Okay my sister found this baby racoon on our lawn one morning and she wants it as a pet, anyone have any information on how to take of the little thief? Aside from hiding the silverware I got that covered.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
That sounds like a really bad idea.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Bad idea. Call animal control.
Posted by Sid Meier (Member # 6965) on :
She's fond of the little bandit, so I don't really think that's an option. (She is really scary)
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Then call an animal rescue, seriously. Keeping a raccoon wouldn't be good for you OR the raccoon.
Posted by Tstorm (Member # 1871) on :
Do what I did when I saw a raccoon the other morning. Wonder if it has a disease that you might not want to catch. Seriously. Wild animals carry many diseases. Call animal control or a wild animal rescue group. Your sister isn't trained or certified to keep a raccoon. Get rid of it.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Wasn't there a piece on This American Life just this past weekend where a woman was talking about watching her raccoons swing back and forth between reacting to her like a domesticated animal, and being affectionate, and trying to bite her neck?
Seriously Sid, keeping this raccoon and trying to make a pet of it would be a bad idea.
Is this a younger or older sister, by the way?
You might look to see if there is an organization in your area that specializes in taking care of wild animals and eventually releasing them back into their natural environments.
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
can you say rabies?
raibes?
raybees?
I can't, obviously.
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
Yep. Rabies. At this point, if anyone's come in contact with the saliva, the raccoon probably needs to be tested for rabies so that if anyone's been exposed, they can get the vaccine.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Raccoon as a pet= not a good idea. Seriously, they are not meant to be caged up, and you can't let them roam free. Animal control for sure; they'll know what to do with it.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:Wasn't there a piece on This American Life just this past weekend where a woman was talking about watching her raccoons swing back and forth between reacting to her like a domesticated animal, and being affectionate, and trying to bite her neck?
Yes, and that was a professional animal trainer that had so much trouble with 'coons.
If you aren't trained, then just forget it.
Posted by Swede (Member # 7560) on :
And the unknowing swede enters... What is a racoon?
Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :
A raccoon is an American mini-bear. Savage little biters, and they love to rummage through human garbage as much as bears do. They fight anything, even things that are five times their size. Scrappy little beasts. But people think they're cute because they like to wash their food. THEY AREN'T WASHING IT, they're torturing it by half-drowning it and then pulling it out and saying, "Now will you talk?" in Raccoonese.
Posted by Swede (Member # 7560) on :
Oh, know I understand. Thanks for the answer.
Posted by Swede (Member # 7560) on :
If you translate the Swedish name directly into English, it would actually be "washing bear"
Posted by Jay (Member # 5786) on :
K thanks, its my older sister and she doesn't think she'll be able to keep it since she doesn't thi8nk she'll be able to racoon proof her apartment good enough.... and on another note my watch is missing....
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
And when you live in the city and are driving home at night and see eyes shining at you peering out from the rain sewers, it is most likely racoons, not monstors waiting for you to pass so they can jump out and attack from behind. Honest.
Posted by Jay (Member # 5786) on :
An outside pet!
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Do NOT keep a raccoon as a pet. Just don't. Sure, they are cute and adorable, with their little dark eyes, but if you want a pet, get a rabbit, there are lots at shelters that needs homes. So just call animal control. They will take care of it. Perhaps its mother is looking for it too... Plus they have FLEAS and diseases too. Take it from a person who has a bad habit of bringing things inside that belong outside. Plus, it's extremely cruel to put a wild animal in a cage. You'd have that problem even if you adopted a hare.
Posted by Jay (Member # 5786) on :
You could just feed it off the back porch. Wal Mart has these great auto feeders
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
My mother had a raccoon as a pet for several years growing up.
Of course, state and local laws are different now -- they may not let you.
She had a wonderful time with it. However, raccoons are very very smart, and eventually he learned how to open the door to his cage. (It was like a very big rabbit hutch). He got it opened just as there were several dogs around. He didn't live long free.
So while my mom tells me wonderful stories of her pet raccoon, I can't recommend it here because it might be against your local laws.
Often times there are certified wildlife rescue people in the area you can contact. I know of one in our area -- if orphaned animals are found, these people are licensed to be able to raise them to be released back into the wild. Ours can be contacted through our Fish & Game Wildlife department. Perhaps your state has one.
Farmgirl
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
quote: But people think they're cute because they like to wash their food. THEY AREN'T WASHING IT, they're torturing it by half-drowning it and then pulling it out and saying, "Now will you talk?" in Raccoonese.
I have heard a rumor that Racoons flushed the Koran down the toilet last week.
Anbd that they are "advisors" at Gitmo.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Did anybody else read the book "Rascal" when they were younger? It's about a teenager back in the 20s or 30s who was raising a 'coon pet he named "Rascal" I read and re-read that several times in my pre-teen years.
The only other book I remember enjoying so much at that age was "My Side of the Mountain".
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
Wow, Kwea works for Newsweek.
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
Rascal! That's the book I was trying tom remember! I really liked that book as a youngling, too -
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Orson Scott Card:
But people think they're cute because they like to wash their food. THEY AREN'T WASHING IT, they're torturing it by half-drowning it and then pulling it out and saying, "Now will you talk?" in Raccoonese.
Posted by foundling (Member # 6348) on :
We found a baby squirrel whose mama our cats had killed when I was a teenager, and we raised it. It was too young to feed, so we put it in with my cats newborn kittens, and my cat ended up raising it like one of her kittens. It fed at her nipple and slept in a pile with all the other cats. It was REALLY cute to see this baby squirrel riding around on my cats head. It was fine for a couple of months, but it grew up quickly and was incredibly smart and mischievous. And, it had sharp little claws that it used to climb up the legs of guests and to make shredded nests out of school papers. It turned from a cute little baby to a wild animal that was impossible to control very quickly. We tried to acclimate it back into the wild by building it a big cage out doors where he had access to his own food and trees in our yard, but he was still dependent on us for sustenance when he escaped. I very much doubt that he lived very long, with his love of cats and humans. I still feel like a jerk for making a creature that I couldnt take care of dependent on me for its living. It's an irresponsible thing to do, unless you are qualified to train it back into the wild.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
I had a baby squirrell for 3 days, but it died. Posted by RackhamsRazor (Member # 5254) on :
Lots of areas requrire that you have a permit to have an animal like a raccoon. I would not recommend it at all. While it may be cute while it is young, they can have awful tempers. They are also known to carry plenty of diseases that could be very harmful to you and any pets you might own.
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
Reminds me of that Calvin and Hobbes strip. I don't think I could find a link to it though...
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Racoons are immune carriers of rabies. If it bites anyone or scratches anyone you may have to take the rabies vaccine. I want to tame them too, cause they're so cute and so tame already, but Dr. George, my wonderful veterinarian, says no.
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