Unusual Pets: Raccoons

Raccoons are sometimes called masked bandits because of the black fur near their eyes, which resembles a bandit’s mask. Their fur is usually white, black, grey and brown. They can be found in major parts of North America and Europe. Their native habitats are deciduous and mixed forests. Ever adaptable, they have also learned to live very well in big cities. When mom and dad lived in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, they were awakened one night by a noise in the back yard. Quietly looking out the upstairs bedroom window, they discovered a mother Raccoon showing her three kits how to open a garbage can and sort through the garbage for tasty tidbits.

Raccoons have five long fingers on each limb, which help them in easily opening latches, boxes and jars. They can even open trash cans and turn knobs on doors. Their prints have a close resemblance to a human baby’s handprints. In the wild, Raccoon tracks are found mostly in mud near water, where they usually wander when searching for food. Their body weight can vary from six to thirty-five pounds and the length of their body can vary from twenty-four to thirty-six inches. Their bushy tail measures up to ten inches in length and has an alternate coloring of white and black. The black circle around their eyes makes them look mischievous and gives them the image of a thief. That is substantiated by the fact that they are often sighted in urban areas stealing human garbage or eating some pet animal’s food.

Raccoons are omnivorous and apart from eating nuts, berries, corn, mice and human garbage, they also eat fish, shellfish, salamanders, eggs, birds, frogs, insects and amphibians. They have a habit of appearing to wash their food before consuming it, but these same actions are seen when they do not have any water. The actions are believed to be a way of feeling the food, although no one has yet determined why the motions look like washing something. However, if water is available, they will soak their food in it, especially those who live in captivity. Pet Raccoons can also be fed cat food, as they enjoy it very much. A female Raccoon gives birth to two to five offspring at a time. Raccoons mate in January or February, followed by giving birth in April or May. They don’t hibernate in winter, but do become much less active.

Besides rabies, Raccoons can also be the carriers of parvovirus, canine distemper and roundworm. Nearly thirty-eight percent of cases of rabies, in the United States, are the result of Raccoon bites. However, only one human death has been recorded in the United States from rabies contracted from a rabid Raccoon. If any Raccoon is spotted in your neighbourhood during the day, contact the local health department or the SPCA immediately as you definitely do not want to take the chance that it is rabid. Raccoons seldom show signs of rabies, but their body fluids will have the virus if they are infected.

It is illegal to keep Raccoons as pets in the majority of states in the United States because they could be a carrier of rabies which could risk human life. In states where they are permitted, a special exotic pet permit should be obtained before getting a Raccoon as a pet. Orphan Raccoons which are rescued from the wild have a higher risk of being rabies carriers, and because they are wild animals they will be very difficult to tame. If you get a Raccoon as a pet, it should be vaccinated. Raccoons can be bought from special breeders who will make sure that the animal has its first vaccination and that it has been tamed.

Raccoons have a natural tendency to bite so be careful when handling them. When dad was a teenager, his father cut down a tree for firewood. They discovered a baby Racoon in a nest in a hole in the tree. The baby Raccoon was small enough to sit on the palm of dad’s hand, but full of snarling, biting fury. Dad wore heavy leather gloves to feed the little fellow. He kept him about two weeks, but instead of getting more friendly, the baby Racoon became more vicious. It was decided that the baby Raccoon should be taken out to the forest behind dad’s home and released. When the little fellow was let out of the box he had been kept in he stalked away snarling. Every few feet it would stop, turn around and glare at dad and snarl ferociously. Finally after the baby Raccoon had gone about 50 feet, it climbed a tree, snarling all the way until it disappeared in the heavy boughs. This experience made dad realize that wild Raccoons, even baby ones, would make very poor pets. They also may contaminate the food of other animals you have by urinating on it. Raccoons are nocturnal by nature, so they require a lot of time and hard work. With training, they can be made to sleep at night and stay awake during the day.

Raccoons held in captivity face health problems like obesity because they do not get enough exercise and they have a ready source of food. Because Raccoons are omnivorous, they should be fed a diet consisting of vegetables, raw eggs, raw meat and fruit. If you decide that you want a Raccoon as a pet, it is a lifelong commitment because captive Raccoons cannot be released into the wild. Once they have become domestic pets, they cannot survive in the wild. Dad was able to release the Raccoon he found into the wild because it had never been domesticated.

Until next time,

Teia