the drain. Not really a bad deal as it makes litter boxes stay fresh longer. He has also stopped peeing as much in his downstairs water bowl. WHich is great because it is a real pain in the butt to put down fresh water and look 5 minutes later and it is full of stinky raccoon urine. Does anybody elses raccoon think that water is where they are supposed to urinate?
Last thought. Mashers is absolutely nuts about marshmallows. He does not get them often because they are not good for him, but if he ever is being stubborn about something their is nothing like a mini marshmallow to get him to behave. They are like raccoon drugs. He will do ANYTHING for a marsmallow
I want to get a boy raccoon. I have 2 cats in the house and one is declawed. One person told me a raccoon would ignore a cat and another told me the raccoon could kill it and would fight it too rough. I don't want to upset my cat by getting one but I wondered if my cat would actually like it and become friends with it. He is a curious friendly cat. My other cat, she sleeps all the time so she wouldn't care.
Another thing is I have a new house with all new furniture and wondering if the raccoon would destroy everything or just get into cupboards and stuff? I don't mind if it gets into everything but someone told me it would destroy all the mattresses for sure and also dig into all my dry walls which is my whole house? Is this true?
I feed wild raccoons every night and I am so attached to them, I was thinking should I just forget getting one and keep enjoying my wild ones every night even though I want to touch and pet one and give one so much love and attention. Do raccoons like to be held as adults? babied? I love my animals and love to baby them.
Should I put it in a huge cage when I go to the store? I mean I want to let it roam the whole house all the time but when I leave for alittle bit do you leave yours to roam the house then too?
Any advice would be great. I have plenty of time to find out since Spring is awhile aways.
An¥one also know breeders within Pittsburgh PA or Cleveland OH or within those distances?
Thank you
Back to top
Jeremy
Joined: 25 Mar 2008
Posts: 54
Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 5:55 pm Post subject:
---------------
Here's a page that ought to help you get an idea of how much they get into:
http://www.mnsi.net/~remocoon/index2.htm
Another related member of the raccoon family are kinkajous, coatimundi, and ringtail cats.
I've heard ringtails are really sweet.
Back to top
pat
Site Admin
Joined: 21 Nov 2003
Posts: 5468
Location: evans city pa
Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 8:42 am Post subject:
---------------
bambigirl1234
I don't know which state you are in. but, If you are in Pa, you can buy one from someone in Pa with only a bill of sale.
not sure how ohio is. there is a breeder in pa, not many of them.
for me, raising raccons is very interesting. it is very important to have your raccoon fixed before a year old. otherwise, you will have a moody racoon at breeding time. both mine are fixed.
my oldest one Larry, is a joy to have around. he truely amazes me how good he can be. the other one is very good, but, very shy.
both are litter trained. seems the older they get, the calmer they get.
raccoons are very curious animals. they have busy little hands.
they will open cupboards and rip everything out. they can open refrigerators and will pull food out. if they want into a room that that has a closed door, they will scratch at the door, and the carpet at the door.
my coons and foxes did rip up part of the carpet in front of a closed door.
they even scratched through a door. however, my doors here are old and flimsly. we put a piece of alumun on the bottom of the closed door so they can no longer destroy them.
now, they seem to have calmed down and don't destroy anything.
but, it is very important to have things for them to keep them busy.
my coons have 5 dogs and 3 foxes they play with.
they also have a large pen with lots of hiding places. they have a doggie door that goes into their pen. when I am not home and at night, I put them in their pen. (moslty at night so I can get some sleep)
I don't recommend putting a coon in a small pen. that is asking for trouble.
my oldest larry is a like having a domestic pet. he likes to be cuddled, gives me "nose kisses" and will sit on the couch and watch tv with us.
if a raccoon grows up with cats, chances are, they won't hurt the cat.
I have a cat and the coons don't bother the her. in fact, the cat and my other coon use to sleep together.
I don't keep my cat in the same room anymore, because I don't trust my foxes with her.
one other thing, my coons have never destroyed my furnature. but, they did rip some stuffing from under the couch. to prevent this, maybe you could put a sheet of plywood underneth so the coon cannot do this.
the bathroom door will have to be closed, they love water. and will play in the toliet. also, it is best to keep your kitchen door closed.
hope this helped..............
_______________
Pat (Sybil and Benny's Mom)
http://sybilsden.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
sybil's products:
http://sybilsden.com/products/prodindex.htm
Back to top
mobayrasta
Joined: 08 Apr 2007
Posts: 158
Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 8:40 am Post subject:
---------------
As always I have to chime in here with my bad raccooon stories. Mash-Up has totally ripped the leather off of the arm of my love-seat. He has pulled drywall down in my bedroom. He loves to chew on speaker wire, and the back of my wifes recliner.
He does not scratch the carpet at the doors. He tries to open them once or twice if you close him out, but then finds something else to do. He does not scratch up doors. And he plays with both of my cats. (yes a little too rough sometimes but the cats really seem to hold their own and come back for more, over and over and over and over........) He plays with my Jack Russell constantly. He also dosn't really get into cabinets and has never opened the fridge even though he could very easily. He has learned how to turn door knobs so I can't have anything next to a door that he can stand on.
Raccoons are not an animal to be caged. They will revert back to their wild ways very quickly! Mine has a crate that he goes in if I absolutely have to, or if he is extremely bad. He know the words "GET IN YOUR HOUSE!" and will run into his crate. He never stays in the crate for more than a few minutes. I prefer to stick him in a room if I need to have the front door open for extended periods of time or visiting non animal friendly compny.. I usually will give him something he really likes if I have to put him up due to company or other circumstances. If he has something or some things to play with he usually stays out of trouble. He has never really been bad when we leave the house he usuallly just sleeps and resumes his craziness when we get home.
Mash-Up is so lovable in the mornings it is great. He loves to be scratched and cuddled. That usually last until about 11:00 am when my dog decides its time to join the rest of the world and they start playing, then he becomes a little demon who just wants to play and play and play for hours and hours. He turns back to his little (read: big fat) cute self about eight at night. Then he gets on the couch with us and wants to be lovey again. He definately has diffrent personalities. The wide open hellion and cute little sweety pie!
As you can tell me and Pat's raccoons have totally different personalities. They are all individuals that share some of the same traits, if that makes any since.
I always tell people that are thinking about getting a raccoon, there have been times I have said to myself, "what have I gotten myself into?" They are alot of work and I meen A LOT OF WORK especially the first year. Sometimes they are just too smart for their own good. I love my little buddy and knew what I was getting into long before I got him, but they take a lot of patience and time. You must be willing to devote as much time to it as you would to a newborn child/toddler. You must be willing to accept that things will get torn, ripped, sliced diced, and sometime destroyed. It is all part of being owned by this glorious animal. If you are up for the challenge take the plunge. If not you might want to consider another animal. There are plenty of cute animals that are much easier to take care of.
Remember all raccoons have different personalities so take everything I said with a grain of salt. They are all individuals that share some of the same traits. I just had to say that again.
Good luck.
Chris
Back to top
pat
Site Admin
Joined: 21 Nov 2003
Posts: 5468
Location: evans city pa
Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 6:58 am Post subject:
---------------
mobayrasta
it is true how many coons have different personalites.
I only know about my two. but, yours is different, and who is to say what the others are like.
I know both my raccoons have different personalitles.
my blonde raccoon has never open any cupboards, climbed or really got into any trouble. maybe because he is shy.
the ony thing he has ever done, is spill my drinks.
do you have an outside pen for mash-up?
_______________
Pat (Sybil and Benny's Mom)
http://sybilsden.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
sybil's products:
http://sybilsden.com/products/prodindex.htm
Back to top
mobayrasta
Joined: 08 Apr 2007
Posts: 158
Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 9:06 am Post subject:
---------------
Oh my gosh....spilled drinks! it seems as if he gets me at least once a day. It never fails....look around.......no raccoon......set drink down run to grab phone......whap...bam....booom.......spilled drink. He is so darn fast and he appears from no where!
Pat-
I have no outside pen for Mash-Up my sister lives 2 miles from me on a big Christmas tree farm. We make frequent trips over to her property and he follws me around justlike a dog. We explore the creeks , ponds and fields. He loves it! We have not been doing it too much these last couple of months because the ticks and chiggers have been so bad. The only thing I really need to watch out for is the kids. He will wonder off with them in a heartbeat. We also go to my friends house a couple of times a week. He has a LARGE fenced in area that we like to play in. He also has a big chicken coop and Mash-Up pretty much ignores the chickens. He has been around them his whole life but I still watch him like a hawk because you never know if he is going to pounce one of them.
If you take your raccoon on trips a lot when they are young they seem to really enjoy it. I can open my door to my house and he will walk straight out to the mini van and wait for me to stick him in it. HE is a good rider and loves to sit on the back of my seat with his hands on my shoulders. You must devote 100% of the time to the raccoon if you are with them outdoors. They are easily distracted by their noses! Up until the beggining of this summer he would cry and trill if I was out of site, he is much more confortable now and dosn't worry about me as much, so I have to worry about him twice as much. He has never onced climbed a tree and not come back down when I move on, but I have heard of that happening and we keep a long extendable net at my sisters house just in case!
Another habit that he has gotten into is peeing in the bathtub. Every morning I turn the tub on cold water for him and he gets in and plays. He also always pees at this time. Not so bad just washes down with the water. Now he will just climb into the tub and pee down the drain. Not really a bad deal as it makes litter boxes stay fresh longer. He has also stopped peeing as much in his downstairs water bowl. WHich is great because it is a real pain in the butt to put down fresh water and look 5 minutes later and it is full of stinky raccoon urine. Does anybody elses raccoon think that water is where they are supposed to urinate?
Last thought. Mashers is absolutely nuts about marshmallows. He does not get them often because they are not good for him, but if he ever is being stubborn about something their is nothing like a mini marshmallow to get him to behave. They are like raccoon drugs. He will do ANYTHING for a marsmallow
